Bacara Resort & Spa Reviews

Room with ocean view and breeze was spectacular - the spa itself lacks the variety and quality of a top facility but the basic massage is top notch - dining facilities are great - company retreat could not have been done at a better facility given location and overall amenities

I walked along the beach from Isla Vista, but did not stay here. From the outside it looks like a beautiful Mediterranean village, but I cannot vouch for the inside.

Beautiful hotel and conference venue, with excellent catering and helpful staff. Ocean views abound... all at a price. While this is an expensive hotel, its prices are quite competitive in the Santa Barbara area. Recommended.

A place with beautiful view and excellent design ...

Easily one of the best resorts I've ever had the privilege to stay at. Everything from the views to the friendly staff were amazing and top notch. I would highly recommend staying there.

The wine tasting room at the Bacara is amazing. I highly recommend it, especially if you're a wine club member.

Overpriced. Everything costs more verses included in resort fees. Not worth the money. Plus the pool had two dos playing simultaneously and it sounded like mtv beach house. I had the most overpriced pedicure in the spa, I got better treatment at the cheap nail salons in town.

The beach by the resort (Haskell Beach) is one of the most beautiful and serene places in Santa Barbara.

Ritz Carlton gold standard displayed at every staff contact, the room, the grounds and the dining. You made our 51st Anniversary perfect. You can be very proud that your standards are met and exceeded by all. Thank you. Learned valuable lessons to take back to my own business, care homes for elders with memory loss.

Honestly, ive wanted to go here for a very long time and it wasnt worth the money. Plenty of places along the coast from santa monica and north for half the cost and better accommodations. This place is a brand.

The bluffs overlooking the ocean at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara make for an incredibly intimate wedding proposal location

Californian seaside resorts, high prices, good service, old settings, you can come back with a lot of money.

We got a special mid week deal at Bacara when picking up our daughter from UCSB. This hotel mostly lived up to its name for us. Hotel service was professional and discrete though not super friendly. That said, we had breakfast at their main restaurant on the patio and service there was incredible. Highlights included them running out to get Fruit Loops for our boys after they ran out then doing napkin animals for our youngest. We didn't ask for either. Pools here are great though the big one by the beach can be a bit difficult to get to with a baby carriage. They has a very cool sand castle in the children's sand play area when we were there that our kids adored. Our room was quite nice and well kept. We has our own fireplace and a jacuzzi tub that looked into the room but could be shuttered for privacy. The room looked over the property and the oceanview was nice but obstructed. My wife had a massage that she loved though it was really pricey. We'd go back.

We had a wonderful time here! The hotel is in a beautiful location, and the view is very gorgeous. Just imagine, sipping delicious sangria (which the resort provided at the lobby - a pleasant little surprise :) ) while watching the sunset by the beach... Our room was lovely and very comfortable. We left recharged and energized. Definitely recommend to everyone looking for a special and beautiful experience. (Tip: become a rewards member and download the Ritz-Carlton app.)

I attended the hotel for a business hours work event. The experience was excellent. All staff members were courteous, prompt, and helpful. The site itself is beautiful. Our business needs were met with reliable internet, great catering, and a comfortable room with doors that opened to the outside.

Just changed to the Ritz Carlton. Needs some time., but a very nice place.
People very helpful.

Beautiful! However, the staff are rude and absolutely NOT accommodating. We had to wait hours for access to our room, when others in our party got their rooms immediately

Valet staff was outstanding, friendly and helpful! Service at the Bistro was terrible. I paid $25.00 for a hamburger and anything we asked for, the server acted put out. We requested on 3 separate occasions to have something sent to our room by calling the front desk and nobody ever showed up! Overall I was a bit disappointed.

Always come here for Uber and Lyft pick-up and drop-off. Staff is ALWAYS awesome!

I worked there for one season! O would say that the place is just magical! Laying just on the pacific coast, the whole resort is very very attractive! The nature is more than beautiful! The staff is always prepared and very helpful! The pool, the view to the ocean and the Bistro and one of the best combinations in the region! Bacara shows the real spirit and feeling of California! I totally recoment it for its spanich taste and its americal feeling! Will go there again for sure as many times as possible!

We attended a trade show dinner. It was perfect for the venue. Its secluded and quite. The staff was very nice

Excellent customer service. Nick went out of his way to make sure that we were accommodated after dealing with a couple of issues. We appreciate the extra effort to make sure our stay was a good one.

