- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
El Capitan Canyon
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
Sponsored Result
Nearby Bed & Breakfast
Santa Ynez Inn
- Location:
- Santa Ynez, CA
From the moment you enter the Santa Ynez Inn, you embrace a lifestyle of luxury, elegance and grace. With our Victorian charm,... more »
11 reviews for El Capitan Canyon
Short answer: If you have kids, this is a great, but kind of pricey, place to "camp" without roughing it.
Long answer: My boyfriend and I just got back from a last-minute overnight stay here. A cousin of mine who is single and in her sixties and likes to travel solo had stayed here before. She's a pretty "classy" woman, so I figured the place would be nice. I had also read about it in Sunset magazine and checked out the website a couple of times . . .
None of which prepared us for what we were greeted with. *Tons* of children zipping around on bicycles and on foot, a small cabin (canyon queen) that wasn't anything near "luxury"--a word thrown around quite often on the website and in the articles I've read about the resort. (To give you our perspective, we stayed in a garden cottage at L'Auberge at Sedona last year and were expecting something relatively similar since the price was only $100 difference). I would say that their use of the word "luxury" is in relation to "regular" camping, not in relation to accommodations in general.
The pictures on the website must've been of another category of cabin, because ours was tiny and spare in comparison. It was cozy and clean and had a loft and the bed and its linens were decent.
The place wasn't all bad:
- All the staff we interacted with were very friendly and helpful
- The hiking trails were nice and well-marked and we were given a map
- There was a barbecue and a concert by a rockabilly band. $18 a person for a plate of meat or grilled veggies (for vegetarians like moi), baked beans, salad, roasted corn on the cob, chips and salsa, a cookie and lemonade or water.
- The general market sold souvenirs, clothing and hot meals and coffee drinks. The prices were "resort high," (disappointing since this isn't really an upscale/adult place) but it was cool that they sold wine, bundles of wood and s'mores kits of different sizes (two people, etc.), all of which we enjoyed last night around our cabin's firepit (we skipped the concert and the crowds; our cabin was the first one on the trail, so we could hear the music nice and loud anyway)
- The resort loans out kids' and adult bicycles
- It was only two hours from home
We agreed that we probably won't go back and instead will try to find someplace that's more geared toward adults and where the price actually matches what you get, but that we'll definitely recommend it to our friends who have kids.
After reading about El Capitan Canyon in Sunset magazine, I was inspired to arrange a family camping trip up to the Santa Barbara/Goleta coast. El Capitan Canyon's website was inviting, as the array of images gave me the sense that this was an ideal family camping experience.
The photographs of the safari tents and cabins, glimmering with twilight and trees, enticed my weary soul. Fantasies of family camping bliss filled my thoughts: my smiling children snuggled up in sleeping bags, outside with s'mores and lanterns, while we all enjoy the fresh outdoor air.
We booked their "Family Picnic Package" in advance:
"Take a couple nights away from the heat of an urban summer and escape to the great outdoors with your loved ones. This never before offered summer package includes a two-night stay in the accommodation of your choice. Take the time to reconnect and cool off with your family at our newly renovated solar heated swimming pool, enjoy a family picnic surrounded by the beauty of the Canyon's natural setting, and roast marshmallows together around your private campfire under the starlit sky."
We arrived at El Capitan Canyon at 11am. But check-in wasn't until 4pm. In my excitement, I overlooked this. It was a chilly day, marine layer cooling the coast, so the beach was not an option. The kiosk attendant mentioned Solvang for the day (***see my reviews of Solvang).
We returned at 4pm. I went into the front desk's quaint foyer. I forgot my checkbook. I cancelled my bank card due to suspicious charges. My new card had not yet arrived. Since I had already pre-paid for the Family Package in full, I did not expect this to be a problem.
Well, it was a slight problem. They needed to "imprint my card", and then they told me (in a whisper) it was declined. I had already explained that it would decline, as I had cancelled it. You can charge additional items in the Canyon market/deli to your "cabin" (things like s'mores kits, BBQ kits). The front desk assistant waived the $20/night fee for any "wear and tear". This is "Glamping" after all (Glamour Camping). Really. We could have stayed on the beach in Laguna for the cost of this camping trip.
I was not prepared when it came to our first camping BBQ by our own firepit. There was a desperate need to eat. I thought we were offered a BBQ Kit as part of the Package, but I was mistaken again. It was only a S'mores Kit. We would have to purchase the BBQ Kit if there was going to be any substantial dinner that evening, a.k.a, "real food" not "packaged food". At that point, I was cross-eyed with hunger, blurry-brained and drooling.
