Rosewood Miramar Beach — Hotel in Montecito

OK, this will be a long review, so brace yourselves...||First, this is by far the most expensive property I have ever stayed in. Note that if you look at my other reviews, you will see I have stayed at plenty of ultra-high-end properties, including several Amans and the poshest Rosewood and Four Seasons Resorts -- and yet this Rosewood beats them all in terms of price. Interestingly, it's not because Rick J. Caruso is greedy (this is clearly a labor of Love for him) or the costs are astronomical... There are several resorts in the world that are far more costlier to build and maintain per guest. In fact, back when it opened in 2019, the rates were less than half of what they are now. No, this place is expensive for the same reasons a Hermes bag is expensive: a) because it can and b) because making it expensive makes it exclusive, and staying exclusive is part of the benefit of staying in a place like this. In other words, you pay to be around only people who can afford it.||This was apparent even at check-in: after seeing three pretty nice Porsches all parked together (clearly done on purpose by the valet), I pointed it out to the kid (more on that later) at the reception, and he basically told me that was nothing; often, it's three Ferraris or three Lamborghinis. And he was right. The next day, there was a brand new Rolls-Royce Cullinan parked in the same spot.||Now, having said that -- when it comes to location, design, build quality, and maintenance, this resort delivers. As I said, this is Mr. Caruso's magnum opus. The attention to detail is incredible: he did blend in the best of his Italian heritage (full disclosure: I was raised by my extremely Italian grandfather), from the fantastic travertine pool deck (in a highly lovely, large, and well-kept infinity pool; there are two on the property, one for the kidless adults and one for the families) to the meticulously landscaped areas, to the beautifully appointed and ultra-modern rooms and suites, filled with all the best Italy has to offer, from marble to faucets to even the spectacular bed linens. Until I came here, my other favorite Rosewood was the one in Tuscany, built by Massimo Ferragamo, and I swear this Rosewood is more Italian than the Castiglion del Bosco one. Well played, Mr. Caruso, well played.||... but the true genius of the design is that he managed to do that while at the same time maintaining an architecture that absolutely looks like it belongs in Montecito. If you look at the forest (the exterior architecture) instead of the trees (the Italian details), the style is unmistakable from the era and location in which the original property was built. Bravo.||OK, after all that lavish praise, let me go back to the "kids" "problem": here's the issue with Santa Barbara and resorts (the same issue exists at the Ritz Carlton): in the Hospitality Industry, you can't pay white collar salaries. So right now, with some exceptions here and there, the staff is mostly kids. Honestly, I have a problem with that: at these prices, the staff should all be seasoned professionals at the top of their hospitality careers. That is what I usually experience at this price level. Also, there aren't enough kids willing to do these jobs, so the place is clearly understaffed. Why did I still give it five stars? I know Mr. Caruso is keenly aware of that; he is actively trying to build low-income housing on the property to bring in the high-quality, dedicated staff that other resorts of this level have.||If you decide to come here before the issue is resolved (it may take a few years), I highly recommend coming when the resort is not so busy, ironically, when the prices are lowest (win-win). If you decide to come on a hectic day and get poor service, don't blame me. :-)||Going back to the positive:||The beach at the bottom of the property—which technically is a public beach but was cleverly blocked off in such a way that it's really almost private—is nice. It's not Malibu or Newport Beach—the oil rigs offshore are a sore sight, and there is tar on the sand as would be expected due to the rigs—but hey, there's always the pools.||I leave the actual "piece de resistance" for last: the restaurants. There's a reason people come to this property from Santa Barbara to eat: the four restaurants on the property are all the best at their game. AMA Sushi was one of the best Omakase experiences we've ever had, and we have had quite a few, including Jiro's in Tokyo (aka Sukiyabashi Jiro). The Revere Room offered an outstanding breakfast, some of the best we've ever had, and we live in the capital of brunch, AKA San Francisco (New Yorkers: shut up). Miramar Beach Bar had great, well-poured cocktails and some quite decent tacos (not Mexico City-grade tacos, but the only place to get Mexico City-grade tacos is Mexico City). ||We did not try Caruso's, but it's an Italian restaurant with a Michelin star that Mr. Carauso named after himself. If you're into Italian American food, I suspect you will be delighted.||Two final notes: ||- The check-in and check-out were appropriately modern, and everything was done online except picking up the (charming) keys.||- Erin Bies, the Guest Relations Manager, gets literally the biggest thanks in any TripAdvisor review I have ever written. Erin, you are amazing. I am so glad you came back to the Rosewood just in time to make my girlfriend so happy with something (a gorgeous bathrobe that fits her) that may be a small detail to some, but literally no other resort in 6 years had ever been able to do for her. THANK YOU,...

I thought it might be helpful to future bride and grooms who may be considering getting married at Rosewood to hear about this space from a different perspective than what you may typically read about on Google Local Guides. I can offer the light and lines perspective of how Rosewood unfolds from a wedding day experience and how it presents in photography. I'm a wedding photographer and the photos I recently created alongside an incredible event planning team were recently published in a mainstream wedding magazine (not sure if I can mention the name on Google Local with their TOS). Let's dive into the light, and lines and shapes of Rosewood Miramar.

