Ritz-Carlton Bacara

Santa Barbara, California Coast

Ocean View Room
Suite
Miro Restaurant
Ocean View Room
Suite
Miro Restaurant

The hotel

This Mediterranean-style village offers a location of stunning, natural beauty, nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains. What's more, you are close to all of Santa Barbara's many attractions. Here you can relax and un-wind by one of three zero-edge swimming pools or set-off for some pampering in The Spa at Bacara.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Spa
  • Swimming Pool
  • Honeymoon
  • Kids Club
  • Room Service
  • Valet parking
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Internet Access
  • Beachfront location
  • Tennis

Where is it

Located between the Pacific Ocean and Santa Ynez Mountains and close to Santa Barbara.

Hotel information

354 guest rooms, suites and private retreats, all with air-conditioning, private balcony or patio, flat screen TV, Keurig coffee-maker, Honor bar, safety deposit box, complimentary WiFi, iron and ironing board, hairdryer, bathrobes ad slippers. Village View Rooms have garden and landscape views with a private patio or balcony and 1 king-size or 2 double beds, sleeping max 4 adults.

Partial Ocean View Rooms offer views of the Pacific Ocean aswell as the gardens with a private patio or balcony and 1 king-size or 2 double beds, sleeping max 4 adults.

Ocean View Rooms offer the best views of the Pacific Ocean with a private patio or balcony and 1 king-size bed, sleeping max 2 adults.

Junior Suites feature a gas fireplace, living area, furnished balcony with garden views and 2 double beds, sleeping max 4 adults.

Executive Suites, furnished balcony with garden views, separate living area with sleeper sofa, additional smaller bathroom off living area, private bedroom with 1 king-size bed, sleeping max 4 adults.

Terrace Suites offer picturesque views of the lush gardens or Pacific Ocean, with a separate parlor area with a sleeper sofa, wet bar area, and a large furnished patio or balcony. Private bedroom has 1 king-size bed and there are 2 large bathrooms. Terrace Suites, sleep max 4 adults.

Signature Suites either have garden views, partial ocean views or ocean views and offer both luxury and privacy. There is a spacious living area with sleeper sofa and wet bar, an extra large patio or balcony, private bedroom with 1 king-size bed and 2 large bathrooms, sleeping max 4 adults.

The Sea Haven and Penthouses offer wraparound terraces with ocean views, 2 spacious bedrooms with king-size beds in each, 2 large bathrooms, spacious living room and dining area, sleeping max 10 adults.

The Residence is the closest accommodation to the beach and features a two-storey home with sweeping ocean views, 2 over-sized balconies, 2 spacious bedrooms with king-size beds in each, 2 large bathrooms, spacious living room with fireplace and dining room, sleeping max 10 adults.

The Bistro restaurant (Italian). Spa Café. Blend coffee bar. Bacara Bar. Beach House (casual beachfront dining). Foley Wine Tasting Room. 2 oceanfront zero-edge swimming pools. Poolside cabanas for hire*. The Spa at Bacara featuring an adults only swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and whirlpool (treatments*). Fitness centre. Daily exercise classes including yoa, pilates and aqua fitness*. Salon services by Bacara*. 4 tennis courts. On-site water rentals*. Monarch Kids' Club (seasonal). 24-hour room service*. Complimentary WiFi available. On-site speciality retail shops. Valet parking $34 per day (payable locally, subject to change).

*Denotes local charge.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (1705)
  • Very good (545)
  • Average (379)
  • Poor (262)
  • Terrible (228)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Relaxing, Oceanside Getaway

Jan 21, 2022 randeebin Mill Valley, California

We loved our stay at Bacara. We enjoyed it so much that we extended our stay, from 4 nights to 5. We had a top floor,corner king garden view, with balcony. It was very spacious, quiet, well appointed and super comfortable bed. The room was clean and not tired like other reviews said. It’s classic and timeless, in my opinion. Loved sitting on our… Read more
We loved our stay at Bacara. We enjoyed it so much that we extended our stay, from 4 nights to 5. We had a top floor,corner king garden view, with balcony. It was very spacious, quiet, well appointed and super comfortable bed. The room was clean and not tired like other reviews said. It’s classic and timeless, in my opinion. Loved sitting on our private deck with afternoon sun. The grounds and pools are stunning and very well maintained. The service throughout property was pleasant and appropriate. We ate at all of the restaurants multiple times because we were so happy relaxing at the resort, that we chose not to leave it. It’s a wonderful place for a getaway! We’ll be back. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating fantastic mini-break

