The Two Ritz Carlton Naples Resorts: Which One Do You Choose?

The Ritz Carlton Naples resorts are the king and queen of the Paradise Coast hotels in Florida

The Ritz Carlton Naples Resort with its new Vanderbilt Tower and the newly renamed Ritz Carlton Tiburon sister property have enjoyed many updates we share below. 

As the most elegant hub of Southwest Florida, Naples celebrates a new chapter. Once the snowbird haven of Midwestern grandparents, Naples has seen huge growth in welcoming young families and professionals.

North of downtown Naples in the area of Vanderbilt Beach are two separate Ritz Carlton properties, the beachfront Ritz-Carlton Naples and the newly renamed Ritz-Carlton Tiburon Resort. They are ten minutes apart by car, and connected by an ongoing resort shuttle for guests. The ease of using the amenities at both resorts with the shuttle means that guests should choose the best option for their budget and recreation preferences.

 

Choosing which Ritz-Carlton Naples Resort is best for you

The Ritz Carlton Naples

The Ritz Carlton Naples Beach vibe is unadulterated five-star grandeur that reigns in Florida’s gulf coast as its most luxurious resort at present. Soaring floor to ceiling windows, massive chandeliers, and a new mid-century modern inspired decor that identify the brand let you know you are at a newer Ritz property where the brand has been moving away from more traditional decor.

It is filled with families, wedding guests spilling out of the Vanderbilt Ballroom, local members of the resort spa and fitness center, and convention attendees in the meeting rooms. It has many more rooms than the golf resort, and is the hub of the area’s activity, especially at night while locals and guests enjoy the new lobby Champagne bar.

The Ritz Carlton Tiburon

The Ritz Carlton Tiburon, formerly the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, feels very much like a country club. The staff treat you like you are longstanding members. I saw no twenty-somethings in sight. Everybody is a kid, has a kid, or has grandkids. This is a luxury resort for the entire family. Guests might be greeted in the lobby by a staff member with a cart of featured cocktail samples during happy hour or a gelato cart.

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Do you want smaller crowds, more personal service, and better value? The Ritz Tiburon Golf Resort has a fraction of the guest rooms (at typically half the price) of the Ritz Carlton Naples Beach Resort and their family suites are incredibly comfortable. A large, club level suite at the Golf Resort is roughly the same in price as a guest room with two double beds at the Beach Resort.

Ritz Carlton Naples Resort Rooms and Suites for Families

The Ritz Carlton Naples Beach Resort Rooms

The hotel completed in 2023 a new tower comprised exclusively of club rooms and suites, so the hotel has ample options for families of all sizes. The largest is a three bedroom suite.

Another key, family-friendly upgrade in this renovation is that all two bedded rooms now have two queen beds instead of double beds.

The Beach Resort Club Level and Lounge

The showcase of the new Naples resort is its club lounge, the largest in the country. It features a full bar with bartender in the evenings, an adorable lounge for kids.

The lounge hosts can help plan any resort or activity for you and your family. I asked the club lounge concierge if a specific gelato place in Naples still existed. Less than an hour later, the concierge had slipped an envelope with printed directions under our door.

The Ritz Carlton service philosophy has always been one I consider of gluttony and excess, which is what most people typically want on a vacation. I asked for some avocado and I received a plate of a whole avocado sliced. Ask for a banana, and you’ll receive a bunch. Literally.

The club lounge offers both an omelette station and an ample breakfast buffet with hot stations that rotate bacon, scrambled eggs, and pieces of French toast or pancakes. There’s a cold buffet of smoked salmon, charcuterie, fruits and yogurt and a selection of muffins, croissants, and toasts. We also had many gluten-free options. The cappuccinos made by their fancy Nespresso machine were excellent.

The club lounge spread could be considered a light lunch. There’s bread, deli meat, and sliced cheese to make sandwiches. Additionally, there are a featured soup, wraps and finger sandwiches. There was a large display of crudités and an excellent lemon grilled chicken breast sliced to add to salad.

On their way out of the lounge, kids will delight in the cookie shelf filled with four different varieties. These are really good cookies, too. Don’t let your kids have all the fun.

