Ritz Carlton Sarasota Review

Sarasota Ritz Carlton Review: A True Account Of What You Get

In America, Destinations by Tamala Prickett

Sarasota Ritz Carlton Review: A True Account Of What You Get

Ritz Carlton Sarasota Review

Our Sarasota Ritz Carlton review is a true account of what you will get if you choose to stay there. Often travel bloggers get criticized for writing picture perfect articles about hotels in exchange for complimentary stays. I don’t want to be one of “those” travel writers, thus I try really hard to give the pros and cons of the hotels where we have stayed. Sometimes I fall in love so much with a resort that it is impossible for me to write anything negative! Thus, I am still being honest and authentic.

In the case of the Sarasota Ritz Carlton, I am going to tell you what we liked, what we loved, and what we did not love so much.

I will start with what we liked at the the Sarasota Ritz Carlton. The hotel itself is lovely. In fact, the lobby was very impressive. Forgive the bed head photo bomber 🙂

Ritz Carlton Sarasota Review

The on-site pool area was also nice with a view of the Sarasota Bay, and the much appreciated pool service.

Sarasota Ritz Carlton Pool Review

We also thought the Sarasota Ritz Carlton Club Lounge was nice, although we have experienced better. For example, you had to ask for a cocktail versus serving one yourself. On the other hand, wine and champagne were readily available. The culinary offerings had very limited choices for children except for breakfast. However, the kids loved the candy table! Unfortunately, they can’t live on Hershey Kisses and Fire Balls. The kids would disagree.

We enjoyed our mornings on the balcony at the Ritz Carlton club lounge overlooking the Sarasota Bay. Furthermore, the staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating.

Ritz Carlton Sarasota Club Lounge

Lastly, I must mention the AWESOME Ritz Carlton Sarasota beach club. The pool was fantastic, the service was fantastic, and so was the location.

Sarasota Ritz Carlton Beach Club

Unfortunately, this is where my Sarasota Ritz Carlton review turns to the “con” side. While the location of the Ritz Carlton Beach Club is excellent, the hotel is not exactly in the same location. In fact, it is at least a 20 minute shuttle ride. We also found out the hard way that the shuttle only runs every hour. Thus, if your toddler decides to melt down at 4:05 pm then expect to listen to him or her scream for approximately 55 minutes. I don’t know about you, but this is not my idea of a “beach vacation.”

While we had love at first sight at the Sarasota Ritz Carlton Beach Club, the distance to the hotel and the hour long shuttle wait made it less desirable.

The hotel room itself was fine, but the linens did not meet my five star standard. I expect nice linens and a decent pillow when I stay at a Ritz Carlton, and sadly I did not get either at the Sarasota hotel. I had a king size bed, and the pillows were strangely small. In fact, the maids had to tuck a good portion of the pillow case underneath the pillow to disguise the fact that it did not fit.

I don’t know how else how to say it, but my next stay was at the Breakers in Palm Beach and I fell into the Breaker’s bed with a big smile on my face.

I could have summed this review up with two sentences, but I went to law school people!

Sentence #1 : The Sarasota Ritz Carlton is a lovely hotel that could use some better linens.

Sentence #2 : There are far better beach vacations to be had so don’t choose this hotel for that reason alone.

I would like to note that we did not choose the Sarasota Ritz Carlton for the beach alone. We were already going to be in Sarasota to take our girls to IMG tennis camp. Honestly, I could not find an acceptable hotel located directly on the beach. Thus, I still believe that the Sarasota Ritz Carlton is your best bet for a luxury hotel in Sarasota.

Furthermore, we got this cute picture out of our stay 🙂

Ritz Carlton Sarasota Review

On a side note, I am committed to the Ritz Carlton brand as I am a Ritz Carlton credit card member. I also received a reduced rate for our stay at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota. However, my priority is integrity as a travel writer. I hope that my readers and the Ritz Carlton appreciate the honesty in my reviews that point out not only the pros but also the cons.

 

Tamala PrickettSarasota Ritz Carlton Review: A True Account Of What You Get