Bacara Resort & Spa

My husband and I stayed at the Bacara for our 5-​year wedding anniversary last year. We met at UCSB, so we thought it would be a nice get away from Los Angeles to revisit the area that we met in and finally stay at the famed Bacara. Unfortunately, this hotel did not live up to the hype. It is a beautiful property, but not worth the $ 600+ per night it costs to stay here. The rooms are fine, but nothing spectacular. There seemed to be a few different weddings that weekend, so the hotel was booked up and we got stuck in a dark room with a view of… a roof.
I booked a couples massage for my husband and I and requested the rooftop terrace with the understanding that it would be weather permitting. The weather ended up being sunny, but it was very windy (and a cold wind) which made it unenjoyable. The air was cold and the therapists hands were extremely cold to the touch. On top of that, the therapists picked us up in the lounge 5 – 10 minutes late, and it took at least another 5 – 10 minutes to walk up to the terrace, discuss our treatment, disrobe, and then start. Our treatment then ended before the 50-​minute mark and we were downstairs in the lounge again by 1:53pm. My husband and I figure that our massages were 35 – 40 minutes at best. Highly disappointing considering the cost of the treatments and our expectations for a luxury spa.
In addition, we were extremely surprised that the Rooftop Terrace is not private. Not only are the therapists and resort guests staying in the building across the way able to see you, but there is a sitting area on the other side of the rotunda staircase where other spa guests can be lounging that has a direct view of the massage area. This seemed highly unusual for such an upscale facility, especially when getting undressed/​dressed before/​after the massage.
Although the spa facilities themselves are nice, I was extremely dissatisfied with our spa experience.
The only saving grace is their main pool. It’s a beautiful pool with an ocean view. The breakfast we had at the restaurant was also enjoyable. It was nice to sit on the patio with an ocean view.
I also sent the above comments about our spa experience directly to hotel management and never received a response. That is not what I would expect from a «luxury» resort.

Besides a pretty property — nothing else good to say.
First and main — this place is SPA! So I came here and pay 700 $ per night and I do expect to have some good massage, but no! Few days in a raw — they don’t have availability! What is it?! Hire more stuff! Give me the service! I want massage! That’s why I came here!
Next what happened– my husband and I we came one night to the front desk and asked that we need reservation for Bistro restaurant for the next night and that we wanna go to wine tour. They «wrote it down» and said next day concierge will contact us about the tour but reservation for dinner — they will take care of it right now… Next day NOBODY CALLED US! They just didn’t! And so we already out of time to have tour. Then dinner — as nobody contacted us for tour I start thinking that I’d better call and make sure we DO have reservation for dinner. I called, they we busy, but then they called back and left message «yes, we do have a table for dinner». .8.30 we are coming for dinner and guess what — THERE IS NO RESERVATION FOR US! Come on! So we needed to wait a while to get a table.
Then I would really want to mention– wine list is like 10 different wines and cheap wine. We really were expecting to get a great food and really good bottle of wine. But no, most expensive like 175 $. Come on!!! Not saying that food is not delicious– just ok.
So my conclusion– this place is far from «luxury resort». Too far.

