The short answer
The best hotel in Ojai is the Ojai Valley Inn, the 308-room Spanish Colonial resort with Spa Ojai, a championship golf course and five restaurants, from around $769. The most interesting new arrival is Hotel El Roblar, Ojai's oldest hotel, restored and reopened as a 50-room boutique property with a Mexican-leaning restaurant and bar. For design at a fraction of the price, book The Capri Hotel around $310. For something you will actually remember, Caravan Outpost puts you in a restored Airstream in a garden for about $210. Ojai runs hot in summer and gorgeous in spring and fall.
Where Ojai sits, and who it suits
Ojai is a small valley town about fourteen miles inland from Ventura, roughly 45 minutes from Santa Barbara and 90 minutes from Los Angeles. It is not a beach town and does not pretend to be. What it has is mountains on three sides, citrus and olive groves, a walkable arcade of a downtown, a long history of artists and spiritual seekers, and the pink moment, when the Topatopa bluffs turn rose at sunset.
That makes it a wellness and slow-weekend destination rather than a resort destination. People come for a spa, a hike, a bookshop, a long lunch and an early night. If that is not the trip you want, Santa Barbara is 45 minutes away and our guide to the best hotels in Santa Barbara and Montecito will serve you better.
The lodging market is small and it splits cleanly. There is one full resort, one restored historic hotel, and then a set of genuinely charming small inns between $180 and $330. There is very little in between, which actually makes choosing easy.
Ojai Valley Inn
The anchor property and the reason a lot of people know Ojai at all. It is a Spanish Colonial resort on a large estate at the edge of the Los Padres National Forest, with 308 rooms and suites, five restaurants, a championship golf course and Spa Ojai, which is the best spa between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
It works unusually well across trip types. There is a children's club, a family pool and camps in summer, plus adult pools at the spa, and the activity list runs from beekeeping to art classes to surf lessons on the coast. Rooms are Spanish Colonial with fireplaces in many of them and mountain views from the better ones. It is pet-friendly.
Hotel El Roblar
The one to watch. El Roblar originally opened in 1919 and is Ojai's longest-standing hotel, and it has been restored and reopened as a 50-room boutique property. The restoration kept the Spanish Revival bones, including the Mission-style entry arch and the stone fireplace in the lobby, and added Monterey-style furnishings and local artwork.
Rooms are split across the main building, private bungalows with garden patios, and a newly built Sycamore House. La Cocina and the Condor Bar lean into Ojai's long links with Mexico, with a California-Mexican menu, local wines and a serious agave list. It is in the Michelin Guide's hotel selection, and it takes well-behaved dogs under 60 pounds for a $250 fee.
The Capri Hotel
The design pick and the best value in town. A small hotel a short walk from downtown, with a pool, a hot tub, garden terraces on some rooms, and interiors that are considerably more considered than the price suggests. Views run to the Topatopa Mountains. What you do not get is resort service. No room service, no valet, no spa. What you get is a beautifully put-together room for around $307 to $331 and twelve minutes on foot to everything.
Caravan Outpost
Ten restored Airstreams arranged around a botanical garden near downtown, with fire pits between them and bikes for the trail. It sounds gimmicky and it is not. The caravans are properly finished, the landscaping does the heavy lifting on privacy, and it is within walking distance of the arcade. Not the choice for anyone who wants a bathtub or a lot of floor space.
Check rates at Caravan Outpost—>
Blue Iguana Inn and Emerald Iguana Inn
Sister properties and both good. The Blue Iguana is the more casual of the two, an artist-run inn with a pool and hot tub, mosaics everywhere and rooms from around $199. The Emerald Iguana is the upgrade, quieter and more secluded, with Arts and Crafts architecture and a more grown-up feel. Together they are the best mid-range option in Ojai if you want personality rather than polish.
Ojai Rancho Inn
A reworked mid-century motel on the edge of town with a sauna, a small pool, a bar and a deliberately laid-back feel. From about $184. Good for a short stay, for cyclists on the Ojai Valley Trail, and for anyone who finds the Valley Inn a bit much.
Check rates at Ojai Rancho Inn—>
Hummingbird Inn
Recently renovated, downtown, with a pool and spacious rooms, from around $189. Nothing here is fancy and nothing needs to be. This is the sensible booking when you want the town rather than the hotel.
Check rates at Hummingbird Inn—>
Ojai Retreat & Inn
Up on a hillside with panoramic views across the valley, set in gardens, quiet to the point of being monastic. It suits a solo trip, a writing weekend or anyone who came to Ojai specifically to not talk to people. Book a room with the view or the point is lost.
Best time to visit, and when to book
Spring and fall are the answer. April through early June brings wildflowers, green hills and comfortable days. September and October are warm, clear and quieter, with harvest happening in the valley.
Summer is the thing to plan around. Ojai is inland and it gets genuinely hot, regularly past 95 degrees in July and August and sometimes over 100. If you go then, book somewhere with a pool and treat the middle of the day as indoor time. The upside is that summer is when the Valley Inn runs its kids' programming hardest, so families often go anyway.
Winter is cool, sometimes wet and the cheapest time to visit. It is also when the spa makes the most sense.
Book the Ojai Valley Inn six to eight weeks ahead for spring and fall weekends. The small inns have very few rooms each, so they sell out earlier than their rates suggest, especially around the Ojai Music Festival in June.
How to choose
For a full resort weekend with a spa and golf, the Ojai Valley Inn. For history and the best restaurant and bar on the property, Hotel El Roblar. For design at half the resort price, The Capri. For something memorable, Caravan Outpost. For mid-range character, the Blue or Emerald Iguana. For a cheap, easy base downtown, Hummingbird or Ojai Rancho Inn. For solitude and a view, Ojai Retreat.
Ojai also works well as a two-night addition to a Santa Barbara trip rather than a standalone destination, which is how most people should approach it the first time. More of our coverage of this part of the state is in our California travel guides, and every property we have paid for ourselves is in our hotel reviews.
FAQ
What is the best hotel in Ojai? The Ojai Valley Inn, a 308-room Spanish Colonial resort with Spa Ojai, golf and five restaurants, from around $769 a night. Hotel El Roblar is the best boutique alternative.
Is the Ojai Valley Inn worth it? If you intend to use the resort, yes. The spa, pools, golf and family programming justify the rate. If you plan to spend your days in town, a downtown hotel at a third of the price makes more sense.
Where should I stay in Ojai without spending a fortune? The Capri Hotel around $310, Blue Iguana Inn around $199, Hummingbird Inn around $189 or Ojai Rancho Inn around $184. Caravan Outpost is roughly $210 and the most distinctive of them.
Is Ojai on the Central Coast? Not strictly. Ojai is in Ventura County, south of the traditional Central Coast line, though it is often grouped with Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley for trip planning.
How far is Ojai from Santa Barbara and Los Angeles? About 45 minutes from Santa Barbara and around 90 minutes from Los Angeles, traffic depending.
When is the best time to visit Ojai? April to early June and September to October. Summer regularly climbs past 95 degrees, so book a pool if you go then.
How many days do you need in Ojai? Two nights is right for most people. Three if you are booking spa treatments or hiking.