Great wedding photography uses layers to create fantastic imagery that tells a story. One of the things I love best about this venue is its historical symbolism. The Miramar Hotel dates back to 1876. That's a lot of layers to play with. The 'hideaway' ambience still shows through in the backgrounds around the property and the luxury element drips through the theme at every corner and frame.

Moving past the architecture for composition we get to color. Have you ever taken your phone out and gotten an incredible selfie but don't know why it worked this time and why you look so good. Chances are it's the light's color temperature, diffusion, and direction. Here's a bit of background in photography. Natural daylight favors the skin tones. When non-neutral colors are used on wall decor, the reflected light is tinted. Rosewood has done an excellent job sticking to neutral white and grey color tones throughout the space while modestly using accent colors to create a timeless style. The large windows play well into the reflected light to create soft lighting that fills in the face to help everyone look their best. From the lobby to the getting ready suite, this space is a dream to photograph!

Then there is the spiral staircase. Some couples may prefer an aisle reveal on their wedding day when they display their wedding dress to their partner for the first time, but for those couples who want this moment to be more intimate, the spiral staircase is the place. This is where the architects pushed the edges of luxury into the hotel's redesign. It's close to the getting ready suites which means less walking for the bride in her heels. Couples who want to have an intimate first reveal or first look can have a quiet moment together before their wedding day kicks off.

The space then unfolds to the large lawn overlooking the beach. In Santa Barbara, the beach is to the south, not the west as in the rest of California. What this does from a lighting perspective is layers the setting sun during golden hour over the beautiful landscaping to the west end of the property. The light looks incredible for about a 20 to 30 minute stretch of the day giving you the etherial, whimsical look for couple's romantic photos that everyone loves.

As a local wedding photographer in Santa Barbara I've photographed at just about every beach we have. In fact, just last night I was photographing a different shoot at Miramar beach in front of Rosewood. The beach ambience is quiet with mostly locals enjoying the sunset. The cute homes with different colors along the beach remind me of a Malibu vibe and layer well as backgrounds with the sand. Sometimes tan cliffs with tan sand at other beaches can wash out the skin tones. Even though the houses may have bokeh blur, they add a nice color pop for beach photos.

I absolutely love experiencing Rosewood from a light and lines perspective. The property unfolds to create an experience for guests that's cozy but still full of luxury. The fact that one of the industry's major publications picked Rosewood up for publication should say a lot about the space and how well it presents for wedding photos. From a local Santa Barbara wedding photographer to future couples considering Rosewood for their wedding, I highly...

Let me start by saying the grounds of the Rosewood Miramar are beautiful. They are maintained well by what is essentially a small army of dedicated gardeners, housekeepers, maintenance workers, and other staff.

That being said, you can walk around the property for free and head on home for comfortable accommodations and in all likelihood, better service. Because at the Rosewood, you are paying a premium to deal with service that should not be associated with a 5-star resort.

If you decide to stay at the Rosewood, here is my advice: don’t stay at the Rosewood. To make this relatively painless for readers, here is a list of everything that went right:

Check in was smooth

My kids enjoyed the pool

My massage technician at Sense was fantastic

The food and service at Caruso’s (separate from the hotel) were top notch

The grounds are lovely, especially in the morning when it’s quiet. Have a cup of complimentary coffee and a morning stroll, because it ends there.

Here is everything that went wrong:

Check in time was 4:00 p.m. My relatives were refused check-in at 4:00 p.m. By 4:30 p.m., the blonde at the front desk’s response was “I have no idea when your room will be ready.” Some customer service training would be beneficial here.

Valet had my mother-in-law waiting 30 minutes for her car, at the end of which she decided to get the damn thing herself.

The Revere Room informed my relatives that to sit outside for breakfast meant a 15-minute wait. After asking to be seated indoors for which there was no wait, 15 minutes later, they found themselves waiting to be seated. We are still trying to solve this riddle.

We requested turn down service at 6:30 p.m. because I have children who need to go to bed on time. The sofa bed needed to be opened up and set up. At 6:45 we called to find out about the holdup. We received assurances that someone would be there immediately. By 7:15, we were resigned to the fact that no one would be sleeping that night. Someone finally showed up for turn down. 30 minutes later, another person appeared at our door with a bag of ice? I do not blame housekeeping for this one. I blame management.

There is a delivery fee added on for any room service that you order. A delivery fee. For room service. If I wanted Door Dash, I would have stayed home.

We visited over a weekend in August. It was crowded and not very relaxing. There was also a wedding, and it was fun to see it all come together throughout the day, but it does seem that the resort was understaffed during that time given the quality of service.

On checking out, we discovered a charge of $93 and some change for an afternoon tea service. We did not order tea service at any point in time. After inquiring about this, we were told that the charge would be removed.

But I have a theory.

 My experience at Sense Spa was wonderful. Given all of the things that went wrong, it was obvious that I was missing something.

When you check in for your treatment, the nice lady at the front will inform you that you will be provided with tea after your service and which tea would you like, black, green, chamomile? Ask the nice lady if tea is part of the treatment, or if you’ve been teleported to a Spirit Airlines check-in counter. If you ask no questions and opt for the tea, let me know if you find a questionable $93 charge for an “afternoon tea service” on your bill.

If you have made it to the end of this review, I applaud you. The takeaway: this may look like a 5-star resort, but the service is at best 3 stars. At worst, 2. Maybe new management is needed? I don’t know. In any case, I know I...