Ritz-Carlton Bacara

Santa Barbara, California

Virgin rating

The hotel

Luxury on the California coast, the Ritz-Carlton Bacara is elegant, sophisticated and traditional, all rolled into one. You can choose from six dining options, each with something slightly different from the rest. And if you like a pool, then you're going to be spoilt for choice here, as there're three zero-edge pools, two of them complete with picturesque views of the ocean. Take your pick from a choice of two natural beaches, and there's a huge spa, perfect for a bit of me-time pampering. The hotel has numerous awards under its belt, and it's really easy to see why - so come and see for yourself.

Amenities

  • Tennis
  • Bar
  • Restaurant
  • Spa
  • Swimming Pool

Where is it

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Transfer time from Santa Barbara: 27 minutes.

Hotel information

358 newly-renovated rooms and suites. All with air-conditioning, private patio or balcony, LCD TV, spacious bathroom with marble shower, mini-bar* and safe. King Bed Garden View Room, sleeping maximum 3 adults. 

One Bedroom Suite Partial Ocean View. Separate living area with sleeper sofa, wet bar and fireplace. Two full bathrooms with marble-encased showers. Extra-large patio or balcony, sleeping maximum 5 adults.

ANGEL OAK (steakhouse), THE 'O' BAR + KITCHEN (Latin cuisine and premium beverages), THE BISTRO (local produce and sustainable seafood), CAFFÈ (traditional breakfast and lunch dishes), POOL BAR (cocktails, frozen drinks, sandwiches and salads).

Two-mile natural beach. 3 zero-edged saline, heated pools with private cabana rentals*. Water sports* including surfing, kayaking and paddle boarding. Tennis*.

WiFi*. Spa and wellness centre*. Parking $53 per day plus tax (payable locally, subject to change).

This hotel has a resort fee of $50 plus tax per room, per day (payable locally, subject to change)

Resort fee includes: Pool access - Spa access - Fitness centre access -  Business centre/computer access - Newspaper - Faxes - In-room coffee. Resort fee, tax and inclusions are subject to change - please see hotel check-in for current inclusions available to you upon arrival.  

*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 (1817)
  • Very good (577)
  • Average (414)
  • Poor (284)
  • Terrible (261)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Pleasant stay in dated rooms

Jan 5, 2025 emilyhc00

Had an overall pleasant and relaxing weekend getaway. The lobby and valet area is organized and very inviting. Staff were always polite and a few were exceptionally thoughtful. Special thanks to Lina at the front desk for getting us settled earlier, and Galina the tennis pro for re-stringing our racquet within one day! A few areas we felt could be… Read more
Had an overall pleasant and relaxing weekend getaway. The lobby and valet area is organized and very inviting. Staff were always polite and a few were exceptionally thoughtful. Special thanks to Lina at the front desk for getting us settled earlier, and Galina the tennis pro for re-stringing our racquet within one day! A few areas we felt could be better: -the rooms are spacious and clean but clearly old (chipped furniture, peeling paint, rip in curtains, bathtub wouldn’t drain). The current condition is not aligned with the $800/night weekend rate at all. -valet never answered their phone, but if you called front desk sometimes the message didn’t get passed on. We called early but occasionally the car would be retrieved only when we showed up. This is crazy given the valet (your only parking choice) is $70 per night. -we ate breakfast twice at The Bistro, the hostess team are lovely and the produce quality is excellent! On Saturday they had the buffet, however between sitting down and getting our check we never saw our server, and thus never informed that there were options you could order. We didn’t know pancakes were included until we heard another family order them as we were leaving. Also, the coffee is burnt and very bitter. The buffet for two ($120 after gratuity) would be worth it if those two things were improved. -the grounds are immaculately maintained with the exception of broken glass along some trails and beach areas. It’s further (toward the golf course) but a hazard if you’re in sandals. The property is a jewel and we hope to see them at their full potential. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Awful experience!

