Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn

Big Sur


Nestled among redwoods and wisteria, this creekside conglomeration of rustic, thin-walled rooms and cottages was built by Norwegian immigrant Helmuth Deetjen in the 1930s. Some antiques-furnished rooms are warmed by wood-burning fireplaces, while cheaper ones share bathrooms. Note this timeless escape is particularly rustic, and potentially not suitable for all travelers.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Big Sur attractions

1. Henry Miller Memorial Library

0.28 MILES

Henry Miller lived in Big Sur for 17 years, some 5 miles south of this now nonprofit alternative art space and community center in the home of his late…

2. Henry Miller Memorial Library

0.3 MILES

Novelist Henry Miller was a Big Sur denizen from 1944 to 1962. More of a beatnik memorial, alt-cultural venue and bookshop, this community gathering spot…

3. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

3.17 MILES

Big Sur's largest state park was named after the area's first European settlers who arrived in 1869. It has hiking trails looping through stately redwood…

4. Los Padres National Forest

3.33 MILES

The tortuously winding 40-mile stretch of Hwy 1 south of Lucia to Hearst Castle is sparsely populated, rugged and remote, mostly running through national…

5. Pfeiffer Beach

3.88 MILES

Pfeiffer Beach is at the heart of what Big Sur is all about – splendid, unusual scenery that's inspired generations of artists, writers, and travelers…

6. Partington Cove

4.23 MILES

This is a raw, breathtaking spot where crashing surf salts your skin. On the steep, half-mile dirt hike down to the cove, you’ll cross a cool bridge and…

7. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

6.09 MILES

If you're chasing waterfalls, swing into this state park named for the daughter of some of the earliest European settlers to arrive in Big Sur. The…

8. Big Sur Discovery Center

6.95 MILES

From the parking lot at Andrew Molera State Park, walk 0.125 miles south to this educational nature center to learn all about the endangered California…