There’s no place in the world more romantic than Big Sur along the northern California coast.
Big Sur is known for its rocky cliffs, sparkling ocean, towering cypress and pine trees, and unmatched wild nature vibes.
We visited the place for the first time almost 20 years ago and fell in love. We recently returned again during our California road trip getaway and it had the exact same effect on me now as it did back then. It was such a joy to pass along our love of this place to our daughter.
Big Sur is pure, natural magic.
When we travel to or through Big Sur, we like to stay at Ragged Point Inn, a small roadside motel with cottage-like rooms on a rugged cliff overlooking the ocean.
Although it began as a small inn, Ragged Point has expanded over the years into a little community with a restaurant, cafe, shops, oceanfront views, glorious gardens and a death-defying cliff trail down to an exquisite, private black-sand beach. Yet somehow, the place still maintains that small, roadside inn charm.
Everything just looks, feels and smells different in Big Sur. The air is so fresh and clean, like the dawn of time. Everywhere around you are beautiful sights, wonders and experiences to breathe in. Your senses come alive here like nowhere else we’ve found. Even the food tastes better after spending most of your day in the great outdoors – have you ever noticed that?
I am usually a huge sleeper – I need my 8+ hours every night – but I barely needed any sleep during our one-night stay in Big Sur. Zoe and I both woke early, before the sun, and crept from our cabin to go exploring. That rarely happens with teenagers – and can only partially be attributed to the time difference!
Ragged Point Inn had several new additions during this visit and they made our stay even more enjoyable: delightful young cats roamed the grounds. Z and I met one kitty on our first afternoon exploring the gardens and woods of Ragged Point. We spotted another during dinner, and then afterward as the sun began to head toward the horizon, suddenly there were cats galore!
I believe we counted four or five grounds kitties total – and they are all well-fed, well cared for and very friendly. It was a joy to see Zoe scampering around the lawn with the cats like she would have as a much younger child. Big Sur brings out a youthful energy in all of us! And there’s nothing quite like a vacation cat.
We enjoyed a fabulous meal at the on-site, open-air restaurant. We basked in the gorgeous air and warm Big Sur vibes at sunset, overlooking the clifftop and beautiful ocean views. Then, the next morning, Zoe and I went out before the sun and walked the grounds in the dusky darkness, hoping that the only cats we would see were the friendly hotel grounds kitties and not a hungry mountain lion coming for a snack!
We sat with the cats atop the cliff and watched the sun come up slowly, turning the sky ombre pastel shades and finally illuminating the ocean to a gorgeous shade of forever-blue. The kitties seemed glad of our company and Zoe had a blast running with them around the grounds. We hardly touched our phones except to take pictures; Big Sur seems to command one’s presence and focus.
I enjoyed a delicious breakfast out in the sunshine surrounded by butterfly gardens and buzzing hummingbirds. We explored the gift shop and bought a few souvenirs and postcards, then reluctantly checked out and continued on our trek northward to Santa Cruz.
Alas, Pacific Coast Highway is still closed about 25 miles north of Big Sur, so we couldn’t take the lovely coastal road up to Santa Cruz as we had hoped. That meant we had to double back down PCH to Cambria, then head inland to take the highway up. The construction on PCH is expected to be completed this year. Hopefully, it will soon be possible to traverse the gorgeous coastal road from LA to Monterey and back again. It’s one of our all-time favorite drives.
If you haven’t explored California’s northern or central coast, we highly recommend it! It is truly one of the most beautiful places we’ve visited in this amazing country of ours. So, where do you think we should road trip to next? I’d love to read your suggestions in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram!
