El Encanto

This is a stylish, sprawling property located in the hills of Santa Barbara. Deceptively large - no buildings are more than 2 or three stories tall. Vast majority of the architecture is Spanish style adobe - suites and condo type accommodations. Great views of Santa Barbara and the ocean. It is NOT a beach resort. It is a very chill resort that focuses on quiet and privacy, and it is also very expensive. The main building of the property has the reception lobby with a nice bar and restaurant with sizable outdoor eating space. The food at the restaurant was quite good during our stay, although the menu is somewhat limited. My ultimate take away - for this price point (nearly $2,000 a night on the weekends for a small suite), the customer is left wanting a bit more as far as amenities are concerned. The pool is too small if occupancy is up, which it was this past weekend. The gym is, for me, embarrassingly small and cramped - unless you are alone, you will be uncomfortably cramped. Turn down service features no chocolates or really any of nice, small little touches you would expect at a property this expensive. The prices for in room honor bar are, to put in mildly, bordering on highway robbery ($95 for 12 ounces of decent, not top shelf, whiskey - this would retail for $12-15 a bottle). It must be said that the staff is quite excellent. Smart, friendly and very accommodating, from front desk, to waiters, to valets, to cleaning crew. For me, they did the El Encanto proud over our 4 night stay here. The best part of our stay.

From the moment I walked through the doors the name resonated. It was absolutely enchanting. Our stay was everything I could hope for. We never left the property. We spent a lot of time at the pool. Extremely comfortable lounge, chairs! Excellent cocktails! And then there’s Sylvia. What an extremely sweet girl! She and Chloe made sure we were well taken care of! Travis and Alec are pretty amazing! It was nice to see how they jump in and support their team. Alberto, one of the waiters, went out of his way to greet us and welcome us even though at the time we were not his table. Chris Saputo you have put together an amazing team! I can’t wait to return and see all the wonderful things you will be doing with El Encanto!

Our 4 days could not have been more perfect. The transfer from a Belmond property seems to have been a positive move. Upgraded gardens, same warm helpful staff. Still an excellent spa experience, glad to see the same faces there. We can’t wait to return.

The hotel is well named: ours was an enchanting and luxurious two day experience, with every thoughtful amenity considered. The friendly check in staff offered us a chilled lavender/lemon cocktail or mocktail on arrival, then proceeded to show us to our beautiful room, which was ready early. A bowl of sweet ripe peaches awaited us, along with a handwritten greeting. The next morning we needed more coffee pods, which arrived within two minutes. The room was charming, complete with fireplace and a deep tub for relaxing with bath salts. We spent one day lounging by the pool, waited on by an attentive staff member. Dined that night on the terrace and enjoyed perfectly prepared halibut and salmon. Loved the oversized chess and checkers games laid out on the grounds, as well as the romantic fire pits. The steam room is available to all guests, not just those using spa services, and it's a revelation! Don't miss this experience. We came here to relax, and relax we did, enjoying the sumptuous gardens, the view, and the friendly staff. We even threw a penny in the wishing well, and wished to return again. Soon. Well done, El Encanto. Simply superb.

Amazing! The property is beautiful, sprawling, with modern, clean, and comfortable rooms. Hard to find a boutique hotel in this day and age that is maintained with so much love and care. The staff are amazing - friendly, helpful, kind, and resourceful. The food is great, really fresh with good service. Located conveniently in the middle of Santa Barbara and easy to get around. It’s a comfortable atmosphere to hang out and relax between the pool, lobby, patio, and fire pits. New ownership is great and renovating the property in real time. We will be back!