Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort Reviews

Reviews

• Keely R. Sent on 08/25/2021
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  Simply the BEST

  Wow- I have such high gratitude for the Alisal and specifically for Rebecca. From the beginning, Rebecca bent over backwards to make this wedding happen for us. The Alisal has sentimental value for our family and Rebecca was able to creatively execute the wedding of our dreams on a budget. She treated us like VIP clients, made us feel part of the Alisal family, and was a trusted guide as we navigated the complexities of the Delta Variant. I have such high gratitude for her.
  Regarding the venue- it is amazing! Your guests will rave about the experience of attending a wedding at the Alisal. From the haywagon ride, to the beautiful Sycamore grove wedding and to the reception at the lake. This is an once in a lifetime wedding experience for your guests. Several guests commented on the amazing food (BBQ on the lake!) , the venue, the ambiance and the spectacular experience. Trust me- this will be the Best Night of your life having your event at the Alisal. I also highly recommend Jill LaFleur as your wedding planner for the event. The team of Rebecca and Jill are unstoppable and will create the wedding of your dreams!!

  Wow- I have such high gratitude for the Alisal and specifically for Rebecca. From the beginning, Rebecca bent over backwards to make this wedding happen for us. The Alisal has sentimental value for our family and Rebecca was able to creatively execute the wedding of our dreams on a budget. She treated us like VIP clients, made us feel part of the Alisal family, and was a trusted guide as we navigated the complexities of the Delta Variant. I have such high gratitude for her.
  Regarding the venue- it is amazing! Your guests will rave about the experience of attending a wedding at the Alisal. From the haywagon ride, to the beautiful Sycamore grove wedding and to the reception at the lake. This is an once in a lifetime wedding experience for your guests. Several guests commented on the amazing food (BBQ on the lake!) , the venue, the ambiance and the spectacular experience. Trust me- this will be the Best Night of your life having your event at the Alisal. I also highly recommend Jill LaFleur as your wedding planner for the event. The team of Rebecca and Jill are unstoppable and will create the wedding of your dreams!!
• Jenni Sent on 04/19/2019
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  Wow, just WOW!

  How do you ever thank a venue for hosting the wedding of your dreams?! Well, we will begin by coming back every year for our anniversary and making a family tradition! We worked with Rebecca from start to finish and she was the sweetest, most accommodating and patient person to work with. She answered my every question and was flexible in many aspects... all leading up to a fantastic day! Alisal Ranch speaks for itself and is a hidden gem.

  How do you ever thank a venue for hosting the wedding of your dreams?! Well, we will begin by coming back every year for our anniversary and making a family tradition! We worked with Rebecca from start to finish and she was the sweetest, most accommodating and patient person to work with. She answered my every question and was flexible in many aspects... all leading up to a fantastic day! Alisal Ranch speaks for itself and is a hidden gem.
• Tara Sent on 12/09/2011
  4.9 out of 5 rating

  4.9
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    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
  • Professionalism
    4.5 out of 5 rating
    4.5
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  The Alisal isn't usually a wedding venue, although they allow long time guests and people related to management to get married there. If you do get permission to have your wedding there, they are extremely eager to make your day exactly what you dream of, no matter what that means. They are very adaptable and open to any personalization that you want to do for your wedding. We had a Gatsby Garden Party wedding at their lake, complete with row boats, lawn games, and a band. It was an exceptional location to get married!

  The Alisal isn't usually a wedding venue, although they allow long time guests and people related to management to get married there. If you do get permission to have your wedding there, they are extremely eager to make your day exactly what you dream of, no matter what that means. They are very adaptable and open to any personalization that you want to do for your wedding. We had a Gatsby Garden Party wedding at their lake, complete with row boats, lawn games, and a band. It was an exceptional location to get married!
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• Sarah Sent on 09/14/2011
  4.8 out of 5 rating

  4.8
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  Our ceremony and reception at Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort was a magical one. We had a great time at our own wedding in a beautiful setting and all of our guests from all over the country (and other vendors) were impressed by the venue as well. Our ceremony was at the Guest Ranch sycamore lawn under big, beautiful trees and our reception was at/outside the Ranch Grill. We had plenty of great photo ops in various locations on the property that turned-out beautifully.
  Susan was helpful throughout the planning process and was fantastic at making sure everything went according to plan on the actual wedding day.

