The Ritz-Carlton, Naples

This was our second stay at this resort, and it didn’t disappoint. When you walk in the lobby, you feel pure luxury. We stayed as a couple in June to try a new place and loved it so much we returned for my birthday to celebrate with our mom and sister. We’ve learned in all our travels a trip can be make or break from the onset (check-in). Our check-in experience was completely phenomenal thanks to the bellman (upset I can’t remember his name) and Mannis, who was located in the Club. He was attentive, not rushed and extremely professional. Our experience in the Club was top tier on both occasions thanks to Clariel, Nancy, Gabriel, Celine and Kathryn. Clariel is a breath of fresh air, and she will definitely go the extra mile to ensure you have your preference (for us it was grabbing Hennessy before the bar officially opened). Nancy has a smile and warm spirit that makes you feel at home. Gabriel is so attentive. Celine continued to demonstrate that calm confident demeanor always checking in at the right time. We’re super excited for her HR promotion to the Tiburón property. And what can I say about Kathryn except chef’s kiss. Her conversation, the way she engaged us and everyone at the bar while also coming to our tables to check-in on drinks so we didn’t have to come back to the bar is truly the sign of someone who has a passion for what they do. I pray this message reaches their leadership team, and they are recognized. Our room was so clean and kept well the entire stay thanks to Tewisha, and to think she remained so upbeat and personal with all impacting her home country (Jamaica) at the time. I loved her towel designs and other small touches that made us feel so welcome. For outdoor activities, there is an adult only and kid-friendly pool. Great lawn activities like cornhole and hockey. The game room is sickkkkk, like you could get lost in game after game and never want to leave. We toured the spa but didn’t use it. I definitely want to on the next visit. The fitness area has state of the art equipment and overlooks the pool for a great view while running or using the stair master. It’s also spacious and you don’t feel on top of each other between sets. There is also a sister property called Tiburón that has the most calming lazy river and water slides for adults and kids. Even with all the kids it didn’t feel crowded, and they were so respectful as they asked to pass you in the lazy river - it brought smiles to our face seeing well mannered kids at a water slide. The Tiburón property is a little dated, but I bet that’s by design. It gives you a historic, regal feeling which is kind of cool. There’s fancy shopping and a cool eatery/shopping location called 5th Avenue. It was just ok for us in comparison to our Rodeo Drive and NYC shopping experiences. Yet it’s something to do off property if you desire, but not sure why you’d want to leave. RC Naples has it all. As Maya Angelou said “people will forget what you did, people will forget what you said, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. My mom’s smile and feeling of gratitude for the RC staff is all I needed for my birthday. God bless everyone involved! We look forward to returning in the future.

Disappointing experience. Booked a King Bed Ocean View with balcony and we were placed on the 4th floor. The carpet on the 4th floor hallway smelled like urine. The room had, what appeared to be, a queen bed instead of the king. Just below our balcony, literally 10 feet below, there was active maintenance work being done, nullifying balcony privacy. I communicated ahead of time regarding a birthday dinner reservation at Dusk (which we were late for because the bellman arrived to the room 15-20 minutes after we did) yet we were placed in a corner sofa with 14-16" high tables - made eating quite difficult. Waitress at Dusk asked whose birthday it was - which was corny seeing I communicated ahead of time. Nothing special was done whatsoever, ending my 9 year streak of providing a great dinner experience for my girlfriend. While I'm standing outside waiting for valet to bring the car, the valet driver aggressively drives it to the entrance - gets out and says "sounds nice." This was a polarizing experience compared to the South Beach location. The nicest part was simply walking on the beach. Based off my experience I will never return. Cherry on top is getting a ChatGPT response to my Google Review instead of someone from the Hotel reaching out directly to me - that’s what you can expect from the Ritz in Naples. Shameful.