Jan 20, 2022 hfhq Los Angeles, California

Just returned from a fantastic one night mini- break at the Bacara and loved every minute. The views, the service, the food androoms were brilliant and - best of all - the room had a thin mirror so we all felt marvellous! We were lucky enough to be upgraded to a sensational suite with a full on view of the sea and the sunset. Beth on the… Read more
Just returned from a fantastic one night mini- break at the Bacara and loved every minute. The views, the service, the food androoms were brilliant and - best of all - the room had a thin mirror so we all felt marvellous! We were lucky enough to be upgraded to a sensational suite with a full on view of the sea and the sunset. Beth on the concierge desk could not have been more helpful and gave us the full inside track on her former college UC Santa Barbara which we were visiting nearby, as well as arranging everything perfectly in advance. Reservations, room service check in and check out all went absolutely seamlessly. The hotel's doing a great job in this time of staff shortages but its good to help by planning ahead - check in early and use the facitilites to avoid rush hour at 4,pm make reservations and order room service ahead of time. The resort is in a gorgeous natural setting on the bluffs above Goleta beach with walking trails, bikes, tennis courts ,gym, spa and lots of pools and only 15 mins from Santa ~Barbara. Being in the room at sunset was our favourite part of the trip with fireplaces, comfy beds, great wif- fi, smart TV, lovely baths with sliding doors which open to the view - and best of all the thin mirrors! Can't wait to be back. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Not worth the money!

Jan 19, 2022 jeffkP3671CH

Old rooms...dirty hallways. Dated tile, carpet. Had issues with the TV that had to be fixed. Shower the size of small closet. Food average, drinks way overpriced. I've stayed in nicer Courtyards. No shuttle service to town or the Santa Barbara airport. Pretty much on your own...very isolated location. As a lifetime Titanium elite, I requested an… Read more
Old rooms...dirty hallways. Dated tile, carpet. Had issues with the TV that had to be fixed. Shower the size of small closet. Food average, drinks way overpriced. I've stayed in nicer Courtyards. No shuttle service to town or the Santa Barbara airport. Pretty much on your own...very isolated location. As a lifetime Titanium elite, I requested an upgrade on my room with upgrade points..was told there were none available, however the hotel was only half full. Lots of money and NO WAY a Ritz Carlton. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Overall, a bummer of an experience 👎

