SANTA YNEZ, CA—It’s location in the heart of sleepy Buellton is central to the delightful wineries of Foxen Canyon, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez Valley, and the Lompoc “Wine Ghetto”. The congenial staff is anything but snippy and arrogant. On the contrary, the front desk stewards are kind and thoughtful and the restaurant staff have made great strides of late in customer service. At least, this has been my experience at the Santa Ynez Marriott and I’ve experienced this comfortable and nostalgic hotel for many years.

The scenery around the property is for now pastoral. But a large billboard (not pictured) looms ominously just across the street. It blights the vacant lot in which it was placed foretelling a large development planned for future years.

At the main entrance, an older gentleman is usually standing sentry ready to greet visitors, help with luggage and/or open the glass doors for guests. His movements are slow; his demeanor is soothing.

Okay. Let’s get to the good stuff. You know how great the Marriott beds are, right? Well, they’ve got them here too. I sleep SO well on these beds. The rooms are spacious and, though to some they might be slightly out of style, to me it’s like coming home. Usually, there’s a little wet bar in the rooms too and a small refrigerator.

Good towels. Nice bathrooms. My photos don’t do the bathroom justice.

Not just a shower — but a shower massager! I’ve never been a big fan of these but to some this will do the trick after a hearty day of wine tasting.

I like the pool here as well. It was built at a time when folks understood the need to flail and spread out in the water. It’s a good size. Many modern hotels now have tiny kidney shape pools with a capacity of maybe 5 people. (Please… why bother!)

In addition to all the above mentioned items…

A very nice morning breakfast spread is available. Fresh fruit, yogurt, breads, fresh oatmeal, Starbucks coffee, and an omelette station will make sure guests start the day off right.

This has been my breakfast table more times than I can remember. For confirmation, you can find my used chewing gum just beneath the right hand corner. I hope to refresh it in September upon my next visit.