The Ritz Carlton Tiburon Resort Rooms

If families choose the Tiburon Golf Resort over the Beach Resort, they’ll notice their dollar going vastly further. Not only can you book a club-level suite, you can reserve the special “Camping Out” package for your children.

Our suite’s living room was filled with a spectacular tent set up with a space book and activities, a star-producing night light, and a telescope. My son adored every second of it.

Rooms with balconies overlook the golf courses or resort grounds.

The suite’s expansive comfort included a sleeper sofa, too, as well two marble bathrooms. The master bath and its walk-in closets are massive. This suite would easily fit a family of five comfortably, too.

Like its sister property, rooms with two beds have double-sized beds, not queen-sized. Reserving adjoining rooms may be better for families. King rooms contain a twin sleeper sofa for a third person.

The Ritz Golf Resort Club Lounge

There are some differences with the two club lounges at the Naples Beach and Golf Resorts.  The hosts remember your preferences while they chat with you. They offered my oat milk for my coffee the following morning without asking. 

HOW TO RECEIVE VIP AMENITIES AT THE RITZ CARLTON NAPLES RESORTS

Let Luxe Recess VIP Your Naples Visit

I booked the Luxe Recess exclusive Marriott Star rates, so we enjoyed a lovely welcome amenity in addition to early check in, 4PM check out, a $100 resort credit, and two breakfasts daily. Honestly, why would you book by yourself and leave money on the table?

You could book your trip on your own, but you’d miss out on hundreds of dollars in exclusive amenities, as well as personalized, VIP treatment by the staff in both Naples resorts. Book your room through this link to add these amenities to your reservation.

Ritz Carlton Naples Resort Amenities

Fun For Your Ritz Kids

Each Ritz-Carlton hotel has a special Ritz Kids check-in station, as both Naples resorts do. Children can undertake a scavenger hunt at the Beach Resort, which I love doing, as it is a great activity combined with lunch when we arrive before a room is ready.

Both resorts offer ice cream parlors and game areas. The Beach Resorts kids club with numerous aquariums has closed, and the new Ritz Kids experience will open by the Christmas holidays in December 2023.

The Naples Ritz Carlton Beach

Guests walk the elevated path over the wildlife to the beach from the pool area in hopes of seeing river otters, (hopefully) small alligators, and spotted gar fish.

There’s attentive beach service offered by the resort with a good ratio of staff-to-guests who set up chairs and take beverage orders. Beach cabanas come with a snack basket, suntan lotion, aloe vera gel, magazines an ice bucket and fruit.

The Ritz Carlton Naples Pools

Both Ritz Carlton Naples resorts offer outdoor pools with cabanas. The Beach Resort tends to draw a larger crowd since its hotel has many more rooms than the Golf Resort. There are beautiful new cabanas both at the family and adult pools, complete with airconditioning and excellent poolside service.

There are plenty of families and children’s pool amenities and chairs. Foosball, billiards, and ping pong tables are nearby with siblings and parents competing.

The Reserve at the Ritz Carlton Tiburon

The Golf Resort recently updated their pool area to include a lazy river, water slides, and swanky pool cabanas in what they now call The Reserve.

The lazy river is pleasant and truly lazy. There are no wave or splash features, and moms won’t get their hair wet! The third slide was our favorite where partners go down in an inner-tube.

There is a fenced in splash area with smaller slides and lounge chairs perfect for families with younger kids.

We found that we had the pools to ourselves at both properties once the ice cream sandwich and cocktail service concluded for the day.

Golf & Tennis

The Tiburon Golf Resort is obviously a big destination for its courses, and instruction is top notch.

The hotel greeted our six-year-old boy with an adorable gift surrounding the theme of the littlest golfer. My son had been saying he wanted to play golf since he was three and this was the trip where we decided to get clubs in his hands. We booked his first golf lesson at the Impact Zone Golf Academy (located at the resort’s Tiburon Course).

Ellen, who stopped touring when she discovered her passion for teaching, taught my son and also leads the kids’ program at the resort’s golf school. My son took to her right away and I can’t wait to book more lessons with her on subsequent trips. She was very skilled and personable.

