The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee — Hotel in Eatonton

My wife and I just returned from 2 nights at this property for our 18th anniversary and I wanted to share my detailed thoughts on the stay.

The staff did a great job, some got to know us, they were quick to answer questions. At check-in, we were given 4x (non-alcoholic) drink certificates to use at the coffee shop for Platinum Elite status, which was nice as Ritz rarely recognizes it. We got smoothies, which were very good. The first day, we had lunch at the recently opened Amore Del Lago italian restaurant, which is located on the first floor (technically lower-level, as the lobby is on 3F). This restaraunt is indoor/outdoor seating with a new outdoor section that has a mechanical roof that can be closed if it rains. The outdoor seating is surrounded by running water features, and even a few tables with water running through the center of them. The food was very good, though the server we had was a little bit on the slow side. Price was around $100 for two plus tip. We spent some time at the lakefront beach area after that. Decorative coolers on the beach are filled with water bottles for guests. The chairs and umbrellas are comfortable and we had no trouble finding open chairs.

The room we booked (River View King) wasn't huge, but it was very well appointed, clean, and the bathroom was nice. Tub + shower separate, though the shower is indeed small. Beds and linens were comfortable as you'd expect from a hotel of this price. The smallish balcony was really nice to have to spend time overlooking the lake while chilling at the room. Housekeeping staff was really friendly also.

The grounds/landscaping is gorgeous. Love the abundant pine trees, right up to the beach, which is a weird but cool dynamic. Giant swings between multiple huge pine trees for kids and adults, porch swings in other areas lining a beautiful man-made stream leading over to the adult (16+) heated infinity pool area. Sometimes kids wandered into this pool but they weren't disruptive so they were not addressed by the staff. There is a separate, and even larger, kids pool with fountain, plenty of chairs, a snack shack, nice restrooms up the hill around the corner. Nearby is a large playground and a half basketball court, as well as a childcare center (I believe it was $120 or $150 per day). The infinity pool was great though; we rented a cabana one day ($450) but probably didn't need to as there were always plenty of chairs available and service was very good. Food service is from Gaby's, adjacent to the infinity pool. The drinks from Amore Del Lago were strong; those from Gaby's were comparatively weak.

We also rented a fire globe at the water's edge for "Fireside Flavors" ($75 I think?) at 7:30 PM. This gave us a host who checked on us every couple of hours, supplied us with waters, wine (paid by the glass), and desserts (pre-selected by us during booking). We had the globe until 2 AM if we wanted it (we didn't, haha, we went back up to the room at 10:30. But it was great).

Breakfast daily was at Amore Del Lago and was just plain fantastic. I mean, really excellent. A huge spread of different meats, charcuterie, cheeses, fruits galore, pastries, made to order omelettes, and even honeycomb. It was honestly one of the highlights of our trip.

There is a decently lengthy span of paved walking trails around the hotel grounds and alongside the golf courses. They're around 3.5 miles each way (they don't circle back so you have to reverse and head back whenever you're ready). Really pretty scenery and atmosphere though, and worth it.

We booked Clay Shooting at 10am one morning for around 1h15m. It was a lot of fun, and around $250, charged to the room. The only catch: it's a ~22 min drive from the hotel out into the wilderness. I also had a 50 min massage ($200ish). Guests have access to the spa facilities even if they don't book a treatment. The dry sauna, jacuzzi, and shower/locker rooms are very nice. We didn't use it but the indoor spa heated pool is also nice looking.

All in all, a fabulous couple of days. Highly...

