Review: Alila Ventana Big Sur (Pacific House Suite) [2nd Stay] (CA)

Our first stay at Alila Ventana Big Sur was magical.

Would our second stay at Alila Ventana Big Sur be as good as we remembered?

Click here to read the review of our first stay at Alila Ventana Big Sur.

Review: Alila Ventana Big Sur (Pacific House Suite)

Click here for a Pacific House Suite Walkthrough at Alila Ventana Big Sur

At A Glance: Alila Ventana Big Sur (Pacific House Suite)

• Official Website: Alila Ventana Big Sur
• Average Nightly Cost During Stay: $2,970.07 USD
• Loyalty Program: World of Hyatt
• Loyalty Category: Category 7 (30,000 Points)
•             (Note: It’s now a Category 8 Hotel, and starts at 40,000 points)
• Discount Applied: N/A
• Room Type As Booked: 1 King Bed with Balcony
• Room Upgrade: Pacific House Suite ($300 Value)
• Resort Fee: None (Globalist)
• Parking Fee: None (Globalist)

World Of Hyatt Redemption

We opted to book our reservation using 30,000 World of Hyatt points, which equated to a CPP of 9.9 – incredible for a World of Hyatt redemption (among the best values in the World of Hyatt portfolio).

Location & Parking

As before, we chose to valet our vehicle to take advantage of the Globalist benefit while we still have it.

FHOP Tip: There is a self-parking lot to the right, just before you arrive in the valet area drop-off.

Front Desk & Check-In

Check-in was conducted at the Social House (lobby), where we were warmly greeted and recognized for our Globalist status.

Welcome Drinks

We were offered our choice of an alcoholic or non-alcoholic welcome beverage – we went alcoholic (of course) and received a delightful “lavender, mint, lemonade, and vodka” drink.

Room Key

As we were handed our “keys” (which were actually small, round, wooden chips), we were informed that we had been given a Globalist upgrade to the Pacific House.

This was music to my ears, because we did not receive an upgrade during our prior stay.

Still, I wasn’t sure how good the upgrade would end up being.

As it turned out, we were given quite the upgrade.

Globalist Gifts

Unlike our first Globalist stay, this time we had welcome gifts waiting for us in the room.

There was a 2018 bottle of Dancing Coyote Petite Sirah and a delectable charcuterie platter with various meats, cheeses, and breads.

Room Gift

Also, unlike our first stay, this time we were given the gift of sage – a plant who’s dried leaves (when burned) are believed by many indigenous peoples to purify a given space with positive energy (I can verify this is true, at least temporarily).

Pacific House Suite

Our Pacific House Suite was [unsurprisingly] located in the Pacific House building structure.

This room was far larger than the room we were given on our last day, and came with a metal cubed king bed, an oversized bathroom, a spacious living area, and of course – a fireplace.

As before, this room was attractively woodsy; dare I say “modern-rustic”. It had an ocean view (sunset view) and a skylight system that let in ample natural light.

But the absolute best feature of the room was [of course] the hot tub on the balcony with an ocean view.

Natural Lighting

Living Area

TV, fireplace, and huge mirror

Office Desk

Room Amenities

Closet

Hiking sticks and umbrellas (just in case)

Bathroom

Still the best-smelling bar of soap you may ever hope to find

Balcony

Who needs to share the Japanese soaking pools when you have this to all to yourself?

(Ocean) View From The Room

Sur House Dinner Menu

Dinner At Sur House

As before, we trekked to the Sur House via the .3 mile trail.

Unlike before, this time we spotted a bobcat on the trail! (Don’t worry, he was more scared of us than we were of him).

The walk itself was mostly flat and took a little over 10 minutes (each way) as it slowly meandered away from the resort, past a Redwood grove, and over to the Sur House. During the evening, the pathway was well-lit making it safe and easy to follow – even in the dark.

The Sur House

Weird, I didn’t see this last time…

It’s cozier by the fire

Dinner At Sur House

In my prior review of Ventana, I remarked that the food was very good although not excellent.

This time however, the food was hands-down excellent. True, the menu was different, but there seemed to be a new level of deliberate comfort-food deliciousness this time around.

We went with the Spanish Octopus and the Flat Iron Tartar for our first course; for our second, we went with the Seasonal Risotto and Seared Scallops (both courses were excellent).

They had a new sour beer for me to try, “Sournova” from the Almanac Beer Company (thumbs up).

Finally, for dessert we went with the Flourless Chocolate Tort and the Lemon Tart. Again, both were delicious.

Spanish Octopus and Flat Iron Beef Tartare

Seasonal Risotto

Seared Day Boat Scallops

Another stay at Ventana, another sour beer (Almanac Beer Co. Sournova)

Flourless Chocolate Tort

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Lemon Tart

Breakfast Menu

Breakfast (Room Service)

For breakfast, we opted to have the food delivered via the in-room dining service.

We ordered up a Chorizo Scramble, French Toast, and a Pastry Basket – along with some much-needed coffee (which, by the way, went surprisingly well with my morning soak in the hot tub).

Lunch Menu

The Property Exterior

The Redwood Circle of Life

S’mores

Fitness Center

Japanese Soaking Pools

Because I missed the Japanese Soaking Pools during my first stay, I had every intention of checking them out during this stay.

Well that idea was dashed, thanks to my own private hot tub with the ocean view. I mean, no need to mingle with the Ventana riff raff, am I right?

The Bottom-Line Review: Alila Ventana Big Sur (Pacific House Suite)

I honestly didn’t think it possible, but somehow, we enjoyed our second stay vastly more than our first time around.

The [minute] “shortcomings” of our first stay were corrected and surpassed. This included our treatment as Hyatt Globalists, this time receiving a massive room upgrade and even more generous and numerous welcome gifts. Not to mention, our overall culinary experience was simply incredible during this stay.

Although our first stay was indeed magical – and I stand by my earlier statement that Alila Ventana Big Sur was an overwhelmingly beautiful and uniquely California experience from beginning to end – this second stay prompted us to promise to return to Ventana Big Sur at least once a year (if possible).

After two wonderful stays at Alila Ventana Big Sur (and one camping experience at Ventana Campground), I definitely feel like I know the place much better – enough to know there’s so much left for me to explore (I promise, I’ll get to those Japanese Soaking Pools and nearby hiking trails one day).

Final Rating: 10 out of 10