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River Inn, left, is a favorite way station to ease into Big Sur. Big stone fireplace, dining room, decks, rooms to rent, and chairs in the river among the redwoods. |
Big Sur Village Pub is a local’s place. The Pub shows fresh, energetic local art. And, as if it is not enough just being a British pub in this quintessentially, American pioneer setting, they unabashedly serve good pizza and tacos. Big Sur Art Center is next door. Heart Beat gift shop is part of the River Inn complex. It’s a Big Sur No Age kind of place. |
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A new favorite for locals is the Bonito Roadhouse (left). The Big Sur Cuisine restaurant is named after the ship which used to bring supplies to the settlers at Partington Cove. It is across from Glen Oaks Motel in the old Glen Oaks Restaurant and have a killer homemade chicken pot pie. |
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Big Sur Lodge at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park has the acumen of a national park hotel, while keeping a laid back, campy Big Sur appeal. The Park has a wild and scenic river, old growth redwoods, super trails, waterfalls, complete campground, natural history center, historical landmarks, restaurant, expresso bar and store. The Lodge at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park |
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A half-mile south of the park is Big Sur Station, a worthwhile information center for visitors. |
Big Sur Bakery is a kind of Big Sur drive up love in. It’s spread along a rise where Hwy 1 emerges from the Big Sur Valley –out of its repose between the sea and the mountains. Wood fired pizzas. Rustic dining room with a large fireplace. |
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(See a larger version of this photo) |
On this high point, looking over the massive mountain scene, aromas stream through the air currents. Warm breezes of sage and fruits stir senses. Loma Vista is a rustic place, and laid out so you can hang out awhile and get a Big Sur feeling. |
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“You can buy carved jade necklaces, beads from all over the world, unusual jewelry, antique light fixtures handmade goods, paintings, etc. and it has vintage clothing and fun old stuff. It used to be the Begonia Gardens but has been transformed into something else although they still have plants. They also have some nice iron work (fireplaces etc.)It’s a really fun place to visit and there are lots of places to sit and linger.” If you see Shannon, one of the owners, you can talk about hiking in the Big Sur Country, too. |
There are two country inns, each in a veritable wilderness, across the road from each other, that are among the best little luxury hotels in the world.
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Now, Ventana, remains on the leading edge of world class luxury resorts. This is an enduring work of ecological harmony. The Inn is softly sewn into the bold, rusticity of the landscape. There is a prevailing sense of timelessness. |
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Admirers of Michael Eamons, sculptor and furniture maker, can find his work in this new gallery. |
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Big Sur residents come together at the Watersheds Fair each year at the Henry Miller Library to exchange knowledge about conserving nature and the arts. Magnus Torén works on the mural that is in its fourth year, and Judith Goodman, author of Big Sur Women, teaches others about the unseemly characteristics of invasive exotic plants like the Carrizo. A marvelous artistic and environmental ethic adheres to Big Sur. Visit the Henry Miller Memorial Library online. |
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Deetjen's Big Sur Inn is an ensemble of barns and cottages along Castro Canyon. A babbling brook, deep redwood forests, an ocean's surf. Memorable meals in candle lit rooms, classical music, log fires, books and photographs. It's an old world country inn at a bend in the Big Sur road. A place to be discovered. It's not funky. It's not Ventana Inn. It's a real time fairy tale. |
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In the 1930s, when Helmuth began building the old coast road stop over, he meant it to be like his native Norway. But it is now very Big Sur.
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Coast Gallery is a significant artistic haunt.
Redwood water tanks are the basic structure. It is home to a candle maker, host to artists, and sponsors a summer artists-in-action-program. Henry Miller was not only a great writer, but a prolific and good artist, as the standing exhibit here will show. Nice gift shop and cafe.
Banana trees with no bananas, a Benedictine hermitage, sea kayaking amidst mountains, and a stupendous view all the way past the end of the world are the regular fare in Lucia. Beamed ceiling cabins with antique four poster beds are for rent.
The cafe has a spell binding view deck–you can see along the cliffs and openings of jade coves and out to the dramatic promontory of Cape Martin very good food, and seems to always sport very personable, lively staff.
At the monastery (not pictured) speaking is not allowed. Visitors can stay for up to three days at a modest tariff, with meals. Or, day visitors can buy cakes and crafts This Benedictine monastery, New Camaldoli, is identified on the highway by a white cross a little south of Lucia. This is not an overnight stopping place. This is a place for contemplation.Call 831.667.2456, or 667.2341 for details, or, online: Hermitage www.contemplation.com
Longing for Lucia – a poem by Paul Sivley
Not many people live in Gorda, only three. But they keep a busy farm, restaurant and store in good fiddle. Distinctive jade gallery. Three cabins for rent. Llamas. Working artists. Goats. A boulder with million-year-old anemone holes. Great setting for gaining a Big Sur coast orientation.
Ragged Point Inn is an awesome scene. In front along the highway, one wouldn’t know it, as it is the most crassly commercial situation along the whole 88-mile coast — almost like being at a beach boardwalk, even has a hot dog stand –and the gas station charges nearly three dollars for a gallon. But the Inn is something else.
It is elegantly situated for an authentic Big Sur experience. The point is like an island garden adrift in the Pacific. Seems to have its own climate, and definitely a distinct ambiance. There are a few places along the southern half of Big Sur that have huge moods –Esalen is another. These are different and treasures unto themselves.
Reserve a Big Sur Lodge cottage at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park online with Pelican Network.
Go to Big Sur LodgeGuests receive the Guide to Big Sur
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Big Sur Watercolors – A Special Series by Jeff Bryant |
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