The Ballard Inn is the Santa Ynez Valley's quiet retreat: a fifteen-room country inn at 2436 Baseline Avenue in Ballard, a tiny hamlet of ranches, oaks and a historic schoolhouse tucked between Solvang, Los Olivos and Santa Ynez. Now part of the Kirkwood Collection of boutique hotels, it has been recently refurbished with what the owners call classic eclectic charm, keeping the inn's wraparound porch, intimate common spaces and individually designed rooms while freshening the finishes. Room types include fireplace and balcony rooms, corner and carriage-house kings and an accessible room, and many have fireplaces that make cool valley nights feel cozy. Breakfast is served daily from 8am to 10am and features a hot entrée made from local ingredients, plus fruit, yogurt, granola, pastry and coffee, so you start each tasting day properly fed. The setting is the point. Ballard sits in Ballard Canyon country, known for its Syrah, and you are minutes by car from Los Olivos's walkable tasting rooms and restaurants, Solvang's bakeries and Santa Ynez's main street, yet the inn itself is surrounded by stillness and starry skies. Packages and seasonal offers are available, and the inn hosts small events and room blocks. With only fifteen rooms it books up on weekends, so reserve early. For couples seeking a romantic wine-country weekend at a calmer pace and a gentler price than the valley's luxury resorts, the Ballard Inn is an ideal choice.
Ballard is the oldest town in the Santa Ynez Valley, a scattering of homes and ranches with a little red schoolhouse that still serves local children, and staying here gives you a sense of the valley before tourism. The inn's porch, where guests read and sip coffee looking out at the quiet road and the oaks, captures the mood. In the evening, a short drive takes you to Los Olivos or Santa Ynez for dinner, and you return to a silence that downtown Solvang cannot offer.
Choosing a room and planning: fireplace rooms are the pick in the cooler months, and balcony rooms in spring and autumn. Book weekends well ahead and check the Offers page for packages. Arrange a driver or wine tour for tastings, since Ballard is rural and best explored by car or with a guide; Ballard Canyon's estates, Los Olivos's tasting rooms and Sunstone's courtyards are all within a short drive. Ask the staff for restaurant recommendations and reservations in Los Olivos and Santa Ynez.
Who should stay: couples, wine lovers who value calm over nightlife, and travelers who prefer an inn's intimacy to a resort's facilities. Families with young children and those who want a pool or spa should look at the Corque or the Inn at Mattei's Tavern instead.
Why stay here
- ✓Fifteen individually designed rooms
- ✓Wraparound porch
- ✓Fireplaces in many rooms
- ✓Daily cooked breakfast
- ✓Recently refurbished
- ✓Accessible room available
- ✓Minutes from Los Olivos
- ✓Packages and seasonal offers
Good questions
Where is the Ballard Inn?+
At 2436 Baseline Avenue in Ballard, a small hamlet between Solvang, Los Olivos and Santa Ynez in the heart of the valley.
Is breakfast included?+
Breakfast is served daily from 8am to 10am, with a hot entrée from local ingredients plus fruit, yogurt, granola, pastry and coffee. Confirm inclusion with your rate when booking.
How many rooms does it have?+
Fifteen individually designed rooms, many with fireplaces or balconies, including an accessible room.
