Eco Luxury Gets Lavish In Big Sur

At the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, the white noise of 21st century life recedes as a Lexus hybrid SUV quietly carries visitors to their rooms, a collection of cottages that nestle along redwood-lined cliffs overlooking the Pacific. The cottages--"treehouses" clad in aged wood and set atop 9-foot poles in stands of Douglas fir; curved steel enclosures with the rusty patina of Richard Serra sculptures; and modern spaces with sod roofs and clean lines--blend into the landscape. The elements seem to be slowly reclaiming them.

Post Ranch has long been a regular presence on lists of top luxury hotels, best spas and most-romantic getaways. And with the recent addition of 10 new cottages to the original 30 spread over 100 acres, the resort has continued to refine its underlying model of green business, weaving its environmental consciousness and social responsibility into the experience it offers guests.

This isn't preachy green. Thus, in most discussions of the property's cozy spa, elegant restaurant, complimentary organic minibars, spacious rooms and extensive list of organic and biodynamic wines, it's nurturing guests, not protecting nature, that consumes the conversation. But every detail has a green story.

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