Our cabin was two cabins away from the pool and the children's playground. The kids ran over to the play area. My husband and I growled at each other about dinner. He said he would make curry rice. I snapped that I wanted "real food" not packaged MSG laden garbage. I stormed off to the Canyon Deli and ordered an expensive BBQ Kit ($60), a fruit bar, a protein drink, and a quart of milk for the baby.
We got the fire going. The food had arrived from the deli (cabin delivery service). We made the burgers, regular + veggie, baked beans, garlic bread, and salad. I also bought a bottle of wine in the Canyon Market. I was becoming quite dependent on the Deli so far.
What we did not expect: the bees. Constant bees swooping down for your food, water, and just because.
The s'mores were a big hit.
We walked to the Canyon Deli for breakfast. I had the BEST breakfast burrito of my life that morning.
The day was clouded with marine layer. We swam mid-afternoon. Then we walked, enjoyed the playground. My 9 year old boy is 5 feet tall, so we tried to bike together (you can borrow the bikes). Back at the playground, the kids loved the tire swings. That evening, we walked to the (guess where?) Canyon Deli for dinner. We had pizza, sweet potato fries, chips and guacamole. I bought yet another bottle of wine. It was lovely to walk with all together in the night air, along the path.
GOOD POINTS:
*beautiful scenery
*clean cabins + maid service
*the best breakfast burritos
MEH POINTS:
*the "chai latte" was packaged instant powdered stuff
BAD POINTS:
*the gravel road is dangerous--my 4 year old daughter fell twice + cheese grated her knees badly
*the "up sell" of many other extras
*did I mention the swarms of bees?
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
8/8/2009
We are set for our vacation in the next week, and this is where we will be. I was excited to… Read more »
Okay, I'm not a camping buff by any means but loved this experience. We opted for the Canyon Loft with 2 small kids under 10. On the first day we spotted a family of deer coming to eat wild tender greens on the hill right outside our bedroom window near sunset. We also observed California quail and chipmunks, multiple lizards not far from our front stoop.
The loft experience for the kids was fun and they made the place into their home away from home complete with a small bookshelf. The cross-ventilation (2 windows) in the loft was perfect for summer weather where it got hot in the afternoon.
The hiking trails afforded spectacular views of the ocean and neighboring canyon. The marketplace was not well-stocked but Santa Barbara is not far away so we stocked up on staples there. Having a fridge and microwave made it "glamorous" to stay in a cabin and we got creative with our meals.
Definitely plan to "breathe" and "read" and connect wth nature. I appreciated being unhooked. Although, we used the GPS on my husband's blackberry to locate ourselves when on the trail and later when driving to the horseback riding ranch.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
I held off on my review of El Capitan until my 2nd stay. I had had an issue on my first visit, wrote their general manager and she had very generously offered us another couple nights. It took almost a year for me to make it back but the 2nd visit was WOW. I loved our cabin, the fall leaves on the ground, the solitude, the quiet walk from the parking area and my stay here. What I loved even more was the way they run this 'campground' and the fact that when approached about a negative stay - they were willing to make it right. This is a great place to go as a couple and enjoy the privacy and solitude. You can see the stars at night, hear the ocean waves, wake up to birds chirping and enjoy life.
This place is great for those of us who are not big on camping, but like the outdoors. Depending upon your desire, or camping level you can get a cabin or tent. The cabins have a jacuzzi bath, shower, microwave, sink, phone, and nice bed. Whereas the tent pretty much has a bed and phone (and community showers). So depending on your "camping" level, you shoud be pretty well covered.
Every site has its own firepit in which you can cook your food upon (make sure you bring cooking utensils, pots, pans). My wife and I go try to go there on our anniversary, and have a day where we go to golletta and los olivos for wine tasting (about 30 mile drive). There are numerous hiking trails in the area. It is however a little pricey, but its definetly worth the visit.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
They call it "glamping" or glamorous camping. I'll go with that. After all, the cabins are pretty plush.
I stayed in a "Canyon King" cabin both times I came here for a company meeting. The Canyon King features a comfy King size bed, a convertible single bed chair, table, kitchenette and bathroom with jetted tub. No TV.
I need to mention there is no TV because the first time I came here, the silence was an interesting thing for me. I laid there in my pitch black cabin alone, hearing owls hooting and the typical camping noises. For the first time, I realized I watch way too many horror movies. I started imagining everything from psycho killers to warewolves. Yeah, I let my imagination get a little carried away.
Imagination aside, once I got used to the silence, it was pure bliss.
The rest of the grounds are pretty rustic. Meetings are conducted in yurts, or small, rounded tents, and also larger tented areas. However, there is also a pool, playground and ropes course. Campers can borrow bikes and go on a variety of hikes, including one to the organic farm and llamas.
