Explore Luxury: A Comprehensive Tour of The Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes

The Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes is one of the premier hotels not only in Orlando but also in the state of Florida. The hotel itself consist of 582 luxury guest rooms and suites on a lush 500-acre site that it shares with the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes and the Marriott Grande Vista vacation club property.

The combination of the Ritz-Carlton and the JW Marriott hotels makes the Grande Lakes resort a truly unique property. The majority of the features and amenities are available to guests of both Ritz-Carlton and the JW Marriott and include the spa with a state-of-the-art fitness center, 18-hole golf course, sports & recreational facilities, a kids club and the conference center. The specific features and amenities are individually highlighted below.

This hotel is part of the Marriott family of hotels which includes the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program where members can earn and use points during their stay. In addition, Marriott offers a “Best Rate Guarantee” when making a reservation using any “official” Marriott reservation channel.

If you thinking about staying at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes or other Marriott property, we would appreciate if you can use our links when making the reservations. Endless Summer is an affiliate with Marriott receives a small commission for each stay that was referred by our website. This allows us to continue to continue making great content for our audience.

About the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes

The Ritz-Carlton originally opened on 2003 and the rooms & suites were completely renovated in 2011. In 2012 and 2013 public space was renovated including meeting rooms, the ballroom and the addition of the Highball & Harvest restaurant. The property is very located located at the southwest corner of Central Florida Parkway and the John Young Parkway.

The hotel has received many accolades and won a number of awards over the past several years. Highlights of these awards are as follows:

Trip Advisor: Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame, 2015 & 2016

US News & World Report: Best Hotels in the USA Aware, 2014 – 2017
US News Travel: Top hotels in Orlando – Walt Disney World, #3 for 2017
Travel + Leisure magazine: “The World’s Best 500 Hotels”, 2013
Conde’ Nast Traveler magazine: “Best Resorts in Florida”, Readers’ Choice Aware, #13, 2014

AAA: Four Diamond 2004 – 2014

The Ritz-Carlton is approximately 15 to 20 minutes from the Orlando International Airport and just ten minutes to the Orlando / Orange County Convention Center as well as International Drive.

The local Orlando area theme parks are a very short distance to the Ritz-Carlton. According to Google Maps, travel time is as follows (non-peak hours):

Universal Orlando Resort: 16 minutes.
SeaWorld Orlando: 10 minutes.
The Magic Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort: 23 minutes.

EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort: 19 minutes.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort: 24 minutes.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort: 28 minutes.
Disney Springs at the Walt Disney World Resort: 22 minutes.

Downtown Orlando: 28 minutes.

Each room or suite has stunning views of the pool and lakes, grounds, and / or the golf course. Additional room features include marble bathrooms with dual vanities, spacious balconies, high-speed wireless internet access and a smart television. Standard guest rooms are 480 square feet in size with suites as large as 2,645 square feet.

The Ritz-Carlton offers 24-hour room service, on-site laundry, babysitting services, floral services, a beauty shop, gift shop, vending machines, valet parking, foreign exchange, a car rental desk, daily housekeeping and a full service Concierge desk.

Amenities at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes

The amenities at Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes are exceptional with a number of offerings beyond that of other resort hotels in the greater Orlando area. Along with a beautiful pool area (as well as access to the adjacent JW Marriott pool and lazy river), an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Greg Norman to a wide variety of nature tours and activities. Once you see all there is to see and do, you will never want to leave the resort.

Resort Pool Area: The luxurious pool area is one of the highlights at the Ritz-Carlton. Not only is there a massive resort style pool, but a separate splash / play area for there. Additional, there lounge chairs as well as private cabanas available across the pool deck. Hotels guests are also free to use the 24,000 square foot lazy river pool at the adjacent JW Marriott hotel. This pool is quite large and considered one of the most amazing pools of any hotel in central Florida. Spend all day floating in the lazy river or relaxing by the pool with one of the resorts signature cocktails.

AquaCourse 360: The AquaCourse 360 is a fun water themed obstacle course and play area. It is quite unique and one of the first of its kind in the Orlando area.
Eco-Tour on Shingle Creek: Take a two-hour guided canoe tour with a master naturalist along the waters of Shingle Creek. You will experience native wildlife as you paddle through old Florida. Cost is $60 for adults and $40 for children 17 and younger.

Fishing: Enjoy guided Fishing Excursions or Fly Casting Instruction in one of the resorts 11 stocked and managed lakes. Spinning tackle or fly rods are provided and no license is needed. you can fish from either shore or aboard one of the resorts boats. Costs range from $60 to $75 per person.
Pedal Boat and Kayak Rentals: Enjoy a ride on Grande Lake which is right behind the resort. Must be 18 years of age to rent and times are limited from 8:AM to 10:AM and 4:PM to 6:PM daily.

