Review: Alisal Ranch for Families

An acorn woodpecker was calling as I got off Prettyboy, the palomino horse I rode to the cowboy breakfast at Alisal Ranch, a luxury dude ranch in California’s Santa Ynez Valley. 

It had been quite a ride. Our group spotted wild turkeys and numerous black-tailed deer, with the ranch's 100-acre lake serving as their backdrop. Brown cows grazed on a breakfast of dewy spring grass, rich with nutrients and dotted by orange poppies, yellow buttercups and purple shooting stars. And our wrangler shared fascinating wildlife encounters — including her sighting of a a red-tailed hawk carrying a rattlesnake and frequent glimpses of a lone black bear lurking beneath a baby eagle's nest for fallen scraps. 

A thriving ecosystem, as well as a working cattle ranch with some 1,500 cows, Alisal — which means “grove of sycamores” — sits on 10,500 acres and is full of its namesake trees along with valley and California live oaks whose branches are blanketed with yellow-green lace lichen.  

While I was visiting the ranch with my husband, two kids (ages 1 and 4) and our friends, I had left them all behind — peacefully asleep — to make it in time for the morning ride. They would take the hay wagon to breakfast 90 minutes later, which meant I was enjoying the stillest, most meditative morning I have had since my daughter was born.

Alisal’s Cowboy Breakfast

But, as every parent knows, the joys of childless freedom quickly give way to the even greater excitement of reuniting. Sipping my hot coffee around the campfire, I spotted the wagon making its way through the canopy of sycamores toward me, and ran to greet my family before I toured them around the on-site Adobe Camp — full of taxidermy and Old West furniture — and loaded up their plates with flapjacks, biscuits, eggs, quesadillas, fruit and pastries. 

Kids tried their hand at lassoing toy cattle, while a cowboy with an acoustic guitar sang Johnny Cash. Another man, who has worked at the ranch for more than 40 years, shared stories about Alisal’s history — which began as a guest ranch in 1946 but was used for raising cattle as early as the 1840s.

It was just one of the numerous special experiences our family and friends had together at Alisal.

No Shortage of Activities for Families

While I had a lovely stay at the property with just my husband seven years ago, it was in full bloom during this spring break visit. We were joined by numerous families just like ours — mostly from California — with kids of all ages, traveling in multigenerational or friend groups. We even ran into two families with kids in the same Los Angeles preschool as our daughter. But I also met a family from Atlanta who pointed out that they picked Alisal over other luxury dude ranches in Montana, Colorado and Wyoming because the weather in California is much better in the winter and spring.

We were all treated to a series of special dining events and a jam-packed activity schedule during our three-night visit — much of it included in the price of a stay here. The property offers horseback riding for all levels; a petting barn; tennis and pickleball; golfing on the resort’s course; yoga and treatments at the spa; nonstop arts and crafts at the kids’ club; archery, air rifles and axe throwing; and fishing, kayaking and pedal boating at the lake. There’s also a pool, a billiards room and a saloon we frequented for midday ice cream and smoothies.

Guestrooms

Alisal’s family and group focus is also clear in the layout of its 73 guestrooms. Our Superior Cottage, for example, was essentially a one-bedroom suite, but designed with families in mind. The living room featured a fireplace, a stocked minifridge, a sofa that could be converted into a queen-size bed, a half bath and even a bunk bed. 

The bedroom included a full bathroom and a king-size bed, as well as outdoor access via sliding doors to a patio that sat on the resort’s grand lawn. Our room — No. 22 — also had connecting access to our friends’ one-bedroom cottage next door, allowing us to “come over” or have privacy. 

Recently redone, rooms feature antique rugs, wrought-iron lamps and chandeliers, Saltillo floor tiles, vintage cowboy decor and repurposed textiles, resulting in a vibe that is stylish, Western, warm and unfussy. They’re also focused on old-fashioned togetherness, with no televisions or phones. 

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Food Is an Event

One night, we gathered at the hotel’s lawn for a seafood barbeque, also accompanied by live music, s’mores and room for the kids to roam. Another night, we dropped off our 4-year-old and her best friend at the Kids’ Club for dinner and a movie and headed to The Ranch Room restaurant with our friends and 1-year-old. 

Here, men are required to wear sportscoats, and the vibe is elegant, with piano playing, tasty cocktails, an expansive wine list (this is California wine country, after all) and entrees such as apple-cider-braised short rib with celery root puree and roasted carrots, and smoked cabbage with walnut bagna cauda and pesto. As for our son, he was embraced by servers and the pianist, who allowed him to play as many muted keys as he fancied.

My favorite dinner, though, was at the Wednesday night rodeo, where on-site wranglers began the evening with horse-and-bull antics, before inviting kids into the arena for old-fashioned games such as running with a stick horse and jumping in a barrel sack. 

Dinner, like all meals at Alisal, balanced hearty country fixings with coastal California flair. There was also line dancing, face painting and a magic show, which my daughter said was her favorite part of the whole trip, thanks in no small part to the snow cone she devoured while watching. 

As for me, I will always remember arriving from my breakfast ride back to the barn, where my daughter was newly saddled up. Her first corral lesson was about to start, and I had made it there just in time. From atop our horses, we excitedly spotted each other and waved, two cowgirls doing what they love — apart, but now together again.