Speaking of the organic farm, the food at the El Capitan Marketplace as well as the catered food are surprisingly delicious. The food is made with fruits and vegetables from the local organic farm.
The Marketplace also features a variety of high end candles, clothes made from organic cotton, jewelry, local wines, "must need" items and food and s'mores kits. The s'mores kits were the best. Before my "glamping" experience, I hadn't made real s'mores since I was a kid.
There is also cabin service. BBQ kits can be ordered from the comfort of the cabin. We ordered a tri-tip kit for four. It came with a pre-seasoned tri-tip that looked large enough to feed a lion, a huge tin of baked beans, garlic bread, a very large salad and a s'mores kit. We cooked it on our fire ring outside the cabin. The whole experience reinforced the "glamping" image.
So, after all that, you may be asking why I gave El Capitan Canyon four stars and not five. It comes down to one thing: service. While most of the people I dealt with were wonderful, there were several rude people who were not helpful at all. Additionally, planning a large scale meeting there was challenging. The staff was fairly disorganized and typically unresponsive before the meeting. That said, when you work in a corporate world, it is difficult to understand the laid back attitude of most people in Santa Barbara. Maybe there is something for us to learn there.
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (5)
I'm not going to lie about this, but I actually have fun coming here on a rainy day on a boring New Year's eve.
We had a company retreat here where we rented a "lux" cabin with bunk beds and a bathroom on every cabin. We didn't roughed it as we actually have electricity and have laptops with us. The only bummer part was that there wasn't any wireless internet access and the phone signal wasn't that great.
Let's put it nicely, there is room service for your cabins. You are definitely not roughing it by any stretch of imagination. The pricing our company paid is actually reasonable rate as I had remembered. You might need to also check out their "living tent". There is a picture of it on the profile picture album which sounds cool, but it would be freezing at night so I don't know if it's worth it.
The highlight of the trip was supposed to be a donkey ride. Unfortunately since it rained on a previous day and we thought it was dangerous to ride the donkey on a muddy path, we decided to forgo the riding experience.
Instead, our highlight was when we had a drunken pitfire reanactment of Battle of Little Big Horn. Somehow, it just doesn't looked good, but when you are having a jolly old time in a front of a fire pit with something to drink. Hey...anything goes!
The idea of having this kind of cabin retreat was that it is secluded from Santa Barbara and Goleta. There is a lot of walking area among the forest and trees. However, you can hike to the El Capitan State Park where it's next to a beautiful beach when you get there. It's almost like Big Sur, but it's much smaller in terms of areas to explore.
For two days of nature and outdoor fun, I can hacked it. Anything beyond two days is just too much because there is just nothing out here except to bond with your close ones.
Bonding is the name of the game here when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere. If that is what you wanted and needed, then this would be a cool and yet doable way to be the outdoor sportsmen.
Just don't expect to communicate with the outside world.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
My boyfriend and I did a post-Valentines day weekend here, using the grounds as a budget-friendly base for wine tasting in nearby Santa Ynez and Solvang vineyards. However, the campground itself is beautiful and has much to offer in its own right. El Capitan Beach is a stones throw from the campground's entrance and does not disappoint as one of the cleanest, most pleasant of California beaches.
Our "safari tent" smelled wonderful. The furnishings were classy and comfortable, the provided space heater helped mitigate the evening chill, and the tent-side firewood delivery service allowed us to enjoy our wine around the fire for hours without interruption.
The main camp store / cafe is equally charming. Clothing for sale tends toward the yoga minded, and an impressive selection of local wines are available for purchase. We had one sandwich "dinner" and one breakfast in the cafe. Reasonable prices and the use of fresh produce (see pictures of the onsite organic farm) made for simple but delicious dining. We also bought a block of brie from the deli case to take back to the tent.
We paid $125 a night - hefty if you compare it to a campsite, mild if you compare it to hotels in the area. The weekend we visited, local Motel 6's were running at about the same rate. Staying in the Safari Tent was by FAR the preferable experience, even if we did have to walk to the showers. By the way - the complimentary shampoos and soaps you'll find on arrival in your tent are fabulous.
Unfortunately we didn't have time to check out the heated pool - which looked lovely - or rent bikes to explore the area. We've already vowed to come back for more.
My only reservations were with how close together some of the tents and cabins seemed to be. As a couple in their mid-to-later side of twentysomething, we're not likely to be in bed by 9. Camping in tight quarters can feel inhibiting if you're surrounded by families with young children or older folks who don't want your campfire chatter keeping them up after dark. We were lucky to have landed in a spot where we could reasonably enjoy our wine and fire til midnight without having to tiptoe around. I'd recommend asking to be placed away from other folks if you share the same concern.
