Our weekend in the nest in Big Sur, was easily one of our favorite trips we’ve taken.

Get all the details and see more photos after the jump!

The “human nest”, as they call it at Treebones, is a sculptural wood structure made by Big Sur artist Jayson Fann. He makes the nests out of locally harvested sassafras branches (making sure not to harm the trees of course).

There is only one nest at Treebones and it is perched up on a cliff right over the ocean so it really is a special spot. While inside you can whale watch, hear the waves crashing & seals barking, and see the stars all right from bed. As you can see, it is open to the elements so a lot of people asked “what about bugs and spiders?”…  with which I would reply “what about the raccoons and bats!!!” Luckily, aside from a few minor freak outs over pine needles falling on my face and a couple birds that decided to fly right on through… we had no bad encounters.

While the nest might not be for everyone, for us it was like living a dream that we never knew we had. And, while it feels completely secluded (the nearest neighbors to the right are the 2 resident horses), the lodge and resort restaurants are just a short walk away (the sushi at wild coast was amazing)!

I am already trying to figure out if we could make one of these crazy things next to our cabin in Michigan.

Tips to stay: bring your own bedding  //  bring a tent in case of bad weather // there is no cell service anywhere // wifi is available in the lodge  //  bring some camp chairs to relax outside of the nest as well

Nearby: Heast Castle (25 miles south, we made an afternoon of it)  //  Hiking… there are loads of  hiking trails. We took the Mill Creek trail which was beautiful)  //  Beaches… We spent an afternoon at Sand Dollar Beach but our favorite beach was the one directly below Hearst Castle.

Images by Sarah Sherman Samuel