The Ritz-Carlton, Naples — Hotel in Bonita Springs

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...

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Job Gatchell, the Manager of Meetings and Special Events at the Ritz-Carlton, Naples Beach Resort. From the moment our conference planning began, Job was incredibly friendly, accommodating, and kind. His welcoming demeanor and professional expertise put us at ease immediately. It is clear that the Ritz-Carlton is fortunate to have him on their team, as he exemplifies the high standards of service and hospitality the brand is known for. ||Job truly went above and beyond to ensure our conference was a success. A highlight of his exceptional service was during our Hocus Pocus-themed evening event. He was instrumental in coordinating and assisting with every detail of that night. No request was too much for Job – he even personally helped us transport all of our boxes and elaborate decorations from our guest room down to the ballroom, ensuring everything arrived on time and intact for the event. His proactive approach and “can-do” attitude meant that any potential issue was resolved before we even had to ask. We were consistently impressed by how thoroughly he anticipated our needs and took care of them with a smile.||Thanks to Job’s dedication and outstanding support, the entire conference ran smoothly and was one of the best we’ve ever been a part of. He coordinated logistics seamlessly, accommodated last-minute changes with ease, and always checked in to make sure we had everything we required. Many of our attendees commented on how well-organized and pleasant the event was – a direct reflection of Job’s hard work behind the scenes. His kindness and professionalism set a positive tone for everyone, and it would not be an overstatement to say that he was the reason our conference was so successful this year.||We are extremely grateful for everything Job did for us during our time on the property. His combination of warmth, efficiency, and unwavering commitment to excellence made our experience truly exceptional. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples Beach Resort is very lucky to have a manager of his caliber, and we want to formally recognize and thank him for his extraordinary service. We look forward to the opportunity to work with Job and the Ritz-Carlton team again in the future, knowing we will be in excellent hands!|------|During our stay, our team also received truly exceptional service from Carole Nabbie in the Business Center. We faced last-minute printing needs for important meetings, and Carole handled them swiftly and professionally. She ensured every document was perfectly formatted under pressure, demonstrating remarkable efficiency and a calm demeanor that kept our project on track. Beyond her technical expertise, Carole’s infectious kindness and uplifting attitude made a huge difference. She met each of our many requests with a genuine smile and a can-do spirit, turning a potentially stressful situation into a pleasant and productive experience. Carole even anticipated our needs by offering helpful suggestions and going above and beyond to assist us. Thanks to her outstanding support, our work went seamlessly. We are extremely grateful for Carole’s help — she is an invaluable asset to the Ritz-Carlton team, and we highly recommend seeking her assistance at the Business Center during your next trip to Naples.|-------|We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Lexi at the Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort in Naples during the recent Florida RIMS Conference. From the moment my team and I arrived, Lexi provided an exceptional level of service that truly elevated our experience. She was consistently professional, attentive, and incredibly helpful—ensuring all of our food and beverage needs were met with care and precision. Whether we were in the lobby or coordinating with various teams, Lexi was always present, offering support with a warm and welcoming demeanor. What stood out most was how she made us feel like family. Her genuine kindness and thoughtful approach created a comfortable and enjoyable environment for everyone. It’s rare to encounter someone who blends hospitality and professionalism so seamlessly, and Lexi did just that. We were all highly impressed by her dedication and grace under pressure. She is a true asset to the Ritz-Carlton team. Thank you, Lexi, for making our time at the Ritz so...

We have stayed at the following Ritz Carlton's: Maui, Dove Mountain, Orlando (1-night), Cayman, Cancun, and in Aruba. ||The other locations were for more than 3-nights.||Each Ritz (but for Aruba -- great location, great staff but that Casino threw off the vibe...) lives up to its name and this one is no exception. ||It's EXPENSIVE though -- seemingly more than a regular type of Ritz. But, if you are spending $1500/night on a couple queen beds and view it better really be nice. ||And this one is! Staff really friendly in that natural flowing Ritz way (not overeager, but helpful and informative when needed). Like even someone at the beach bar, when I asked about when the pool at the golf/water park Ritz closes...admits they didn't know, called a manager immediately to figure it out, and during the wait for the manager was able to make casual small talk about the resort, our trip. It's that small thing which counts. ||At either rate, this Ritz can have it all so easily:||-both a heated salwater pool and great food/excellent pool service AND the lazy river/big slide water park they got a shuttle to||-excellent food. The Mediterranean place makes its own hummus (so delicious). The Italian place did the basics like pizza and pasta so well. The waitress even let me try 2-different wines before letting me select one! -- like that never happens. ||-really nice beach. Ok, it's not Carribean blue like Cancun (but that's not swimmable or wade-able water) or Aruba (really nice, but it's more shallow bathwater than actual beach/waves) but it can turquiose-y (when seen from the room) -- and more importantly it's about 4-5ft shallow a decent ways out. In the 4/25 the water in the Gulf was around 75. My girls (16, 9) -- rarely play "together" much but they spent hours in the actual Gulf together and felt comfortable. ||The sand is not expansive but it's walkable. ||-gorgeous sunsets each night. (not a Ritz thing :)) but they play a horn or something when the sun officially disappears ||-rooms are refurbished recently and the usual Ritz spaciousness. We paid around - gulp -- $2500/night during spring break for an ocean front 1-bedroom suite (worth it for a real separated bathroom for the aforementioned girls) -- and we can afford it but we are not wealthy enough where that feels easy to do. The view of the water is close and rather imposing -- as you look deeper/slightly farther out you can appreciate the turquoise water easier. ||(understand that 90% of the guests here are likely in the "easy" to spend category -- and so you know that demo -- beautiful, friendly, wealthy -- is around) ||-You can go from room to beach or pool quickly (4-6 minute walk). The microenvironment on this barrier portion of Southwest Florida is the everglades so you the bridge takes you over mangroves where you can see an exotic crane or in our situation (a baby alligator was in the baby river that has a bridge you walk to the beach too) -- the staff said a big one really does not come by and if it does they do handle it. ||-concierge helpful in booking Everglades Air Boat Tour||_||Small things for improvement:||-it was nice to have very yummy cookies and coffee in the lobby -- but why only during a short period versus continuously (it's a nice touch like that which goes a long way)||-lobby feels nice but too sterile (but not sure how they fix that)||-? not so expensive??? (ok it's a Ritz but still...not sure what's going in society but upper 5% wealth is not balking at the $1500/night for a regular type room). ||-more prominent and scheduled resort level pool/beach activities. They got some but for larger families more would be nice.|||But that's really nitpicking. It's a great Ritz and great Staff. The Gulf Coast beaches are varied and this one has its own charm. Sarasota/St. Pete/Clearwater each have their own charm and characteristics. ||But, really an excellent Ritz experience that makes you love the product/class but yes...