This resort is as luxurious as described. Grounds are exquisite. Well manicured and picturesque. Entering through the lobby you are greeted by a two-story ceiling with natural lighting and gorgeous decor. Katie at the Front Desk was most welcoming and her warmth and sincerity was directly out of the company’s handbook. Every staff member we encountered was genuinely confirming our satisfaction. The beachside restaurant was great. Large portions and what a view. Beach attendants were extremely accommodating. Rooms were appointed as would be expected and the beds were extremely comfortable. The Italian restaurant (Nolita) serves a daily breakfast buffet; however, we opted for the delectable menu. Family pool as well as an entire separate pool area for adults only. Three story spa has additional hot tub overlooking the pool area from the second level. Coffee shop has some of the most amazing bakery goods. Resort fee includes beach chairs, umbrellas, access to water park, driving range at Tiburon and much more. We can go on and on. Do yourself a favor and get pampered at this resort (this is the beach location rather than the golf resort)

First, I want to start out with a compliment. It is definitely the staff who make this hotel and that is saying a lot considering the beautiful location of this Ritz. If I were only reviewing the staff, it would be an easy five stars, but unfortunately our stay was a bit underwhelming otherwise. We decided to use up some points and book a Ritz for a weekend trip to celebrate my husbands birthday since we have never been to one, but we really love JW's so why not try a Ritz. We arrived after 8:00 at night, checked in with no issues. We asked for late checkout and were told to check to see if it were available the day we were checking out. We decided to check out early though so we never asked and I kind of felt the $55 resort fee was steep considering we really only had one day there. We have platinum status so they gave us an upgrade to an ocean view. The view was just ok, it was an ocean view, but the view straight on was a condo under construction. The ocean view was to the side. Later they brought cupcakes for my husbands birthday which was nice. The room was spacious and mostly clean other than the balcony which had not been cleaned after the previous guests. We didn't notice until the next day since it was dark outside when we arrived. The bathroom had a lot of lighting which is appreciated, but as others have said, the bathtub/shower was poorly designed and dangerous. I was really afraid I was going to slip and bang my knee or leg or worse getting in and out. I was kind of shocked they choose to design the shower/tub that way. Adult pool area was decent but small, not heated, so it was on the chilly side, but I heard the lap pool was warmer. Pool service was excellent. Drinks were good. We shared a late lunch at Gumbo Limbo which again was just ok, but the atmosphere is great, nice breeze, beautiful view, excellent service. The worst was Nolita. We had breakfast in the morning. The buffet was decent, kind of small. Dinner was really disappointing though. Maybe we picked the wrong dishes, but both of ours was bland. Also when I made a reservation I did mention it was a birthday dinner, but the birthday was never acknowledged. We didn't feel entitled to anything, but why bother asking during the reservation process then? I will not go back there again. Though the service at Nolita was excellent. We live in Florida and like to use weekend getaways to actually get to beaches so we don't have to get up a 6 AM to get a spot and then have to deal with the crowds. The beach in front of the Ritz was crowded, loud, chaotic, and did not look relaxing at all. I was happy to have the choice to sit by the adult pool. We checked out using the app, requested luggage service, but the app was vague about when someone would arrive. After waiting 30 minutes I used chat and canceled the request. Instead we brought our own luggage down to the valet. The app needs some improving. Also the QR code we were given to check out menus and such gave us an error message. We both scanned the QR code on the card and on a sign on the way to the pool and given an error both times. Overall we felt the Ritz Naples did not give us a good first impression for considering Ritz Carltons in the future.

