San Ysidro Ranch

Tucked away in the hills above Montecito, SYR is a magical place for a special occasion. When the gentlemen who appeared at a guardhouse along the lane and ask our business we knew we were entering a different world. We were directed to our stunning seats overlooking a beautiful rose garden and began our birthday afternoon tea. We chose to begin with oysters and champagne then proceeded to order our choice of tea from a menu. A three tiered serving dish was later presented with finger sandwiches on one tier then two levels of sweet morsels. Pasquel and Luis were busy continuously bringing top up pots of hot water and checking on us. With an Australian as the birthday lady, the only suggestion for improving could be proper English scones with fresh whipped cream and raspberry preserves. The chef here has their own version of scones with a lemon curd. Very good but not authentic. Further the servers could really enhance the experience with a brief history of the property which we later researched. Grand story. A day to remember.

A fabulous stay at The Ranch. Ty Warmer has spent the money - and has the eye for detail - and the insistence on unstinting ongoing perfection, to make every foot of the Ranch from the bottom of the driveway to the top of the property absolutely flawlessly lovely, inviting, elegant, welcoming, stunningly, relaxingly lovely. Kudos to the landscape architect - and the team of various gardeners who keep it this way. The Ranch is sublime. Yes, Ty, in my personal opinion, ought to pay his front of house staff considerably more to avoid the constant turnover and encourage long term loyalty; and nightly cottage rates are not for the faint of heart. That said, service was attentive and helpful and could not have been nicer. Pepper Cottage has been updated (perhaps the others have as well) with the most elegant cream and blue wall upholstery; and a few more pieces of furniture, including a mini bookcase unit with drawers below, a little vanity dresser near the bed, all of which all function well, with higher, sturdier chairs by the window seat, and a new rectangular table. It's just gorgeous. I was blown away. The Cottage also lacked the sort of funny chemicall-y smell it used to have upon check in in various prior years, so they clearly have changed their products, which was a nice plus. The bed - hmmm. The mattress was not overwhelming; and did not feel lie the super high end one I think guests should be able to expect at that price point, like a Vi-Spring, or Hastens/Duxiana. I tossed and turned quite a bit. Sleeping Pillows used to be huge and softly squashy, delightful to sleep on. These were the typical king size but smaller than the old ones The Ranch used to have on their beds, maybe not foam rubber but felt a bit like it, and left me with a bit of a neck ache. Everything in the bedroom and bathroom was spotlessly clean. The air conditioning was very efficient, and cooled the room perfectly to 68 degrees. Unfortunately, it sounds as though the vent or return is right behind the bed headboard and was quite loud at night. They should have used some sound mitigation during construction. The housekeeper turned the fireplace and the thermostat heat up to 74 degrees during evening turn down. Next time I will request that not be done, as I like a cold room to sleep in. There are adorable chocolates as welcome gifts, Herban essential Towelettes by the bedsides (the orange scented is my favorite), the heart shaped soap by the bathroom sinks has a luxurious lather, towel are snow white, soft and very absorbent. Lunch, dinner and breakfast at Stonehouse were each excellent, delicious and used high quality ingredients and pretty presentation. Service was impeccable at each meal, from busboys to wait staff. We were so pleased. And of course, the views, whether it is during the day or at night with the enchanting lighting, couldn't be more romantic or more lovely. The Christmas lights and decorations, and soft yellow glow of the pathway lights,

Beautiful property. Excellent services. Prohibitively expensive however. A shame. The Santa Barbara area is truly gorgeous, but lodging has become so terribly expensive that it is difficult to justify visiting the area when there are so many other beautiful parts of California to visit. The expensive to stay at even a modest hotel or air bnb is just too much.

San Ysidro ranch is resting on the luxury history that they advertise on their website and in articles on the wall near the check in desk. I am sure when the Kennedy's honeymooned here, they were not surrounded by small children at the restaurant with each meal, or screaming kids on the lovely lawn, or splashing kids in the pool. Management was aware of the situation, and simply said it was a family resort and they would not address it or do anything to change the experience. If you are looking for a tranquil, private and luxury experience, best to look for better options. The manager did not even reach out directly to us after we let them know of the issues. Very unfortunate that our recommendation is take a hard pass.

What a magical place this is! From the moment you enter this property you feel like you found yourself in a fairytale. The beautiful garden, the birds, the lemon trees, the view of the mountains. Just beautiful. All the cottages are one of a kind and decorated with amazing attention to detail. The restaurants in property serve delicious food and their wine list is very impressive. Customer service is top notch!

We attended a wedding at SYR and could not have been more impressed by the welcome and helpfulness of Lisa! She was working the front desk and was an absolute treat to us and all of the members of the wedding party! Truly the day couldn’t have gone as smoothly without her hospitality. She deserves a raise!

My husband and I stayed at SYR in October 2022 for the first time as a romantic escape from NYC. We were blown away by the property. Every detail is incredible. Each of the cottages are unique with layered decor pieces from around the world. The design of the common areas is incredible. The property landscaping is lush and beautiful and smells of jasmine and fresh burning wood from the onsite fireplaces. The service is absolutely incredible and the food is not to be missed. The property is private and intimate feeling with a limited number of guests at any one point. We felt we had the place to ourselves at many points during our stay. We could not recommend this hotel more and are already planning our trip back next year

OVERRATED seems like the perfect word to describe this absolutely gorgeous property that fails on literally every other level. The property looks spectacular but for $4000/night it’s almost as if they don’t understand that service and “the details” will ultimately determine its value to those of us who only want the best and don’t really care about the price. Anything and everything you ask for is a chore for them to provide. Even simple things like coffee in your room is too complicated for them with basic items continuously missing despite asking for them. Housekeeping comes in when they please regardless whether you have a sign on your door asking for privacy or not. Breakfast means continuously asking for items over and over again and brunch is basically a lesser breakfast at a much higher cost. It is unfathomable to me at $4000/night how difficult it was to get coffee, juice, butter, etc. I’m literally talking 3-4 times asking for each item and in an area with almost no guests at tables. I’m not sure if this has anything to do with it but apparently the owner is the Beanie Baby founder, Ty Warner who also owns the Four Seasons in NYC and Santa Barbara which are both in a nasty dispute with Four Seasons and remain unopened since Covid. Is he purposely trying to run this property down too? Seems unlikely but they now are offering complimentary meals to lure people in. I assure you all the meals they give you and it’s still not worth it. All in all a very underwhelming experience that leaves you feeling ripped off. Hopefully they will train their staff better and maybe take lessons from Twin Farms or Blackberry Farm so they can understand how to run this properly. Unfortunately probably the worst part is that I don’t think they really care and this is what it is. Be smart and save your money and go somewhere else. If you decide otherwise don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I stayed here with my adult children in 2021. It was a wonderful time with good memories. I do recommend this place for a quiet luxury getaway! I hope to return again soon. When we stayed the dining was included in the price. It reminds me of Italy.