If it was good enough for John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier on their honeymoon, San Ysidro Ranch would be just fine, I figured, for mine. Sure, the future President and his future First Lady were there more than fifty years ago (as were Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, who tied the knot on the property in 1940), but I had heard nothing but raves about this almost secret hideaway tucked in the hills of Montecito, just south of Santa Barbara.
And Ty Warner, the Beanie Baby billionaire, had recently purchased the property, which first opened its doors in 1893 as way station for Franciscan monks, pumping more than $120 million into an ongoing, top to bottom renovation of this Rosewood Resort.
It’s an easy drive from Los Angeles, less than 90 minutes on a good day, with portions of the ride on the picturesque coast. And it’s only a few minutes from Santa Barbara Airport, which can handle private aircraft. The hotel sits right up against the mountains, way up above the freeway, and the drive up the hill takes you past some impressive homes, much like the approach to Hotel Bel-Air.
A guard awaits at the bottom of the property, and he notifies the front desk so a member of the friendly staff can greet you in front of the lobby. Check-in is fast and easy, and the hotel offers fresh homemade lemonade, perfectly balanced between tart and sweet, along with fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. With such a friendly greeting, we know we’re in for a good time.
Our cottage, Lilac 2, rates as one of the best, though it’s difficult to imagine that anything here is less than fantastic. Up near the top of the property, in the middle of a group of stately old oak trees, we have the canyon for a backyard. Our spacious and private patio comes with not just a hot tub, outdoor shower and pair of chaise lounges for reading and relaxing, but also a view of a natural waterfall.
And our cottage – spacious, light filled and decorated with rustic and understated elegance -- awaits us with chocolates, a bowl of oranges and a bottle of non-alcoholic bubbly. There’s a pair of flat panel televisions, one in the bedroom and one in the living room, each paired with a DVD player, and the front office holds a small library of movies on DVD. The surprisingly powerful Bose sound system is iPod-ready, and luckily I’ve brought mine on the trip.
A small bar hold snacks from local purveyors – olives, potato chips, salsa and tortilla chips – along with bottled water, soft drinks, ground coffee and a coffee maker, all complimentary. With all of that, the various media, an oversized stone fireplace and a canopy bed, we’re in good shape for the weekend.
Small touches show the hotel’s attention to detail, which really defines luxury: tiles in the bathroom floor are heated and the loofah, wrapped in terrycloth, has a strap making it easier to hold and use, and a sprig of fresh lavender has been tucked into the handle.
Toiletries are Aqua di Parma, costly Italian imports, so we pour bath salts into the oversized tub and light the half dozen votive candles for a fragrant, candlelit bath. The bed features luxury linens and impossibly plush and squishy oversized down pillows.
It’s too cool for the swimming pool on our visit, so we content ourselves with hikes up the trails behind the property. We walk for an hour or more, encountering just one or two other hikers and one small snake. And the view back down, over the hotel and out to the ocean, is breathtaking.
Early each evening, the hotel hosts a wine and cheese reception, behind the lobby, in the shadow of a 75 foot tall Banya Banya tree, a majestic, decades-old import from Bali. As the cottages are relatively far apart and free-standing, it feels like we have the property to ourselves. So we’re almost surprised to see a number of other guests exit their cottages and wander down to meet the general manager while sipping wines, local (Stolpman Meritage blend) and otherwise (Matanzas Creek Merlot), and snack on truffled cheese, brie, crackers, nuts and raisins.
San Ysidro Ranch is home to a pair of restaurants: the casual Plough & Angel and the more formal Stone House. The latter is a lovely, intimate space for a romantic dinner. Each table holds a profusion of fresh flowers no doubt plucked on the property, and soft jazz in the background, a fire in the oversized fireplace and flickering candles add to the atmosphere. House signature dishes include a bowl of assorted olives dusted with herbs, gazpacho consommé made with vegetables fresh from the garden, spicy tortilla soup laced with crunchy shards of tortilla chips and a variety of seafood and meat entrees. The wine list features big names from around the globe, but drink locally – try a pinot noir from Melville for a memorable experience.
When we return to our room late in the evening, we find that gourmet chocolate truffles have been delivered, and bottled water sits on a silver tray bedside. Just two more lovely little touches that make this stay memorable.
