When its comes to luxury resort destinations Orlando, Florida isn’t necessarily the top of the list.
When you think about Orlando, your first thought is more likely visions of theme parks, themed hotels, and general all-around chaos.
While much of Orlando is that way, conveniently located to everything near the South end of the city is a bit of an oasis: Grande Lakes.
During this year’s PGA Show, I was looking for a place to stay that was a little bit “comfier” than the typical hotels on International Drive near the Orange County Convention Center.
I stumbled across Grande Lakes resort, which is less than 10 minutes from OCCC, and less than 20 from all of the major theme parks.
Grande Lakes is a unique property in that it’s set across 500 acres right at the headwaters of the Florida Everglades.
It’s a beautiful, lush property, that feels decidedly “un-Orlando”.
Speaking of “un-Orlando” there are two resort hotel properties at Grande Lakes: the JW Marriott and the Ritz Carlton Orlando.
For my 4 night trip, I stayed at the Ritz Carlton.
In this Ritz Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes review, I’m going to cover everything you need to know about the resort and whether or not it’s worth staying there on your next trip.
Ready? Let’s do this.
First Impressions of the Ritz Carlton Orlando
Due to a series of unfortunate events that resulted in a weeklong power outage and flooding of my house – my had to be pushed out a couple days.
Instead of arriving at a reasonable time, I took a red eye that got into Orlando at 5:30 in the morning.
My first meeting was at 9.
I called the resort the day before to see if there was any way I could head there to shower in the spa or something to freshen up.
They did me one better by allowing me to check into my room at 7am.
In one act of kindness, this summed up the entirety of my experience at the Ritz Carlton Orlando. Service was excellent across the board.
More on that later though.
I pulled onto the grounds just as the sun was rising over the horizon. The place isn’t hard to miss. The JW Marriott is a 1,000-room monster of a hotel that towers far above anything else in the area.
It made for a fun backdrop while playing golf.
Grande Lakes is very well-manicured, and it’s laid out in a way that keeps things convenient to one another – without ever feeling cramped or overwhelming.
Know that if you have a car, the Ritz Carlton is valet only. And at $52/night, parking isn’t cheap. I always prefer the option for self parking when available, but despite the high price tag – the valet service was excellent. I never had to wait more than 2 minutes, and they’d always keep the car out if I were leaving again soon.
As you might expect of a five-star hotel in Florida, there were always a number of exotic cars parked around the porte-cochere, and there was at least one notable sports team staying at the hotel while I was there.
While I wouldn’t say the Ritz Carlton Orlando immediately struck me as the most unique luxury property I’ve stayed at, everything is very nice and I could tell it would be a (very) comfortable stay.
Checking in at the Ritz Carlton Orlando
The lobby at the hotel is covered in marble and there’s a large bar past the foyer that was always a hub of activity – and is a great place for meetings or meetups if there for business or a conference.
The check-in process was very smooth.
Right off the main desk, there was a “Ritz Carlton Kids” check-in alcove that I thought was a fun touch. Families looking for a luxury Disney or Universal experience are definitely a target market here. Had I been with my 3-year-old and just gotten off a cross-country flight, this is something I know she would have appreciated.
Checking in, I was offered water and given a rundown of the layout of the resort and some of the activities I could partake in.
Let’s just say there’s a lot to do at Grande Lakes.
The Rooms at the Ritz Carlton Orlando
Despite originally being built in 2003, the rooms at the Ritz Carlton Orlando got an overhaul in 2021. It shows, as they’re very nicely done, with modern amenities like 65” TVs, and easily accessible charging ports.
While the property as a whole doesn’t have as much character as say, the Ritz Carlton Lake Oconee, the updated rooms are among the nicer Ritz Carlton rooms I’ve experienced.
Most if not all of the rooms have a balcony. As I was in a Lakefront, Pool view room, I had a nice view of the golf course. The only downside was that since I was close to the corner of the building, it didn’t feel like ethe most private room.
I’ve always found the Ritz Carlton beds to be among the softest of all the 5-star chains, and this is no different here – they’re great.
But in terms of a bed I’d want to sleep on every day, I think I still give the nod to the Four Seasons bed.