It Was All A Dream My Ritz Carlton Naples review is based on a September off-season experience. This would be a very different review had I stayed in February so be mindful that the time of year would make a difference. Some people don’t mind crowding, I avoid it at all costs. My husband and I spent our first married vacation on Vanderbilt Beach 38 years ago. We stayed in a small and inexpensive motel on Vanderbilt Beach a few doors down from the Ritz Carlton. Everyday we would walk to the Ritz for lunch. We returned to Vanderbilt Beach for several years and every day would walk to the Ritz for lunch. We vowed that someday when we had enough money we would return to Vanderbilt Beach and stay at the Ritz. This year the stars aligned and we were able to make a dream come true. Location - Vanderbilt Beach is the best beach in Florida IMHO. Sunset is my number one priority and it doesn’t get any better than a sunset on Vanderbilt Beach. Check-In - Katie checked us in. She is adorable. We were lucky to get early check-in, but again, it’s a Monday during slow season. I wouldn’t expect this on high season. Katie assigned us a beautiful beachfront room. Even as a lifetime titanium Bonvoy member I have learned not to depend on upgrades. I book the room I want. We had a high floor room with a beautiful view. Thank you Katie. Room - I loved the room decor. Coastal blues and creams. Easy on the eyes. Katie had a refrigerator delivered to the room immediately for a cake I had made. It surprised me that there were not double sinks in the bathroom. Not a problem, but I do enjoy that luxury. Everything was comfortable - the bed, the robes, and the oversized chair. The balcony was not large, but it was fine for osprey and sunset watching. Dining - We did not leave the property during our stay. We tried every dining venue on property. Sofra - A open air poolside Lebanese inspired restaurant. The best dining value ever. $39/pp for a fun Lebanese feast. Chicken skewer, lamb/beef gyro like plate, dumplings, and rice pudding. Frankie was the best server. He had such a nice way about him. Thank you Frankie. The Grille - A steakhouse off the lobby. Our least favorite venue. The room has no windows or natural light. The service was slow. Food was average. Don’t order the Au Gratin potatoes if you are expecting Gruyère cheese. They are smother in mozzarella cheese. Potato Pizza. Yuck. The Lobster Bisque was the best item I ordered. I should have stopped there. No wow factor on the steak or salmon. I guess I expect Capital Grille and I get disappointed. The piano entertainer was great. She played all my favorite songs. Nolita - Indoor/Outdoor Poolside all day dining. We never made it to breakfast, but I have heard good things about the buffet. We enjoyed lunch outside. The tomato soup is excellent. The pizza was good. The hamburger was good. Our server, Juliana, was super sweet and efficient. Gumbo Limbo - Outdoor Beachside Restaurant. Gumbo Limbo has a varied menu and we liked everything we ordered throughout the week. We had dinner one evening and both order blackened grouper tacos. Very good. Our server, Mitchell, was fantastic. Very engaging and friendly. Thank you, Mitch. In-Room Dining - Very pricey with service charge and delivery fee which is the norm at every up market hotel. I think it was Melissa who helped me a she was great. Service was fast. Beach Service - The beach service is outstanding. It’s hard work to walk the sand all day. There is a dedicated beach menu, but since it was slow season we could order off the Gumbo Limbo lunch menu. We loved the coconut shrimp, buffalo wings, Caesar salad, and grouper sandwich. The lobster quesadillas were ok. Not enough lobster. The chips/salsa/guacamole were so good. The salsa especially. We had a couple different beach servers - Leo and Isla who were great. There is one very special server on the beach, Yelena, who rocked our world. Yelena is the greatest ambassador for the Ritz brand. It was Yelena’s mission to make sure we had the most special five days on the beach. She could not do enough for us. We would blink and she would have set up water, ice, tables, etc. She set up special sunset chairs for us. Yelena made a huge difference in our stay and our time at the beach. Thank you, Yelena, for our prizes and special attention. Swimming Pools - Heaven. Totally empty! I can’t imagine what it looks like when the hotel is full. Hundreds of chairs. The lap pool is a great perk. I was afraid I had set my expectations too high, but the hotel exceeded them over and over. Every team member from valet to housekeeping to dining were excellent. I appreciate all the special prizes we received for our anniversary. Those chocolate covered strawberries were lovely. Thank you to guest relations for spoiling us. In 38 years of marriage we have travelled the world and stayed at many five star hotels. Our most relaxing and special memories have been on Vanderbilt Beach. Thank you to the Ritz Carlton Naples for the most luxurious dream week on the beach.