Mountain Biking: The Grande Lakes resort is also home to the two-mile Hidden Lake mountain bike trail. Guests can rent a new SCOTT bicycle and ride on their own or with a guide.
Sunrise Safari: Take a guided trip on a customized golf cart with the JW’s master naturalist to explore the 500-acre property. You may just find a host of Florida wildlife include alligators, bobcat, whitetail deer, raccoons, birds and more. Cost is $60 per person.

Falconry Experiences: Learn the art of Falconry in an hour “Falconry School” session or “Walk with a Hawk” where yo will interact with the birds. Costs range from $250 to $300 per person with special rates for groups of six or more.

Other hotel amenities:

Bocce Ball Courts
Game room
Children’s playground
Executive business center
Fitness center (within the Spa)
Tennis courts
Complimentary theme park transportation

The Spa at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes

The Ritz-Carlton Spa is sits between the Ritz-Carlton hotel and the JW Marriott hotel and is available to guests of both hotel properties. This facility is truly amazing and at 40,000 square feet in size, is one of the largest in the central Florida area and has 40 rooms offering a variety of treatments.

40 Individual Treatment Rooms
A private, 4,000 square foot outdoor heated lap pool with healing waters
Full service salon
Co-ed relaxation conservatory
The Spa cafe – “Vitale”
The Spa boutique – “Tranquility”
Sauna, steam room and hot tub

Included in the spa facility is a 6,000 square foot Fitness / Center: This facility is open 24 hours as day and has a variety of fitness machines, free weights and a studio for a number of programs include Boot Camp, Yoga, Pilates and Cycle. Personal one-on-one training is available and a complimentary fitness equipment orientation is provided.

The Ritz-Carlton Spa has received a number of awards and accolades. Some of the recent awards include:

TripAdvisor: Certificate of Excellence, 2017
USA Today 10 Best: “Best Hotel Spa” Reader’s Choice Award Ranked #1 2016, 2015

Conde’ Nast Traveler magazine: “Top 100 Resort Spas in the United States” Ranked #57, 2014

The Golf Club at the Ritz Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club is also part of the Grande Lakes Orlando Resort and like the spa, is available to guests of both the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels. The 18-hole Greg Norman Signature Golf Course is a perfect fit for the Shingle Creek area and is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary which enhances the local wildlife and protects the natural environment.

The course has five sets of tees and features wide fairways, well placed hazards and contoured greens. The course’s web site says it provides “a challenging but fair test of a golfer’s abilities”. There is an optional caddie concierge program to go along with golf carts as well as a clubhouse with pro shop and restaurant.

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club has received a number of awards and accolades. Some of the recent awards include:

TripAdvisor.com: Certificate of Excellence, 2015
GOLF Digest Magazine: “America’s Top 50 Golf Courses for Women, July 2013”

In addition to the practice range and putting area, golf instruction is offered and provided by Larry Rinker who is a for PGA Tour player.

Dining at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes

From pool side dining to grab-and-go as well as room service and fine dining restaurants, there are 11 dining options at the Ritz Carlton and the adjacent JW Marriott which range from casual poolside fare to fine dining. Individual dining venues are as follows:

Highball & Harvest: A farm-to-table restaurant that sources their ingredients from local farms as well as the resort’s own organic garden. Highball and Harvest is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner service. Click here to view the menu.

Bleu: Dining al fresco with fresh seafood, salads and burgers at this poolside restaurant.
Vitale, Spa Cafe’: Located within the Ritz-Carlton Spa, this outdoor cafe’ offers a wide variety of “heath-focused” options including salads, sandwiches, smoothies and bento boxes.

Fairways Pub: Fairways Pub is located within the clubhouse at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Course and has spectacular views of the 18th green as well as the Grande Lakes resort.
The Lobby Lounge: Enjoy a cocktail which snacking on Oysters, lobster cakes, flatbreads or salads. The Lobby Lounge is open late on most nights and offers live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings.

First Drop®: Enjoy your roasted coffee or handcrafted milkshakes at this lobby cafe’. Food offerings include breakfast and lunch sandwiches, salads and snacks.
Primo: Enjoy Italian cuisine in this fine-dining restaurant by award-winning chef Melissa Kelly. Primo is only open for dinner service.

Citron, An American Brasserie: Serving a wonderful breakfast from classic omelets to fresh-baked pastries. Citron is only open for breakfast.
Sushi Bar: Located at the rear of the JW Marriott’s lobby is the sushi bar featuring a varies of selections from Asian to raw bar delights.