The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Review: Santa Barbara, CA

After spending a couple of days at The Resort at Pelican Hill, we drove 2.5 hours north to spend two more days in Santa Barbara at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara resort. I have been wanting to visit Santa Barbara for years, so I was really looking forward to this short stay.

I’m glad I went, but I probably will not go back. The Ritz-Carlton Bacara was disappointing in many ways, including its location, beach, and room quality. Santa Barbara wasn’t what I expected either, but I did think Montecito was great! Here is the review of my stay.

Location

The Ritz-Carlton Bacara sits atop a coastal bluff in Goleta (just outside Santa Barbara), at 8301 Hollister Avenue — with an oceanfront position along California’s Central Coast. It is about a ten-minute drive from Santa Barbara and twenty minutes from Montecito. I clearly did not do my research because I thought it was right in the heart of Santa Barbara.

Location is a huge part of choosing any hotel or resort, so I really messed up by not paying closer attention to where this property actually was.

Lobby

The lobby — along with other key public spaces — was recently redesigned as part of a resort-wide renovation. It’s very large, with plenty of space for seating and conversation.

The lobby itself is actually quite nice, but when we arrived to check in, there were probably 30-40 people sitting around with their luggage either waiting to check in or waiting to leave. It felt more like a bus station than the lobby of a high-end resort. I still don’t know if there was a large group coming or leaving, but either way, it didn’t feel like the lobby of a Ritz-Carlton resort.

Rooms and Suites

Guest rooms and suites at the resort were said to have been fully renovated. The décor has a hacienda-style aesthetic, with premium furnishings and locally inspired art. The rooms either have ocean views or overlook the various garden settings. Our room overlooked the garden with a large terrace.

Regarding the renovation, I would say the furnishings were updated, and they did a nice job. However, the core of the rooms, the floors, the bathrooms, the hallways, etc, were still very outdated. From the outside, the buildings and the grounds are beautiful, but I expected much more from a Ritz-Carlton on the inside of the rooms.

Restaurants and Bars

On-property dining and bar options at Ritz-Carlton Bacara include:

• Marisella — a California-Italian restaurant combining Amalfi Coast tradition with California land & sea, serving handmade pastas, wood-grilled seafood and meats, with martinis and an ocean-view setting.

We had dinner here on our last night at the resort. It was outstanding and a highlight of our stay. The food was great, and the views of the ocean were as well!

• Lulio — Mediterranean-inspired cuisine and cocktails, with bold flavors, handcrafted design, and panoramic ocean views. Serves breakfast, lunch, and (on many days) dinner.

We had lunch here on the first day. It was pretty good. Nothing special, but not bad.

• ‘O’ Bar & Terrace — just beyond the lobby, offering coastal California cuisine, inventive cocktails, and agave-based spirits. Open-air loggia with ocean views.
• Mission Market — a casual coffee-house/market in the resort upper village, serving pastries, sandwiches, salads, gelato, and light fare.

I had coffee and pastries here both mornings. The food is very light and casual, but very good. The pastries are made fresh every day and were great!

• SunBar — poolside bar/ grill, offering seasonal menus with shareable bites, handheld classics, light local wines, cocktails and beer; casual atmosphere and ocean-view-adjacent location.

Amenities

The hotel had quite a few amenities including:

• 42,000 sq ft spa with sauna, steam room, lounges, treatment rooms
• Three saline infinity-edge pools, two with ocean views, cabana rentals available
• Fitness center with modern cardio and strength equipment plus group classes
• Lighted tennis courts
• Beach access and water activities (kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing)
• Nature walking and hiking trails

The beach situation is not great, and might have been another example of my lack of research before staying here.

The resort is set directly on a wide stretch of natural beachfront. While guests can access the beach easily from the property, there are no hotel-managed amenities directly on the sand — no food and beverage service, beach chairs, umbrellas, or loungers provided. It’s more of an untouched, rugged shoreline experience rather than a serviced beach setup.

I think the hotel could have spelled this out a little more clearly. When you look at the pictures, it seems like a beautiful beachfront resort, but in reality, the beach is more of a “look but don’t touch” setup.

The resort lies along a stretch of California coastline regulated by the California Coastal Commission. The beach is a “natural” beach — they do not groom it (remove kelp, debris, etc.) to preserve the local ecosystem and protect habitat.

Pros and Cons:

There were some very nice things about this property. The ground were beautiful, the dining was very good and the service was good. But it did not feel the way I picture a Ritz-Carlton should feel. The interior of the rooms, the distance from Santa Barbara and the beach situation are not what I was expecting.

If you are planning to go to Santa Barbara for an event or meeting, you will enjoy staying here, but if you are looking at this resort as the destination, I would not recommend it.