Ritz-Carlton Bacara

We stayed here for Easter weekend. The hotel was clearly busy, line of cars just to get into the driveway, the valets were overwhelmed. Checkin was busy but pleasant. Welcomed me for being a titanium member and we were assigned a wonder corner room right next to the adult pool. We had booked a club lounge room and it overlooked the adult pool with a great outdoor seating. Our room was well appointed with a large bathroom, sitting area, and balcony that had a view of the ocean. We always try to book the club lounge when available, we find the extra amenities well worth the cost and at the end of the day we probably end up saving money. Food offerings were expansive, at times were a bit not to our liking but we always found something. They do have a great wine dispensing machine, however part of it was broken all the time or needed to be reset. The club attendants were mostly good, but there was this one gentlemen attendant who just rubbed us the wrong way, we saw him on multiple occasions (ourselves included) telling guests they’ve enjoyed themselves enough in reference to the bar. In one instance, this couple had literally just arrived and had one drink and some food while waiting for their room to be ready and were going for a second drink and were told they’ve enjoyed themselves enough. Not sure what the point of this was, if it was just a one off, but we saw it several times. It just took relaxing out of the picture. I understand if someone is visibly intoxicated or harm to themselves. In our case it happened to my wife and I before dinner and we were going up for our third drink after being there 90 minutes. Perfectly just enjoying our vacation, we informed him we were having dinner on the property so we weren’t getting behind the wheel in any way, and he insisted we’ve enjoyed ourselves enough. This just quite honestly ruined the whole ambiance of the club lounge. We’ve been at the Ritz SF club and seen people stumble into the door, and they weren’t leaving the hotel that night and made that well known early in the night, so you want to kickback who cares as long as your not in danger to yourself or others. For dining on the property we dined some at the club and poolside at the adult pool, as well at The Bistro. The poke at the adult pool was delicious, and would highly recommend. The Bistro on Easter Sunday for brunch put out an amazing spread. Despite it being packed the staff was amazingly attentive. The food had everything from a mini raw bar to an omelette station, multitude of hot options, and a full dessert table. My wife was over joyed by this chicken orzo dish and emailed the restaurant for the recipe, the sous chef responded to her email with the recipe. Let’s just say we have it weekly now. Overall the property is beautiful the trails up by Angel Oak are incredible, the food truck by the pool and beach is a great idea. The beach was a disappointment, it had a ton of seaweed and a ton of bugs, it was clearly not a beach you would want to spend the day on. There was even a beach bar type structure that looked abandoned as not many would want to spend time on this beach. We only saw a few walkers. The service was really hit or miss, we had some gems in the club lounge, but this male attendant really dampened the mood and we weren’t the only ones who noticed. The adult pool the staff was so overwhelmed, while the staffing level at The Bistro was perfect. On our checkout day, we called for a bellman, the housekeeper was eager to start cleaning so I let her in, and I told her that I was just waiting for the housekeeper, she apologized and texted a friend who responded that it didn’t look good. So I lugged our stuff up to the main building. I had also asked for a late checkout, as a titanium member One of the benefits is a 4PM checkout, butthey wouldn’t budge past 2. I’ve stayed at a bunch of club floors, San Francisco, Berlin, Canary Islands, and a 4PM checkout was never an issue. Bottom line the hotel is beautiful. The hotel is woefully understaffed and service from the staff was wildly inconsistent. Our club level experience really soured it for me, particularly when we saw it on our first day. The club lounge is aesthetically beautiful, especially with the patio, and we found the food offerings mostly good. Perhaps we would return since it was a holiday weekend, but the staff issues really rubbed us the wrong way. Read less

Overall we enjoyed our stay but there are a few things to be aware of before booking. My wife and I spent the night at this resort on our last leg of a PCH tour. We arrived around 530 on a Friday evening. Due to a private event in the normal entry courtyard, we found ourselves in the valet lot and actually parked then walked in. The resort is very insistent on being valet only, which can be convenient at times but seems a bit excessive for a private property. This also made it more difficult for us as we had our packed for a week long trip and having self access back to the car would have been more convenient. Not a deal breaker, just something to be aware of. Additionally, the 58 dollar charge for parking seems silly for a required amenity and I feel should just be included into the rate or resort fee. The staff were all friendly and assisted us with a cart ride for ourselves and luggage to the room. All the staff were courteous and attentive and this was definitely the highlight of the place. I will note to be wary of phone requests, as we called to use their shoe shining service, but no one ever came at night to pick up the shoes. In addition, upon checkout we called for assistance to the car and they offered to notify the valet for us. When we arrived, it seemed as though the valet was never informed as they needed the number again and then grabbed the key. Retrieving the car was relatively quick, but definitely room for improvement in communication between different staffs. The room was good overall. We stayed in a Deluxe King. The bed was very comfortable and we had a nice overlook of the garden area from our balcony. One thing to note is the walls are very thin. In addition, the door had a half inch gap at the bottom which also carried echoing sounds from the outdoor hallway. That being said the space was quiet at night. Additionally when we first arrived we were missing a floor towel and had a towel with lipstick still on it. These were corrected without prompting during turndown service, which was nice to have in a post Covid world. Property is well kept. The fitness center is one of the nicest I’ve ever seen in a hotel. It included a Smith Machine and full weight sets, as well as a few cable stations. If you’re looking for a good workout, you can definitely achieve one here. They have an attendant standing by to provide water and towels too. The only strange thing to us was the Covid mitigation rules posted everywhere but not being enforced. This was no issue to us, but definitely confusing. The beach was nice, but be aware it is in a more natural state. This means there were kelp piles and sand hoppers all over. We did appreciate the tar removing wipes provided in the room as well, as the beach does have tar deposits. Food was great. We ate at the O Bar and Kitchen and enjoyed our fish taco and quesadillas. The staff were friendly and even welcomed us with champagne in recognition for our honeymoon. Overall we enjoyed our stay but would likely try another location closer to town for easier access to other Santa Barbara activities. Read less

We stayed 2 nights at an insane high rate (UCSB graduation weekend it turns out) and got club level as well. Check in was fast but SCREAMING kids and total chaos in the lobby was a bad first impression. Staff was doing nothing to help. And we weren't even greeted at all. Walk to desk and wait to check in. We are only given a map to our villa and not even offered a golf cart ride ...the room was in villa 12. Small-ish for the price. And THERE is NO BATHROOM DOORS. Only some totally open shutter door. And one entire WALL of the bathroom is shuttered as well. The doors squeak and essentially you are using the restroom with your partner 5 feet away on the bed. Beyond this, it is clear the rooms need updating. Feels old and worn. BUT the club with unlimited food and drinks was amazing. Beautiful place over looking the adult only pool and the offerings for each meal were very very top notch. Staff there was young but great. AND the spa treatments were nice, but extremely over priced. There is a sauna and one jacuzzi, but NO OTHER amenities . So to pay $400 for a facial- and get nothing else out of the place is well........ stupid. We likely will not return. Read less

We stayed at The Ritz Bacara with 500 other people for a business event. The staff was incredible, friendly, and service was over the top. The location was beautiful and rooms were relaxing. I loved all the fireplaces around the property as that daily coastal fog rolls in and cools down the temps. We were so impressed with the catering crew and their attention to our needs, always smiling and welcoming us. We met the Hotel Manager as well and we can see the quality is from the top down. Read less