The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes

Beautiful grounds. Only got to stay one day as we moved over to the Disney property, but next time we’ll stay here the whole time! The grounds shared with the JW Marriott are gorgeous and there’s so much to do, like the lazy river and beach volleyball. I was there for business and the catering kitchen was extremely accommodating of my food allergies and dietary restrictions. Wonderful service and rooms.

Stayed here for a work event and the accomodations are amazing. Comfortable bed, spacious bathroom and beautiful patio. While I was only really in the room to sleep, I could see how it would be a great place for couples and families. Their pool looked great and the customer service was top notch.
I looked at the hotel’s proximity to Disney World and from what I remember it was like 10 miles away (about 15 minutes).

We went to the lobby lounge! Milo made a fantastic dirty martini! We were quite pleased! Loved the atmosphere!

We celebrate my daughters birthday here every year it is an amazing hotel with 5 star service and food. They will go all the way to make sure your stay with children is amazing. From the moment you get there until you leave, is pure perfection every time.

My review is for dinner at Norman’s restaurant in the Ritz Carlton. It was early on a Wednesday and we asked for the patio since there was no humidity to speak of. The speaker was cracked so we asked for the music to be turned off which was obligingly done.
The fried green tomato appetizer was very tasty and well cooked. The waiter had a lovely sense of humor and recommended the red snapper Burrano which I enjoyed though it was a bit rich. The fresh ground clove in the olive oil for dipping the bread was unexpected. I know clove is a digestive aid and enjoyed it.
I had a taste of dessert, the Havana banana, which turned out to be a gorgeous concoction of figgy date cake, spicy sauteed bananas, homemade ice cream, sauce, and a nasturtium. A pleasant evening overall!

This is our home away from home. The Ritz stands alone when it comes to service, comfort and high standards. The Orlando location is truly amazing. They share with the Marriott right next door. You’ll never have to leave the property. All needs are met… and some. We love you Ritz and are forever loyal!

I stayed three nights for a business conference. I was very impressed by the friendly/​professional staff. My room & bathroom were clean. All the catered meals were excellent. The landscape onsite was beautiful and the view I had from the balcony was perfect for relaxation after a full day of keynote speakers and workshops.

I absolutely love this place. I love afternoon tea, I love the spa, the room service, the pool, the grounds, the service, the bell service, the valet everything. I don’t think the girls at the concierge desk are friendly. They didn’t even smile as I approached the concierge desk.
Pool: BEWARE!!! no floaters for the little ones. You can find arm floats in the shop, and the Marriott next door has vest floaties for sale.

This was my home for three weeks! The staff, food & my suite was perfect. I will come back again. This is now one of my favorite places to stay when visiting Orlando. Thank you all for the amazing service. I will recommend this place to anyone to stay here. This is a must!

Beautiful grounds, landscaping, and facility. Very clean rooms and fitness center. Our room is fairly large by Ritz standard. Our room overlooks the golf course and there is a lovely balcony with patio furniture. The pool and the lazy river are Awesome! We pretty much spend our days by the pool. Service is friendly, very helpful, and accommodating. They are so thoughtful to bring in some snacks and cute toys for my kids to our room minutes after we checked-​in. The experience for my kids is worth every $$$$ spent just to see the look on their faces.

The pool was awesome here today. Trouble with bellman at check in that did not exist but valet and front desk were very helpful. Most of the staff was up to Ritz standards but I’d give them overall a B grade. I recommend you make dinner reservations if you’re staying in. We ended up eating in the lobby which worked out just fine. We would like to come back again and enjoy the pool more!

Everything is top notch at the Ritz (as would be expected). The rooms are spectacular and ours had a private balcony overlooking the beautiful property. We were on the fifth floor which was perfect. All of the staff that we encountered were ultra friendly and helpful. The room was very clean and well appointed. Highly recommend grabbing a bite to eat at Bleu for lunch or a casual dinner. There are so many things to do on property — pool, canoes, fishing, golf, bocci ball, walking around the lake, hammocks, and so much more. We didn’t use it, but we noticed that there is a Ritz Kids program that seems to offer some great options for those traveling with kids. Very family friendly without interrupting the feel of a fancy adult hotel. We will definitely be back!