Dec 31, 2024 Becky J

We’ve had the worst experience at a Ritz Carlton, ever. The grounds are beautiful, and most of the people working here are nice, but the suite we booked was full of mold; no hot water in the sink; lights that flicker; and a fireplace that didn’t light; make-up mirror that was broken; etc. We switched rooms, only to have similar things in the new… Read more
We’ve had the worst experience at a Ritz Carlton, ever. The grounds are beautiful, and most of the people working here are nice, but the suite we booked was full of mold; no hot water in the sink; lights that flicker; and a fireplace that didn’t light; make-up mirror that was broken; etc. We switched rooms, only to have similar things in the new rooms. Mold on walls, lights that flicker, tv that doesn’t work, and a front desk person that didn’t offer to do anything for us. I forgot to mention, the bugs in our second room. We didn’t even get a break on the $2,300 room, per night. I can’t wait to go home! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating A Wonderful Oasis

Dec 28, 2024 nicolas617 Boston

Absolutely lovely Oasis for a break from the grind. Beautifully maintained facility and gracious staff. I had some concerns from reading the reviews of this hotel -- but I had a great experience -- and I would stay here again if in the area. Staff across the board were gracious and accommodating from check-in to check-out. I'd recommend… Read more
Absolutely lovely Oasis for a break from the grind. Beautifully maintained facility and gracious staff. I had some concerns from reading the reviews of this hotel -- but I had a great experience -- and I would stay here again if in the area. Staff across the board were gracious and accommodating from check-in to check-out. I'd recommend opting for a Club Level room. The 5 meal services offered by the Cloud area great -- even if touted as light and appetizers -- we found them more than sufficient. There were lots of extra on Christmas day - Prime Rib, Ham, Salmon -- I wouldn't expect those to be standard fare. The beach and water area scenic -- but there isn't much to do there and they aren't too accessible. Overall a truly great place -- which of course comes at a high price -- but worth it for a treat. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating The Ritz-Carlton Bacara - you should definitely stay here.

Dec 23, 2024 l s San Diego, California

The Ritz Carlton Bacara is a great place to stay if you are going to be in the Santa Barbara area. The resort is just beautiful. The location is amazing. The rooms are nice. But what makes the resort so wonderful is the people. My wife and I wanted to have a quaint getaway. Somewhere private, quiet and relaxing. We have stayed at this… Read more
The Ritz Carlton Bacara is a great place to stay if you are going to be in the Santa Barbara area. The resort is just beautiful. The location is amazing. The rooms are nice. But what makes the resort so wonderful is the people. My wife and I wanted to have a quaint getaway. Somewhere private, quiet and relaxing. We have stayed at this resort in the past and had a very nice time. This time our experience was made even more special by the attentive staff team at the resort. While they were all very nice - from valet to housekeeping, the concierge and the restaurant staff, there was one person who was a standout for us. Mr. Benjamin Kessler. Mr. Kessler is the Room Operations Manager. He was fantastic. He was personable, friendly, courteous, professional and just a pleasure to chat with. I spoke with him a few times during our stay. He would always remember my name and consistently asked if there was anything he could do to make our stay even better. Each time I spoke with Mr. Kessler I walked away understanding that he genuinely cared about our experience at the resort. If you are in the area and looking for a wonderful getaway, this is the place. Leonard Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great property, but unfortunate experience with housekeeping.

Dec 17, 2024 Kim S

The experience at this property was very welcoming which was nice. I've stayed at other Ritz-Carlton properties and it's not always like that. I appreciated Lina from front desk who assisted with my check-in. As a Titanium elite member she went directly to see if there was an available upgrade for me. At some properties most front desk staff don't… Read more
The experience at this property was very welcoming which was nice. I've stayed at other Ritz-Carlton properties and it's not always like that. I appreciated Lina from front desk who assisted with my check-in. As a Titanium elite member she went directly to see if there was an available upgrade for me. At some properties most front desk staff don't bother unless I ask so I was very appreciative that Lina took the time to find a nice room for my husband and I. Unfortunately, I rated this property a 4 out of 5 due to the experience we faced with housekeeping. We were unsure what was happening but it seemed like dishes were being thrown around and the sound was going through the walls which didn't really give us the best rest we hoped for. At the same time, I had 4pm check-out and when we arrived back to our room before 4, housekeeping was already inside and cleaning even though our belongings were still in the room. It was a very unfortunate experience but I also appreciated Sebatian from the concierge who took the time to help with some of our request and who also thought of a way to help mend the inconvenience we faced with housekeeping. There's truly nothing wrong with this property, I would definitely come back and recommend this place to family and friends. It's just unfortunate we had a couple of incidents with housekeeping during this stay. Read less