Though less famous than nearby Esalen Institute and even the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the hermitage offers unique lodging and enlightenment for as little as $125 a night, robust vegetarian meals included. Three new private retreats are being built among the other personal and group accommodations and monk housing, with their own beds, kitchens, bathrooms and decks, with South Coast views to match those of spendier Big Sur resorts. Don’t leave without packing home a bag of their popular Holy Granola.