If you’ve ever visited a resort, you would know that customer service isn’t an option, it’s a requirement. During the Labor Day weekend, my boyfriend made accommodations at Bacara Resort. Nestled away in Goleta, California, about 20 miles north of Santa Barbara, the exit for the resort was a bit difficult to find – but that was only due to the freeway construction. When we drove over cobble stoned pavement up to the entrance of the resort, we felt somewhat out of place with our Ford rental car. Lined against the inside walls were Range Rovers of every year and color and a combination of foreign luxury cars – BMW’s, Mercedes and Porsches. We approached the valet attendant and he politely asked for our last name as he directed us to the lobby registration. The sense of feeling out of place was quickly erased when the front desk receptionist sincerely helped us check in. Not only was she personable, but kind and incredibly helpful with information about the resort. Since our room wasn’t quite ready, we decided to explore the resort and look for the pool. Walking around the maze of the resort, we finally found the two saline water swimming pools. To our dismay, it was loud with screaming kids, so we decided to grab lunch at the nearby Bistro. We walked through an empty foyer where a hostess finally met us and in a cold tone of voice asked if we were joining them for lunch. After asking to sit outside, she courtly guided us to our table. Luckily our waiter Ricardo entertained us during our lunch with his silly humor. The service at the Bistro was oddly slow, we had to ask for water refills and for the check – but everyone was incredibly pleasant. After lunch, we returned to the front lobby where they had our luggage packed onto a luggage cart and we had a “driver” escort us (and our luggage) to our room. The whole stay was truly amazing – not only was the resort beautiful with close access to the beach, but the landscaping of the greens were also well maintained. From the bartender to the waitress to the valet service – every time we thanked a resort worker, they always replied, “my pleasure”. It’s places like this that will always do well – they understand the importance of treating the guest with the best service. I would highly recommend this resort time and time again.
