Five-star Face-off: Post Ranch v. Ventana Inn

Harried celebs flee the LA Basin to recuperate at one of two Big Sur hotels, and it’s not unusual to spot $100,000 vehicles with dark-tinted windows wending northward on Hwy 1, bound for either the Post Ranch Inn or the Ventana Inn, two of the most famous properties on the California coast.

From its opening in 1975 until 1991, the Ventana was the place for a private, adults-only escape in Northern California. Then Post Ranch Inn opened and knocked Ventana to the number-two spot. Each of them is a great hotel, but which is better? That depends on your tastes.

At the top of every hotel maven’s list of must-visit places in California, the Post Ranch Inn sits atop a 1200ft-high ridgeline rising straight from the sea. Before anyone was talking about Feng Shui, the Post Ranch embodied it: constructed of wood, glass, and slate, each of the 30 rooms is an architectural gem, designed to blend in with the landscape.

Literally, in the case of the Ocean Houses, which are built into the cliff and covered with a roof of wildflowers; inside there’s a double-sided wood-burning fireplace so you can soak in the bathtub by flickering firelight. Tree Houses sit on stilts high in the branches of twisted, century-old oaks and subtly move with the wind. The Coast Houses – my favorite – face the ocean and have a circular design to mirror the shape of the surrounding redwood trees; each has its own deck, jutting out high above the roaring surf (for maximum privacy, book an upstairs unit).

Furnishings in all the rooms are cushy, but never fussy, evidence the unfinished grey-marble tubs, discrete wood-burning fireplaces, and denim bedspreads. There’s a stocked complimentary wine bar, books on art and bird-watching, and in the bathroom, hand-milled soap, organic-cotton towels, and even a remedy for poison oak – everything you need and nothing you don’t.

What you won’t find is a TV or an alarm clock (the latter is available by request, the former not). The pools and hot tubs are open 24 hours, including a gorgeous infinity hot pool perched on the cliff above the ocean. Activities include guided walks, yoga, and guests-only spa services.

The Ventana Inn sits on the inland side of Hwy 1, several hundred feet higher than the Post Ranch Inn, so when summer’s fog billows above the sea, it’s often warmer and sunnier here than across the road.

The vintage-1970s boxy architecture lacks the individuality of Post Ranch’s artful, jewel-box design, but the weathered cedar-sided buildings and the rough-hewn pine paneling, rich leather furnishings, and extensive use of glass give the Ventana’s rooms a woodsy-chic look all their own – and they feel larger too.

Because of the inn’s hilltop location, the grounds here feel far more expansive, with fabulous gardens, lavender-lined walking paths, hiking trails into the surrounding wilderness, and wide-open grassy hillsides, perfect for a long afternoon in a hammock watching the light change over the vast blue Pacific. In addition to a first-rate spa (open to non-guests) and two large swimming pools (one clothing optional), the Ventana has a series of interconnected Japanese-style baths, giving it an edge over the competition. There are few places in Northern California as lovely as this on a starry night.

So which to choose? It depends on what matters to you: service or space. Service is superior at the Post Ranch Inn: think business class vs. first class. On a recent stay at the Ventana, I called housekeeping and requested a shoe-shine kit to polish my black dress shoes, which had gotten dusty walking to dinner the night before (so will yours, if you come in summer). No can do, said housekeeping. I even queried the GM himself, who told me, We don’t do that here; that’s a city-hotel amenity.

Oh, really? When I made the same request at the Post Ranch Inn, the concierge gave me two options: she could do it for me, or I could do it myself, using the shoe-shine kit that had already been placed in my room. The staff at Post Ranch anticipates guests’ needs and provide them before you ask. A good example: if you’re a same-sex couple traveling together, before you arrive housekeeping will place two pairs of men’s or women’s slippers in the closet so you won’t have to call for a replacement.

Breakfast is (much) better at the Post Ranch, and it’s properly served in the dining room, whereas at the Ventana it’s strictly continental – think bagels, canteloupe, and yogurt – and you have to trek to the library to get it. But at the Post Ranch, if it’s foggy outside and you’d rather stay in bed, the staff will deliver breakfast to you for no extra charge.

So why stay at the Ventana? Well, for starters it’s less expensive. The rooms and the grounds feel much bigger – at least visually. And there’s more to do here (but not for kids, who are not allowed at either resort). The Ventana’s spa is first-rate and offers a wider variety of services designed to cater to spa-savvy Southern Californians. The gardens are way prettier here, and the entire property abuts a vast wilderness area. Post Ranch is delimited by the ocean on one side, Hwy 1 on the other.

But the most obvious difference? Televisions. Post Ranch demands you focus on the singular, exclusive experience of being on their turf, and breathtaking though it may be, this demand is a tall order for some people. If you’re just not willing to surrender that completely, book the Ventana. But don’t blame me if you leave with dust on your shoes.