Big Sur spas, including Ventana Inn & Spa, Esalen and Post Ranch Inn, have closed due to wildfires moving into the Big Sur area.
July 7, 2008, BIG SUR, CA – At 8:00 a.m. Wednesday July 2 the management of Ventana Inn & Spa was contacted by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department with a mandatory evacuation notice. Currently, Highway One is closed from Palo Colorado to Lucia. The entire community of Big Sur has been evacuated and is closed until further notice.
The 1,400 residents of Big Sur have also been ordered to leave their homes. About 65,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest have burned in the last two weeks as part of the Basin Complex Fire.
Ventana Inn & Spa, which is undergoing an $18 million renovation, provided relocation assistance and physical room to room search was performed to ensure all guests had evacuated. General Manager Jonathan Farrington has indicated that Ventana Inn & Spa, Cielo Restaurant and Allegria Spa will remain closed until further notice. Esalen has cancelled all programs through July 13.