One last note - there is no smoking permitted anywhere on the campgrounds. Luckily my beau and I quit as our new years resolution, but I can imagine what a nightmare that would have made our stay six months ago. I definitely think a no-smoking policy is a good one, but beware it could the smokers among you miserable - its no short walk off the premises.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
I ended up here because of a weekend retreat with my husband for work, and I think that it was utterly refreshing. Granted, I do not feel that we were placed in the most spacious room, but as far as getting away from Los Angeles for the weekend it was definitely accomplished. There are differently accommodations: canvas tents, small cabins, larger cabins, and even more spacious cabins. We were in the "small cabin," but it was still an escape from the busy, city experience of Los Angeles.
You arrive situated in a canyon just off the Santa Barbara coast with the beach within walking distance. If you don't enjoy the beach, there is a pool, and if you don't enjoy the water then there are hikes that you can go on. Plus, if you leave your drivers license with the front you can borrow bikes to adventure around the area. Be sure to take water to stay hydrated. The food is decent, and if you are going on a retreat there are separate yurts to hold meetings. There is a little cafe/restaurant to get alcohol and campfire supplies for smores. It was a really great escape to enjoy the nature and escape from Los Angeles.
Check it out if you get the chance.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
ahh camping.....
i have been trying to get my wife to go camping with me forever...
her version of camping is being set up in a nice hotel in the woods.
we found a sunset magazine way back in march or april that showed these tents with beds and electricity... i thought it looked awesome... my wife feigned semi-boredom and that was that.
so imagine my surprise when, for my 30th birthday, my wife gave me the amazing gift of a weekend with our friends "camping" at el capitan canyon...one of the featured campsites on sunset magazine. (yes. i know we are dorks.)
i was sooo excited. we stocked up on camping gear...picked up our compadres and headed up to goleta (just past santa barbara) in mid september.
el capitan canyon is set in a beautiful canyon minutes from el capitan beach.
1. do NOT believe them when they tell you it's a 10 minute walk to the beach... try 35 min....
2. our tents were very nice... 2 double beds, down comforters, lots of pillows... a coat rack... electricity... free mini soaps, shampoo, conditioners, lotions... it was excellent.
3. being the weekend after labor day, i thought it might be kind of quiet... but it certainly was not. there were millions of families with their billions of children. nice for the children... but not so nice for the ol' 27-30 year olds with no children who were looking forward to sleeping in. alas, i remember camping when i was a kid and i woke up bright and early at 6:30 am every day. you can't blame 'em. but if we go back again, i definitely would like to go during the week (during the school year) when i am guessing it's more quiet.
4. our fire pit kicked ass.... we cooked over it pretty much the whole time.
5. the barbeque kit is quite a deal... you get 8 burgers (we're veggies so we got the veggie burgers... delish)...and 8 buns... i have no idea how 4 people eat 8 veggie burgers... so we had some left over... plenty of lettuce, onions, pickles, tomatoes, condiments.... etc. a huge tin of baked beans. a huge tin of salad... good lettuce... fresh organic greens, carrots, etc. and the ranch dressing that came with it was really good. they also include utensils and best of all.... a s'mores kit... complete with a huge bag of marshmallows, hershey's chocolate bars, and a box of graham crackers. this is quite the steal and i highly recommend it.
6. on saturday nights (at least during the summer) they have a huge barbeque and there's entertainment. we were quite wiped from a day of excercise, sun, and drinking (strange combo but true)... and thought it might be a big family fest... so we ordered our barbeque kit and stayed at our campsite. best idea we had the entire time. while everyone else was at the big barbeque, we napped and rested up for our last night of fun.
7. if you've been camping before, you know that bathrooms at campsites generally suck. these bathrooms were very nice (in comparison) and they weren't far from our tent.
8. there are a LOT of white people who come here. i would say 99% of the people were white... i'm white but i've lived in los angeles forever and i crave diversity... needless to say, it was a very strange and surreal experience.
9. there's a ropes course that is usually free during the summer (i think) and very expensive during other times of the year. it looks rinky dink and you couldn't pay me to go on it.
10. all that being said, i would definitely go back. my friends and i had a super time and if you can't convince your S.O. to go camping... perhaps he or she might consider this place. it's awesome.
I have to say when I arrived at the "campsite" I had one of those "this is it?" moments. Then we went to our cabin and then I thought....300 bucks for this???!!! I will definately not be going back there. I guess I'm not enough of a nature girl for this place. If im paying that kind of money for a hotel room I rather it be at the Inn of the Spanish Garden! I love that place!
