Dreaming of San Ysidro Ranch
Santa Barbara, California is one of the state’s most beautiful cities, and one of my favorite places to visit.
This time last year we were lucky to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary with dinner at Santa Barbara’s iconic San Ysidro Ranch.
The grounds
The “ranch” is a 5⭐️ luxury resort hotel, nestled in the foothills of Montecito, California. It was named the number one hotel in America by Fodors Traveler. Over the years, San Ysidro Ranch has hosted countless celebrities including honeymooners John and Jackie Kennedy, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the wedding of Gwyneth Paltrow to singer Chris Martin.
41 individually decorated cottages and hideaways make up the accommodation portion of the ranch. Theses are accessible via meandering garden paths and each has a view of the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands in the distance.
San Ysidro Ranch got it’s start as a rest stop for Franciscan monks travelling El Camino Real (the king’s road) in the late 1700’s. By the 1800’s the land had been converted into a citrus farm with nearly a half million pieces of fruit harvested annually. In the 1890, the ranch’s owners welcome the first overnight guests to the property thus launching San Ysidro’s conversion to a guest house. Today the resort is owned by Ty Warner, the man behind the beanie babies craze.
The grounds are still dotted with citrus trees along with a kitchen garden and ornamental gardens.
One of the many roses found at San Ysidro Ranch.
Wild bunnies make their homes throughout San Ysidro’s gardens.
The Stonehouse
San Ysidro Ranch is home to two restaurants. Our dinner reservations were for the Stonehouse which is the fancier of the two options. The restaurant is located within the former sandstone fruit packing house which was constructed in 1889.
Side view of The Stonehouse.
Approaching the Stonehouse from the front.
Everything about the venue was beautiful. From the setting, to service, to the food and view I have never dined anywhere else so special. It was the perfect spot for a memorable night out.
The lobby.
We sat outdoors underneath a fairy light covered awning next to this big stone fireplace. You could watch the sun set over the ocean in the distance.
The menu looked like a piece of art.
Hundreds of white fairy lights overhead.
The chargers at each place setting.
Some places bring bread to start, the Stonehouse provides an assortment of stuffed olives and radishes.
Then it was time for wine for eveyone!
Butternut squash soup for me... hubs had the most beautiful salad. I don’t have a photo and I have never seen such a pretty salad!
Tableside flambé!
Flambé results.... delicious steak!
The vibe got more romantic as the sun set.
This photo was lifted from the San Ysidro Ranch website. It captures how stunning the restaurant way more than any of my photos. PHOTO CRED:
Lemon tart for dessert. Gorgeous presentation, yummy in my mouth. ☺️ 🍋 💛
Happy campers.
Goodnight Stonehouse!
Goodnight San Ysidro Ranch!
For More Information: San Ysidro Ranch
Now for the sad news.
The hotel has been closed since December, 2017.
😰
In December 2017 the Thomas Fire began just outside of Ventura, California. In the coming days the fire would rush north toward Santa Barbara. At the time it was the largest fire in California’s history. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and lives were lost. The fire was not fully contained until January 12, 2018
San Ysidro Ranch was evacuated ahead of the conflagration. Though the fire burned to within feet of the property, the ranch was saved. Sadly, the fire was not the last disaster headed their way.
On January, 8th 2018 a winter storm moved into the area dumping a huge amount of rain. On January 9th, the deforestation caused by the Thomas Fire combined with soil saturation from the rain triggered a massive slide, sending a 15 foot wall of mud and boulders careening through Montecito. 21 people perished in the slides and over 100 homes were destroyed.
San Ysidro Ranch was also devastated.
Fortunately guests and staff had been evacuated prior to the slide. While much of the property was destroyed some areas were salvageable and restoration efforts have begun. It is hoped the restaurants will reopen this November.
To see news articles related to the mudslides click:
HERE
HERE
HERE
HERE
For information on restoration efforts, visit San Ysidro Ranch’s Instagram HERE
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@dfinney maybe you will have a Christmas Present and it will be Open for you again..............Christmas ?? I wonder why I mentioned Christmas tonight ?? It's only September, Oh I know why Silver and Gold.
That snowman knows where it’s at.
☺️
OMG! What a sad story! It's heartbreaking to see such a tragedy.
So shocking. This area is a place my husband and I visit most years, so to see all of these spots we had just visited (besides the ranch) totally destroyed was terrible. Not to mention the loss of people and animals. We haven’t been back this year but I am interested to see how the community is rebuilding itself and how it will weather the coming winter.
It's always heartbreaking to see all those lives destroyed and the work of many lifetimes gone!
My smile disappeared when I got to the end. What a story. I was in Santa Barbara in 2000. Ladies jogging o the beach early morning, salad bars and healthy stuff all around I remember.
I love it there. It is so cute with it’s Spanish architecture and your right, lots of healthy people. It is a beautiful coastal town.