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It shouldn’t, however, have come as a complete surprise. After all, Sir
Winston Churchill – who knew a little about the high life – stayed here.
John Houston worked on and apparently finished his script for “The African
Queen” at the ranch; Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier were married here,
and newlyweds Jack and Jacqueline Kennedy honeymooned at the ranch in
the now-fabled and highly requested 1800-sq-ft “Kennedy Cottage.”
Nevertheless, “It’s a terrific honor,” says
Seamus McManus
,
Managing Director of San Ysidro Ranch since September 2007, as we step
outside. “Particularly for our employees,” he adds, “many of whom have
been here twenty, twenty-five, and in some cases thirty years.”
We continue our conversation while sipping lemonade on a patio
outside the registration cabin looking north to Montecito Peak and the
back country chaparral that interfaces seamlessly with the manicured
wildness of the ranch’s 500 acres.
high level of service, a high level of privacy, and a setting and environment
unequaled anywhere.
“In this business, however,” he concludes, “every day is a new day.
Yesterday’s accolades are wonderful, but they were for yesterday. It’s today
and tomorrow that really matters.”
For those wishing to make a reservation at San Ysidro Ranch (805-
565-1724), two weeks ahead is probably sufficient, and you should know
that the ranch is busier on weekends than on weekdays.
Demand is slightly higher from April to October. Prices range from
$685 a night in some of the “ranch rooms,” upwards to $3,500 for one
night in the Kennedy Cottage or Warner Suite. Pets are accommodated,
and views are either ocean or mountain and equally desirable.
Most of the credit, he says, for the ranch’s newfound prominence
must go to Beanie Babies creator
Ty Warner
, who has owned the hotel
property since 2000.
Nearly $150 million was spent on the purchase and renovation of San
Ysidro Ranch, but “it was more than money. Money can be misspent,” he
says, “but [Warner] was very diligent in the execution of his vision. He
was involved in every small detail. He took it on as a personal journey.”
When asked to give two things he thought may have solidified San
Ysidro Ranch’s position as America’s best hotel, McManus offered three: a
spr ing
|
summer
85
Every cabin at San Ysidro Ranch has its own
private patio; Managing Director Seamus
McManus (right) says the secret to the 41-room
hotel’s success is threefold: service, privacy,
and setting
The two restaurants at San Ysidro Ranch – The Stone House and Plow & Angel (in photo)
– are served from the same kitchen and feature organic fruits and vegetables from the
ranch’s garden, along with local seafood, meat, and Santa Barbara County wines
“To go back to 1893,” McManus continues in a cultured Irish brogue,
“when it became a small resort – it had only three rooms back then – and
then go forward a hundred and sixteen years later to get this kind of
recognition...” he shakes his head and smiles with measured satisfaction.