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Our room on the ground floor was clean, with everything in working order, but a chain-link fence along the edge of the cliff just outside the room badly marred what should have been a gorgeous view of the ocean. The walls were also thin enough that we could clearly hear our next-door neighbor's television, and the food at the restaurant was decidedly mediocre. Even given the moderate price, we wouldn't stay here again.
My girlfriend and I stayed here for one night during a weekend get-away from the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Plusses:
- The grounds are very peaceful and scenic. I enjoyed just sitting outside listening to the waves and taking in the view.
- The rooms are spacious and clean.
- The staff was friendly.
The minuses:
- The walls are paper thin. I could hear our next-door neighbors' TV and conversation clearly. We ended up whispering to each other just to have a private conversation.
- The bathroom could use some touching up. I spotted quite a bit of discolored grout and rust.
All in all, The Ragged Point Inn is a pleasant place to stay a night or two if you're planning a trip out to Hearst Castle and/or Big Sur.
Date of Stay: Oct 4, 2005. After a tiring day of siteseeing and drive from SF down the coast, a gem of a nites rest awaits at the Ragged Point Inn. Booked the room on the hotel's site. Got a great AAA rate under $150.00 mid week. Some of the reviews on Trip Advisor were not very positive, but this was not my experience. As instructed by the hotel, we called to let them know we would be arriving after 6 pm. I had forgotten to request a refrigerator to store medication, so I called back and left a message on the answering machine. When we arrived, the acting manager acknowleded my call and said he would upgrade us to a larger room that had a refrigerator. It was their "handicap" room. Our reservation was for 3 adults. Instead of 2 beds, it had a king and a pullout. My experience with pullouts have not been so good, so we asked to see the room and check out the beds before agreeing to it. One look at the room and we were hooked. It had a mini kitchen and gas fireplace. The beds were awesome. The pullout like no other I've ever slept on. The room looked newly redecorated with a very large bathroom. If this wasn't enough, imagine waking up to a most spectacular view of the ocean with a private outside sitting area. Nothing ragged or rugged about this stay. We ate at the restaurant for breakfast. Food was good, but a bit pricey. Oh well! Incidently, we met some people in the restaurant who said they stayed here after stopping at some otherwise pricey Big Sur hotels. They were so glad they stayed on the road until they found the Ragged Point Inn.
I stayed here 15 years ago and thought then that this was a very basic place to stay. And no restaurant.
Knowing that they had remodeled and added a restaurant, my husband & I decided to stay on our way to Big Sur for our 10th anniversary. BIG MISTAKE !
The "remodeling" was to add 4 luxury units - cost to stay +/- $300 w/tax. These are the only ones with fireplace. NOTHING was done to the older two-story units. Keep in mind, this is a chilly, damp environment. Ours was a downstairs unit, and basic "dumpy" - cost +/- $180 w/tax. The wall heater only worked sporatically, turning off in the night so we woke up cold. In the bathroom, the ceiling coil-type heater was so noisy and in need of repair we thought it might catch fire if we continued to run it. The ceiling fan, also noisy, had a small bar of soap jammed in to keep the noise down. The cabinetry was warped and worn. The bedspread and furnishings were worn and should have been replaced many years ago. Amber floor-to-ceiling plexiglass louvres (read: drafty) by the door allowed the outside lights to shine in all night.
This is the likes of a sleazy motel room. Yes, you have a view - unless there's fog. My impression is the owner feels, regardless of the condition of the room, you will "pay for the view."
DON'T BOTHER! You can stop to enjoy the cliff-side view without staying here! The grounds and pathways are quite nice. Just don't waste your money staying here. Take your pictures and leave.
As far as the restaurant, it is overy-expensive - but then, you are a captive audience, no others around. My dinner of Spicey Curried Seafood had not a hint of spice nor curry, had no crabmeat (as described), and the large scallops were raw in the middle and tasted sour. And yes, I did feel sick in the night.
My husband's meal of Bratwurst & Sauerkraut was mediocre, with the bratwurst over-cooked and dried out.
If you must eat here, stick to the Specials, which would probably be freshier. And be prepared to pay a lot for a poor quality meal. Beer & wine only.
INSTEAD: If you are heading south, continue past Ragged Point for another half-hour to the Cambria area. (Skip San Simeon - mediocre lodging & food,and 5 minutes to Cambria). Headed north, stay in the Cambria area. Moonstone Beach is preferred, with many places to chose from, the newer ones more expensive (done with Laura Ashley prints, etc). Right across from the cliffs and beach, with several restaurants with good food and ambiance close by.
We have stayed at Moonstone many times, and our personal favorite is San Simeon Pines, older but still comfortable, complete with fireplace and continental breakfast - cost +/- $179. The White Water Inn, also older, brings a lovely breakfast basket to your door, and even washes your car windows before you wake.
Several beach coves offer colored stones as well as moonstones. For those who are not adept at climbing the cliffs, there is a public area complete with restrooms. The town is artsy, and breakfast at Linn's is a must.
Ragged Point Inn? Never again.
After reading glowing reviews of the RPI at this site, I was disappointed by the quality of this hotel. On arrival, we were immediately asked to pay, which I have never done at a hotel costing $184/night. The gouging continues everywhere at this place. The telescope on the cliff has a quarter slot. Really? I just handed you almost $200 for a tiny room and you want another $0.25 for the telescope? It's $30 extra if you want a "late" checkout, that being 12 o'clock... oh, and only if you have prepaid the cash by 11. Unwilling to pay $18 for pasta at the proprietary restaurant, we asked if there were any other restaurants nearby. "This is the only one you need," came the reply. We had sandwiches at the snack shack (which were very good and MUCH cheaper).
