Alisal Ranch — Hotel in Solvang

Get out your popcorn and find a comfy place to sit, this is going to be a long review!

Our family visited The Alisal for the first time in July of 2019. We had a large group with family members of all ages. Our family needed four rooms. Our room (pictured) was a king suite, which we enjoyed very much. The couches in our room turned into twin sized beds. The mattresses were very comfortable. Our room was really clean and fully stocked with amenities including candles, a battery operated lantern, fan, safe, fresh water, a bottle of wine, iron/board, and refrigerator. Our suite had wonderful bathrooms with amazing towels and bath robes. Although we didn't miss having a television, the resort lacks microwaves and room phones (which did cause some issues). The wifi and cell reception were very spotty. Our room got really hot midday as well (despite leaving windows open all night), which wasn't great for naptime. Our family has a ton of allergies, and if you fall into this category, bring a Costco sized container of antihistamines. If wool is not your friend, I'd skip this resort. It's literally everywhere which made for a really hard week for my daughter.

Our family members had smaller suites than we had, and the floor plans were unique. There were large sink/vanity areas next to a bed, which felt kind of like the second bedroom was a part of the bathroom.

The housekeeping staff was wonderful. They offered a turn down service which is unique to the ranch.

The Alisal offers scheduled events daily for all ages, and we took advantage of many of the choices. We were disappointed at the nickel and diming of most activities and because of that we didn't go horseback riding or bike riding. The art room charged $15 to make a candle, which we thought was alot. Some of us did the ropes course which was really, really fun. It was HOT though and we weren't prepared for the swarms if bugs everywhere. Bring bug spray and water if you plan to go. The pool is wonderful with lots of shade, a poolside bar/restaurant, and towels to use. The billiard room was neat. Aside from the weird smell, the kids enjoyed ping-pong, foosball, and billiards. My son also enjoyed playing corn hole in the evening.

We thoroughly enjoyed dining in the main dining room. The breakfasts and dinners were delicious. Don't miss the banana stuffed french toast. ❤️ The chef and restaurant crew were amazing. I did notice that the dishwashers could spend some time washing both sides of the plates, when I picked up a clean plate at breakfast the entire bottom was covered in old squishy food 🤢.

We really enjoyed the BBQ on the front lawn and at the rodeo. The buffet style food spread was vast. The rodeo was fun to watch and they offered caricature drawing (get there early to reserve the limited spots), cotton candy, snow cones, and a magic show. We also had a lovely family photo taken.

We have had some wonderful family vacations eating at restaurants which have taken food allergies seriously. The Alisal seriously lacked in this department. Many of the wait staff were unable to answer questions about ingredients. Frequently we ordered dairy free pancakes and they were served with butter. Luckily, we didn't have any severe reactions, but we would have if we weren't savy with this.

Alisal lake was nice. Many members in our family enjoyed the paddle boats and fishing boat. The dinner at the lake was hot though, and not a favorite for many. My son put cups of ice down his back because he was so hot. The "shuttles" to the lake are either by van or sitting in the back of a truck on hay, which felt ridiculously unsafe (even with the slower speed) as a mom with littles. The car seat technician in me cringed at this, and I didn't allow my youngest kids to go.

Overall, we enjoyed our family vacation. Because of our vast allergy issues, we won't make a return trip. However, I do recommend the Alisal as a fun family...

First the pros: The property is absolutely magical. The staff are friendly, though not particularly knowledgeable. The food is good, and the portions are generous. It is an excellent choice for families, and multigenerational groups. So why the 3 star review? The main con: PRICE. Our family of four paid close to $10k for three days at the ranch. They charge you a 22% "Ranch Fee" on top of the very high room price. If money is no object, or someone else is paying, I say go for it, you'll have a great time. But if you can imagine many more ways to spend $10k than on a 3 day vacation with mediocre service and "rustic" accommodations (and many of the activities, are an extra fee!) then I don't recommend staying here.

Editing here to respond to the owner response: I find your response disingenuous. If you truly wanted our feedback, you would contact me to find out why I feel the service was mediocre. Honestly, staff were extremely friendly on the first day, but on the second and third day were progressively less friendly. When dining, we had to flag down serving staff and ask repeatedly for drinks and condiments. At breakfast, the waitstaff were actively rude on our second and third days, and the items we ordered were brought out 20 minutes apart (and the final dishes only came after having to remind the waitstaff). At dinner on our last night, we were not offered the starter appetizer, and when we saw other tables receive it, and we asked about it, we had to ask repeatedly if we could get it. If I were paying half of the price of what we paid, I would consider this unfortunate, but considering the extremely high room rates, plus the additional ranch charge, it was extremely disappointing. In addition, the woman who led the trail ride that we went on, spent most of the ride taking her own pictures, and barely spoke to us at all. I don't know if she was having a bad day, but it certainly did not make us feel like welcome guests. While we found the ranch surroundings to be magical, the experience with your staff was patently NOT. We were aware of the cost when we made our reservations, but not of the way we would be treated. I understand that you have many clients who return year after year. Perhaps they are treated differently...

This was an incredible place three decades ago when I was a child. As an adult, I see the problems with a dynastic approach to land ownership and a new heir generation schmoozing it up with people writing profiles of the ranch for various life and style magazines and papers. During our recent trip, I witnessed some staff member fawning over someone of status (“everybody loves you”) and smiling and giggling while saying “we’re moving away from giving families the same tables they get every year”. There was also a retreat for a group of people who had earned a certain number of millions by 30, and their electric cars choked the resort intake, and their manners stymied the peace. The concierge service was nonexistent. The beds were worse than a motel, and a quick calculation shows it would only cost $250,000 every five years for decent quality mattresses. The combination “spa” and exercise center was clearly devised by someone greedy and soulless and has no place on the property, shilling overpriced cowboy hats to weekend vacationers in a Westworld satire. While I understand that the insurance and costs for this property must be high, the drive to fill reservations and keep the ranch as busy as possible dramatically lessens the experience for all guests.

I spent a year composing and editing my thoughts into concision, and this confused response from the management was literally delivered in minutes. A year ago they had just renovated the bathrooms and had then and still have many reviews complaining about the beds. We had three maintenance issues for broken items on checking in that could have easily been fixed between guests and needed no remodel. The ranch wishes us well, but we are another family who spent almost $10k for an experience that required mature forgiveness and human understanding to enjoy. I am not sure why defense and aggression are the response to serious real issues with the experience, but I am clearly not the only one, and staff routinely mention the sharp contrast between current and historical management. Good luck with your future endeavors. I am sure the inherited Alisal brand will be valuable for decades regardless of the real quality of the...