The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara

We spent two days at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara, during our journey to Santa Cruz. It was a pleasant opportunity to slow down, enjoy the coastal setting, and take a little break from travelling. Overall, we had a nice stay, although the experience as a whole didn’t quite feel exceptional. One of the highlights was our evening at Marisella restaurant. It was a lovely way to spend an evening together and a particularly enjoyable part of our short visit. Moments like these are what you remember when looking back on a trip. What deserves special recognition, however, is the team at the pool — especially Ana and Sela. Both were warm, attentive, and genuinely helpful, making us feel welcome and well looked after. Their friendly approach added a personal touch to our stay and made our time by the pool all the more relaxing. A sincere thank you to both of them and the rest of the pool crew. While we left feeling that our overall experience was good rather than outstanding, we certainly enjoyed our two days here. The evening at Marisella and the hospitality of Ana and Sela were the highlights we took with us as we continued our journey up the coast. We are planning to be back in October with the whole family.

This beautiful property is nestled on the coast of Northern Santa Barbara, technically Goleta. Having grown up in Santa Barbara and lived there for several years of my adult life. I visited this place even as a child when it was much more exclusive and locally owned back when it was just called the bacara resort and spa. Since Marriott/Ritz Carlton bought it back in like 2017 roughly it is kept much of its same local flare and Mediterranean theme. I try and visit for brunch at least a few times a year, I stay as often as I can although since the prices have doubled basically in the last five years, I don’t get to stay as often as I would like. Still, I always enjoy my time here and visit as often as I can. The hotel staff has always been amazing, everyone from the front desk, to the restaurant staff, even just the housekeepers and landscape staff always say hi and are very friendly. Recently, the property had a substantial renovation, but still keeping to its true nature and heart of a Mediterranean style, Santa Barbara coastal getaway. I plan on returning sometime next year either in February or March. Even if you don’t actually stay here for a full vacation or even a weekend, I highly recommend the different food offerings, Lulio is a great place to have brunch and lunch, and then Marisella, which took over for what used to be Angel Oaks steakhouse as a great sit down restaurant with sweeping coastal views and ocean breeze. The O-bar which is positioned right behind the main lobby and seating area is also a good casual place to get some bites and socialize. Both pools are excellent, very accessible and have lots of seating around them. I haven’t been to the spa in a while, but I’m sure it’s still just as relaxing and great service as it was last time I went.

We used the Ritz Carlton's "valet" service and one of their valet people took our neighborhood parking pass from our vehicle when the vehicle was parked with them.  Don't ask me why, but 100% they did take it as no one else had access to the vehicle while we were there.   The problem this created is we have to go back to the city of L.A. and sit in their office for 4 to 5 hours to get a replacement parking pass.  We also have to pay the fee for a new pass and will get $100 per day parking tickets until we have time to do the above and get a new parking pass.  Yesterday when I reported it to the Ritz I got passed around to 3 different people.  Today, their insurance adjustor called me to ask what had happened and I was not about to explain everything a fourth time.  VERY poor customer service in my opinion.  Versus me spending hours on the phone explaining this over and over, they should have just put a credit on our room instead of passing me around and reporting it to their insurance.  After spending $9,000+ for two nights at this hotel I'd expect far far better service.  Stay elsewhere, AVOID this hotel.

This is a unique review as I did not stay as a guest, but called to request a gift sent to my nephew and his new wife’s room for their honeymoon. Jessica kindly assisted me and when I received a photo and text from my nephew, I saw that the personal note was handwritten and decorated with bright colors, lots of hearts and champagne bottles with the word “Cheers”! Such a sweet and thoughtful touch, making it so much more festive for the special occasion! In a world becoming more and more transactional, this was a lovely surprise! Rather than a basic typed note, they received a happy, custom message. Great attention to detail and we appreciated it so much!

We had an absolutely amazing stay at Bacara! From start to finish, the resort staff was nothing short of spectacular. Every request we had was handled with such kindness, thoughtfulness, and care. The rooms were beautiful, clean, and luxurious, the amenities were wonderful, and the food was fantastic. We also loved how kid-friendly the resort was, which made our stay even more enjoyable as a family. A special thank you to Hassan and Allen, who truly went above and beyond during our stay. Their kindness and helpfulness left such a lasting impression on our entire family. By the end of the trip, Hassan had basically become part of the family—we even took pictures together before we left! 😂 That alone says so much about how welcoming and wonderful he was. We can’t say enough great things about Bacara and its incredible staff. They made an already beautiful resort feel even more special, and we will absolutely be back!