The room: dirty and dated. Check the photo on the mattress: the 5-'92 does NOT refer to thread count. The view is blocked by a chain link fence and a window, which wouldn't be such a big deal if it didn't completely opacify with condensation in the morning.
We stayed one night as part of our honeymoon. We drove down the whole coast! The people at the hotel were very accomidating. We had an upstairs room with a jacuzzi tub for two. The bed was very comfortable and there was a fireplace in our room. The view was beautiful and the room was delightful. It was very romantic and the room was perfect.
The Ragged Point Inn is inside the Big Sur coastline, and only 15 minutes north of the Castle. Thus, it is the BEST place to stay while viewing the Big Sur Coastline, AND, visiting the Castle. As Calfornia residents we have visited the Castle and the Big Sur coastline for over 40 years. We didn't find the Ragged Point Inn until 5 years ago, and have now stayed there, sometimes with friends and family, five different times. The new rooms on the point are our favorites, with fireplaces, balconies, jacuzzi tubs, and huge view windows, but all of the rooms look out at the beautiful ocean view. The restaurant has always been excellent, and the staff friendly and helpful. Carmel is only about a long hour north, so this location is very convenient. There is no better place to stay when viewing the Castle and the Big Sur coastline.
The views are incredible. The cliff side trail, while not for everyone (i find it difficult, but my ten year old son finds it easy) is a wonderful thrill (not everyone CAN do it which makes it even better), the view points, sunsets, sitting on the lawn with a cup of coffee or a beer, you can't beat this. The place is simply wonderful.
I have yet to spend for the new rooms (which look absolutely gorgeous) but in four stays have no complaints with the old rooms - they are spotless and serene. yes the mattresses are maybe a little bit aging, but it is a beautiful, peaceful setting, people are quibbling I think. Pounding of the surf...stars - moon -
service/staff always super nice to us. (even when we do dumb things like believing mistakenly that we've locked ourselves out of our room).
The food is sometimes erratic - some beautifully prepared elements, some too heavy on the oils or sauces - some servers most excellent, some a little scattered. But again, quibbling. I've done full meals for three days nights and other times had sandwiches and then gone over for desert. either way, it works.
Butterflies, flowers, resident cat, gorgeous ocean, a whale swimming by - how can you miss? ANyone even remotely considering going here OWES IT to themselves to go here.
Was travelling from Anaheim to San Francisco last Easter with my 11 year old son. I had searched for a half way point to stay on the internet and came across Ragged Point. I telephoned and made a reservation for two nights. It seemed to take forever and a day to get there. However, it was worth every mile. Stunning, breathtaking scenary. The view from the wall to ceiling window was awesome. When standing on the balcaony late on a night it gives the feeling of been lost at sea! I thought my son would be bored to tears after the theme parks, however, he thoroughly enjoyed it. The steps to the sea was a touch scary. Half way down I gave up before a gust of wind blew me into obilivion! Fantastic walks. A real peaceful retreat. The hotel was by no means posh, but to me the views were everything. Found a few feline friends. Probably should not have saved them some steak, as they meowed at my room door in the night. Sorry to the neighbours! The restaurant was a bit pricey, but very accomodating to my son, who struggled to find anything he liked on the menu. I would say it would be a wonderful place to stay as a romantic getaway! Everybody I came across were exceptionaly friendly and helpful. Just south down the road from Ragged point (about 1.5 miles)the beach is so ragged and spectalar. We were the only ones there and it felt like we were the only people left on the Earth! I would highly recommend this little place of heaven.
We wanted to get away from the Bay Area and spend some time in Big Sur and stay somewhere that was nice, but not too expensive. I think this is kind of hard to do in the Big Sur area (Ventana Inn, Post Ranch Inn, etc.). We ended up staying at Ragged Point Inn on the basis of TripAdvisor reviews, which we found were accurate.
After visiting their web site, I was interested only in the refurbished ocean view rooms. We reserved room 7, which is on the second level with an ocean view (which is quite nice, but the window could have been bigger). The rate, with taxes, was $250/night.
The room was very spacious, with a decent king bed, two bathroom sinks, jacuzzi tub, fridge, and microwave. It looked recently refurbished; I have no idea what the non-refurbished rooms are like. The hotel is on some really nice grounds with short trails and a gazebo, and the views are pretty incredible. We did not take the steps down to the beach--it looked very perilous!
Other reviewers have noted that this is located in a somewhat isolated spot, and it's true. If you are planning to spend time hiking or picnicking in any of the parks in Big Sur, you are pretty far south (about an hour). The hotel is closer to San Simeon. However, if I were making a trip to San Simeon, I would stay in Cambria, which has more amenities (see my separate review on Moonstone Landing in Cambria).
The location of this hotel means that there is really only one close dining choice, which is their restaurant, which they describe as "gourmet". While the food is OK, it is VERY overpriced; I would NOT recommend it for dinner. You're better off driving to Cambria or north to Nepenthe for a good meal. Breakfast there is overpriced too, but decent.
One other downside was the large number of Harley riders that stayed one of the two nights (a Thursday) that we were there. If they're there when you are, be prepared for an early wake-up call!
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Address: 19019 Hwy 1, San Simeon, California, 93452, United States
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