The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara — Hotel in Goleta

We came here and booked a club level 5 night stay for our babymoon as well as to celebrate my birthday. We’ve been to numerous 5 star resorts throughout the world and I’d say this resort is just ok and we likely will not be returning or paying to upgrade to club level at the Ritz again in the future. ||We booked the club to have access to light fare and drinks throughout the day in between ordering at the pool and going out to dinners on and off-site. Unfortunately, Lacey, the manager at the club lounge made us decide we won’t be upgrading to club again. The rest of the staff there is lovely and very helpful, however Lacey commented to us upon seeing us take our drinks to-go (in the to-go containers that the club prepared our drinks in) that we can’t take them to the main pool as the staff there “noticed” we brought a drink carrier the other day to help us hold both drinks (a drink carrier the club staff actually gave us our drinks in). Why would we ever pay $300 per person per NIGHT on top of our room fee for access to the club lounge and their perks/drinks if we cannot take the to-go drinks they made us to the pool? That’s completely absurd and the way she communicated that to us was incredibly rude and condescending, making us feel as though we were doing something wrong. That behavior is completely unacceptable for the Ritz and toward club lounge guests. I highly encourage the Ritz to educate their staff about this in the future as it soured our stay and we will not be returning because of it nor paying to upgrade again in the future. ||We also went to bed for the first night in our new room and upon pulling back the sheets found a large yellow stain that appeared to be from a previous guest, indicating they did not switch out the sheets between guests. We sent a text to the concierge who was incredibly helpful and apologetic, and ensured they were changed when we returned the next day, however this was really disappointing and concerning. We ended up sleeping on top of the top sheet that night as it was late and we were too tired to have housekeeping come in at midnight to change the sheets. ||Additionally, another problem we noticed was that the pools were advertised as heated to 80 degrees however that was not the case. All pools were cold upon entry and multiple guests complained throughout our stay without the temperature issue ever being addressed. At Terranea the pool feels warm upon entry and is not uncomfortable in the way it was at the Ritz, despite the days being sunny and hot. ||I would like to acknowledge the staff that truly went above and beyond to ensure our stay was great. Lwin, Daniella and Ana at the club lounge were always so helpful and friendly and created the environment we know and love about the Ritz. I’d also like to recognize Blagicia at Lulio who made our dinner there so special and truly went above and beyond. ||Overall we expected more from the Ritz and this location and were disappointed...

Dear Ritz-Carlton Guest Relations Team,|I am writing to formally express my deep disappointment regarding my recent stay at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara on September 8, 2025 (reservation for 2 adults and 1 child, originally for 2 nights).|As a Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum Elite member with over 35 years of international experience in hotel and resort development, and having stayed frequently in five-star properties such as Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, and numerous Ritz-Carlton hotels worldwide, I am saddened to say that this property fell significantly short of the Ritz-Carlton standards I have come to expect.|Key Issues Experienced:|Guestroom Condition|The furniture in our assigned room was old, dark, and outdated—far from the modern luxury expected at a Ritz-Carlton.|Corridors and guestroom areas resembled an apartment complex rather than a five-star resort.|Dining Experience|Of the three restaurants on property, one was closed and the other two were fully occupied by private events.|As a paying guest, we were left with no real dining options except the bar. After discussion, we were eventually accommodated on a terrace, where the service was excellent thanks to the efforts of the staff.|I cannot understand why the third restaurant was not opened to ensure proper service for non-event guests.|Resort Operations & Guest Prioritization|It became clear that events were prioritized over regular hotel guests. Even the following evening was already blocked for events, leaving us without a true resort dining experience.|Given this, we decided to check out after one night, despite having booked for two nights.|Check-Out Process|The check-out procedure was extremely inefficient, taking over 45 minutes with only 10 guests in line.|Pricing Concern|The rate charged was USD 2,365 for 2 nights, excluding breakfast. This is unacceptable given the outdated condition of the rooms, the limited restaurant availability, and the prioritization of events over loyal, full-paying guests.|Recognition of Staff|I would like to stress that the employees we encountered did their utmost to provide excellent service. However, the shortcomings of the resort cannot be attributed to them. It is evident that the property requires significant investment and renovation, which has not been undertaken since its rebranding as a Ritz-Carlton.|Requested Resolution|Given the above, I respectfully request:|Compensation in Bonvoy points or a complimentary stay at another Ritz-Carlton property, to restore my confidence in the brand.|Until the necessary renovations and operational adjustments are made, charging such premium rates while sidelining regular guests in favor of events is, in my view, not in keeping with the Ritz-Carlton legacy of excellence.|I look forward to your prompt response and a fair resolution.|Sincerely,|Marc JL Goossens|Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime...

The Ritz Bacara is a 5 star resort, with 5 star prices. The location, grounds, and amenities are beautiful. Stayed during a holiday weekend and had exceptional service the whole trip both on the Marriott Bonvoy app and calls to the front desk. Wish the weather could’ve been nicer, but got one day of sun!

This was my first time staying at a Ritz, but we had an amazing experience and thoroughly enjoyed our trip.

Here are some helpful tips that you might consider:

-Become a Bonvoy Elite Member before making your reservation which can be done by credit card (higher status, the better). FYI, Ritz Carlton doesn’t grant Club/Lounge access to Platinum Elite and above Members.

-Not all rooms are equal at Bacara (view wise) and being eligible or even requesting a room upgrade is critical! Some rooms near walking paths can be noisy but ocean facing and higher floor rooms—that is not an issue. Ocean view room equals seeing the water from your bed vs partial ocean equals seeing from your balcony.

-Utilize all discounts available to you in using Bonvoy, AAA, government, corporate, Marriott family/friends, etc. to get the most competitive rates. This can make a HUGE difference especially if you’re staying on a holiday weekend.

-Arrive early before your check in time to allow some time to explore the grounds and get your bearings. They hand you a map to your room at check in and offer golf cart service to drive you, but I highly encourage walking around if possible at first before/after check in to explore.

-In order to fully utilize all the amenities and try the restaurants etc. you have to stay at minimum TWO NIGHTS. We stayed 3 and that was perfect, but 1 night won’t allow you to fully appreciate everything Bacara offers.

-Plan ahead for dinner reservations at Angel Oak/San Setto. These fill up quickly and can be made online before you arrive. Concierge wasn’t able to find a time for us that worked on the weekend we arrived. Same goes for the fitness classes and other events on site!

-The Spa is top notch and worth checking out if you can. If you don’t want to splurge on the expensive services, than the day spa pass is a great option!

-Santa Ynez wine region is a stones throw away from the resort and highly recommend checking out Solvang and Los Olivos wineries at some point while you’re in the area! The wine tasting room at Bacara offers some great wines from the region and also has a discount tasting for Bonvoy Members.

If you plan for your stay here ahead of time, it’ll definitely pay off and you’ll fully appreciate the experience. I anticipated to spend a good amount of money during my stay, but would’ve spent much more if I hadn’t used my Bonvoy status and discount rates available.

I can’t wait to plan my next trip back to the Ritz...