El Capitan Canyon, Goleta

I came to this place not expecting much. Just wanted to try something different and get away from all the stress. My girlfriend and I took our 3 kids and stayed in a creekside double (cabin 147 I believe) I am now sitting here writing my first review EVER because we had the BEST time. My 2 and a half year old who is not a big talker was rambling on and on as we arrived home tonight. Telling my husband about everything we had done. It seems to me some of these people most people writing these reviews look insie the box not outside. EXAMPLE: In our daily lives we are in and out of the car, rush here, rush there, buckle up, unbuckle etc... If there were parking by the cabins I really do think it would have taken away the wonderful atmosphere and taken up too much space. You are allowed to pull your car up for unloading/loading purposes... anyway, I quickly realized how neat it was to have to walk to our car (I had forgotten something) because the kids had discovered so many cool things along the way. Things they can't experience at home. Big trees with "tunnels", rock hunting to make big splashes in the creek etc... the walk to the car ended up being one of my favorite memories. Yes, I get it you can pay 25.00 a night to stay down the street but you lose time setting up and breaking down your tent, blowing up air mattresses, ten times more laundry when you get home from all the pillowcases, blankets, sleeping bags etc.. You are paying to have a good size tent (or cabin in our case) beds, maid service etc...oh and side thought. If there were cars allowed you would be hearing cars up and down the road all day long instead of the running creek, frogs, birds and all the other wonderful noises. I was actually very close to cancelling our room at the fess parker in Santa Barbara knowing I would still have to pay for it and stay another night at El Capitan. I'm a huge traveler but not a big camper so I couldn't believe how swept off my feet I was. If you are trying to go for a romantic getaway maybe check to make sure they don't have a school group or something? Just a thought. The cabin was extremely clean, every staff member was smiling, friendly and loving to our kids. I guess they have a dinner you can order where they bring you tri tip, chicken and more, get your fire pit started, tell you how to cook it and know when it's done etc.. which we will for sure try next time! WE WILL BE BACK AND PROBABLY BECOME REGULARS!!!!

If you make reservations, especially under one of their "special deals" make sure there will be no changes. They require a 60 day cancellation policy. They are extremely unflexible with this and unwilling to make any concessions whatsoever.

We saw advertisements marketing this as a relaxing getaway so we booked our anniversary weekend and lined up some child care to take a mini vacation just the two of us. Disappointment ensued when we ended up amidst a large group that partied outside into the wee hours each and every night. The staff was unhelpful and did nothing to enforce their advertised quiet time and zero tolerance policy. Turns out they are 100% tolerant of noise all night long. The tents can be a long walk from the bathrooms and the entire area is infested with gophers or prairie dogs so it's pretty dusty with holes everywhere making nighttime bathroom trips a chore. Probably tents are kept further from the bathroom bldgs because they stink pretty bad too. The cabins and tents are all close together so you hear every conversation of your neighbors. We made the best of the first morning and went to hike some of the trails. The long trail (Bill Wallace) is hard to find and was overgrown and poorly maintained. The paradise trail was a little better but basically straight up and down which was ok with us but would be tough for people not in good shape. Overall, this place is a massive, packed summer camp. It's definitely not a romantic getaway. I'd recommend instead that couples looking for that find accommodations in Santa Barbara or the wine country. Families would save a lot of cash and have better beach access at Refugio State Beach. Overall El Cap doesn't follow through on its advertising/promises and for us was a major disappointment. Looking at TripAdvisor it looks like a lot of people had similar experiences to us.

My daughter, her 4 year old, and I stayed in one of the double creekside cabins for 2 days in May. It was heavenly to have the shower, toilet, microwave, and running hot/cold water inside the cabin for my granddaughter's first introduction to "camping." I really appreciated the "car free" policy, even though it is a bit of a hike to/from the parking lots. My suggestion would be for a alt fueled tram to help take folks back and forth, if possible. Positives were: cabins really do look like the brochures, and the beds are heavenly, spa tubs were wonderful. Falling asleep every night to a frog symphony was glorious and the stars popped out of the heavens. Firerings and picnic tables were large and sited well. Negatives: lots of kids running around yelling, screaming, and playing in the creek (even with the warnings about poison oak), some adults partied VERY hard and were inconsiderate of others, parking quite a distance away. But overall I will stay there again, and bring friends and relatives! Great location, wonderful amenities, and hopefully the next time we will be around people who are more considerate of their neighbors.

Likes: Nice trails - lots of areas for mountain biking and/or hiking. Close to everything yet a real camping experience, nice cabins. Dislikes: Terrible service @ front desk. Housekeeping came only after 3 calls!!!! Cabin not ready until 4:30 (check - in @ 3:00)! Too many children - cabins too close together - thus, very noisy. Very expensive for what it is - you're paying $225 extra for a private shower/toilet. State Park right next door is only about $25/nite!!!

