hedoman

You don't have to bring a $2000 bottle to extract value. If they have your $300 bottle, it'll cost $800+ here.

coleslaw

I guess I just don't appreciate alcohol enough...

I'd be just as happy drinking a $50 bottle of wine as I would drinking a $500 bottle of wine (which is about as expensive as I've tasted so far).

$50 corkage on my $50 bottle of wine is... not good value (especially not if you’ve paid the going cash rate for this place... but if you’ve paid the going cash rate for this place you probably won’t be bothered by an extra $50 here or there )

nsx

It's great to know that I've been saving between $300 and $2000 per stay simply by not drinking alcohol!

Seriously, I had no idea that people without infinite money (their own or their employer's) spent that much on wine. Or at least I'm surprised that such people read and post on FlyerTalk. Who needs points when you have megabucks?

boolean64

$50 is definitely on the high side for corkage. But if the hotel charges a 3x markup on retail (which was my experience, if not more) then a $50 corkage on a $50 bottle is cheaper than the $150 that they would charge at the restaurant for that $50 bottle. So good value for anything more than a $25 bottle. Said differently, the wine list at the Ventana is not good value.

Overall, sounds like reality is settling in there. I remember coming away from my trip over the summer thinking that it was all too good to be true. Although the pendulum seems to have swung a bit too far if spaghetti is one of the dinner options.

ps9a

We brought bottles to the restaurant both nights we went. No issue at all with the $50 corkage charge. I think it's pretty reasonable for the location.

platbrownguy

$50 corkage sounds like the most reasonably priced thing at the place anymore.

Sad to hear the reviews of the food etc. We went last March just before covid became a national thing -- I still recall enjoying a reasonably priced (and wonderful) cheese plate and reasonably priced glasses of Van Winkle 12 year at the bar. Would much prefer that over a mediocre "all-inclusive"

gobears293

Is $50 corkage totally ridiculous in a normal setting? Absolutely!

Is $50 corkage totally reasonable at a place like Ventana? Absolutely!

For those that value and enjoy a great bottle (whether $50 or $2000), bringing your own down here and paying the corkage makes more sense than paying $100 for a $30 retail bottle.

Totally separate issue, I have a points reservation booked for March 18-21. Received an email from the property today informing that they are conducting unexpected electrical work from March 15 to the afternoon of March 19. "This means we will not be able to honor your reservation". Supposedly someone from reservations will be contacting me within 48 hours to rebook. Hoping they honor the points redemption with no issue!

Anyone else with a stay over these dates receive a similar email?

ralphs

I also stayed on points over the weekend, in a standard room. I think the food was slightly worse than our first visit last year, but still above average.

Dinner:
Octopus bad first time we ordered it, good the second time we ordered it
Bruschetta great
Bass meh
Chicken great (it's fried chicken, surprise!)
Short Rib bad
Arctic Char great
Spaghetti not my taste
Sundae great
Brulee meh

Breakfast
pastry basket bad
avocado toast great
chicken hash meh
ventana breakfast meh

Lunch
beet dip great
shrimp tacos bad
burger meh (sad, because last year's burger was AMAZING)
tostada meh
cookies great (no charge for milk...)
charcuterie good

We enjoyed our stay. The hard product and customer service is great and I feel churlish complaining about any mediocre meals at the 30k points/night rate. We continue to enjoy the Big Sur area, and experienced low crowds perhaps due to the pandemic, the month, the rain, the Hwy 1 closure, and just dumb luck. When we visited the ranger station at Pfieffer Big Sur, the gentleman said he had helped just 50 people today, compared to peak season of 2,000 people walking through those doors during the summer. But that was on Saturday, which experienced some rain earlier in the day, and was WAY less busy than Sunday, which was both the day of our departure and Valentine's Day.

hedoman

I believe there is a pressure cooker involved with the fried chicken. More like broasted chicken. As written earlier.....four thumbs up. Definite highlight of the dinner menu. Who'd have thought?

Kacee

Sounds like the menu changes further solidify this place as a max two-night destination.

Troopers

You can eat off property

Kacee

Sure. Or bring freeze dried meals and a backpacking stove. Or fast.

Point is, (a) it's isolated, with very few other options within 45 minutes' drive, and (b) you're paying for the meals. Most guests will be staying on property for the majority, if not all, their meals, and most will be done with the menu after two nights.

Troopers

Huh? Their menu was always limited prior to shifting to all-inclusive. And it wasn't a 2 night max then. The fact that it is now all-inclusive doesn't change that.

I get you want to extract every nickel out of the hotel with your 30k points/night award booking...the agony of actually paying for a meal off-site.

ETA: yes, ppl should stop booking here for the limited menu, standard hotel fare food and the high corkage fee. Selfishly, this is great as there will be less competition for award stays.

boolean64

The chicken dish last summer was also outstanding. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was creative and delicious...definitely not a chicken breast plopped on a plate. The bar is high for chicken to be the highlight of the menu, but it can happen...and that was back when the the steak was flannery beef.

Kacee

It's now much less attractive with the short-rib replacing the steak and reports of lower food quality. Don't get me wrong, I'm still planning to return, I just don't see staying more than 2 nights with the current offerings. And yes, I'll be burning points, as $2k per night is definitely not in my budget :-)