This is our second stay at the Ritz in Sarasota and can't wait for the next. This beautiful property manages to balance elegant ambience and southern hospitality. The staff is incredibly friendly, the rooms extremely comfortable and the downtown location is within walking distance to restaurants. The beach club is on a gorgeous stretch of beach and is a 10 minute ride by car or shuttle. We are thinking of returning in April...can't wait!

I cannott think of any hotel that I have stayed in, anyplace in the world, where the management excluded resident guests from the bars of the hotel so that non-residents could benefit from them.
Does this property not have separate facilities for catering for external patrons? Preventing access to one of the only two bars in the property is bad enough but, I consider closing both Cad, Zan and the Bay View Burger Bar at the same time on the same day to make money out of pivate functions is unacceptable. I wouldn't expect this treatment from a cheap Motel and certainly not from a luxury hotel which RitxzCarlton Sarasota claims to be. Admitted, we were offered drinks in the hotel lobby but this was only after a considerable wait and we just were not comfortable there.

Earlier on the same day (around mid-day) we visited the Bay View Burger Bar to enjoy a snack but found it deserted. No staff anywhere near. We sat at some tables near the deserted pool area but nobbody came near us to ask if we needed anything. We could no see any signs to indicate why it woulb be closed at lunchtime. I guess we wil never get to taste the wonderful burgers that are advertised in the guest info books.

We took the hotel bus to the beachside clubhouse for lunch. The club pools are nice and the food was good but not neither is spectacularly so. The internal areas are nicely furnished

The Tiki bar toilets at the beach club were grubby and there were problens with door locks when we were there. There are better facilities in the clubhouse but, why not keep all the toilets in the resort to the same standard.
We dined in the Vernona restaurant one evening (at least it was available for resident guests). We had two wonderful meal experiences here in previous years. Again, I am sorry to say that we found it somewhat lacking in terms of presentation and quality. Maybe our fond memories of our previous experiences at Vernona lead us to expect too much this time. It was simply a little disappointing.

The rooms are quite nice with but, we found overall that the guest experience in the Hyatt across the dock is comparable if not better.

We were overcharged for 2 extra days valet parking which was quickly removed when we pointed this out. A simple mistake I know but, just another minor annoyance

Apart from issues above, the one major difference we found between Hyatt and the Ritz was the cost of the experience so, it is the Hyatt that we will be returning to when we come back to Sarasota. We simply do not think our stay on this occasion was value for money.

Friendly and accommodating, even by Ritz Carlton standards, within 24 hours, the ebullient staff will make you feel as if the Ritz Sarasota is your own private club. In fact, it is impossible to stay anonymous here, with "How are you doing, sir?" being asked whenever you are within a 20 foot radius.

At the foot of the Ringling causeway, the Sarasota Ritz Carlton is conveniently situated, but not on a Gulf of Mexico beach. They do have a lovely "Beach Club" on Lido Key that requires either a free hourly shuttle bus ride or driving. It's 3.5 miles away from the hotel, and we actually bicycled there.

Room walls were paper thin. The conversations and television in the room next door were easily heard.

"Water views" have several buildings between the room and water, and look out upon Sarasota Bay, not the Gulf of Mexico.

Restaurants were of very high quality, though felt a little stiff.

The three tennis courts on the north side of the property were a weakness, with no club quality accouterments, and surrounded by a chain link fence. and ugly surroundings. More typical of public city courts, they were not surprisingly unused by any guests during our five-day stay.

Resort is excellent. Great amenities and service. Nice areas to walk close by. Only negative is that the beach is a couple of miles away. Would go back in a heart beat.