The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara

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!

Everything. The room, the service, facilities, gym, Marisella restaurant. The hotel is beautiful and well maintained.

Loved this property! The hotel grounds are beautiful, the rooms lovely and super comfortable, with Dyptique toiletries. Very generous with the water bottles for in room tea/coffee. All the staff we encountered were very helpful, polite and friendly. The gym is huge, and so is the spa. Our massages were excellent. The breakfast at Lulio was very good, lunch at O'Bar nice as well. Would definitely come back!

In addition to the price of the room they tack on $75 for resort fee and another $75 for parking. They use golf carts to get around, so many carts that you can’t leisurely stroll without having to constantly move over to let the carts pass. It felt chaotic and was not up to our expectations.

Beauty and food

Nette Anlage, schöner Meerblick

The whole experience we had here was truly amazing. From Marcos at the Front Desk, Dorothy at concierge helping us get set up with Nick at Tennis, to Kai at Lulio with truly outstanding service. Everyone on the team here truly cares about our experience and I cant thank them enough for helping me make this experience perfect for my girlfriend.

Beautiful resort with excellent service.The breakfast was great with a lot of choice and quality.
They have two pools which one of them was for adults only. Highly recommend this resort.

The Ritz Bacara is a beautiful resort perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. The Spanish Colonial architecture and expansive, well kept grounds create a very relaxing atmosphere. The property is spread out and feels like a true resort. The staff throughout our stay was consistently friendly, attentive, and eager to help, as you would expect from the Ritz.

The rooms are very spacious and comfortable. Ours were very quiet, with large balconies. The large bathroom had plenty of space. The only issue we encountered was that our TV never worked during our stay, despite our reporting it several times.

One of the highlights is the natural beach directly in front of the resort. It is ideal for long walks, stretching for more than a mile in either direction. Be aware that this part of the California coast has natural tar deposits, so don't be surprised if you end up with tar on the soles of your feet. It's not a swimming beach, though. The resort also has a nice family pool and a beautiful spa. The spa is excellent, although the facilities are comparable to other luxury resorts and priced accordingly.

There are several restaurants on site. We particularly enjoyed the Mediterranean restaurant, Lucca, which offered very good food and service. The Italian restaurant, Marsella, was less impressive. While the setting and ocean views are beautiful, the service felt rushed; our entrées arrived before we had finished our appetizers, and the food was more stylish than memorable.

The main consideration is the location. The resort itself is the destination, and that's how it should be approached. There is relatively little to do immediately outside the property. We borrowed the complimentary electric bikes and rode toward the coast near UCSB, but much of the ride passes through fairly unremarkable neighborhoods on busy streets before reaching the beach. If your goal is to spend time exploring shops, restaurants, and attractions, you'll probably be happier staying in Santa Barbara or Montecito. If, instead, you're looking to relax, enjoy beach walks and the pool, and spend most of your time on a beautiful resort property, the Ritz Bacara is an excellent choice.

Dinner served by the amazing Lina was impeccable! The best meal and service I have had in a while! We can't wait to return!

I like everything about the property. The only thing missing is some daybeds or chairs by the beach.

I can't recommend my massage therapist, Nancy Jane, enough!!! She was so kind and went out of her way to make me feel special for my birthday. Not to mention her pressure was the best pressure and she just has a magic touch. I booked a 50 min, but will definitely be booking an 80 min massage with her next time, because of how amazing and relaxing it was. The spa was beautiful, as well. I especially loved the different tea options and the very top of the spa in the outdoor corridor was so peaceful and stunning with a beautiful view of the ocean, Spanish style rooftops and palm trees. So grateful for my experience here at the Bacara spa and would highly recommend it to anyone, especially my massage therapist, Nancy Jane!

We stayed here for two nights as part of a California road trip. I had a conference in Goleta, which made it convenient.
We booked a “Club Lounge” room which was near the spa and the club lounge. The room was comfortable and quiet. Special shoutout to the amazing staff at the Club Lounge, who made us feel like old friends: Alex, Ave, Jaden, Tram, Nora, and Harry—all warm, welcoming, and professional—super impressive, each one. Also to Dante in Reception—same comments apply.
We look forward to our next stay here!

Never going back due to lack of maintenance on their facilities and disgusting condition on their beach! I called the front desk asking for a manager to advise them the beach bathrooms were locked and my family witnessed several people squatting or standing in the bushes nearby, front desk would not connect me and blew me off! There is trash and burned wood all Over the beach and a stagnant stream right next to property....gross. Don't waste your money!

I had an absolutely wonderful stay. From the moment I arrived, the staff was warm, welcoming, and genuinely focused on making sure every detail was taken care of. The property is beautiful, impeccably clean, and has a relaxing atmosphere that makes it easy to unwind.

The room was spotless, comfortable, and thoughtfully designed with everything I needed. The location was perfect, making it easy to enjoy the surrounding area while still feeling like a peaceful escape.

What really stood out was the level of hospitality. Every interaction felt personal, and it’s clear the team takes pride in creating a memorable experience for their guests.

I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a comfortable, relaxing, and first-class experience. Five stars all the way.

Starting off with a shout out to Ayusm at the front desk. He went out of his way to try to rectify a situation and in the end he delighted me with a wonderful gift (candle) in my hotel room based upon my love of the lobby scent. Thank you Ayusm! The issue was we had a smoke detector with a faulty battery that had to be fixed twice additionally our room had a sulfur smell in the shower and even with running the shower daily it never truly went away so that smell unfortunately existed in our room for 5 days. We were there with a big group and at least one other couple had the same issue in their room. Overall, the property is beautiful, the staff is outstanding, the food is excellent, our room was nice and comfortable but I do understand some of the comments referencing a refresh needed. The only reason for me giving it four stars instead of five stars is the sulfur smell in the room. Obviously housekeeping and the hotel are aware that some of these rooms have that smell and they need to fix it versus reserving and renting out those rooms.

We have stayed at a lot of Ritz Carlton’s, in fact we stayed in one last night in San Francisco, but this one does not live up to its name. We arrived at 4pm after a long drive from San Francisco having promised our son and daughter a swim in the pool before dinner. We were told our rooms weren’t ready and we could have a drink in the bar. Our rooms were not ready until 5.30 and our bags didn’t arrive until 6.15 with our swimsuits in. We chased up our bags and they kept saying 15 minutes. We have since discovered they say 15 minutes to everything. There was an empty fridge and no minibar in our room which we have never experienced at a Ritz Carlton. We wouldn’t recommend staying here