Her goal was to make golf fun, and the intro lesson was a huge success reflected in my son’s ongoing enthusiasm to take golf lessons since we have been home.

The tennis center, also located at the Golf Resort, offers tennis pro instruction, clinics, and a chance for families to rent a ball machine and hit together.

Fitness

While the Golf Resort has its own fitness room, the wellness features are concentrated at the Beach Resort. There are several fitness classes offered each day, mostly for a fee of $25. My husband and I took a Premier Pilates course on the chair, and other women in the class were mostly local members down for the season.

A wonderful and generous policy states that there is no minimum signup requirement for the exercise classes. You may get lucky and receive a private yoga class.

The Ritz-Carlton Naples Spa

The Spa got a facelift, too. This building is massive, with dozens of treatment rooms, a cafe, mineral pool, terrace, and large boutique. The modern makeover of the Grande Lakes property in Orlando seems parallel. 

Sunset at Vanderbilt Beach

Sunsets are very serious business at the Ritz in Naples. As with many Gulf beachfront resorts, the west-facing location makes every evening an event. The skies turn pink, the jade water turns a pale silver, and everyone is taking that magic photo for their holiday photo card. At beachfront Gumbo Limbo restaurant, a guest rings a bell every night when the sun touches the water.

The Ritz Naples Golf Resort is not to be outdone by her sister property’s famous sunsets. And for those willing to rise with the sun, they are well-rewarded with beautiful pink and purple skies from the back patio of the hotel. Guests look over the golf courses with the rainbow of colors and the smell of patio fires from the night before.

The Ritz Carlton Naples Restaurants

The challenge with staying Club Level for more than a few days is that one eats up to five meals by dinner time. But we managed, and these were our favorite meals.

Gumbo Limbo

Gumbo Limbo is the most frequented restaurant at the resort. Drawing crowds every afternoon and early evening for drinks on the beach, it offers first-rate views of the sun setting on Vanderbilt Beach.

Fare is casual Florida cuisine of seafood, salads, tacos, and burgers. The restaurant is long and skinny in order to offer the greatest number of unobstructed seated views of the water. Be sure to pack sunglasses for your children who may be sensitive to the light. We learned the hard way. At sunset, a child is selected to ring the bell at the exact moment the sun dips into the water of the horizon line.

Gumbo Limbo’s consistently good service and food make this a must-do family dinner when we are in town, even if we’re not staying at the resort.

The Grill

The Grill, the most formal of both resorts’ dining options, was actually our family’s favorite. It’s fun to get dressed up on the final night of vacation.

The clubby feel of the tall wingback chairs set a tone wherein my kids knew to behave. The service was so attentive (or maybe our servers were just staying close by because we were one of the few tables with children).

My kids were as delighted by this meal as much as my husband and I were. We enjoyed delicious spring pea risottos with lobster and Dover sole prepared tableside. Fish seared with leeks and oyster mushrooms were excellent.

My children had a special menu to order from of steak, vegetables, and pastas. They still talk about the house-made pretzel rolls and their first chocolate soufflé.

Final thoughts

We scooted out of The Grill in time for the evening’s sunset. My son and husband rolled up their pants, and we went down to the water. Despite my warnings, I knew wet hemlines were imminent. But I didn’t care.

None of us could stop from touching the warm waters with our feet one last time before leaving the Florida Sunshine for New England’s taunting and teasing false spring.

Other families and couples, visitors and residents, everyone benefitted from the flattering, rose-colored lighting.

Completely spoiled, entertained, and indulged from the frozen grapes served to us at the outdoor pool to the children’s gifts, we left longing to return. Our week at both Ritz-Carlton hotels showed us that there really isn’t a better one when the Ritz-Carlton service is so accommodating.

So which resort will you choose?

Booking Your Naples Vacation

Did you know Luxe Recess is a magazine and an exclusive Ritz-Carlton partner? What does that mean for you? It means that as both a luxury family travel magazine and travel agency, we can give our clients numerous complimentary amenities.

Our rates at the Marriott’s luxury brands always include complimentary breakfasts for two and resort credits and —based on availability— upgrades and early check-in and late check-out. If you would like to add these amenities to your stay at no cost to you, please complete this hotel booking form.