To travel 25+ hours to reach this property to attend an executive retreat, only to be given a dark ground floor room, overlooking a corner of the lake overshadowed by a wall, presented as a Bonvoy Titanium-level upgrade, was a fitting start. Worth noting that besides this “upgrade” there was zero recognition. No welcome note, no lounge access - zilch. In fact throughout the stay it was hard to believe this had anything to do with a Ritz-Carlton. ||Narrow corridors and thin walls offering very limited noise dampening from other guests, very mediocre service and food, poorly maintained rooms, appalling housekeeping, nothing much reminiscent of a RC aside maybe from the Dyptique amenities. ||Location itself is challenging, as completely isolated, to the extent that even usually ubiquitous ride sharing apps are non-functional. So forget about even trying to go to the local shops for a respite from the very obvious price-gouging on display.||Room itself was poorly maintained with a number of broken fixtures. Low water pressure, and a very lumpy bed. ||Housekeeping is extremely poor and contrary to the food, which is admittedly always complex to manage for a larger group, is categorically unrelated to having a portion of rooms booked. Very rough employees with little manners and mediocre cleaning standards. On two occasions I was in room when the turndown staff came and the banging on the door was more police raid than Ladies and Gentlemen trying to offer the service. On another day I returned at 4pm, more than 8 hours after leaving, only to find the room not cleaned. On the last day despite having confirmed a late check out, and with the privacy sign clearly on display (a hanging sign by the door), I was disturbed twice, an hour apart by housekeeping keen to clean the room. Housekeeping service itself was approximative and on all days missed replenishing obvious items. ||In-room dining equally unimpressive, 45 minutes for a simple toasted Turkey sandwich which arrived ice cold and without fries.||Food provided was sub-par considering the expected standards; very poor selection and quality. Much worse however was the service with again very rough staff, seemingly unaware they were there to wait tables. Likely the hotel was using temporary event staff with no training whatsoever. Seems logical at a low cost property but here it is jarring. ||One clear exception was the super friendly staff, including the senior bar manager and various qualified wait staff (Andrew was awesome) who arranged a mixology activity. They were excellent and a pleasure to deal with, with a really good mindset joining in the fun with guests and having great interactions. ||Overall, and that one team aside, a mediocre and over-priced property, no reason whatsoever to recommend. At a broader level, this confirms an impression that the Ritz-Carlton brand is not faring too well under Marriott, with an increasingly dated style of service which cannot accommodate itself of modern hospitality...

My husband and I just spent our twentieth anniversary at The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee. We are a fairly well-traveled couple, both working decades in the hospitality industry in NYC. Yes, this place is breathtaking, immaculate and offers every possible amenity. The rooms are gorgeous and spacious. The food and wine are exceptional. As for the golf…frankly, the closest thing I know about golf is watching Caddyshack for the 47th time, but my husband is an avid player, and he says this course is first class. The most impressive part was the staff. You want to talk about top notch service? Every single personal encounter was friendly, professional, and extremely accommodating. From the front desk, the pool staff, to the restaurant servers, everyone greeted and treated you like you were the most important person in the room. But there is always one staff member that stands out. For me it was the concierge, Patty. Like I said earlier, I have less than zero% interest in golf so while my husband golfed, I requested a car to take me into town to go thrifting or “antiquing” as the highbrows prefer calling it… It’s one of my favorite things to do. I couldn’t rent a car and Ubers seemingly do not exist in those parts so I asked Patty to recommend a walking area with a few concentrated stores where the hotel car can drop me off and when finished, pick me up. She happily obliged. I pulled out my iPhone map and Patty reviewed all of my zig-zaggy requests, patiently explaining where I can get the most stores in one location. She didn’t even roll her eyes when she had to explain to me basic 5th grade map-reading that a centimeter distance on my phone map was 20 miles in reality. After this encounter, Patty was already a saint in my book. However, the most impressive part was Patty, knowing I had some trepidation about traveling into town by myself, kept checking on me to see if everything was ok. Because Greensboro had very little cell service, I didn’t receive her calls nor texts. My husband tells me that when he returned from heaven, I mean golfing, Patty ran across the lobby to see if he had heard from me. While I was in my glory sifting knee-deep through junk from the Millard Fillmore administration, I got a call. It was Chris. “Are you ok?” “Patty is so worried that she hadn’t heard back from you!” I assured them both that I was fine and would return shortly. When I arrived back to the lobby, Patty practically leapt over the desk to welcome me back and gave me a big hug. Unlike my husband, she seemed so excited to hear about my day digging and picking. Patty is a real gem. She is the consummate concierge. You don’t get any better customer service than that. As for the rest of our stay at The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, it was amazing! This vacation was just...