A beautiful hotel to leave the stress behind for a few days, just a four hour drive from San Jose. Comfortable rooms, great, friendly service. A beautiful beach (rocks, no sand) at strolling distance. Highly recommended!

Excellent service, delicious food, and amazing scenery.

Everything about my experience here was AMAZING. The staff was the best staff I have ever encountered, each and every single one of them. Ron at front desk was awesome, all the valet staff was great especially Ryan, every single staff member I talked to was 100% FABULOUS I wish I remembered more of their names (all of the golf cart staff on the night of 11/11/18 and morning of 11/12/18 were THE BEST!) The room was BEAUTIFUL. We had a king bed type with a garden view balcony but we could still see the Ocean. So close to the ocean we could hear the waves crashing. The pools were very clean and well maintained. Just a complete ideal getaway location. Ideal for a romantic anniversary destination. I consider myself a VERY cheap individual and it was WELL worth it and I am already dying to go back.

Loved the relaxing, luxurious atmosphere, and the service was excellent. The brunch was delicious (great avocado toast) and made with quality ingredients. It's of course on the expensive end, but well worth the experience for a special occasion.

I went to visit my sister who works there. The scenery is beautiful, the staff was very friendly, and she enjoys working there. The rooms we saw have beautiful views. Though out of my personal price range, I would definitely enjoy a stay at this resort.

This is NOT run at the level of service that is typical of a Ritz Carlton. Despite two calls
to housekeeping our and our friend s rooms were not cleaned by 430pm. Our safe was broken and required two visits from maintenance. The kids pancakes for breakfast at the Bistro took 30min and our complimentary fruit in our cabana took over two hours to receive. When we pay the amount we did to stay here, we expected good service. It s unfortunately no where near the quality stay that is typical of other RC.

Very nice hotel and the food at the bistro was excellent. They have a very friendly and attentive staff. The location is beautiful right on the Pacific coast and the grounds are beautiful. This is not a place to visit if you're on a tight budget but I highly recommend this if you're not worried about how much you spend. It easily earns my 5 star rating.

The newest Ritz-Carlton property...welcome to the family!

The steakhouse is very good, the drinks also very good. The breakfast at the bistro was likewise very good. The room was comfortable however it felt overpriced. A solid 4 stars but at a 5 star price.

Lovely Oceanside setting and stunning architecture. Restaurant service was less than stellar and don't plan on visiting the beach here. It's totally rocky and the naturally occurring tar in the sand was a turn-off for us. As you would expect, the staff is fabulously helpful. But overall I think the resort is due a refresh!

It's a beautiful hotel that needs updating. Service was exactly as you'd expect from a "luxury" hotel, but beds desperately need replacing. Mine had a do so noticeable that I kept rolling into it as I slept. Jenny at the spa was worth the whole trip.

Excellent food, very accommodating. Service was a bit spotty, and automatic gratuity of 25% for our party of 9 was highly aggressive (3 kids under the age of 5 should = MAYBE 1 adult!), but all in all, a good experience. I would return.

Great visit, great service. Don t expect it to be cheap, but your get what you pay for.

Amazing property right on the ocean. Had a massage from Marty. She has amazing magical hands which could tell the right pressure and places where I hold my stress. Left feeling relaxed and rejuvenated!

The male driver who drove the car late last night, Sunday, was not very helpful or polite. When we pulled up to the front desk from the Bistro, the driver just jumped out of the car and went in to the hotel. He didn't wait until I got out or offer to assist me. Yikes!
It took him 45 minutes to come after he was called. The path was dark and he had no flash light and just walked ahead of me and jumped into the cart and waited for me.
This is not the treatment I expect at a 5 star hotel.

Beautiful location. Our room (4212) was big but a tad overloaded with bulky furniture making the seating areas almost useless. The suite itself sat along the cliffs and had just what it said, a very "partial" ocean view and the surrounding landscape off the patio seemed to have been neglects for some time which was a bummer.
The pools were wonderful but a bit of a pain due to the way reservations and check ins have to be implemented.

Overall I see why people would love this destination but for us there were just too many Covid restrictions and not enough amenities (unfortunately) to make it feel worth the price they asked.

Well, this place was set aside for a very special person who was coming to visit me in April but due to family problems or misunderstandings I think it could not and will not be possible but I only ask God to fill his heart with much happiness from the person who is for that same reason could not come because this would have been the perfect place for our meeting I love you my little girl

The food tasted good. Cool ceiling design and not too many forks.

Beautiful property, but customer service, food quality and Ritz level caliber are lacking. A shame for such a great resort.

