Treebones Resort - How a Family Built Big Sur's Most Unusual Hotel

Sleep in a human-sized nest perched in the trees. Wake to whales breaching offshore from your solar-powered tent. Dine on sushi made with herbs picked minutes earlier from the garden. At Treebones Resort on California's Big Sur coast, the line between camping and luxury blurs into something altogether more interesting – and you'll probably find yourself sleeping better than you have in years.

This family-run operation sits on a 70-mile stretch of coastline where Highway 1 clings to mountainsides that plunge straight into the Pacific. It's properly remote – mobile signals vanish, the nearest town is an hour away – which is precisely the point. Since 2004, the resort has been quietly proving that you can perch lightly on the land while still offering plush beds, hot showers, and some of the best food on the coast.

Location

Treebones sits at the southern end of Big Sur, roughly two hours south of Carmel and an hour north of Cambria. The drive alone justifies the trip: Highway 1 weaves along clifftops with the Santa Lucia Mountains rising on one side and the Pacific crashing below on the other. If parts of the highway are closed – not uncommon, given the landslides that regularly reshape this coast – you'll take the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road detour through the mountains, which offers its own dramatic reveal when the ocean suddenly appears beneath you.

You'll park in the lower lot and ride a golf cart up to check in. From there, everything is within walking distance, though staff will help shuttle luggage to your accommodation. The isolation is intentional: no wi-fi, no interruptions, just redwoods, ocean, and sky.

How a Honeymoon Became a Life's Work

John and Corinne Handy discovered Big Sur on their honeymoon 34 years ago and kept returning until they figured out how to stay. They weren't hoteliers – they were a family in love with a place, trying to recreate the magic of camping here without giving up on comfort. The term "glamping" didn't exist when they started, but that's exactly what they built: an eco-resort that treads lightly on the land while delivering experiences that linger long after you've left.

The whole operation runs off-grid, powered by micro-turbines and solar panels. Nothing was flattened or paved unnecessarily. Two decades on, the family still lives on site alongside their staff, constantly tweaking and improving while keeping the core philosophy intact: help people feel connected to this land without damaging it.

The Garden

Much of what appears on your plate starts in the terraced garden that you can wander through freely. The produce grows organically, herbs get plucked minutes before service, and bees buzz around producing honey on site. It's not showboating – this is simply how the resort feeds itself and you, making the most of Big Sur's microclimate and their commitment to local sourcing.

The Lodge Restaurant

Chef Kyle Walker runs the kitchen at The Lodge, turning out four-course dinners that showcase whatever's currently thriving in the garden and available from local suppliers. The dining room overlooks the ocean with a wood-burning fire crackling most evenings, though when weather permits, you can eat at the outdoor bar facing the Pacific – ideal for whale watching between courses.

Breakfast comes free with your stay: a self-serve buffet from 7:30 to 9:30am with proper coffee and espresso. Lunch runs from noon to 2pm without reservations needed, or you can pre-order a picnic to take on a hike. Dinner requires booking ahead, and you'll want to – the kitchen has earned its reputation.

Wild Coast Sushi Bar

This is the experience guests often remember most vividly. Chef Yancy Knapp serves an omakase menu – fifteen courses of whatever's best that day, incorporating herbs from the garden and the highest quality seafood he can source. Only eight people fit in the intimate indoor-outdoor space per seating, so book well ahead of your visit.

The format is strict: arrive on time (15-minute grace period maximum), eat what's served (no substitutions, no vegetarian option), and settle in for two hours of watching a master work. The entire meal is gluten-free by design. Closed Sundays and Mondays. If you're not staying overnight, park in the lower lot and check in at the front desk – the grounds remain private otherwise.

The Gift Shop

Located in the Lodge, the shop stocks a carefully curated selection of books by local authors, alongside the usual resort essentials. Staff particularly recommend the regional writing – you can read them throughout your stay, which beats doomscrolling on a phone you can't get signal on anyway.

The Yurts

These circular, fabric-covered structures on wooden frames might sound basic, but they're surprisingly civilised. Sixteen yurts dot the property, each with generous deck space and Adirondack chairs positioned for sunset viewing.

The ocean-view yurts justify their designation – sweeping Pacific panoramas from your own private perch.

You get a king-sized bed with quality linens, electric lighting, heating, a sink with hot and cold running water, and French doors opening onto a redwood deck.

Bathrooms and showers sit a short walk away, which sounds inconvenient until you're making that minute-long stroll under stars so bright they seem three-dimensional.

The Autonomous Tents

These are the resort's newest and most luxurious option. Picture a semi-translucent fabric stretched across a curved frame – over 600 square feet of indoor space that glows warmly at night and fills with natural light during the day.

Each tent runs on its own dedicated solar array, making you genuinely off-grid while enjoying leather lounging furniture, a king-sized bed, gas fireplace, and the only private en-suite bathrooms on the property.

The bathroom itself – fully tiled walk-in shower, vessel sink, proper toilet – would satisfy most hotels. Add the Nespresso machine, mini-fridge, and wardrobe space, and you've barely left civilisation.

But step onto the 300-square-foot private deck with its fire pit and Adirondack chairs, and you remember why you came: unobstructed sunset views from the continent's edge.

Twig Hut

Built by Big Sur artist Jayson Fann, this two-storey structure is hand-woven from eucalyptus branches into something between sculpture and shelter. A full-sized futon pad goes inside, but you're essentially sleeping in a work of art with spectacular northern ocean views. There's a writer's nook below with an outdoor loveseat, though calling it weatherproof would be generous.

You'll need to bring your tent as backup for wind or rain, haul your own sleeping bags and pillows in, and accept that raccoons, bats, and field mice consider this their territory too. But if you want to tell a story later about where you slept, this delivers.

The Human Nest

Another Jayson Fann creation, this oversized nest perched in the trees offers what might be Treebones' best view. You're sleeping in a hand-woven sculpture with a futon pad, completely exposed to the elements – and the wildlife. Pitch your tent nearby as insurance, pack in your own gear, and prepare for a night you won't forget, assuming the raccoons don't steal your snacks first.

Like the Twig Hut, this isn't for everyone. But for those who want to feel completely immersed in Big Sur rather than just visiting it, the Nest accomplishes exactly that.

Yoga

Morning yoga runs five days a week (Friday through Tuesday) from 8 to 9am. When it's sunny, classes happen on the panoramic outdoor platform with the Pacific spread out below. When it rains, everyone moves indoors to the Red Door fireside studio.

The certified teachers encourage you to move at your own pace, and they mean it – all ages and abilities show up. Bring warm layers. You'll pay the instructor directly in cash.

Concerts

The resort hosts occasional concerts in their outdoor amphitheatre, though future dates aren't currently scheduled. Past performances have featured a range of artists taking advantage of the natural acoustics and that impossible backdrop. Shows here sell out quickly – there aren't many venues where you can hear live music while watching the sun sink into the Pacific.