The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara

We checked in quite late in the evening after a long travel day. The entrance and lobby looked promising and the staff both at the time of check in and throughout the 6 day stay were definitely Ritz trained. Our room on that first night was old and tired and we could not wait to get to bed. Unfortunately, after a short while, there was a tremendous banging for about two minutes while the heat kicked on. It continued throughout the night at intervals and in the morning we asked for a change. They credited half the room cost and moved us to a newly painted room with a view, much better! The rooms are an old design with only one sink and not particularly spacious. They have big tv, fireplace and coffee ad were comfortable enough. There is no formal dining room but the Bistro and the foyer bar and terrace serve food albeit not fine dining. The Japanese restaurant was not available so I cannot comment on it. There was a good grab and go coffee shop. The grounds are lovely and the fitness center first class! Overall you can see how with some upgrading, which they are doing, this will be a far better representation of a Ritz Carlton, but at this stage it is a four star hotel with great staff. In fairness I will end by saying that for a property with the Ritz Carlton name, it is not expensive and overall we had an enjoyable time using it as a base for exploration.

The Ritz-Carlton Bacara was a dream come true for my wife and me. Luxurious accommodations. Professional staff focused on superb hospitality. Beautiful scenery. Sunsets on the beach. Anniversary celebration! The staff and other guests who we met there were wonderful!!! Benjamin, the assistant rooms operations manager, went above and beyond our expectations to accommodate our preferences for our special occasion. Sam and Mia assisted us with cordial and helpful attitudes at the registration desk. Matt gave us a private tour of the resort in the shuttle vehicle. Rosie, the in-room attendant, maintained our room with perfection. I want to extend a big “thank you” to all of the staff for genuinely treating us so nicely and with kindness. My wife and I really enjoyed ourselves at this beautiful resort. We will always favorably remember our stay and hope to return here on future vacations to Santa Barbara.

I will not return to any Marriott property. The recent experience was the worst of my life, leaving me deeply traumatized. My 3-year-old son found drugs on the counter upon arrival, and my 4-year-old stopped him from eating it. The staff cleaned the room, but we found another drug in the bathroom that night, which we found deeply suspicious. We packed and relocated in the middle of the night with two toddlers, causing me physical strain. We were relocated to a small, weird room with an uncomfortable, small bed because there were no rooms available. We were upgraded to a different room the next day, which we initially appreciated. However, my son reported seeing rats under the bed, but we did not believe him. The next day, while sitting on the couch in the room, we started hearing loud noises and found rats in our room. The hotel manager attributed this to our wilderness location, which I find unacceptable. Rats should not be present in guest rooms, especially those with young children. Some staff members were kind and helpful, but others were confrontational, particularly when I contacted Marriott Bonvoy and the hotel quality manager, Allison. I have never felt so traumatized in my life. I have photos and videos to back up all my claims.

Let me start with the good. The property is gorgeous. We enjoyed walking on the beach and the nature trail, visited the hot tub (great service at the pool - especially for a cloudy and cool day!) Alicia at O Bar was WONDERFUL. So personable and friendly. She provided great recommendations for food. The green chile chicken soup was wonderful for a cold rainy day and the ceviche was excellent - very fresh tasting. Valet and bell staff were also excellent. Super friendly and prompt. The room was lovely. Very spacious, loved the fireplace in the room and firepit on the patio and used both during our short 2-day stay. Now, onto the bad. The bed in our room was AWFUL. Literally the worst I've ever slept on, including the Best Western in Palm Desert that I had to stay at with a large group for a family funeral. I could feel every spring, and my limbs kept going numb during the night because of how bad the mattress was. The hotel is currently undergoing renovations so I hope mattresses are included in the updates. Now for the worst: My husband had the warm crab dip appetizer at The Bistro (which has an odd setup, btw. Why does it feel like a dressed up warehouse? Is it also part of the renovations?) The "warm" crab dip, served in a small skillet, was ice cold in the middle. He sent it back to finish being heated and when they brought it back it was hot all the way through. He enjoyed the dish (I tasted it and it was good, if a bit overly fishy.) Unfortunately, several hours later my husband ended up having a very upset stomach that lasted most of the night. We had also ordered a mushroom pizza, but weren't as hungry as we thought, so had them box it up and took it back to the room. I mention this to point out that my husband hadn't eaten anything else that day since our lunch 8 hours earlier. All that said, we still enjoyed our stay overall and plan to return. Will steer clear of the crab dip, though.

WOW is the first word that comes to mind but that isn’t close to doing justice to the level of 5-star+ service we experienced. Bradley Cance has a phenomenal staff! Big thanks to Brandon Delgado, Daniel Acevedo, Stacey Batres, Max, Taj, Luka, San Setto staff, housekeeping, room service and more. My wife and I have the same birthday, and the Bacara team made it SO special, it blew us away. We had our three grown daughters, along with their significant others, staying here as well, and it was their first time here. They and we never wanted to leave, and can’t wait to come back. We’re planning our next trip for this summer. See you soon. And again, THANK YOU!!!