What a place! Although further away from the beach this is the place to be. Sweeping views of Santa Barbara from terrace. Staff which are charming, helpful and unobtrusive. This is one classy joint! The rooms are divine, each are individual villas. Great beds and bathrooms. Mine had a fireplace which was lovely to sit in front or watch as... More

This was quite simply the most exquisite, amazing, anomalous, astonishing, astounding, awesome, extraordinary, fabulous, magical, marvelous, phenomenal, preternatural, prodigious, spectacular, staggering, stupefying, stupendous, superior, the utmost, unaccountable, unbelievable, unearthly, unimaginable, unreal, wondrous place. So much so, we booked another trip for October before we left!! It has truly spoiled me for all other future lodging. I am very picky and... More

The best news was that our golden retriever Indiana could join us. The room fantastic #1103, the bed heavenly, the bath room splendily fastidious and spa like. The pool just right, the gym very hi-tech. The restaurant beautiful the food okay... The grounds verdant and relaxing. The service was... professional innocence... Perfect. $700. for one in town night, we're locals,... More

We stayed at El Encanto from May 21st to May 23rd. We were in Bungalow #2201. The resort is stunning, the landscaping is impeccable, the pond, waterfall and other fun hidden treasures such as the beautiful pigs. A little taste of paradise for sure! We ate at the restaurant on site for lunch and two breakfasts. The food was fantastic... More

Made a quick getaway from Los Angeles. Found the property overrated, to say the least. Service at the bar and restaurant was slow. Menu very short and food subpar. The pool was quite small and crowded, not only with people but with dogs as well. No hot tubs.

I've stayed at the luxury hotels in Santa Barbara and can definitively say none compare to this amazing resort. The views are spectacular, the facilities stunning, and while the property is going through some growing pains as they just opened, it is by far the best property in Santa Barbara. My boyfriend and I had one of the most romantic... More

After having stayed at four orient express hotels in Italy,all truly amazing, I expected a similar experience. Though the room we stayed in at the El Encanto was very nice and had a terrific bed, nothing was comparable to our European stay. There are no views worth speaking about. The service was adequate - nice young people who had very... More

A friend and I visited Santa Barbara at the last minute and decided to stay here based on its tripadvisor ranking. We stayed in the most basic room (by any other hotel's standard, this would be exceptional) and spent one night. Everyone from the exceedingly courteous valet staff (who dealt with our car and sorted our baggage without issue), to... More

Stayed here for 2 nights for a "girls spa getaway". We were hoping for a 5 star, special experience, as there are so many amazing choices in CA (or even Mexico) for a fabulous weekend getaway and as someone who looks for the very best when traveling, I hope you'll find these comments helpful: PROS: Beautiful grounds, setting and ocean... More