Post — Megan Lierley

How wonderful and rare is it when an experience surpasses expectations? I honestly didn’t even think that was possible with Treebones Resort in Big Sur, since I’ve been wanting to come here for years and spent (literally) every day for 8 weeks refreshing their website to reserve a yurt.

Finally, two weeks prior to my and Iain’s November 10 anniversary, a yurt became available! Only for one night, but I was happy to snatch it up—and at $340/night, maybe it was for the best we didn’t have to double the price tag. We did, however, decide we wanted to make the most of our 24 hours at Treebones, so we booked the sushi omakase right away (more on that later, omg).

Getting to Big Sur

Big Sur is nearly four hours from San Francisco, and while it’s a pretty stunning drive, it’s a bit far for one night’s stay. You should also note that any cell service drops off 2.5-3 hours into the drive, so load up on those downloaded podcasts and Spotify playlists.

Iain and I took a half day off work, and so arrived at about 4:30pm. In mid-November, just in time to relax in the hot tub with a beer and watch the sun set over the Pacific.

The Yurt

Originally, I was ready to book The Nest, a super cool treehouse-looking structure on the edge of Treebones’ property, directly overlooking the ocean. It looks super unique and even romantic, but then I read the fine print: that you may experience woods creatures venturing into the nest for a snuggle…including mice. That was quickly off the table.

Yurts vary in price based on size and view, but since we got the only one available, we got pretty lucky. We had a partial ocean view from the front porch, and the inside is cozy and equipped with a queen sized bed, sink, heater, and small table and chairs. I was worried about being too cold but the bed was so cozy and heaped with warm blankets. (The only way I’d make it more perfect would be a little modernization—throw some Citizenry blankets in there and I’d be drooling.)

The Sushi

If you make it to Treebones, I cannot recommend highly enough the sushi tasting. I know it sounds random at a glamping resort, but Iain and I decided it was the best meal of our two year relationship—which includes its fair share of Michelin stars.

There were just seven of us (max. capacity is 10) diners along with the two chefs, and they hand rolled and sliced the sushi in front of us, serving just one piece at a time. Sixteen pieces of sushi and a few Kirin Ichibans later, I can safely say it was one of the dining experiences I’ve most enjoyed in my life. The tasting menu is $90 per person, not including drinks. The intimate feel and truly delicious and fresh food made it worth it, and then some.

Treebones

All those Kirin Ichibans at dinner took a toll and the only time I felt inconvenienced by the glamping experience was, of course, needing to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. The bathrooms are in the main lodge area, which is about a minute walk from each yurt, which is a minute too long when it’s pitch black out.

The resort also offers yoga almost every morning, and I somehow convinced Iain to take the class with me on Saturday morning. It took place in a small, outdoor amphitheater and was the perfect way to ease out the kinks of not sleeping in your own bed. Also, because of the skylight in the yurt, we woke up with the sun, so we had more than enough time to wake up and drink a coffee before making the 8 AM start time.

After yoga, we walked around the property a bit, tested out the huge swing, and headed back to smoky San Francisco (the Northern California fires were still blazing in Chico).

This experience was so special and I’d highly recommend it to anyone visiting Northern California. And if you’re lucky enough to live nearby, book it. You won’t regret it.