The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee

Took my husband for a special Ritz Carlton weekend for a special birthday. Having lived in Reynolds for many years, I was a frequent guest at this property. I am not price motivated and have no problem spending for a solid experience Our check in was rapidly and professionally expedited on Friday by Dean Williams. Our room was comfortable and well appointed. We invited guests for cocktails at Lobby Bar followed by dinner at Amore Del Lago. The service was excellent and the food was adequate. What marred the experience was unsupervised kids racing up and down the staircase behind us. The staff turned a blind eye to this disruptive behavior. We were also surprised that a woman with a medium sized dog,clearly not a service animal entered the restaurant. The next day, we had booked a wonderful spa day which included a meal in the lounge and 80 minute massages. Special thanks to Summer and Donna who gave us a warm welcome We were at total peace after our services until we returned downstairs and were jarred out of our serenity by a pool full of screaming children. I might add that this was the only lounge area available to couples. Imagine our concern seeing diapered infants in a pool that should have only been reserved exclusively for paying spa patrons. Upon sharing our experience with an employee we were told that the pool had only recently been regularly opened up to families with kids. Another expressed their frustration in not being able to keep up with constant demand for towels used excessively by doting parents. We were told they were running an hour behind for towels We finished our second day at Linger Longer Steakhouse which was very good Special thanks to Bloodworth, our waiter who went above and beyond for us We left on Sunday and headed home. The whole weekend was just over $3,000 In a casual conversation with an employee, we were told that it is Ritz policy not to say “no” to a guest. While this is a noble attitude in principle, there are times where you do a disservice to other guests by not correcting another poorly behaving guest. Upon our return, we thought Mr Ralph Vick the GM of the property would be interested in constructive feedback. My husband got a quick rather dismissive reply that reeked of being a waste of Mr Vicks time. His disinterest in our business, past and present couldn’t have been more evident

We went to The Ritz at Lake Oconee for my birthday with our children and 4 grandchildren. We had 3 suites. They were all very comfortable and had been renovated since we were there 5 years before. Comfortable beds and plenty of room for clothing. We rented a boat for a ride around the lake and most went swimming in the heated pool. We also had s'mores around the fire pit in the evening. Breakfasts were ample, with a well done breakfast buffet. Our dinner the first night was lovely out at Gaby's by the Lake. The food was decent, nothing too special, but it was great overlooking the lake. Dinner at Linger Longer Steakhouse the next evening was a disappointment. It was very expensive (typical of steakhouses), but the steaks were not great and the sides were not very good. I would definitely not go there again. I felt everything in the resort was well run but just a little overpriced.

It doesn’t get a lot better than this. Incredible location designed for families to create memories of a lifetime. We stayed Thanksgiving and from start to finish they have thought of everything.. from the tree lighting, parade, ice skating…. festivities everywhere… Amazing. But most of all my memories are of families playing, smiling and having fun.

This was our first time to the Ritz Lake Oconee and it was great. From the moment you arrive, everything feels very luxurious. The rooms were very nicely appointed and felt spacious. The service level at this hotel was good (but not as personalized as some other Ritz), but no major complaints. The one thing to remember when coming here in the summer is that there are bugs. Not a major problem, but if you're not use to going to lake, it might surprise you. The food onsite is good and there multiple choices. They do S'mores each night and that was really fun for the kids. Playing on the lake was fun and kids had a blast. They also have options to rent boats, jet skis, etc onsite from a third party company. It will be pricier than options off property, but pretty convenient. DO NOT go to the marina 5 minutes away to rent a boat. They do not offer insurance and if anything happens, they will make you responsible for it. Overall, we had a great stay and can't wait to come back!

Overall we had a terrific stay at the Ritz. It is an older property that has received updates fairly recently. We were in a suite which was well furnished, large and very comfortable. There was a few items that could use some maintenance, such as our toilet. We asked to have it repaired as it was not operating properly. They either didn’t show up or didn’t repair it. The shower also had some mold in it. The hotel is a bit hard to navigate as the lobby is on level 3. If you are going from one end of the hotel to another it requires an elevator ride. The front desk was frequently understaffed and had a line. Not acceptable at a five star resort. The on property restaurants were very good. We had room service one morning and it was great. It arrived when promised. The staff was hit and miss. Some were very professional and friendly while others were not very professional. There was a couple of errors on our final invoice which they promptly corrected. All in all we had a nice stay. I would say it is not a five star experience, more like four and one half stars.