Great Bay Ritz-Carlton

"We stayed here for two nights in November as part of a work excursion. We were greeted upon arrival by a staff person with a cool towel that smelled like lavender. It was very refreshing. We were escorted to check in which was easy and quick. Out bellman, Bruce, escorted us via golf cart to our building and helped us to the room. He gave us some helpful information and assured us that if we needed a ride anywhere on property we just needed to all. It was the most hospitable welcome at a hotel I have ever experienced.

Our room was clean and comfortable. We had a great view of the property. I was happy to see some complimentary natural bug spray in our room - the one thing I forgot to bring. There was also bug spray in one of the closets.

We went to the Italian restaurant in property for drinks. The staff there were friendly and professional. The drinks were great.

We participated in a group event at Sails the next night. The food there was buffet style for us and it was delicious. All service staff were friendly and professional.

There were pools, restaurants and a coffee shop onsite.

The property itself is gorgeous - from the buildings to the beaches and walkways. Everything was well maintained and clean.

The concierge was helpful with deciding on an activity. We took the water taxi to St John and back.

We arrived via taxi so I scant comment on any parking situations but I am sure they have that handled well.

I can’t say enough good things about this property. We had a great time."

Miss Val

"I would love to give this property a 5 star however, there was a few issues I saw that could have made this a true Ritz experience. I will start with the negatives and end with all the positives.

Firstly, the hallways and some of the surroundings for the elevators needed updates, this was the first thing we noticed upon arrival. The rooms themselves were done really well and were very clean and the grounds were kept well maintained. The ladies who serviced our rooms, especially our evening service were amazing!

There was also a few missed opportunities for the views from the pools and the jacuzzi, mostly the main pool which blocked out the ocean because of the shrubs in front of it. This could be an amazing pool if the shrubs were cut down below the pool wall to be able to see into the ocean. The very small area of the pool that did have a view was nice but the glass tiles of the pool were broken in that area and could be a hazard. Also, I felt that they could have cleared at least 10 to 20 ft of the beach of all the grass to give guests a better, more swimmable beach and enjoy being in the ocean, however, the snorkeling was amazing but you had to swim out quite far to see any sea life.

When it came to the food, the beach side food we ordered was so good, the fries and the fried shrimp, but the food we tried at one of the restaurants left us unsatisfied. So we didn't go to any of the restaurants for dinner and drove down to town every night to enjoy our meals. The breakfast buffet was also so-so when comparing to other resorts of similar caliber but the eggs and omelet Marie made us were always amazing!

Finally, the staff, mostly we saw a lot of people who seemed unhappy to be there, and moral seemed low for many. We were told while having a conversation with one of the staff that they had to keep an eye on the time because they had to clock out or else they would get written up, which I thought was absurd.

We always said hello first to all the employees, and everyone always responded but not always with a smile (could be a cultural thing?) so I do believe that this was not up to par with other Ritz or Marriott properties I've experienced where all of the staff greet you with a friendly smile and seem happy to be there. However, there were some people that really stood out to us and made our stay incredible. These are the super stars that I would make true examples of how to interact with guests and all of them showed a true passion for their jobs.

Starting with the wonderful Kimorah at the front desk who was so kind and really made our stay extra special in so many ways, and of course Adriana and Joe, the managers who were also just as kind and such a pleasure to meet, these 3 played a huge role in how much we enjoyed our stay at this property.

We also really loved interacting with Aaliyah at the SW, always greeted us with joy, and the other ladies at the SW as well but we specifically connected with Aaliyah! Lisa at breakfast was a pleasure to meet, she always brightened our morning when we walked in as she danced towards us and made us smile right away, ready to enjoy our breakfast. Valerie and the other servers were also incredibly friendly and made our breakfast enjoyable.

We really looked forward to seeing Patricio every morning at the club beach and seeing the passion he has for his job was such a pleasure. We truly missed him on his day off, he was the example of the Ritz hospitality for us. Another honorable mention was the concierge - Renita, she was so full of life and wonderful with suggestions about all the questions we had for her.

Overall we really loved our stay here at the Ritz, with a few improvements, this property could truly become something special! Thank you for having us and we look forward to seeing you again!"

A F

"Had a great time here for our 10 year anniversary! J’Lane at the front area when you pull in to walk in was always welcoming, sincere, and caring. Tessa at the pool area served us all day long with a smile and was always checking on us. We have stayed here before and always had a great experience. This time we found it for around $600/night which is a fair price for this location. The only thing that needs some attention is the Pizza from the Italian restaurant on site. Undercooked dough with virtually no sauce is no way to serve a pizza. It’s already a great item to markup. Don’t scare people away from ordering some late night Za’s. Great customer service all around and a special thanks again to J’Lane this guy was always on top of his customer service game."

Tyler Woogie