Older looking rooms, room was not so clean and had a a lot of wear and tear. Balcony was dirty.
Property and amenities were good.

I have been coming to Ritz Carlton in Orlando every year for the past 4 years for business. If I could give it a 6 stars, I would. I can’t say anything bad about this hotel… and if I have to force a negative, I would have to say the price (but hey, you get what you pay for, right?!)
It is a 5 stars hotel so of course their facilities are going to be super duper exception. So I am not going to spend time talking about how nice the hotel is. But here is the main reason that I think this hotel is exceptional: it is the staff!!! They remembered us… The bellhop remembered us and knew exactly why we were back, the waitress remembered what we ordered from last year. WHAT!!! I don’t even remember what I ate this morning sometimes. That’s hospitality to its core.
In addition to the exceptional service and facilities, I do look forward to the little things like the tasty chocolate from turndown service, the Asprey body lotion in the bathroom, the bar’s free snacks, and the view of palm trees and sunset. That’s the Ritz Carlton experience.

Connected to the JW, outdoor lazy river is nice and large.
Dining downstairs was quite good. And quite pricey. Couple plates and drinks will run couple hundred. This is the Ritz afterall

Honestly not as impressive as the neighboring JW Marriott.
The only exception to that would be the service at the Ritz. Nothing beats it.
We had lunch out by the pool.
The service & food was excellent. We desired nothing and revived everything with our request!
And their bartender made the best & freshest rum runner w a dark rum floater.
The house made pickles were rancid which was not good quality control.
But, The biggest unexpected shocker was to see & sit on such old, worn, and dirty lounge furniture. Sure, Florida is perpetually humid & teak furniture takes a beating. But, this needed some serious TLC or a serious scrub or just replace it. Unacceptable. Who over sees this?
This is not a Ritz standard to be sure.
Just plain unacceptable.

I don’t often stay at RC’s but I do appreciate their outstanding staff, service, excellent food and the little details that don’t go unnoticed such as my daily handwritten note with the temperature in Fahrenheit and celcius, noticing and catering to my nightly chocolate preference (dark vs milk) the pocket square toilet paper food, a lost art, and many other little things that make you feel welcome, comfortable, pampered and special.
My pork belly but, bacon sherry vigegrette cauliflower and double stack short rib burger was exceptional as were the people working at H&H. A special shout outb to Tahara and JR who provided exceptionally friendly service along with Tatayana my room service attendant.

This review is based solely on our experience having afternoon tea.
I had decided to plan an afternoon tea with friends so I contacted Jody and Damaris in the Food and Beverage department many, many weeks prior to for assistance in making a reservation. I will say they were very pleasant and very quick to respond to emails. They were able to answer my questions about the different kinds of tea service offered as well as costs. Traditional tea service is offered for $ 39/​person and includes an individual pot of freshly steeped loose leaf tea, 4 tea sandwiches (cucumber & cream cheese, salmon & cream cheese topped with caviar, egg salad and stone-​ground mustard/​ham/​swiss cheese /​quail egg garnish), fruit tartlets and assorted pastries, and fresh baked scone with fruit preserves and Devonshire cream. Royal tea service jumps to $ 55/​person and includes everything stated above plus strawberries with whipped cream and a hint of grand marnier.
Most may think the price is steep but in the grand scheme of things, you’re paying for the experience. It’s not very often you get to enjoy tea at the Ritz!
Prior to our visit, I was informed that self parking would be complimentary and that Valet would be $ 5. On the day of, I proceeded to park in the lot and noticed the parking rates posted. Prior to pulling a ticket, I pressed the «Help» button to confirm that parking would be free. The woman on the other end didn’t have a clue what I was talking about and I had to remind her I had been in touch with Food & Beverage (I even gave names) about this matter. It took about 5 – 10 min of explaining which completely ruined my mood and made me flustered (and running late). I was NOT happy considering I had made a point of planning things far in advance and asking these questions beforehand. So much for being organized.
Anyways, tea was nice once I saw my friends and the food! It’s set off in the Lobby Lounge area towards the back (upon entering lobby) and out in the open. Our table was so nicely decorated and even had a little chalkboard with my last name so that my friends would be able to find the correct table. We were casually dressed but I saw a neighboring table of women who were there for what looked like a shower and had their churchwear on. As an added bonus, there was a harpist playing in the lobby background! We couldn’t help but feel like royalty!
Service was good. I was a little confused at first because I had communicated with food and beverage and gave them a count of who wanted royal and who wanted traditional. But it seemed like that was only so they could give the kitchen a head notice for prep. The servers were taking our orders as if for the first time. We all did have to take a moment to pick our tea of choice from the options but after that everything was smooth sailing. Everything was delightful and at first glance you think you’ll be able to finish everything. But I assure you, you will hit a wall. Especially where the sweets are concerned. They sneak up on you! Btw the individual teapots are darling! I’m not a huge tea drinker but I wanted to take it home!
In the end, everything worked out. Lovely afternoon with a few hiccups !

