My husband and I live in L.A. and needed a quick getaway for a few days without our small children. Bacara was perfect for us since we really just wanted to isolate ourselves at a beautiful resort, sit poolside and walk on the beach. The property is a great spot to just stay put. The spa was wonderful, the pool was relaxing, the rooms were like small casitas. Terra cotta tile floors, iron bed, fire place. We were garden level. I think next time we would ask for an upstairs location since we had heavy footed neighbors above us. The food was excellent. We didn't find it any pricier than any other of the fine resorts we have stayed at previously. We don't drink, so that probably helps our bill quite a bit. The beach is full of tar as all the beaches in Santa Barbara are. Bring shoes that you don't mind trashing or just clean your feet with the tar removal towels the resort provides. As with all beaches in Santa Barbara, you will have a view of an oil rig far out at sea. It is still a lovely beach, we took a nice walk at sunset and enjoyed the quiet. We had room service in our room the first night which was very good. We ate poolside for lunch the next day and again had a great meal. Miro was a bit too formal for us on this trip, so we stuck with the Bistro. We had an excellent seafood buffet Friday night. You can also order off the menu. We didn't have breakfast anywhere since we slept in late. We worked out at the fitness center each morning (nice facility) and swam at their half Olympic sized pool. We got coffee and juice there each morning. There is no coffee maker in the room. We found the staff to be young but sharp. They were all friendly and we found the service to be quite good. All in all, I would recommend Bacara for those who just want to get away from it all. It is isolated and the drive into town is not the most convenient for those who want to see a lot of Santa Barbara. I highly recommend the Four Seasons Biltmore for those who want to be in town. It is across the street from a nice beach and you can easily access restaurants and night life in Santa Barbara. If you want to get away and just stay contained at a resort, I recommend Bacara.

The posts here are all very true about the resort.

Yes, there are a lot of younger adults working here but everyone was very friendly. We found the bartender fun and made a MEAN martini, you MUST try a French Martini in the main bar.

Food:
Breakfast was good at Bistro. It better be for $58.00. But, LOTS of kids complaining and whining and nannies who had no control. We drove down to Santa Barbara (just 13 minutes away, we clocked it) for breakfast the second day we were there and that was a good decision. The 3rd day we ate the spa breakfast and it was very good.

The Bistro had a great dinner too, get the Halibut

Miro, Don't even get me started. SO BAD. Just bad and not worth the amount we spent. We do give credit to our sommelier who suggested a wonderful wine and tended to our bottle. Our waiter had way too many tables and we got the worst service. It was just disappointing for how good we hear it was. SKIP IT and head to town to Sage and Onion or Bouchon.

Pool:
I have to agree about the pool, not relaxing at all. We found the hotel totally over run with kids until Sunday and if we went back would NOT NOT go on a weekend but during the week. They pass around popsicles and towels which is nice but the pool was just too busy for my liking on Sunday during the day.

Spa:
The spa was great. I had a wonderful massage but was a bit disappointed by the room they put me in. It was a larger room for all of those body treatments and the water dripped the whole massage from a shower faucet, I could hear it the whole time. I should have said anything but wimped out and did not. I just think if you are paying $200 for a massage you should be in a quiet relaxing room. The massage was excellent, I guess I should have said something and they maybe could have moved me.

Room:
We loved our room, great linens and very clean and nice. We just got the lowest category room and asked to be AWAY from the pool and liked our location. Towels are not too soft, frette, but not soft. The bed was wonderful with lots of pillows.

Overall:
We really liked it. The beach is not great but nowhere in that area is the beach great. We would go back. The drive up to the Wine Area was just gorgeous. Make sure to hit Babcock Vineyards, Lincourt/Foley and La Fond!!!!!!

This resort is gorgeous and rooms are very peaceful- great landscaping and layout of buildings. Service was very good- the majority of the front desk staff are college students but all very professional and courteous. Request a third level floor- for views and also all the rooms have tile so I would imagine you can hear people walking around above you. Ate at Miro and also oredered room service- food is not outstanding but fine- insane surcharges for room service -but that is what you are here for.
The only complaint I have are the pool areas. The main pool overlooking the ocean is really pretty but overrun by children ( avoid this by going during the week). The area where you can rent cabanas is nice also but again that area is not off limits to children. Obviously, kids will be noisy and loud in a pool area but for the price you pay for the cabanas you should not have to listen to noisy kids all day. There is an adults only pool near the spa but this pool is not as pretty or relaxing- it has a huge metal gate around it- like an apt complex pool. Plus, there is no greenery around this pool and no cabanas- the other one is much nicer to lounge near.
The beach is really not very pretty- not a groomed beach- saw some tar but not much- I would not swim in the water. The grounds of the hotel are very nice- good sidetrips are the wineries in Los Olivos and Santa Ynez- also shopping on State Street in SBarbara is fun.

The Bacara Resort has become our new favorite place. As an executive couple getting away for romance and R&R, the Bacara couldnt have been better. We had a first floor room the first night, and a third floor room when available the other three nights. The views from the balcony were wonderful, and the ambiance was quite and relaxing. The beds and linens are comfortable and luxurious. We live in a 3 M dollar home, so luxury and quality are important to our comfort. The pool areas, spa, and gym were great, as was the attentive staff. The food was great, yet a bit pricey. We would enjoy a small place to grab a bite of "real food" during the day instead of all the fancy stacked food.

The place was empty while we were there, yet sold out the night we left. We would highly recommend it as an upscale retreat.