Stayed 2 nights during weekdays. As GOH, proactively upgraded to Big Sur Villa, a whopping 7-8 category upgrade according to AI.

When I first stayed here during Covid, I instantly fell in love with the tranquility, rustic luxury, and high-quality all-inclusive food. Despite having to sleep on the floor because my non-romantic travel companion did not want to share a bed, it instantly became one of my top 5 hotels. Since then, I've stayed in a number of wonderful properties, such as the even-more-all-inclusive Eriro in the Austrian Alps, St Regis Macao with its exemplary impeccable service, WA Pedregal, Le Meridien Maldives, a Japanese ryokan, and Tambo del Inka which showers you with pampering relaxation. Meanwhile, reports indicated that Ventana was gradually reducing benefits. I wasn't sure how well it would hold up to my fond memories. Would it still be deserving of my highest affection, or will it have been surpassed by those more recent greats with better service?

Well, after the recent stay, there's a good chance it will remain one of my top 5 properties. While definitely not perfect, and I like it slightly less than last time, it remains a truly magical place for this Big Sur nature geek. The 2 properties that most remind me of here are Eriro and Tambo del Inka; while both are excellent in their own right, I slightly prefer Ventana for its superior tranquility and (IMO) natural beauty.

Will document more later, including the good and bad. Consider this post an expression of my love profusion for this special place.