If you’re headed to Orlando for the true Disney adventure I highly recommend a Disney resort where you’ll eat, sleep and breathe Mickey & co. However, if you’re looking for a beautiful resort that happens to be near Disney you’ll be very happy at this Ritz. It suited my 4.5 yr old just fine because she’s already insisting on a return visit.
Connected to the just as lovely JW Marriott we had our share of pools to choose from. The pool at the Ritz is a better fit for adults than children, but my daughter seemed to like it better (most likely due to the short distance from our room). She also liked that the ritz kids club was right next to the pool. I believe if you are staying in a suite at the hotel you have unlimited kids care there. We only used it once where she enjoyed a few crafts and getting her face painted, but a great option if you’re looking for some vacation time without kids. Also worth noting that it’s only for kids 4 & up (my 2.5 yr old was only welcome from 11am-​12pm with adult supervision). And it seems to be closed on Sundays.
We ate most of our meals at highball and harvest, but there are other restaurants to choose from throughout both resorts (including room service). As for service everyone from those working in the lobby to those running the kids club were very friendly. Housekeeping showed up a bit late for turndown service each night (10pm) which wasn’t ideal with kids, but leaned after the first few nights to decline it. I wasn’t overly impressed with the pool service (didn’t see anyone walking around taking drink orders, etc) but besides that there’s very little to complain about here at the Ritz. I would certainly return myself!

Just WOW. Our stay at the Ritz was absolutely phenomenal.
Service — ³⁄₅
From the very beginning, the staff treated us very well. Even if there were only 1 or 2 people in front of me at the front desk, someone would come out to greet me, bring me water, or just to ask how I was. At the pool, there was someone who would come to set up the chairs for us, and to pick up our towels when we were done with them.
The only complaint I have is from my encounter with the front desk the first night I stayed there. I had booked the room that included the breakfast, and I went to the front desk to inquire about that. The receptionist at the front desk proceeded to tell me that I, in fact, didn’t have the breakfast included in my room, even though I showed her proof with my email from booking. The email clearly stated that breakfast was included with my purchase. After speaking to her manager, she said that they were going to allow me to have the breakfast included in my room, as if the hotel was doing me a favor.
I was honestly appalled when she told me that. I felt as if I was told I was a liar, even though I had proof. This wasn’t the kind of service I was expecting from the Ritz. Staying at the Ritz isn’t cheap, and we definitely expected to be treated better.
Other than that, our stay at the Ritz was great. I just wish that didn’t mar our experience. The other days were wonderful though.
Décor — ⁵⁄₅
The hotel was beautiful. We were able to enjoy both pools at the JW Marriot and the Ritz. We definitely like the Ritz side more, because it was quieter and more relaxing. Since the hotel owns so much land, we had a great view of the golf course. It was definitely a very relaxing stay. It was nice to walk through the convention center to the JW Marriot.
Overall, our 4 night stay at the Ritz was wonderful. We will definitely stay again when we’re back in Orlando.

Far the best hotel for a stay in beautiful Orlando.
The best service, great breakfast and beautiful rooms.
I stayed here for a convention and I hope to come back in just a few weeks. All parks and attractions are easily to reach by towncar or taxi.
The outside pool area is great !