52 Reviews
El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara|0.63km from A.C. Postel Rose Garde
We were really looking forward to experiencing a 4 night stay here and were sure it would be the highlight of our 3 week trip across the States to celebrate our anniversary . However we were left a little disappointed with a few aspects during our stay. We arrived a little earlier than guaranteed check in time and enjoyed relaxing in the bar and on the chairs overlooking Santa Barbara. However, we were not contacted after check in time and had to ask twice and so check in was later than expected. Our room was stunning though and worth the wait. Highlights were definitely the view, setting above Santa Barbara, the relaxed atmosphere and terrace for meals. However, it was mainly service that was disappointing for such a high end hotel. Breakfast was erratic. Day one was spot on, day two we had to ask for missing items, day three took over an hour and on our final morning it was twenty minutes before we managed to even get a drink let alone someone to take an order. The pool area is stunning visually, however, don’t take a bed near the pool room unless you want all the staff gossip, though it was entertaining! Plus it took over half an hour for a glass of fizz to arrive and when it did, it was luke warm - just not what you’d expect. We enjoyed dinner in the restaurant on our first night but the menu didn’t offer enough choice for us to dine there again. We didn’t manage to book the shuttle but ubers were easy to come by. I think perhaps if we’d have stayed one night, we’d have been more ‘wowwed’ and the cracks wouldn’t have been so apparent. For a leading hotel of the world a little polish and elbow grease is needed to be truly worthy of the title.
