Alila Moments | Alila Ventana Big Sur

Unlock your creativity and dive into the timeless craft of cold process soap making. In this hands-on workshop, you'll explore the science of saponification and learn how to transform natural ingredients into luxurious, skin-nourishing soaps. From mastering essential techniques to experimenting with custom scents, colors and textures, you’ll gain the skills to create beautiful, handcrafted bars from scratch. Leave with your own artisanal soaps and the confidence to continue creating at home.

Meet the Maker
Begin with an introduction to your artisan soapmaker and an overview of the craft.

The Science of Clean
Learn the fundamentals of the cold-process techniques in a guided session.

Crafting with Intention
Mix, scent, and pour your soaps using local herbs, essential oils and a touch of your own creativity.

Duration: 2 hours

Recommended Dress: Long sleeve shirt

Additional Details: Guests will be given PPE such as an apron, protective gown, eyewear and gloves for this experience.

Price: $129 per person

Immerse yourself in one of Big Sur’s most exhilarating rituals. This guided experience begins with a coastal drive and forest hike through towering redwoods. Surrounded by nature’s raw beauty, you'll reach a secluded spot for an invigorating cold water plunge. Drop into the frigid waters and tap into ancient thermoregulation techniques that reset your nervous system and sharpen every sense. Emerging from the water, you’ll have space and time to reflect. It’s not just a thrill—it’s a challenge that leaves you feeling awakened, grounded and deeply alive.

Orientation & Overview
Start with an on-property introduction to the plunge ritual and what to expect.

Scenic Descent
Take a stunning drive down the Big Sur coast, as your guide shares stories of the region’s dramatic landscape.

Redwoods to River
Hike 0.5–1 mile beneath towering redwoods to reach your plunge destination.

The Cold Awakening
Submerge in the Pacific’s cold embrace—an unforgettable full-body reset.

Warm & Reflect
Reemerge to a moment of clarity and calm to close your journey.

Duration: 2-2.5 hours

Recommended Dress: Closed-toe shoes and a bathing suit underneath appropriate athletic attire is ideal so guests can easily change in a outdoor setting. Bring any warm layers of clothes you would like for after the experience; we'll keep them safe. Pack a filled water bottle.

Additional Details: Also included in this experience is: A designated bag with towel; a surf poncho; transportation to and from the experience; hot tea.

Price: $89 per person during renovation/low season, $109 per person fall & spring, $129 per person summer

Forge a connection between your hands and the land in this immersive knife-making workshop. Begin with a guided walk through Big Sur’s redwoods to learn about the region’s sustainable woods. Choose your own piece of redwood, then under expert guidance, use traditional tools to shape and sand your handle. You’ll attach it to a pre-forged blade, refining every detail to complete your custom knife. From wild wood to polished finish, this is craftsmanship grounded in nature—a memory made tangible, and entirely your own.

A Forest of Possibilities
Begin with a guided walk through the redwoods, learning about sustainable foraging and the spirit of native woods.

Wood with Purpose
Select your piece of redwood to match your personal aesthetic and grip preference.

From Raw to Refined
Learn to use tools like a coping saw, files and sandpaper to carve and shape your handle.

Form Meets Function
Attach your custom handle to a pre-forged blade, then oil, finish and admire your completed knife—a tool that’s also a story.

Duration: 2.5 hours

Recommended Dress: Closed toed shoes, sun protection, water bottle, durable clothing and layers for unexpected temperature shifts.

Additional Details: This experience requires the use of various tools. Prior knowledge and tool familiarization are beneficial, though not required.

Price: $149 per person

Step into the garden with purpose and presence in this heartful community experience. Each Sunday, guests gather to harvest the season's bounty and prepare donations for The Big Share—a local nonprofit that helps nourish the people of Big Sur. On Mondays, you’re invited to join in delivering those offerings, engaging directly with the community and learning what it means to live, give and grow in one of California’s most remote and resilient regions. It’s not just a feel-good moment. It’s a living connection to land, people and place—and a tradition of generosity that defines this coast.

Sunday: Gather & Give
Join our garden team to harvest the season's bounty to support for The Big Share food initiative.

Pack & Prepare
Help package fresh offerings for delivery, learning about local agriculture and food access in the Big Sur region.

Monday: Deliver & Connect (Optional)
Meet community members during donation delivery, gaining a deeper understanding of the people who call Big Sur home.

Duration: 45 minutes on Sunday and 1 hour on Monday (if guests join to deliver donations)

Recommended Dress: Closed toe shoes, durable clothing, sun protection, and water bottle.

Price: Complimentary

In Big Sur, nature speaks in rhythms—wind through redwoods, waves against stone, light filtering through coastal fog. Nature’s Muse is an invitation to step into that rhythm and experience the landscape poetically.

Crafted in creative partnership with Yrsa Daley-Ward and led by Rachelle Escamilla, the Poet Laureate of Monterey County, this progressive 60-minute journey unfolds across three locations on Ventana’s 160-acre grounds. Along the way, guests engage in poetic reflection and expressive writing—guided by sensory prompts, movement and moments of shared creativity. From childhood memory to external observation, each stop offers a new lens through which to see, feel and respond.

This experience isn’t about writing the perfect poem. It’s about giving voice to what rises up when we pause, look closer, and listen with our whole selves.

Circle of Life: Roots and Reverence
Begin beneath the towering redwoods at the Circle of Life grove. Here, guests are invited to slow down and listen—to the forest, to their breath and to the space between thoughts. Guided by Rachelle Escamilla, Poet Laureate of Monterey County, this opening moment blends grounding techniques, curated poems and nature-inspired prompts that reawaken the senses.

The Garden: Memory in Bloom
Surrounded by the textures and scents of the organic garden, guests explore early memory through guided writing. A question as simple as “Where did you play as a child?” becomes the seed for deeper reflection, supported by tactile elements from the earth and thoughtful pauses between words.

Sur Vista: Expansion and Expression
The experience culminates at Sur Vista, where the vast Pacific stretches beyond the cliffs. Here, guests are invited to turn outward and explore the self in relation to the wider world. With prompts designed to inspire creative risk, this final chapter invites quiet revelation, shared readings, and a moment of stillness to carry forward.

Duration: 60 minutes

Recommended Dress: Closed toed shoes, sun protection, water bottle, comfortable clothing and layers

Additional Details: Poet Information: Rachelle Escamilla is the Poet Laureate of Monterey County and has been writing, publishing, and teaching poetry for more than two decades. She is available pending her availability.

Price: $160