What has happened to one of the best spots on the California Coast? I have been several times over the past 8 years. However, our most recent trip was terrible!!! Upon invstigation, I found out that the GM, Chief, & other important management spots are new! I was told that they have been their approx 6 months and I shows.
Let me list the several problems we encountered: (1) Every food order was between 1hr to an 1.5 late. Room service was not only 1.5 late to our room, but the food was cold, tasted terrible (Salmon smelled & it was uneatable, salad was was brown with no dressing, pasta was cold & was no different from Olive Garden), and incomplete (missing items, no dressing for the salad, no room service cart/​table). We had no place to eat our dinner — ridiculas! According to room service, a total 5 – 6 guys to serve 300 room hotel at full capacity. Perhaps we are understaffing to improve profits!!!
(2) Ordered a pool side cabana for $ 250 & it was in horrible shape. Dirty, dusty, and profoundly weathered. Cabinets, appliances, and refrigerator need to be replaced. We are spending good money for this cabana and to walk into something so disgusting, Bacara should be ashamed. We also had the same problem with food & drink service by the pool. Drinks arrived 1hr after order and our nachos arrived 1.45 after order. It was clear that the pool, like room service was understaffed. The pool attendants were sweating, running around, and couldn’t keep their facts straight. In fact, at check-​out, we found 2 pool orders added to our bill that we never ordered. Forget the fact that the pool side concrete needs a major scrub down! Just a mess!!!
(3) A luxury resort needs a top chief and this one was comical! The dinner menu was straight from the chart house: 4 meat dishes, 1 fish, and 1 chix. We tried 2 meat & the Salmon. Meat was dry, heavy and lacking in flavor. As previously stated the fish was uneatable. Out of pure frustration on our last night was just ordered the Bacara BurgerS (a classic for the hotel). What the HELL did you do to your great burger??? If it’s not broke don’t fix it!!! Clearly, this new chief is not ready for this position and something needs to be fixed quick!!!
(4) Poor service by staff. This really stood out to us because overall it was good, but we had a few (7 – 8) folks that need to go back for training. When it was good it was great, but overall, some of the staff were rude and unwilling to go out of their way. In the past, and in keeping with 5-​Star service, the service at Bacara has been great! We were shocked by what we experienced.
Now, you may think that our experience was just a single & isolated event. However, over our stay, we spoke to a few people who were having similar experiences & were not intended to return to the resort! We will not go back again & we have to say Goodby to a family favorite. As previously stated, «luxury resort» — not any more!!!

My boyfriend and I had a wonderful stay at the Bacara this week. Much has been written about how peaceful, relaxing and beautiful the grounds and accomodations are (and it’s all true!), so I’m just going to highlight a few of the amazing staff members that helped make our stay so excellent.
At check-​in, VICTORIA took great care of us. She was so incredibly helpful and accommodating. Seriously, she should teach a course in customer service — the check-​in desk helps set the tone for the whole stay! And she nailed it. Thanks, Victoria!
At the Bacara Bar, you will not find a sweeter, friendlier or more knowledgable waitress than TARRAH. We had our dog with us and he can be kind of a brat, but he loved Tarrah immediately (even cried when she walked away). Why? Because Tarrah is awesome! She also helped recommend some wines and gave me a very gracious sampling before I committed to a glass. (Still dreaming about that sparkling rosé)
At the Bistro, ask to sit in ALEXIS’s section. So personable and ANOTHER DOG LOVER! All of the dishes she recommended were excellent.
Thank you for a lovely stay, Bacara. Can’t wait to come back soon!

BEAUTIFUL! My boyfriend and I went to the Bacara Resort for our anniversary back in December and WOW what an amazing weekend. From the food to the wine to the staff, it was an unforgettable stay from the start. Monica in particular, was extremely accommodating when we were making our reservations and so welcoming throughout the entire weekend, making our anniversary absolutely amazing. We will definitely be coming back to the Bacara yearly and cannot thank Monica enough for all of her help!
PS make sure to visit the Foley Tasting room while there, the Rose is unbelievable :)

What an AMAZING place!!! I would stay here every weekend if I could!
Monica at the Bacara helped me with my room booking and provided me exceptional service throughout my entire stay. She was super easy to work with and truly made my stay a memorable one. I cannot thank Monica and the rest of the staff at the Bacara enough.
For anyone who is looking for the perfect getaway, I cannot recommend this place enough. The location, amenities, food, service, etc are all top notch. I can’t wait until the next time I get to stay here!!!

What a beautiful and opulent setting! The rotunda and furnishings are well designed, very easy on the eyes with a strong sense of luxury.
I was able to recently visit for a wine tasting event and movie première into the somm. The theater was very nice, very comfortable seats. What was really special was the view from the third story outdoor patio. I really enjoyed their catered food, wines and the place gives off a great energy.
I highly recommend attending for dinner or any event you have the opportunity to.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, simply beautiful.
If your looking for a place that best illustrates California’s coastline, this is the place. It’s like a vacation from a vacation, but it’s in our backyard. When you arrive on the property, it can easily feel like you’re in Hawaii or on some tropical oasis. Bacara definitely has a special feel about it as soon as you drive into the property. We decided to take a daycation trip to Goleta and I’m so glad that we found ourselves at Bacara. We decided to have lunch and a few cocktails at the restaurant over looking the pool and ocean. Our drinks were refreshing. I ordered the refreshing cucumber drink and the hubs ordered some fru-​fru drink, both very good.
I really enjoyed the vibe while being on the hotel premises. One would think it was really ritzy-​pritzy but I thought it was a fun-​mixed crowd. The pool area is breath-​taking, please refer to my pics. It’s almost out of a movie, with the view that your presented standing at the top stairs of the pool. So serene.
After our lunch we walked around the outskirts of the hotel. There is one trail that walks you around the side of the hotel along the ocean and it’s just gorgeous. It was nice to see the many hotel rooms, who’s views face directly into the Pacific Ocean, it’ll be nice to stay in one of those someday. I’m looking forward to the next daycation to Bacara…

