Spent a long weekend at Bacara in late January. The resort is nice, but just a bit short of what my chain hotel standard, The Four Seasons, is. What's good: hotel is away from Santa Barbara by 13 miles and is closer to the wine excursions, so if this is what you want, you get it. Hotel is well maintained with no shabbyness in the buildings or landscaping. Two large swimming pools with spas with a view of the ocean. Rooms are large, clean and well furnished except for the CRT tv's which they say are in the process of being replaced. Direct access to the beach which is nice for walking. Not a swimming beach though, just a walking beach if you know what I mean. What's not so good: Why do they charge $27 per day for parking? I can understand if I'm staying downtown New York or San Francisco I'm going to pay for parking, but Bacara is out in the rural areas with plenty of space for self parking. With tip everytime you leave to go shopping or out for dinner you wind up averaging $35/day to park. I'm not cheap but I don't like paying for something I don't need. No coffee maker in the room. What hotel today, no matter what the star rating, doesn't have a coffee maker in the room? We ordered a carafe of coffee and it was $23. Ordered breakfast in one day; the usual eggs over, bacon, toast, coffee, fruit cup and it came to $90 for the 2 of us, including the service fee. Sorry, but $90 for breakfast is just too high. In summary, a nice hotel good for relaxing with family, children or a couples get-away. Close to Santa Barbara and the wine country. Be prepared to open your wallet for fees beyond the rack rate.

This hotel has been one of the most respected hotels in the Santa Barbara - just state of the art and gorgeous. Although I feel that it was most appropriate some years ago. Now it feels dated. We still loved our room with the cozy fireplace (with the awesome HUGE candles next to it that we kept lit our entire stay!), big bed, airy and huge bathroom and shower, along with the spanish tile floors. But the public space looks run down and old. Lots of chipped paint and dents and scratches on things. Someone (owners) lost that lovin feeling for their hotel. sadly. The service was attentive and fairly friendly though and the view still can't be beat. But even the finishes near the pool - gates, the stairs, things near the jacuzzi look dated. It does look like they are renovating some buildings though, so a lot of this i can suspend until renovations are complete. But one thing I was NOT prepared for was hearing the sound of the freeway. I'm not super sensitive and pretty forgiving but this was just awful and such a surprise for this hotel. The sounds weren't distant either. It ruined sitting out on the balcony. :( I guess not having stayed on this side of the resort I didn't notice it before...but it felt tacky and super cheap. Regardless of what they do, the sound of the 101 will keep me away...

What a great weekend we experienced at Bacara! The location was stunning, the staff warm and accommodating and outstanding food and beverage offerings. While we have been fortunate to travel extensively, this was truly a great weekend and a great surprise. We had no expectations and were blown away by the warmth of the entire hotel and staff.

Next time, we will extend our stay and we look forward to returning this summer. Some great enhancements taking place ( not an inconvenience whatsoever) and we look forward to our next visit. WOW!

My wife and I got away from the hustle and bustle of LA, and drove up to Santa Barbara for the weekend, and stayed at one of the finest resorts we have ever experienced - in the world. Bacara has everything! - From great accommodations facing the beautiful Pacific, to the best Spa ever, to one of the finest restaurant's we have ever eaten in (Miro). The only thing missing is Entertainment - but I am certain that will be there in the future! Picture perfect stay, with the best service ever.