Luxury Hotels - Post Ranch Inn -- Any promos or Deals??

I really want to take my girlfriend to Big Sur for an upcoming weekend this summer, and would like to book the Cliff house at the Post Ranch Inn. The going rate is $2,285.00 per night... double my budget, but I don't want to compromise and stay in any other type of accommodation! I'm just wondering if there's any promotions or deals to be had with this property, or perhaps more affordable ways of booking rather than through the hotel direct? I've wanted to stay here for several years now, and once we're doing it, I really want to do it right. It's just a bit out of my range right now which is really disappointing, as I'll be moving to San Francisco this summer to be closer to my girlfriend, and was hoping to surprise her with a long weekend in Big Sur shortly after flying in.

Post Ranch is a Virtuoso property if I remember correctly, so it would be a good idea to book it through a Virtuoso agent. Perhaps they could work some magic with the room rate. Other than that, the only way to get a deal is to call and ask. Tell them what you're looking for and ask if they can offer any discount.

If you haven't stayed in Big Sur before, they have some of the same fog issues we have in the Bay Area, though I don't go there regularly enough to be able to predict it like I can here. In other words, you could spend $1000+ a night and basically not have a view of anything.

The last time I went to Big Sur we spent a night at the Highlands Inn on the way down and hiked around Point Lobos, then stayed at GlenOaks, which I highly recommend (though it's a very different experience than Post Ranch or Ventana). Make absolutely sure to eat at least one meal at the Big Sur Bakery, and if you go to Deetjin's for dinner I can't stress enough how critical it is to bring your own wine. They have totally piss-poor wine menu.

I really want to take my girlfriend to Big Sur for an upcoming weekend this summer, and would like to book the Cliff house at the Post Ranch Inn. The going rate is $2,285.00 per night... double my budget, but I don't want to compromise and stay in any other type of accommodation! I'm just wondering if there's any promotions or deals to be had with this property, or perhaps more affordable ways of booking rather than through the hotel direct? I've wanted to stay here for several years now, and once we're doing it, I really want to do it right. It's just a bit out of my range right now which is really disappointing, as I'll be moving to San Francisco this summer to be closer to my girlfriend, and was hoping to surprise her with a long weekend in Big Sur shortly after flying in.

I saw Drew Barrymore & Christina Aguilera staying at PRI the same weekend. There's only one Cliff House, so one of them MUST have compromised.

Joking aside, PRI has a promo page here: http://www.postranchinn.com/packages/ Summer is high season in Big Sur so you're unlikely to see a discount. If you go in the off season (winter) you can get a package that includes dinner/spa.

PRI just started doing online reservations (at all) within the last few years. If you're Amex Plat you can book through Amex, but I've found PRI usually has availability that you can't find through the Amex booking tool.

Also, having been at PRI 10+ times, it is imho the place to surprise your girlfriend with! Stay at a Coast House and soak in the views.