I stayed here with my hubby, son and dog over the Christmas holiday. We were situated in villa 2, room 107, which was a two-​minute walk from the lobby and main building.
The Good:
— loved the design and décor of the hotel and rooms. It recently underwent renovations and I love how it kept the design Spanish and classic, yet somewhat more contemporary.
— we thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas activities at the hotel. We missed the tree-​lighting but still appreciated the pretty trees but got to partake in the jitney Christmas caroling. They also have fun movie showings in the theater where guests come in their pajamas.
— beautiful California beach right off of the resort pool
— super dog-​friendly. There were at least a dozen dogs staying over when we were there.
— free wifi
— nice, friendly staff
The Bad:
— I thought rooms were standalone and was a little disappointed when I saw the rooms were part of a 3-​story building. The rooms were nice and spacious though and I appreciate the patio area.
— the resort is actually in Goleta, which is farther west than Santa Barbara. All our restaurant reservations and Christmas mass were in downtown SB, which was a 15 – 20 minute drive each way.
Would still recommend this resort as our stay was amazing but would probably stay closer to downtown unless all your meals were at the resort.

Horrible service at this beautiful property. It was one problem after another.
No room upgrade as indicated with the package we booked.
No bottled water in the room.
Dog bed and dishes were not in room at check in.
Service at Bistro & Pool Bar was TERRIBLE — in fact some of the worst service I’ve ever seen.
No towels at the spa (on the men’s side) NONE. Had to ask for extra towels.
Wet amenities space is very cramped and not very relaxing.
$ 40/​day/​person breakfast credit on applies to food, not service fee and tip!
FEES for EVERYTHING! Resort fee $ 27/​day Parking Fee $ 34/​day Pet Fee $ 150 Service Fee for Room Service $$$ City Tax 12% so for $ 650 a night room turns into $ 800! for poor service.
All in all the service is a big let down — so bad that we left a day early. Not worth it to stay for us.
And my personal favorite after it is all said and done is having to call back and have them adjust the bill.
NEVER AGAIN.

I recently got engaged at Bacara last week and it was such a special occasion for us.
This was our first trip away together so it was only fitting for us to come back here.
Corbin Snyder helped my fiancé immensely in setting up the proposal on the beach.
All the staff is amazing, so nice and helpful.
The bistro restaurant also had a special bouquet of flowers set out for us during our dinner along with champagne.
Our stay was amazing and the food was all so delicious.
I love the Bacara and it continues to be one of my favorite places to getaway.

My husband and I have stayed at Bacara about 5 times over the past 8 years. In our last stay, they were very busy and we had a suboptimal experience (for what one would expect of such a nice resort). I complained via the customer survey, and they followed up immediately. Long story short, they promised to upgrade us at our next stay. Almost 2 years later, I followed up on their promise, we came back and had the time of our lives. 3 nights in a suite, excellent customer service, spa service, and very relaxing. We have always liked Bacara but the way they rebounded from the last experience was most impressive. I would highly recommend Bacara — especially if you love the beach, dogs (it is dog friendly!), and relaxing. We look forward to returning someday!

Living the luxurious life!!!
We didn’t stay here overnight… just came for the breakfast buffet.
If you get the hot foods and cold foods, it’s about $ 35/​person.
We skipped the omelet bar and etc, and just got the cold breakfast for around half that price.
Cold breakfast included: assorted croissants, muffins, and other pastries. Cold smoked salmon, capers, cream cheese, butter, onions, assorted bagels, mixed berries, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, pears, pineapple, bananas, apples, yogurt&granola, mixed cereals.
Lots of coffee, orange juice, delicious fresh mint tea, carrot juice.
View was beautiful and we had a nice 160 degree view of the ocean.
Service: extremely nice and befitting of any ultra-​expensive location.
They gave the toddler in our group crayons and coloring books without asking which was really sweet.
Food was tasty and fresh but not out of this world. I would return here but you’re really coming here to enjoy the beautiful view and live the high life.
Overall a great light and healthy meal to enjoy for the holidays!

