A few years ago, Kyle and I were driving along Highway 1 in the upper Central Coast of California, weaving through thick redwoods and jagged mountain cliffs (hello, where are the guard rails on these roads?), when we spotted a large group of people on the side of the road, wearing strange garb and rain dancing (i think? i wasn’t wearing my glasses). We called them “tree people” and vowed to return to that mythical place asap (to move the story along, it was Big Sur). Fast forward to 2 weeks ago and we were finally en route back, searching for those tree people of yore. Ok so we didn’t find the tree peeps and started thinking they were an illusion of our minds, but we did discover something else: Big Sur is kind of the best place ever.

Honestly, it was one of my favorite trips to date. The cell service is terrible and we had no internet at our cabin, but let me tell you, it was a glorious couple o’ days. Although, I will admit: we parked in front of the local general store a few times just to instagram (@thestyleeater). BUT, other than those times of weakness, we totally unplugged and enjoyed the heck out of nature. Trees, pine, wildlife, dirt, leaves (lots of leaves), sea cliffs, turquoise ocean, purple sand, waterfalls, firewood, stars, silence. Take me back!

Tomorrow, I’m sharing all the details about the cabin we stayed in (UPDATE: here is the post!). It literally could not have been more perfect and serene, thanks cabin gods. Y’all if you’ve learned anything from this post, it’s this: rent a cabin. Also this: ask your friends for recommendations of things to eat/do. Thanks Jaymee for hooking a sister up.

A FEW FAVORITE SPOTS:
Nepenthe for sunset cocktails and dinner
Big Sur Bakery for an early breakfast before exploring
Pfeiffer Beach for strolls along the rocky coast
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park for some intense, but fun, hiking
The restaurant at Ventana Inn for a fancy dinner for 2 overlooking the ocean (4-course prefix fyi)
Cafe Kevah for an AMAZING brunch and equally amazing views (my favorite stop on the whole trip)
Phoenix Shop for fun treasures and postcards
NEXT TIME: I’m getting me a massage at Esalen Institute. They have hot spring tubs in the sea cliffs and could there be anything better than that?

^^The peaceful woods around our cabin were my favorite spots to explore.

^^If I had a dollar for every ridiculous sunset we saw in Big Sur, I would have…well I would have $2 because we were there for 2 nights, but still. This view was from our dinner at Nepenthe.

^^Pfeiffer Beach. Just one mile from our cabin. We woke up super early and watched the fog roll out.

^^Views from a lookout point on Highway 1.

^^Hiking in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Not for the faint of heart, but we made it out just fine.

^^Views from the top of the hike. Not too shabs but my legs were shaking at this point (I’m really out of shape, hence why all the complaints re hiking).

^^Views from Cafe Kevah. The fog rolled in and out a few times, while we ate some of the best eggs benedict ever.

^^Sweatshirt vibez.

^^On our way home, I snapped some pics from the car, most of which are blurry but HEY bumpy roads and stuff.

^^One last selfie before the long drive home. I’d like to thank the top of my car for being extra helpful in taking photos of us during this trip.

More tomorrow on the cabin! (here it is!)