Nestled in beautiful Santa Barbara, El Capitan Canyon is a wonderful resort for those looking for "glamorized" camping. You truly feel like you are secluded upon entering, but once you arrive in your room, you feel right at home. Our cabin was spotless and the perfect size(for a family of 5 at least). Cozy bunkbeds, as well as a loft with matresses. Nice kitchenette too! The heated pool was several yards away from our cabin. Each cabin had a firepit-which was perfect for s'mores making. Great stay overall. I wished my family and I could have stayed longer.

The deli was more than we expected. You could eat there your entire stay if you needed to and the food was pretty good. (Mostly salads, sandwiches, soup and pizzas. They also serve a decent breakfast selection.) It was always hustling with people buying meals and lattes and kids buying sodas and icecreams--they're busy so be patient, you're on vacation. On Saturday nights, they have a live band (which was very surprisingly really good) and BBQ. I'd recommend bringing lawn chairs, ice chest, and a blanket (the nights were quite cool while we were there). It was a lot of fun to sit back and watch the kids and the adults get their boogie on. During the second day, we decided to go horseback riding. It was basically the same as guided horseback riding is anywhere. But it was still nice and something to do. We visited their stables and saw a 5-day-old billy goat (so precious!), chickens, roosters, and of course horses. They mentioned possibly starting a petting zoo soon, I think I'd recommend visiting there to find out. Then we went back to our cabin and had an in-room massage. It was a very nice treat. We had "Terry" (male) and "Chris" (female) and we enjoyed our massages very much. We had them keep the cabin doors open so that we could hear the breeze and the flowing creek and also played some music on the laptop we brought. It was a defining moment of our vacation. By the way, we had cabin #276 (I think it was...) and Terry and Chris both said it was their favorite cabin (and we agreed). It was almost at the far end of the grounds, so it was further away from people, but that also meant it was quite a far walk to the store and parking lot. My only negative thoughts about the place was that some of the cabins and tents seemed close together and they looked like it would be noisy staying there. (Although certainly no more noisy than staying at an actual campground--it's easy to forget this is a campground with all the luxuries). A recommendation to El Capitan Canyon itself would be to have an adult only area that has a jacuzzi or something. And also to have organized events like resorts do (volleyball games, silly contests, etc.) for the kids and adults. The only other complaint could, I guess, be the car situation, but not really. It was very nice not to have a bunch of car traffic coming in and out at all hours. Also, with all the kids playing outside, it would be a bit dangerous to have the cars around. So I guess it's a fair trade-off. My only 'real' issue would be that if you enjoy the camp-like feel, then at the price of the rooms GO CAMPING! If you like to camp, but just aren't the outdoors type and you prefer modern day luxuries then THIS is the place for you! I had an absolutely great time and I'm glad we went to El Capitan, but I love to camp so next time, I think we'll just go camping.

My husband and I stayed in a Creekside King cabin over Memorial weekend. It was our first visit and also our 7 year anniversary. When we arrived our first impression was that the place was very nice and well-organized and felt like we were visiting a summer camp. After you check they ask you to drive your car to your cabin and then return your car to the parking lot and they will give a ride back to your cabin or you can walk. We never used the shuttle but heard you just have to call the front desk for pick up (or go to the front gate kiosk for return) and you don't usually have to wait very long. It was never even an issue for us, but I could see how some people might find the walk to be inconvenient and somewhat far. Inside the cabins themselves were great! Absolutely NO complaints (and I can be pretty picky). We had a jacuzzi tub (never used it), large shower, the room was well decorated, extremely clean (no ants!), they had full electricity, kitchenette w/microwave and mini-fridge, no tv (which was fine for us--we just brought a laptop to watch DVD's at night), it even had a cast iron gas stove heater. We also appreciated a good size wood porch (the cabins look just like the photo on the website) that had two folding chairs and a table as well as our "campsite" area that each have their own firepit and large picnic table. (FYI, the safari tents look very nice also. I would not hesitate to stay in one at all. They were quite impressive in fact. My only reason for choosing the cabin was that I seriously appreciated the bathroom.) Yes, they all had maid service. (The septic tank issue the previous reviewer brough up wasn't ever mentioned to us nor was it ever a problem. Although, when the doors and windows were shut for a long period of time, there was a fairly strong propane smell.) The campground seemed very well suited for family or especially multi-family vacations and that's what we seemed to see the most. It was alright for the two of us, but I could see how some people might not like having all the kids around. Fortunately, it wasn't a problem at all, but I could also see that if you had a large family staying next to your cabin your quiet time would be certainly interrupted. At the same time, I think alot of the kids were too busy at the pool or riding bikes. (Bikes are free on a first-come basis. We hadn't been on bikes probably in 10 years, but took a ride across the street (the 101 fwy really) to the beach and it was wonderful!)

The grounds are beautiful and peaceful. The location is perfectly situated with a mountain feel and the beach across the street. The cabins are tasteful and very comfortable. I look forward to going back! No complaints from me.