We stayed at The Bacara over the weekend for a business Christmas party. In short, if more than 5 stars were available, I’d rate our experience well above!
The most memorable, and there were many, was my massage with Lisa Marie. I have been to spas all over the world, and my massage with Lisa Marie was nothing less than extraordinary. I am an athletic middle aged woman with a lot of upper body tension. I chose the East West Fusion treatment. Lisa Marie is extremely bright and gifted. She listened and was keenly attuned to my body’s needs. She even sent me away with my own glass bottle of the mentholated arnica elixir to use at home. I felt like a newly healed person! To use an over used term, Lisa Marie was awesome!

I like this place because it reeks of cool Mediterranean luxury. It’s a mix of contemporary design with that local California Spanish flavor. The main pool area was really nice and located the bottom of terraced stairs. I will give high marks to the gym and spa – we were really impressed by its features and equipment.
The drawbacks? A rustic vibe can transition into old and dated if it’s not kept up. Our room, nice as it was, showed its wear. Also, not enough of the common areas and rooms face the ocean. Most guests only get to see it if you go down to one of the (good) restaurants or the main pool. They need a bigger common area that takes advantage of the stunning coastline view. Of course, we could be spoiled – we’ve stayed at La Quinta and Terranea, and they have a bit more to offer. At the same time, the service at Bacara was exceptional!
Another drawback: there’s a Foley tasting room here. That’s a good thing, but the women working there were a bit cold and lifeless. We asked to see a wine list to pick a flight, but you don’t get to choose your tasting. Considering they offer over a dozen Foley-​affiliated wines, that sort of misses the boat.

Beautiful and gorgeous property! I was very excited to finally stay at the Bacara Resort and Spa. It was the perfect place to celebrate my birthday last week. Beautiful grounds overlook the coastline and we enjoyed strolling down the walking trails then sipping cocktails at the pool bar at sunset. For dinner, the Bistro Restaurant had a perfectly casual and elegant atmosphere where we enjoyed dishes such as whole leaf caesar salad, grilled octopus, pappardelle bolognese and other well done, tasty dishes while dining out on a spacious outdoor patio with a view of the ocean. They not only offered complimentary prosecco prior to our meal but when we decided to bypass dessert, they delivered a complimentary salted caramel budino to celebrate my birthday. What incredible class and customer service. They have 2 pools, 1 located with a view of the gorgeous coastline and the other next to their upscale spa. For those who workout while on vacation, there is an incredible gym with lots of new clean cardio equipment, yoga/​dance studio, pilates room with reformers and a gift shop carrying the latest workout fashion and top quality merchandise from Lululemon, Beyond Yoga, Nike etc. Although their rooms are not completely new like other resorts we have stayed at, they are nice and well maintained. Our room actually had an issue with a rattling air condition vent but when we called service for assistance and it couldn’t be repaired, they relocated us quickly to another room with an even nicer view. I absolutely loved our stay and experience at the Bacara and look forward to returning again in the future.

I’d probably score it a 3.5 if we’re being super specific haha, I figured I’d round up.
We came here for a mini honeymoon, after spending a couple nights at the Ojai Valley Inn, so we tried not to compare, but it was slightly inevitable.
Really quick: just read another person’s review about $ 30 internet fee? What? I really hope not… I mean, come on, even Starbucks has free internet now, paying for internet was a thing when it was rare and a luxury.
When we checked in (and had to say it was our honeymoon, even though we had mentioned it during our reservation), we received a free wine tasting at the tasting room (yay) and bottle of wine in the room. We also got two passes to the spa (just to use the facility, which we ended up not using because we had planned massages already!).
Tasting was nice, though I did feel like they definitely give these out to try to get guests to buy some bottles of wine. I’m not sure why you would pay for the tasting, but was glad ours was comped and we just had to politely decline buying anything (we had so much wine leftover form the wedding, there was just no way).
Bottle of wine was lovely, too. I just wish they had done something that had a little more of a personal touch to it. We felt at the Ojai Valley Inn that everyone was kind of aware of our honeymoon and if they weren’t and found out, they would spontaneously gift things to us, like a free drink for breakfast.
I have a slight problem with the water situation: WHAT ARE THESE TINY BOTTLES?! My husband and I were constantly dehydrated (No drought excuse! haha), because we weren’t going to pay $ 10+ for a bottle of water. ***BRING WATER!!!
We went to the spa restaurant for lunch, and I didn’t expect the restaurant choices to be so un-​spa-​tastic haha. I got the stir fry, thinking it was going to be light and healthy, but instead it felt really sugary and slightly panda-​express-​y. We felt like all the food was made to be slightly under seasoned to appease everyone, which was a little disappointing.
**TIP** We are two big children. I say that because we ordered children’s meals from room service and it was the perfect portion, and it comes with a dessert and drink. We got orange juice and mixed it with our champagne bottle we brought with us. Mac n cheese was pretty good.

