The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara

I rated this hotel one out of five because it is majorly overpriced $300 for a basic cosmetic kit and 400 for a standard massage. Also, this is not a kid friendly resort. Kids are not allowed to do anything. They can’t go into most of the facilities and are not allowed to rent bike or or sit at most locations if you have a kid under 18, they will just be able to go to the pool. There are so many better alternatives to this hotel.

This review is for Lulio. I am a bit mixed about my review. I must say our waiter Kai was incredibly attentive and a pleasure. And the spot is gorgeous. The food however just ok. We shared the halibut which was so salty I couldnt eat it and the lamb riblets which are a fun find on the menu were too fatty for my liking. The beat salad was also great although seemed like it had been sitting around in the kitchen for a while. Be prepared for a very expensive evening which perhaps is fair given the gorgeous location that close to the Ocean. And one other pet peeve.. The don't validate if you aren't staying there so be prepared for a 30 dollar valet charge!

The hotel has fantastic infrastructure and the grounds are beautiful. The rooms are comfortable as are the beds. Unfortunately management is polite but very ineffective. While there is decent staff presence none are very effective at any guest need especially front desk. The two exceptions are the parking staff and the bartenders in the main bar. I can’t emphasize enough the lack of detail initiative or presence across the 4 day stay. The fees are high along with resort fee, parking valet fee, spa fees etc etc - the value proposition is not there for the price. Too bad as there are few options in SB and again the hotel grounds are fantastic. This is very much a Ritz problem. Very inexperienced and ineffective staff.

Been coming here for the last three years with my family. The food is excellent. The grounds are impeccable the pool staff, bartenders, valet staff were all very polite and go out of their way to serve. The food options are superb: try Lulio for breakfast, Marisella for dinner and grab dinner at the bar/outside during sundown. The gym and spa is excellent as well

I came very close to cancelling this 6 night stay due to the reviews across several platforms. Very grateful I didn’t! From arrival to departure we felt looked after and treated with the utmost care in Ritz Carlton standards. Upon arrival we not only received a text from the front desk to make sure check in went well but also a survey from our Bonvoy app to let them know how our check in was handled. Is the property big, yes, but that is what makes it beautiful. It can be an issue for mobility impaired persons and may take things a bit longer in busy season but that doesn’t mean the employees aren’t moving at full pace. There are golf carts to help the mobility impaired or those who need a quick ride. We saw them all over the property offering to help us even when we didn’t need it. Is there tar on the beaches at times, yes, but that’s a natural occurrence due to the highly active natural oil and gas seeps offshore. They do provide a great removal location and do all they can to help. Our room was beautiful, comfortable and large, not dated in anyway. Housekeeping was on point every day for morning and turndown service. They have beautiful pools and we chose the spa pool since it’s adult only. Never a problem getting a chair. It was peaceful and we had great attendants, Natalie and Christian who were there to help with towels, food, drinks or great conversation. We found the true jewell of this property to be the club lounge. Lacey, the manger, has a fabulous team and cares what is delivered in the lounge. The food presentations are good, wine offerings very nice and every person tries to find a way to go above and beyond to make your stay memorable. We enjoyed amazing service from Jayden, Ave, Fatima, Harry, Nora, Alex and Emily! Dante and Sam at the front desk were very helpful when we had questions or needed assistance. Bottom line, we didn’t experience any of the issues we read about in the reviews. If this hotel had any problems mentioned in the reviews, they are clearly putting all the pieces in place to move forward as a first class Ritz Carlton. We are grateful for our time there and look forward to returning!