  Our ceremony and reception at Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort was a magical one. We had a great time at our own wedding in a beautiful setting and all of our guests from all over the country (and other vendors) were impressed by the venue as well. Our ceremony was at the Guest Ranch sycamore lawn under big, beautiful trees and our reception was at/outside the Ranch Grill. We had plenty of great photo ops in various locations on the property that turned-out beautifully.
  Susan was helpful throughout the planning process and was fantastic at making sure everything went according to plan on the actual wedding day.
• Ashley Sent on 10/04/2011
  4.5 out of 5 rating

  4.5
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    4.5 out of 5 rating
    4.5
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0

  The most beautiful site in the Santa Ynez Valley. The locations is always in pristine shape. The staff is wonderful. Susan Wells Gonzales is great to work with. The food is fantastic. Couldnt think of a more perfect spot for our wedding.

  The most beautiful site in the Santa Ynez Valley. The locations is always in pristine shape. The staff is wonderful. Susan Wells Gonzales is great to work with. The food is fantastic. Couldnt think of a more perfect spot for our wedding.
• Emily C. Sent on 06/03/2024
  2.8 out of 5 rating

  2.8
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    2.0 out of 5 rating
    2.0

  Cannot recommend

  I normally wouldn’t write something like this, but I’m left with such a feeling of regret that I can’t help but warn others, because I did not feel properly warned.
  
  This venue is at a top tier price point but their current point of contact for weddings is not good at her job. She could hardly answer any logistical questions, was very difficult to reach, and seemed put out by any kind of work required on her part.
  
  I ended up filing a formal complaint about her and requested to change point of contacts, but it was already too late so her supervisor was cc’d.
  
  Every opportunity she could use to nickel and dime us, she did. Her supervisor took off many of the charges.
  
  I don’t understand how she got the job, but unfortunately she tainted the experience.
  
  I wish we had chosen another venue. There was no sense of realistic expectation about what the wedding would be like. During our tour they showed us all around the beautiful property, but the drivers and staff were not clear about what would be available and when. I loved a particular ceremony spot and it was only available in the summer. This was not communicated in the tour (and, to really shove it our face, they had a family friend do a wedding there off season. Our point of contact lied about it and said it was a photo shoot when we could clearly see the pews and saw people dressed in formal attire.)
  
  Logistically, the place is not a huge wedding venue so you will need a build out. There are lots of hidden costs associated with this. I wish I had gone with another venue in the Santa Ynez Valley that seemed in more expensive upfront, but likely would cost the same anyways.
  
  The property itself is cbeautiful and I would recommend it to anyone for vacation.

  I normally wouldn’t write something like this, but I’m left with such a feeling of regret that I can’t help but warn others, because I did not feel properly warned.
  
  This venue is at a top tier price point but their current point of contact for weddings is not good at her job. She could hardly answer any logistical questions, was very difficult to reach, and seemed put out by any kind of work required on her part.
  
  I ended up filing a formal complaint about her and requested to change point of contacts, but it was already too late so her supervisor was cc’d.
  
  Every opportunity she could use to nickel and dime us, she did. Her supervisor took off many of the charges.
  
  I don’t understand how she got the job, but unfortunately she tainted the experience.
  
  I wish we had chosen another venue. There was no sense of realistic expectation about what the wedding would be like. During our tour they showed us all around the beautiful property, but the drivers and staff were not clear about what would be available and when. I loved a particular ceremony spot and it was only available in the summer. This was not communicated in the tour (and, to really shove it our face, they had a family friend do a wedding there off season. Our point of contact lied about it and said it was a photo shoot when we could clearly see the pews and saw people dressed in formal attire.)
  
