San Ysidro Ranch

The San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara is a spectacular setting – mountains looming above, the sea and views of the Channel Islands below, tall hedgerows, lush herb gardens and charming cottage hideaways for luncheons or teas. Our rather large group had a long standing reservation for tea. When we arrived I ran into friends who were finishing their lunches with beautifully crafted and presented tarts, so I was filled with anticipation for the tea we were about to have. First, we were informed several of the teas on the menu were not available. I ordered a glass of champagne – at $30.00 – which, when it arrived, had not a bubble in sight. The tea I ordered was very nice. But, alas, the food was not. The sandwiches were sloppily piled on a cake plate and we had no implement with which to pick them up but our own forks and fingers – so were left grabbing our selections. The tartlets, the little petit choux pastries and teeny tiny macarons were good – but, again, we were left picking them up off a flat plate with our fingers. Every item was counted to deliver one per person – so the offerings seemed skimpy. As for the scones listed on the menu. Only two sweet scones appeared (we were a group of 12) and no butter or lemon curd. The savory cheese scones were a rubbery glob that was just not good. Finally, another cake plate of ordinary cookies appeared as if to apologize for the lackluster meal. Unfortunately, this was a total disappointment

What a gorgeous place. Amazing service and the setting is spectacular. The included food is decadent and delicious. Caviar and seafood towers at every meal if you want it. The pool feels like St. Tropez. The cottage is beautifully decorated and very private. You pay dearly for this experience but if you can do it for a very special occasion, it’s memorable.

100% Outstanding. The grounds, the cottages, the food, the very fine staff and service... all 100%. Simply "heaven on earth" Yes indeed! Sounds like I own the place but not the case, just a traveler that respects what hard work and great management and staff are capable of.

Our 3rd stay at SYR and, as usual, we have no absolutely no complaints. Everything was perfect. Along with a beautiful cottage and stunning grounds, they have the best hotel restaurant we've ever dined at. The staff were all very friendly, competent and completely professional.

We have stayed at the San Ysidro Ranch many times and have always had an excellent experience. But our last stay was ruined. While in the Citrus Cottage (which is charming), the bathroom toilet handle fell off. Upon calling the desk we were told no maintenance was available and the only recourse was to use the front desk public restroom until the next morning when maintenance would arrive. After escorting my wife to the reception desk (in the middle of the night) and camping out in the library in the early hours of the morning, we were given the option to use the restroom facility at any adjacent unoccupied cottage. We then returned to our cottage for what was left of the night. We checked out the next morning. We were never offered an apology for our inconvenience, never discounted the full price for our stay, and never heard from management after documenting the customer satisfaction survey on our experience. This is unacceptable for a hotel that represents itself as a premium managed hotel. What a shame.