Restoring El Roblar

Established in 1919, Hotel El Roblar is Ojai’s longest-standing hotel. Just over a century later, Eric Goode, Ramin Shamshiri, Warner Ebbink, and Jeremy McBride have restored the two-acre property to its original charm and namesake. True to its Spanish Revival and early Californian architectural roots, Hotel El Roblar blends historic design with a modern sensibility.

Nestled in the heart of Ojai, the 50-room hotel features two distinct dining venues helmed by Chef Brandon Boudet, both with outdoor patio seating.

Bar and row of leather stools in the Condor Bar at Hotel El Roblar

Condor Bar

Condor Bar is centered around California cuisine and Santa Maria-style wood-fire cooking, with a menu shaped by local farms, regional purveyors, and coastal seafood. The bar features California wines, agave spirits, and seasonal cocktails.

The room is dedicated to the California Condor, with walls displaying everything from National Geographic covers and Argentine banknotes to bird skulls mounted in shadowboxes. The condor reflects the hotel’s sense of place and its connection to local history and native wildlife. Once numbering fewer than two dozen in the wild, the California condor is now slowly recovering, with the nearby Sespe Condor Sanctuary playing an important role in ongoing recovery efforts.

La Cocina is a nod to a rustic 1930s California ranch, with a garden-facing dining patio and hanging lights made from old metal drums.

Hotel El Roblar lobby area with two leather couches and a fireplace

The Lobby

The lobby features a mural that wraps around the room, depicting Ojai’s cultural and natural history, including the Chumash, the valley’s original inhabitants, and the legends of Ojai; Edward Drummond Libbey, Beatrice Wood, and Jiddu Krishnamurti. Native wildlife also inhabits the mural, including condors, bighorn sheep, great horned owls, and kingsnakes.

Just off the lobby is The Snug Bar, an intimate, romantic, old-world bar.

Additional spaces include The Mariposa Ballroom, a historic event space featuring an extensive hand-carved wall relief depicting the agricultural roots and natural wonders of Ojai. The ballroom can host events of up to 150 guests.

Pool with flowers and palm trees

Garden & Pool

Outside, a lush Spanish walled garden features ponytail and Canary Island palms, dragon trees, fountains, and vibrant potted plants overflowing with color.

A serene pool is set against the backdrop of the scenic Topatopa Mountains.

Guest rooms are divided among the Main House, with 31 rooms, many with spacious garden terraces; 11 private bungalows with garden patios; and the newly added Sycamore House, offering 8 cabin style board-and-batten rooms.

Two giant tortoises

Abra & Cadabra

Hotel El Roblar is also home to Abra and Cadabra, two female Aldabra Giant Tortoises visiting from the Turtle Conservancy. Native to the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean, they are endangered, vegetarian, and can live more than 150 years.

Abra and Cadabra are both around 20 years old and weigh more than 160 pounds each. Guests interested may book a private tour of the Turtle Conservancy or inquire at the front desk.