  Logistically, the place is not a huge wedding venue so you will need a build out. There are lots of hidden costs associated with this. I wish I had gone with another venue in the Santa Ynez Valley that seemed in more expensive upfront, but likely would cost the same anyways.
  
  The property itself is cbeautiful and I would recommend it to anyone for vacation.
• Jennifer Sent on 10/02/2012
  1.5 out of 5 rating

  1.5
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    0.5 out of 5 rating
    0.5
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    0.5 out of 5 rating
    0.5
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    0.5 out of 5 rating
    0.5
  • Value
    4.5 out of 5 rating
    4.5
  • Flexibility
    1.5 out of 5 rating
    1.5

  We actually had the wedding at the Alisal River Course and Grill. The wedding was beautiful and much of it was due to the gorgeous venue and hard work of my other vendors. Alisal is an amazing location (which is why the value is so high) and we received many compliments on the location. With that said, it was quite a process to get to that date. When we first booked the venue, we had Susan Gonzales as our venue coordinator, and she was wonderful, prompt and easy to work with.
  
  Unfortunately for us, she left for a new opportunity. The two women (Maureen and Sherrie) who took over were horrible to us. My mom would email for updates and would receive (usually after at least the second email since she rarely responded to the first) rude emails back. We would show up for appointments and they would "forget" we had them or would assign an assistant to be there, without telling us she wasn't going to be there herself. She refused to give her work number to us and would never call back, only email (and again, that usually took a few of them in order for her to do so). The service from the two event coordinators (Maureen & Sherrie) was just terrible and it really made the planning process so challenging. Due to this service and despite the fact that the Alisal is a beautiful and unique venue, I cannot recommend this because I would not want to wish their unprofessionalism onto anyone.
  
  I do want to make a few positive comments about a few of the other people who work there. The Alisal did our food and our cupcakes. We had so many people come up to us and tell us it was the best wedding food they ever had. The menu Pascal (the executive chef) made was perfect, vast and able to satisfy a large amount of people with different tastes and dietary restrictions. The cupcakes were delicious and beautiful. Additionally, the catering manager at the River Grill knew what she was doing and was so helpful the day of. I wish we worked w/ her instead of Maureen and Sherrie.

  We actually had the wedding at the Alisal River Course and Grill. The wedding was beautiful and much of it was due to the gorgeous venue and hard work of my other vendors. Alisal is an amazing location (which is why the value is so high) and we received many compliments on the location. With that said, it was quite a process to get to that date. When we first booked the venue, we had Susan Gonzales as our venue coordinator, and she was wonderful, prompt and easy to work with.
  
  Unfortunately for us, she left for a new opportunity. The two women (Maureen and Sherrie) who took over were horrible to us. My mom would email for updates and would receive (usually after at least the second email since she rarely responded to the first) rude emails back. We would show up for appointments and they would "forget" we had them or would assign an assistant to be there, without telling us she wasn't going to be there herself. She refused to give her work number to us and would never call back, only email (and again, that usually took a few of them in order for her to do so). The service from the two event coordinators (Maureen & Sherrie) was just terrible and it really made the planning process so challenging. Due to this service and despite the fact that the Alisal is a beautiful and unique venue, I cannot recommend this because I would not want to wish their unprofessionalism onto anyone.
  
  I do want to make a few positive comments about a few of the other people who work there. The Alisal did our food and our cupcakes. We had so many people come up to us and tell us it was the best wedding food they ever had. The menu Pascal (the executive chef) made was perfect, vast and able to satisfy a large amount of people with different tastes and dietary restrictions. The cupcakes were delicious and beautiful. Additionally, the catering manager at the River Grill knew what she was doing and was so helpful the day of. I wish we worked w/ her instead of Maureen and Sherrie.

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