I don’t mind paying a fortune for a room in a hotel if it meets my standards, but there’s nothing that bothers me more than spending a fortune and expecting a fortune ‘s worth of amenities, service, food, and beauty and receiving service one would expect in a one star hotel. I booked to stay at San Ysidro Ranch where I held a large event 10 years ago. Everything about that event was perfect from the person that organized it in the hotel, to the hotel rooms, the private dinner, the guestrooms for all of my friends and family, and the general ambience, everything and everyone was great. I decided to return because I needed a break from a very sad situation with a friends illness and so I thought I would pamper myself and stay for two days in a beautiful suite and experience true service and luxury once again It was an extremely disappointing experience from the start. The staff seemed young and untrained at the front desk and on arrival they should have been in front of the desk to greet me but instead they were behind the desk talking. A nice young man did come outside to say hello and help me in, but that didn’t make up for the lack of greeting at the check-in desk. It seem to me that the front desk person spent more time having me sign release forms for the hotel, rather than asking me how my day had gone or if there was anything she could do for me. Upon arrival at my room, the nice young man who had driven us there, did not orient us to the room, or ask us if we wanted to be oriented. The first thing I noticed was how dark the lighting was in the bathroom and in the bedroom. I am a reader, so this was very disappointing because one of my favorite places to read is in the bathtub. I had to call maintenance because in order to watch movies on the TV they need to attach an apple TV device to it. I have no idea why they just don’t bite the bullet and attach the devices which cost nothing to everyone’s television so that Guests doesn’t have to sit there on the couch, while a maintenance person attempts to make your television connect to Apple TV. Frankly, it was ridiculous. I went to put on some slippers and found that they only had in the closet two pairs of huge cheap slippers that were the same kind that chain hotels carry. I realize that no one can be like the Mark Hotel and remember what your size is every time you stay and provide you with a pair of slippers that you could wear to lunch.! The worst problem about this hotel is they have a set up where they do not charge you for the food as it is included in the price of your room. If you have room service, they add on a service charge of 20%. The waiter does not tell you this. You have to find it out for yourself by reading the bill. if you eat in the dining room, the same thing will happen. They will present you with the bill which will show you how much the meal cost and then they expect you to leave a tip based on the cost of the meal even though you’re not paying for the meal. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure this one out. In fact, it was one of the most ridiculous systems I’ve ever experienced in any hotel anywhere. They should not expect guests to leave a tip after charging them so much money for the room, everything should be included except for alcohol. Expecting a guest to leave a tip on the basis of a dinner that was included in the price of the room is insanity. I get the feeling that this is another sad situation where the hotel can’t afford to stay alive and so what it’s doing is charging people like me insane amounts of money for rooms and then providing them with mediocre service because most of their employees have left. Their solution is to add on gratuities for the guest to pay because they can’t afford to pay their employees enough to keep them happy in their job. I just feel disappointed because I was hoping that everything here would be perfect but it goes to show that if you’re naïve enough to pay this much money for a room you may not get what you hoped for.

A fabulous stay at The Ranch. Ty Warmer has spent the money - and has the eye for detail - and the insistence on unstinting ongoing perfection, to make every foot of the Ranch from the bottom of the driveway to the top of the property absolutely flawlessly lovely, inviting, elegant, welcoming, stunningly, relaxingly lovely. Kudos to the landscape architect - and the team of various gardeners who keep it this way. The Ranch is sublime. Yes, Ty, in my personal opinion, ought to pay his front of house staff considerably more to avoid the constant turnover and encourage long term loyalty; and nightly cottage rates are not for the faint of heart. That said, service was attentive and helpful and could not have been nicer. Pepper Cottage has been updated (perhaps the others have as well) with the most elegant cream and blue wall upholstery; and a few more pieces of furniture, including a mini bookcase unit with drawers below, a little vanity dresser near the bed, all of which all function well, with higher, sturdier chairs by the window seat, and a new rectangular table. It's just gorgeous. I was blown away. The Cottage also lacked the sort of funny chemicall-y smell it used to have upon check in in various prior years, so they clearly have changed their products, which was a nice plus. The bed - hmmm. The mattress was not overwhelming; and did not feel lie the super high end one I think guests should be able to expect at that price point, like a Vi-Spring, or Hastens/Duxiana. I tossed and turned quite a bit. Sleeping Pillows used to be huge and softly squashy, delightful to sleep on. These were the typical king size but smaller than the old ones The Ranch used to have on their beds, maybe not foam rubber but felt a bit like it, and left me with a bit of a neck ache. Everything in the bedroom and bathroom was spotlessly clean. The air conditioning was very efficient, and cooled the room perfectly to 68 degrees. Unfortunately, it sounds as though the vent or return is right behind the bed headboard and was quite loud at night. They should have used some sound mitigation during construction. The housekeeper turned the fireplace and the thermostat heat up to 74 degrees during evening turn down. Next time I will request that not be done, as I like a cold room to sleep in. There are adorable chocolates as welcome gifts, Herban essential Towelettes by the bedsides (the orange scented is my favorite), the heart shaped soap by the bathroom sinks has a luxurious lather, towel are snow white, soft and very absorbent. Lunch, dinner and breakfast at Stonehouse were each excellent, delicious and used high quality ingredients and pretty presentation. Service was impeccable at each meal, from busboys to wait staff. We were so pleased. And of course, the views, whether it is during the day or at night with the enchanting lighting, couldn't be more romantic or more lovely. The Christmas lights and decorations, and soft yellow glow of the pathway lights, were just beautiful everywhere. So pleased that they go to this extra mile in doing everything, and do not skimp. Holidays here are truly special and memorable. I an't say it enough. The flaws are minimal and the magic is incredible. We are so looking forward to returning again - and again; and highly recommend.

Beautiful property. Excellent services. Prohibitively expensive however. A shame. The Santa Barbara area is truly gorgeous, but lodging has become so terribly expensive that it is difficult to justify visiting the area when there are so many other beautiful parts of California to visit. The expensive to stay at even a modest hotel or air bnb is just too much.

San Ysidro ranch is resting on the luxury history that they advertise on their website and in articles on the wall near the check in desk. I am sure when the Kennedy's honeymooned here, they were not surrounded by small children at the restaurant with each meal, or screaming kids on the lovely lawn, or splashing kids in the pool. Management was aware of the situation, and simply said it was a family resort and they would not address it or do anything to change the experience. If you are looking for a tranquil, private and luxury experience, best to look for better options. The manager did not even reach out directly to us after we let them know of the issues. Very unfortunate that our recommendation is take a hard pass.

What a magical place this is! From the moment you enter this property you feel like you found yourself in a fairytale. The beautiful garden, the birds, the lemon trees, the view of the mountains. Just beautiful. All the cottages are one of a kind and decorated with amazing attention to detail. The restaurants in property serve delicious food and their wine list is very impressive. Customer service is top notch!