Sort of mixed emotions about the spot, but enjoyed my visit. Certainly not a 5 star hotel.
== The Good ==
— SPA: Truly enjoyed the spa, received a good massage and utilized the sauna & gym.
— SOCIAL: Tweeted out a photo of the pool and their Social Marketer got back to me with a nice message. The only time so far I felt I was appreciated here.
== The OK ==
— VIEWS: The resort has a nice view of the ocean and the grounds are well maintained. It would be even more perfect if there was not this oddly industrial barge on the horizon (clearly not something they can control)
— INTERNET: The internet is quite good, no troublesome login issues or spotty connection. I was really happy when I thought it was free but realized it was covered under a $ 30 hidden fee. (facepalm)
— ROOM: The rooms are well maintained and felt very clean but feels a little dated for what I would have expected coming in.
— RESTAURANT SEATING: At the Bistro we were seated between two tables both of which were talking very loud, I do not know why they sandwiched us in there when there were so many other available tables, I immediately asked to be reseated which they did, just was really odd I even had to ask.
— NOISE: I would have expected it to be quieter, although my room was in the center of the complex I could still hear noise from Highway 101. I really enjoyed that there was an adult only pool up by the Spa but it had no view and no jacuzzi. This setup forces me to listen to rugrats yelling if I want to have a view or soak in the Jacuzzi.
— SERVICE: The bellman who brought our bags was friendly but was unable to turn on the gas fireplace, I tipped him a $ 20 as he left and he said he would have someone fix it right away. Came back to the room a few hours later and no evidence of any effort to fix the fireplace. Called down to the desk and they sent someone to literally just flip a switch… not sure why the bellman couldn’t point out the somewhat hidden switch for me. I follow up with people all day long at work, I really shouldn’t have to on vacation.
== The Bad ==
— GREETING (LACK OF): Normally when I check into a 5-​star hotel there is some sort of greeting be it a tea or a wash cloth. While the bellmen were very friendly the rest of the check-​in experience seemed almost an inconvenience. The next day as I walked through the lobby and I witnessed a nicely dressed older couple being escorted around the property on a full tour. The irony is I likely tip more (always tip $ 10s & $ 20s) and eat/​drink more (Fatties gotta eat) than the guest they were fawning over. If they do not modernize their customer personas to include younger techies will be obsolete soon.
— BEACH: Unfortunately there was some sort of oil spill (I am guessing the thing in the horizon is an oil drill or something) so if you go to the rocky beaches thing you will spend 20 minutes removing tar from your sandals. Real pity.

Absolutely beautiful grounds! We had a garden view. It was nice and quite away from the pool. Second floor balcony was perfect. Pools were amazing but kinda crowded towards the end of the week. Service by the pool was great. Had dinner at the Bistro and also had dinner at the Ocean House celebrating our anniversary. They surprised us with champagne! Food was amazing! view was very nice. It’s not cheap, I hope to go back and stay there again.
The golf cart «Über» is really fun!

AHHH-​mazing!
My friends and I went here for my bach weekend back in October. The weather was perfect in Santa Barbara — not too warm and not too cool in the evening. We had a lovely time and were treated to complimentary chocolate-​covered strawberries and champagne upon arrival. We did the wine tasting at their wine shop, dined at the onsite restaurant, and spent both days at the spa. Yay! My only not so fantastic moment was looking at the sad, sad condition of the sofa bed in our suite. It was old and did not look comfortable — I only wished we could have had a newer sofa bed in the room. Otherwise, it was a great stay and really relaxing!