I’m always happy to see rooms with a spacious desk, as I’m often editing photos or writing in the evenings. The desk here was elegant, and the live succulent was a cool feature that made the entire room feel just a little bit warmer.
The bathroom was spacious, although the shower was on the smaller side.
As to be expected the rooms came with Nespresso coffee machines, although mine wasn’t working properly which was a bit of a bummer. Especially since a cup of coffee was running about 7 bucks after tax and tip at the coffee shop in the lobby.
This is one thing I always appreciated about the St. Regis properties I’ve stayed at is that they have free coffee in the lobby, or in some cases free coffee service delivered directly to your room.
Amenities and Activities at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes
The big downside to staying here during the PGA Show is that my time spent at the resort was more limited than I would have liked.
This is especially true given how big the place is and how much there is to do.
One of the cool benefits of Grande Lakes is that you have two large properties on site, and guests of one hotel can use the amenities of the other.
For instance, the JW Marriott has a brand-new waterpark that is accessible to guests of the Ritz. And while there’s no spa at the JW, guests can use the spa at the Ritz Carlton.
One thing I was disappointed by is that there were no day spa amenities for hotel guests. No sauna or steam unless you’re getting a treatment.
This is a pet peeve of mine when hotels do this. You’re paying a lot of money for the room, and I don’t typically need any treatments. But I always enjoy trying to get a sauna session in when time permits.
With Grande Lakes being a big property, I can understand not wanting the spa to get too crowded, but it’s still disappointing.
There are lots of trails around Grande Lakes, and you can borrow complimentary bikes to go explore which I thought was a cool touch.
You can also get kayaks and canoes to go explore the lakes and waterways that are hallmarks of the property.
There’s a great pool at the Ritz Carlton, as well as a separate area for toddlers that looked fantastic.
But if you’re serious about a world-class pool experience, then taking advantage of the Grande Lakes Waterpark at the JW is likely the move. It features 6 slides, a lazy river, lagoons, firepits and more. For as much as I hoped to get over and check it out, I simply didn’t have time to make it happen.
Grande Lakes truly does feel like a bit of an oasis in the middle of what can be a chaotic place. So having opportunities to go experience a little bit of nature in the middle of a hectic Disney trip makes for a nice respite.
Ritz Carlton Golf Club at Grande Lakes
Another hallmark of the property is Ritz Carlton Golf Club.
Designed by Greg Norman and opened in 2003, it’s a fun resort course that’s most well known for hosting the PNC Championship parent/child tournament every year.
I had a chance to play the course and really enjoyed it. You can see my full Ritz Carlton Golf Club review here, and if video is more your thing, here’s the video of my experience:
Dining at the Ritz Carlton Orlando
Between the two hotels there are 12 different restaurants that cover everything from fine dining to super casual. It’s great having so many options, and it sounds cliche but there really is something for everyone.
The most popular spot at the Ritz Carlton is Highball & Harvest. It’s got a fun, casual vibe, while still feeling worthy of being at a Ritz.
I had the pork chop for dinner, which was excellent. The cocktails were solid, although probably a little overpriced for what they were. They did have some creative stuff on the menu though, so it was nice to see them put some effort into the cocktail program.
The flagship restaurant is the Michelin-starred Knife & Spoon. I almost went there instead of Highball & Harvest during my one-night dining at the resort, but after a red eye, morning meetings, and 18 holes of golf – I could barely stay awake.
I had lunch at Bleu, an outdoor spot near the main pool. My fish tacos were good, but having a beer overlooking the lake in January was definitely the highlight.
Final Thoughts on the Ritz Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes
If you’re going to Orlando specifically for a Disney World trip – there’s no denying that it’s not as convenient as many of the Disney hotels on property.
There won’t be characters running around, and you won’t have a monorail to easily whisk you to the parks.
But if you want something a little more peaceful, a little more luxurious than any Disney resort, and more convenient to Sea World or Universal – the Ritz Carlton is a wonderful choice.
And if you’re a business traveler or couple traveling? Then the Ritz Carlton is hands down one of the best hotels in Orlando. Is it as unique or refined as the very best Ritz Carlton properties in the world? Not quite, but it lived up to my expectations and is absolutely worthy of carrying the Ritz Carlton name.
