The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara

I just want to share the incredible experience I had with Alana at the front desk. Long story short we had some issues and were about to leave, but she is a rockstar and made everything right. She went ABOVE and BEYOND to fix the situation and followed up to make sure we were all good. Further, the hotel is beautiful, love the grounds and everyone is super friendly. But Alana is 15/10! Ask for her!

The Bacara was our salvation during the pandemic—it was a treat to be able to get out of our lockdown routine. We even spent Christmas there one year and enjoyed the hotel’s festive feel. The last time we were there was a disaster, though—there was a clot of long hair on the shower wall and a dead roach on the floor. Despite having prepaid for the breakfast and being told by the front desk that we didn’t need a reservation, the staff at Lulio made us wait for a half hour for a table, even though the restaurant was nearly empty and they were offering a self-serve buffet. The spa pool stopped supplying towels at 4:00 pm—and didn’t leave any on the pool deck for guests (!?!). To top it off, we had dinner at their new restaurant, Marisella (the best part of which were the locally-grown cherry tomatoes and basil they served at the beginning of the meal), and ended up having to cut our vacation short because my husband got ill. Oy! The prices have gotten very, very, VERY high—sadly, I doubt we’ll be back.

We were here for a wedding and were really excited to stay on property. Sadly, the experience just did not live up to what we'd expect from a 5 star, and certainly did not live up to the price point. Many people in our group were disappointed with our stay. The staff was kind and the location was beautiful, but beyond that there was nothing notably positive about our stay. 1) Not staffed for it's size? The on-site dining options were limited. There was only one spot open for breakfast with a 45 min wait both days and the service was SO SLOW it took almost 2 hours just to eat breakfast. We actually had food delivered to the property a few times. Despite the large pool, we found it was competitive to find seating unless you went really early. There was always a line for valet and to check in/out. If you're going to have a big property, I'd expect you'd staff it accordingly based on how many guests you'd be having to avoid things like long waits, lines, and not enough seats at the pool- I've experienced better for far less money. 2) Fees EVERYWHERE- there were literally fees snuck in every which way... if you want to charge more, just set the price higher. The spa for example had a 22% "staff charge' on top of the prices AND on top of tip. I find this to be really silly practice. 3) Needs updating- we had a few issues with the toilet running that they didn't seem able to address. There were also a few outlets that didn't work in our room. The pool deck had a gate that was so jammed you had to shove it really hard to open. Small things that just cheapen the vibe. It's a shame, I feel like the Ritz brand used to have a lot of cache, but as a 30-something who is just coming into the money-making years of my life, I don't think I'd chose to come back here.

There is absolutely nothing "Luxury" about this hotel other than the absurd prices, and so I am hoping I can help other Tripadvisor uses avoid the heartache of wasting time and money on this hotel. To start with the location of this hotel is really not ideal - it's located about 15-30 minutes away from Santa Barbara and Montecito, so you really have to want to enjoy the hotel as a resort stay but there is really nothing at this property that would make you want to stay the entire time. The pools are barely serviced - no attendant and short-staffed so you are lucky if you are able to order F&B. On top of that they stop service at the pool at 4pm, which is not ideal when the marine layer covers the sun throughout the earlier part of the day. The only casual option to get snacks and beverages, the coffee shop/cafe, also closes at 5pm so if you are looking for something at that time you will have to leave the property. The breakfast restaurant was also woefully understaffed - on both days we had to wait over 15 minutes for a table for 2 despite more than three quarters of the tables being empty, and when we were sat eventually we hardly saw the server. We called reception multiple times to make simple requests and those requests were simply forgotten about, including just requesting the car to be pulled up from valet. As far as the rooms go - they have been freshly refurnished but the furniture is cheap and already showing wear and everything else from the paint to the bathrooms are tired and in need of an actual renovation. Also one of the least comfortable, thin mattresses we have ever slept on. If forced to find one bright spot of this hotel it is the large and well-appointed fitness center. Also if you have status with Bonvoy or book through a travel agent/credit card I would not expect any upgrades or early check-in/late check-out because at least for our reservation they were not even willing to entertain those discussions. The most infuriating thing about this hotel is that the nightly rate is in the range of the Rosewood Miramar and the Belmond El Encanto and this hotel does not come anywhere close to that level of service or experience, it is in no way deserving of the luxury moniker.

After I booked this stay I had some questions about my reservation so I reached out to Bonvoy. Benjamin Kessler, the Room Operations Manager, reached out immediately to help me. He went above and beyond to make our stay one to remember. We were celebrating my daughter’s 16th birthday as well as my birthday during our stay so I had reached out to guest services in order to get different amenities set up for our room. Talitha and Dakota were so helpful with getting everything I requested. Beth also helped me with items I had shipped to the resort before our stay. She even sent pictures of everything set up before we arrived so that I knew everything was ready to surprise my daughter with once we checked in. We were fortunate enough to have club lounge access during this stay. All the food and drinks throughout the day were amazing. Everyone there was so kind and helpful, especially Jesus. We ate dinner on property during our stay at Lulio and Marisella. The food at both restaurants was amazing and the service was incredible. We’ve been coming to Bacara for over 10 years and this was by far the best stay we’ve ever had. The resort has done an awesome job with their renovation but the thing that really made our stay amazing was the staff. I highly recommend the Ritz Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara for your next vacation. My family and I can’t wait to come back next year!