Absolutely beautiful Hotel. Service is flawless and the staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable.

I went to the beach only,and it was pretty clean. I didn't actually go in though

My girlfriend and I visited this property in hopes of having a nice vacation from the city. However, several factors prevented our perfect getaway.

Granted, it was during peak season. Pool service was almost always a hassle to even up in a order... much less receive it. The few waiters/waitresses we did get to speak to were in general pretty pleasant!

The room itself was clean, and generally well maintained. - Room-service was another story. Multiple times we had call for things such as an extra robe, or pillows. Several times nothing came at all. Best case, it took about an hour. For PILLOWS.

During our stay I noticed I had ran out of cash. - I thought to myself no big deal... however, of course, it was. The ONE atm (that any staff made me aware of) was out of order for both of the two days of our stay.

It was at this point I met the rudest staff member of my stay. A front man (excuse my spelling) by the name of Seva. I asked if Seva could charge my room. Or offer any solutions to get me cash. As I really wanted to be able to tip the drivers, baggage handlers etc... he checked the back and proceed to tell me the best thing he could do was call the ATM people ... I asked him how I should go about tipping his fellow employees... he responded I don t know, do you need anything else? . He CEARLY put minimal to no effort in helping us. Which is unfortunate, as I just wanted to make sure we were able to tip the increasingly helpful bell service.

-perhaps a bit nit picky.... but small things like this you expect to be taken care of at a 5-star resort. My experience with the front desk is really just the icing on the cake of many small inconveniences throughout our stay. Which I ll spare you the details of.

On the other hand, an individual by the name of Evan was GREAT. If you do decide to come to this resort ask for EVAN. The resort was also out of nail clippers during my stay (yes the entire resort). Evan used his lunch break to run and grab me some by a nearby store! - a great guy. Whom, in my opinion, embodies the above average costumer service you should expect from a high-end resort such as the Ritz.

We have stayed at many other 5-star resorts throughout Califrona. It is really just the few great people, like Evan, that would make us even consider coming back here again.

This was our first experience at a Ritz-Carlton. We were really let down overall. - we don t see ourselves ever coming back as it stands. Our prior experiences at other Bonvoy properties (Such as the W) were actually better.

That being said, it is a beautiful property with a lot to offer. We really hope they make some changes in the future!

Great spot. Especially if it is warm. Nice pool and beach access. Relaxing.

Other than the Ritz Carlton Puerto Rico, this is the worst Ritz - or hotel in general - we ve been to. Even driving up to the property I already knew I didn t want to stay. We are unfortunately here right now and I would have left immediately but my husband will take it up with Marriott tomorrow. The room isn t clean, smells like mildew, probably hasn t been updated in 30. It s so upsetting to spend upwards of $750/night here (a $250 pet deposit which is unheard of!) Do yourself a favor and do not ever stay here.

I had a fantastic facial at the spa and a lovely time hanging out in a cabana by the pool. Great way to spend a day!

Resort is lovely. Room we were in was a bit dark, not a lot of natural light. Next time I would ask to be relocated. Service was excellent. Restaurants are all high quality and they all have excellent wine menus.

So sad Lovely property run by fools not worthy of the Ritz Carlton brand. What a shame. The service is beyond horrible, phones that ring off into abyss of nothingness, friendly staff with no direction, management sorely lacking in direction running this property to the ground. Old toilets run in the night, dirty floors and rooms, shutters coated with dust and peeling varnish. Very sad from stays prior to RC takeover. Motel 6 has more consciousness than the management here.

The view from the bar is shading, especially at sunset. The staff are friendly and helpful

Beautiful property in an oh-so-SoCal design on a piece of land that s classic Coastal California. It s spacious and doesn t ever feel crowded or overrun even though it s a huge resort. The staff are dynamite. I didn t get to visit the spa but my friends who did raves about it. I d give the property 5 stars if it weren t for how much plastic they need to replace with more sustainable methods of hospitality. For instance, tiny little water bottles in the bedrooms and plastic cups for all beverages in the events spaces.

