The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Oconee, Reynolds, GA

AN HONEST GUEST REVIEW 🛁🛁🛁

I’m from New Jersey. I’m a Jersey-Girl. I shop at the mall. I eat Taylor ham. I spend summers ‘down the shore.’ Or at least, I used to. As Chris (husband) and I get older, the Jersey shore has started to lose its appeal. We went from going every weekend possible to maybe one weekend a summer. The reason, for us, is the crowds. It is just wall to wall people. The beach gets packed. You have to send someone down at 9AM to set up a tent to claim your spot. Forget about eating out, the restaurants are all booked, which means you need to cook, but you can’t get within 50 feet of the grocery store because, well, people.

As an alternative, we started renting homes on different lakes in lieu of the summer pilgrimage to the Jersey shore. The issue with the lake rental, for me, was that for seven days, I was cooking, cleaning and doing laundry in someone else’s house. I wasn’t on vacation. I’m all about that lake life, but not when I’m drying towels 15 times a day. We found a solution in the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Oconee.

A hotel…ahem…a Ritz on a lake? Yes please. This checks all the boxes. Serene views, lake activities for hubby and the kids, and best of all, daily housekeeping and restaurants for me! No cooking, cleaning or laundry.

The Ritz-Carlton at Lake Oconee offers regular hotel rooms and suites. I’ve never stayed in the hotel proper. We always opt for one of the six, on-property cabins. They are situated closer to the lake, provide more privacy, and scratch our itch to be in a lake house. For two years running, we’ve stayed at the Wisteria cottage, a two-bedroom cabin with a galley kitchenette, two living spaces, 2.5 bathrooms and an outdoor deck overlooking the 18th hole and the lake. No lobby, no elevators. Totally private. When you stay in the cottage, you feel like you are in a home, not a hotel. Nice.

Wisteria Cottage at the Ritz-Carlton

Reynolds, Lake Oconee, GA

Lakeside cottage experience aside, it’s a still a Ritz. You pay for the Ritz name and certain expectations go with that name. Did the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Oconee live up to those expectations? I have some…suggestions? Complaints? No, not complaints. Hubby and I always say, we’re not complaining, if we are “stating facts.” In that case, I have a few facts I’d like to share with you about the cottage accommodations at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Oconee.

The first thing you notice about Wisteria is that it is crammed with stuff — and I mean crammed. Instead of one painting per wall, they manage to squeeze in four. At knee level. I'm not sure who's meant to enjoy artwork at shin height? Try to count the frames in my photos. You can't. There are too many.

The couch is enormous and genuinely comfortable — I'll give them that. But behind it sits a dining table for six, which sounds lovely until you need to get to the deck. If anyone is seated at that table, you're not getting past them. It's a full airplane situation — the sitter has to stand up, push their chair in, step aside, wait for you to pass, then reset. For a luxury hotel cottage, that's a lot of choreography.

The fireplace mantle is decorated with two massive vases full of giant dead branches — plus two identical glass sculptures standing right next to them. It's a lot. Some places pull off the 'more is more' look beautifully. Wisteria is not one of those places.

There is no continuity with the decorative choices, either. The primary living area is full of natural light and decorated with your typical lake color palate of light teals, blues and whites. The second living space is more hunting lodge with a dark leather couch complete with button tufting, plaid chairs, and drapes decorated with dogs. The two bedrooms and both full baths share a neutral, hotel bedroom look, making the second living space seem slightly out of place. Oh, and the powder room, that has a koi pond theme. So yea, everything feels disjointed. I will give props for the high ceilings that make the rooms seem larger, the plantation shutters that allow in the natural light and make lake views easily accessible, and beadboard/board and batten (depending on the room) paneling that adds interest and makes the place feel more lake-house and less hotel room.

The number one reason we chose a Ritz over a lake house rental was daily housekeeping. Which makes what I’m about to tell you even more painful. The housekeeping crews were inconsistent. There was a crumpled tissue on the floor by the edge of the bed when we arrived, it wasn’t picked up until our third night. A chocolate wrapper was also on the floor in the corner for our entire stay. Maybe they couldn’t vacuum effectively around all that furniture? They also had trouble deciding what should stay in the room after room service is finished (correct answer: nothing) and what should be cleaned up and removed (correct answer: everything). And while we are on the subject of housekeeping, close the doors, people! I understand that you are tucked away in the trees at the lake’s edge, so I expected to share the cottage with a few spiders or flying insects. It makes the whole lake house experience more authentic. However, I start to state facts when I see the housekeeping staff clean the room with the doors wide open, letting in every bug in Georgia! Even worse, at night, the turn down crew does the same thing. Nothing is worse than hearing buzzing by your ears when you are trying to sleep! It wasn’t all bad though, the entire staff was very friendly, and attentive. They even left us a nice welcome gift upon arrival, a small charcuterie board and cupcakes!

The Ritz-Carlton Lake Oconee wins some major points in their amenities game. Let’s start with the bathrooms. NO SHOWER CURTAINS. Sigh of relief, my vacation is not ruined! Now, let’s talk deets…

The master bath is small. Like you can’t have the shower door open and the bathroom door open at the same time small. It has one sink, which for me, is a minus. The marble backsplash, however, extends up to create a shelf, which is a lovely detail and produces more counter space for all my lotions and potions (see below). One drawer in the vanity actually opens, providing a spot for my hair brushes, and there are 2 shelves beneath the drawers on both sides of the vanity for more storage. Fact: even though the bathroom is small, there is enough room for your stuff. Another fact: the lighting in the bathroom is atrocious. Normally, the light in a hotel bathroom is so bright I can count the pores on my face and find hairs I never knew existed. At Lake Oconee you could be sporting a full-on mustache and be none the wiser ‘cause you can’t see shit in that bathroom! The shower is a tiny stall with one itsy bitsy corner shelf. I’m pretty short, so I’m okay in there, but tall folk are going to have trouble washing their lower halves. There is a separate tub, also small, tucked into the corner next to the sink. It works better as extra counter space rather than an actual bathtub. The guest bathroom is actually roomier than the master, though the layout is essentially the same.

