Bacara Resort Beach

Santa Barbara, California Print   Leave a comment

Description

Bacara Resort Beach is in a beautiful area. The hills are covered in strands of tall wonderful trees. You feel like you are far away from it all, surrounded by nature. Wildflowers abound. It's nice to walk the short hard-packed path from the beach access parking to the beach. Here you will find fancy resort restrooms and a few picnic areas amongst wildflowers and small palms. There isn't any shade.
Sometimes the beach has tons of sand and sometimes it consists only of huge pebbles which make a cool sound when the waves hit them, but make walking the beach impossible. Right now, July 2011, the beach is sandy.
To the west one looks toward the picturesque pier and dramatic white cliffs that catch the afternoon light. The resort looks like a Spanish village cascading down the hillside. An extremely steep (and slippery) path leads alongside the resort. Don't take it unless you have shoes with good grip because there's no handrail. There you can take in sweeping views of the beach and pier and find little wildflowers of all colors along the way.
A loop trail leads beside high impressive white cliffs to the east. This is a short though steep hike that even young kids can do. Little white-tailed bunny rabbits scoot by. Fishermen hang out on the pebbly beach below. An impressive strand of Monterey cypress line the tall cliffs. An estuary reaches far back into green hills. You walk uphill past the gas facility to a lookout with a great view, then back down to the picnic area.
Surfers enjoy the waves beside the pier at a spot called Haskells.
If you're hungry, drive to Anna's Bakery. which is in the Camino Real Shopping Center, east of the resort on Hollister Ave. The muffins there are so good! Kahuna Grill, near Anna's Bakery, is also really yummy, with hamburgers, kebobs, and salads. You can take your kids to the nice playground at Girsh Park or to the unique play equipment at Dinosaur Park.

Photo Gallery

The gardens near the Beach Access Parking- huge stripey cactus!	The trail, open to the public, that leads down to the beach.	The pavilion, with nice fancy bathrooms, at the public beach access.
Sunlight hitting the white cliffs on a September day in 2008.	Too bad there's no more sand.	The cliffs to the east of Bacara Resort Beach, upon which stand a long strand of Monterey Cypress trees.
The extra-steep trail that leads from the beach up alongside the hotel, where you get great views of the pier and beach below. Don't walk up it if your shoes are slippery because there's no handrail.	The resort is quite large, covering much of the hill.	Black-Eyed Susans and the pier in the distance, on a blissful winter's day.
Surfers enjoy the swell near the pier. This surf spot is called Haskells.	The trail that leads from the resort to the beach.

Directions

Bacara Resort Beach is located at 8301 Hollister Avenue, call (805) 968-0100.
Right now they are doing construction on the offramp so the directions keep changing. Use the Glen Annie/Storke exit instead. Then head toward the ocean. Turn right on Hollister Ave and follow it to the end. It leads into the hotel driveway- at least, in July 2011, it did. But things are changing with the construction.
Follow the hotel driveway for a while. Turn left after the sign that says "Beach Access Parking." There's a short hard-packed sand path to the beach.
The address is 8301 Hollister Avenue, call (805) 968-0100.

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Visitor Ratings

Overall Visitor Rating:

Dawn 11/05/2009 21:25	most wonderful - thanks...
Courtney 10/15/2009 13:41	the beaches in goleta have a very nice feel and plenty of room without the overcrowdedness of some other beaches. The water is not crystal clear and not warm at all, but still adequate. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were spotted there one year when I first moved to go to UCSB, so if it is good enough for them it is good enough for me.
Rich 10/01/2009 14:40	dawn patrolling at double overhead Haskells--with only 5 guys out!
Steve 09/19/2009 20:32	Great place Quiet peaceful and good place to surf.