Jan 19, 2022 Tracyjohnson47 Brooklyn, New York

Let me preface this review by sharing that ive never written a bad review for a hotel and we travel a lot! We are also gold elite members (used to be platinum before pandemic) and loyal to the Ritz Carlton brand. Even got married at the Ritz in Kapalua :) We have stayed at the Ritz Bacara before and had an amazing experience, but this time was… Read more
Let me preface this review by sharing that ive never written a bad review for a hotel and we travel a lot! We are also gold elite members (used to be platinum before pandemic) and loyal to the Ritz Carlton brand. Even got married at the Ritz in Kapalua :) We have stayed at the Ritz Bacara before and had an amazing experience, but this time was pretty bad. It’s January and pretty cold, so we were looking forward to a fire place in our room. Last time we stayed we had a fire place, and when booking this time, the standard room is shown to have a fire place right there in the first photo. When we arrived at our room, no fire place. We called the front desk to see if we could move to a room with one and they said no - all booked. Ok, not the end of the world. Our room had a little outdoor patio that faced a wall, again, not the greatest, but understandable that not all rooms will have views. When we returned to our room from dinner, i noticed it was pretty warm and the thermostat was reading 78 so i set the AC to 65 and waited for it to cool down. (Would have just opened the door to our patio, but we were on ground level right next to a busy walkway and have a 3yo who needed to sleep.) An hour later, still 78 so i thought maybe i did something wrong and set it again this time with fan on. An hour passes and it’s time for us to sleep but it’s still 78 and uncomfortable. Called front desk and they sent maintenance guy down - he was very nice. Determined something was wrong and needed to go get a ladder so he could get into the ceiling in our closet. Ok, no prob. In the meantime i decided to order room service - a beyond burger w no mayo, fries, and 2 glasses of rose to try and knock me out bc i was so hot! He returned with said ladder and worked on it for a bit and said it was fixed. He left and i waited another hour or so and still 78, no cool air blowing, so I gave up and asked for a box fan. He brought that down which was nice. Room service arrives and the guy is carrying 2 plates. i told him i ordered just one burger and he said the other plate was the fries. Took off the top and first plate was burger and fries 👍. Took off top of second plate and it was indeed fries….along with a half-eaten chicken finger 😂😂😂. He apologized and took it away. Again, not a big deal, just kinda gross but whatever. Gave the gentleman $20 tip and he went on his way. Started to eat and noticed my burger was slathered in mayo - gahhhh! Now no burger for me, just fries and wine…except the wine (rose) is room temp. Lol! No problem i walked to the ice machine and got some ice to add to the wine. Went to sleep with box fan on, husband and son and i slept on top of the bed uncovered bc box fan can only do so much! Woke up in need of a shower. Hopped on in, ready to wash my hair and shampoo bottle has only about 2 drops left in it 😂😂😂. It was obvious the last guest used it and they didn’t replace the bottle. Usually Ritz hotels leave an extra shampoo on the sink or someplace else, but guess what- only conditioner lol. I shouted for my husband and asked him to pop out into the hallway to see if a housekeeper was out there with a cart so he could request some shampoo, no dice. Normally i would have called front desk but we were on our way to an event and didn’t have time for them to wait to bring it over. So i just went to the event with unwashed hair i didn’t care anymore, i just wanted to get out of there. So overall nothing horrible happened, more like just a comedy of errors - one after another. I usually get a great night’s sleep in hotels, but this time i was awake half of the night tossing and turning bc it was so warm and i was hungry bc i didn’t get to eat my burger and room service had closed by the time it was delivered. I understand these are all majorly first world problems, but when staying at a ritz you just expect that extra attention to detail so you can relax and enjoy yourself. This trip was def not relaxing or enjoyable, mainly bc i felt like we were always working to fix something that went wrong. Bummer. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Ritz to Pits THE WORST!

Jan 17, 2022 jt0423 Newport Beach, California

I cannot even describe how horrible my experience was at the RITZ of all places. It started when we arrived at the hotel 5:30 pm and not being able to receive our room til almost 7:00 pm but at the same time seeing other people getting their keys. Although they apologized they didn’t even offer a drink or anything as we are left stranded at the… Read more
I cannot even describe how horrible my experience was at the RITZ of all places. It started when we arrived at the hotel 5:30 pm and not being able to receive our room til almost 7:00 pm but at the same time seeing other people getting their keys. Although they apologized they didn’t even offer a drink or anything as we are left stranded at the lobby until they called us. Secondly, when the room was ready we were asked to go the bell check desk. When we walked to the table there were a couple of nonchalant bell men standing around chatting with one another. It was a very strange dynamic with lack luster customer service. When we asked for our room key, they just handed it to us without any direction. We had to actively ask where our room was and they just pointed left. They did offer a ride but again customer service was lacking. When we arrived to the room, there was no remote control for the TV so we had call and ask for one. The mirrors in the bathroom were all stained as it looked like no one bother to clean prior to check in. The hotel grounds are pretty but the room is dated and the walls are extremely thin. In the middle of the night I can literally hear my neighbor going to the bathroom, getting toilet paper, passing gas etc. in the morning I am woken up by literally construction workers outside my patio (5 feet from the patio door) digging a hole on the ground. I literally feel like they put me in the worst part of the resort. I’m extremely disappointed with the experience and the worst part of it is that they was no attempt to make it right (no late check out, no breakfast etc…) instead I get a text for an option check out early to get 5,000 Bonvoy point because they are busy WTF? Not sure I’ll come back. There are other upscale hotels in Santa Barbara. The Ritz has turned to the pits. Could it get any worst ??? The only thing great about this hotel was the valet service and the team outside. Read less