The Ritz-Carlton at Lake Oconee has some good toiletries. First and foremost, they supply each bathroom with a travel toothpaste. That is a rare treat in a hotel. The Ritz does well overall, stocking the rooms with all the traditional hotel stuff: toothbrush and toothpaste, mouthwash, shaving kit, comb and emery board, makeup remover towelettes, a shower cap, lotion, hand soap, cotton swabs and cotton pads, and even shoe mitts, polish and a shoe horn! I don’t know who still needs that last bit, but hey, it’s the thought that counts! They even leave you a lavender bath bomb and loofah by the tub. Congrats, Ritz, you get an A+ in the “free toiletries” department.

What about the quality of said toiletries? I was pleasantly surprised. The shampoo and conditioner have a clean, floral smell and they left no residue. In fact, my hair looked pretty good, despite the Georgia humidity. The shower gel and lotion had a different scent, this one slightly more spicy. The lotion was good quality, left me feeling soft and moisturized after a day in the sun. All shower supplies were Molton Brown brand. The towels were also good quality and there were plenty of them. The rooms came equipped with a full-sized blow dryer. It was actually quite powerful, but did not have a diffuser attachment, which made the air hard to control. I feel like the Ritz could spring for some diffusers—they’d get way more use than those shoe mitts!

The Ritz supplies you with all the standard hotel accoutrement, two robes per bedroom (waffle knit, nothing notable), two pairs of slippers (basically disposable), an ironing board and iron (just why?) and a clothes steamer (now you are on the right track, Ritz).

The master bedroom has a ceiling fan! This is yet another special treat courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Oconee, and scores them some major bonus points. The bedding, though, was not special, just a top sheet and thin duvet that isn’t quite warm enough when you go to bed, but ends up being just right in the middle of the night when the AC sputters out (thank you, ceiling fan). The mattresses are lived in. The king bed had two well-worn body grooves separated by a hill of un-smushed mattress in between. They put an ill-fitting foam topper on the mattress that bunched at the foot of the bed and came up short on the sides. The foam topper was a nice try, but the body grooves won. The pillows have also seen their fair share of heads, very flat. Might be time for some upgrades in that department.

The kitchenette comes with a complimentary drink fridge, which included water, sodas, juices, white and rosé wine and some airplane alcohol bottles. They replenished these at our request, no charge. The snacks in the pics were not included. We purchased those from the local grocery store. A feature that was included with a cottage stay was free breakfast daily at the restaurant or as in room dining. This was a nice perk, especially since we were with our kids.

Speaking of kids…is the Ritz-Carlton, Reynolds, Lake Oconee family friendly? Yes, yes, yes! They have an entire section of the property dedicated to entertaining kids. There is a beautiful pool solely for families with children. In that same area they have basketball courts, a game room, a full playground, and an outdoor play area with ping pong and corn hole. They offer a ‘kid-club’ service, which must be some sort of camp for little ones so parents can relax. I saw them tie-dying shirts and having watermelon eating contests. Kayaks and paddle boards are free for guests to borrow and use in the lake. Boat and jet ski rentals are available right on property. Finally, every night the Ritz provide s’mores at their big firepit, no additional cost. So yea, bring the kids.

The best part of this kid friendly atmosphere is that the Ritz at Lake Oconee does a great job of keeping it separate. All the kids’ stuff is over there, away from all the adult stuff, so you can still enjoy the swanky vibe of a Ritz-Carlton without listening to crying children….if you go at the right time. The ‘adults’ only’ infinity pool overlooking the lake is adults’ only from Memorial Day to Labor Day. When we visited in 2025, Memorial Day weekend, no one under 12 was allowed to sit at the infinity pool area, and the rule was enforced. It was actually really nice to veg out and read a book on vacation without screaming, splashing, or balls being thrown past your head. On our return visit in 2026, in April, the infinity pool was teeming with children. The seats were all claimed by 11AM, giant rubber beach bags filled with swim diapers spilled into the space between chairs. Toddlers in puddle jumpers and goggles splashed in the pool, with their parents loudly admonishing or encouraging them from the pool deck. Other kids played Marco Polo or monkey in the middle with a volleyball. There’s nothing wrong with kids, but don’t tickle my ass with an ‘adults’ only pool’ feather and then make it conditional. Plus, what is the point of the designated kids’ pool? Ritz, if you are listening, MAKE THE ADULT’S ONLY POOL YEAR-ROUND. It adds opulence and exclusivity to the whole Ritz-Carlton at Lake Oconee experience.

The Ritz-Carlton, Reynolds, Lake Oconee gets 3 shower curtains, but I would describe it as an above average luxury hotel. Overall, it is a great place for a family trip, but I wouldn’t consider this destination for a romantic getaway. With some minor improvements in both the look (cottage needs a facelift) and feel (housekeeping/pool privileges) of the place, this hotel can easily attain 4 curtain status!

AN HONEST GUEST REVIEW 🛁🛁🛁 Three Curtains —Above average, family friendly, luxury hotel with private cottages that feel like home and awesome amenities!