Overall a fantastic experience that was negatively affected due to one simple thing. The property is amazing which is to be expected for the Ritz and the location in general along the coast is incredible. The rooms are a tad dated, but ours was clean with the exception of a few ants. I did notice a drinking glass outside our room for the entire weekend that was never picked up. With multiple staff members walking by several times a day, I think that's a bit tacky. The majority of the customer service was on point; for the Valet Service, Front Desk, Housekeeping, Bell Staff and Concierge we experienced quick & high-quality service. We can't speak for the spa, though I'm sure it's amazing. The Angel Oak Restaurant was by far this place's downfall from a customer service perspective and the experience was quite disappointing from beginning to end. I had called the Thursday before and made reservations for Saturday dinner at 6:45 inside the restaurant. I however failed to write down who I spoke with, thinking they could handle making the reservation and this would be a done deal. We arrived at 6:40 and they didn't have our reservation... I show the hostess my phone so she can see that I in fact called and spoke with someone. We were seated OUTSIDE within 10 minutes or so. I understand mistakes happen, we're willing to take what we can get at this point and just want to try and enjoy this dinner. When I had made the reservation they did the usual "Will be we celebrating anything when you're visiting us?" and yes, we were, a marriage... but nothing special offered while we were dining. I know they botched the reservation, but why ask, if you're not going to do anything? We had mentioned the celebrations on multiple occasions to our server... plenty of birthday's going on in the restaurant with something offered but not a wedding? Food took forever and a day... I understand the whole dining experience, we weren't in a rush... but apparently neither was our waiter or the kitchen. The gal who was refilling waters was great, fun personality while still being professional and she was attentive. The food quality was terrific... I would have been livid if all of this happened at the food was bad, but it truly was delicious. The overall Angel Oak experience was just mediocre at best... how embarrassing for us to take our newly married friends to a nice dinner as their wedding gift and this was the experience we got. Working in hospitality I know issues come up, and you handle it... but I was just not impressed entirely with how it was handled.

1. Provide a damn dessert for the married couple... if the service was just a tad better we probably would have bought a few coffees and at least 1 more dessert... so you missed an opportunity for a small up-sell that night... but you for sure missed a return customer.

2. If you or your staff/resort is clearly at fault for botching a reservation, own it. Don't just say "I don't know what happened," that's my line... because I truly don't know what happened other than someone failed to do their job. I appreciate that we were seated quickly. All things considered waiting 10 minutes is reasonable. Perhaps in the future, restaurant staff could take accountability for the error and offer their guests a glass of champagne or house wine while they wait. This alleviates tension and gives them something to do other than stand at the host/hostess stand.

Again, a beautiful resort and a great weekend other than the dining experience. This place is amazing but should certainly be held to a high standard. There's always room for improvement.

I would be happy to speak with whomever handles the Ritz Carlton's Reputation Management if they want any additional details. The dates of our stay were 11/9/18 - 11/11/18.

Was a great venue for a work celebration. The food was excellent and the staff was very friendly and attentive.

We have stayed at Bacara numerous times and have enjoyed it. The recent change to a Ritz Carlton has brought on some Changes that we are not sure about yet.

The Bacara is a luxury resort located along the coast of California. The rooms and apartments overlook the ocean. Do not miss the suite! Within the hotel there are restaurants and golf courses. The Bacara Resort is often used for ceremonies and weddings. A wonderful place to recharge and relax!

Service and food at Bacara bar with views of ocean was wonderful in July with my family.

Amazing views of the ocean! Great service, good size rooms, great food. Overall a great place to take a vacation.

Unusual for California , is like they read your mind ! Excellent service , great food and the rest You must see yourself .

The view, the hiking, the spa, the dining... It was all true Bacara Bliss.

Arrived to check in at 3:40 for a 4:00 check in. The room wadnt ready so we were told they would call when it was ready. At 4:30 I went to see what was going on with the room. Room still wasn't ready but they found a different room for us. We went to eat at the Bistro restaurant which was closed even though it was supposed to be open. Walked to the restaurant inside at the bar and after waiting to get service for a long period of time, I had to go up and ask for a server. The service was very under par for a Hotel of this quality. The grounds and room, however, were very nice.

Absolutely amazing resort overlooking the ocean. I was lucky enough to attend a wedding here, and I was amazed by the quality of this resort, from the staff to the food to the architecture. I haven't had a chance to stay at the hotel yet, but I can't wait to experience being a guest at this luscious resort.

We had Valentine's Day dinner at the Bistro restaurant and it was SO GOOD.

Such a beautiful resort. Food was great and staff very friendly. Especially liked the adults or over 18 pool at the spa itself. I had lost a pair of sunglasses and they sent it back to me via my Fed ex account. The rooms were beautiful. The most money I have ever spent for a weekend but worth it. Went with a friend for my birthday. Once I save up I will definitely be back again.

Amazing!!!! Location. Views. Staff. Restaurants. Speechless