The Ritz Carlton Bacara

A weekend trip to Santa Barbara with the girlfriend called for finding a nice, secluded and romantic place to stay. The answer? Bacara.

Location: B

This is where you go if you want to get away from it all. Its about 20 minutes from the city of Santa Barbara, so having a car is crucial. And while it is located on the water, the beach is really nothing to write home about. But, its seclusion and natural position make it an above averagely located hotel.

Room: A-

Remarkably spacious with a bathtub, comfortable bed, small balcony and plenty of storage, the rooms here live up to Ritz standards. Only downside? Getting to the room is a bit complicated, not to mention challenging with the terrain of the hotel. Catch a golf cart though, and you’ve got no problems at all.

Amenities: A+

A stunning, massive spa, several pools, lawn games, hiking trails, beach, rooftop tanning areas, expansive lobby, tennis, golf course…shall I go on?

Dining: IDK

We never ate here so I can’t comment on it. But the restaurants were definitely beautiful with views to match, so there’s that!

Service: A

Its an automatic grade for Ritz hotels. Like what do you expect? You’re always greeted with a smile, and everyone is there to make your stay as perfect as possible.

Scene: Lots of kiddos running around, which was entertaining for sure. The destination-hotel nature of this place meant a lot of families coming, especially on this post-Valentine’s day weekend, but by no means did the kids take anything away from our experience. Santa Barbara in general has some of the coolest people in the world, and you can find a lot of them here at the Bacara. No one acts better than you and people were quite friendly. In some ways, the hotel felt like a country club, where everyone knew each other.