Celebrating 17 years of marriage at Ritz Carlton, Sarasota

Seventeen years ago on June 15, Kris and I said I do! If you want to read my reflection on marriage over the last 17 years, you can read that HERE. On our first night as a married couple, we stayed at this exact same Ritz Carlton. If you watched my stories on Instagram a couple of weeks ago I told you this story. But here it is again. Kris had checked us in early the day of our wedding, seeing as how we would be arriving after 11 that night. So all we had to do was head to our room and Kris carry me over the threshold.

I don’t know if it was a combination of being excited or being so tired from an emotional day, but Kris whisked me off to the wrong room. As he was frantically trying to open the door to the wrong room, I asked if he had the correct room number. As he was still shaking the handle of the wrong door, he realized DID NOT!! So we went running back down the hall afraid we had woken up the couple in that room. Kris re-checked the room number and realized we had to go back by the “wrong room.” So we quickly ran back by the wrong room to our correct room number. It is something we laugh about to this day! I am pretty sure Kris was a little overly excited, but none the less, he finally carried me over the threshold.

I was so disappointed we didn’t have a lot of time to explore and enjoy the property. We left so early the next morning for our honeymoon. So, we were fortunate to be able to come back and celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary here at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota this year.

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The Ritz Carlton graciously left chocolate cover strawberries in our room for us!

I told Kris I should be able to eat all of them, since on our honeymoon he ate a whole plate of them and left me only one. I still shared with him and they were divine.

The property has an amazing pool with beautiful views everywhere we looked. It was so serene and peaceful. We were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset before our dinner at Jack Dusty’s.

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If you have followed me for any time, you will know my girlfriends and I will find any excuse to have brunch at Jack Dusty’s. I have never had a bad meal and I am obsessed with their oatmeal and omelettes. Kris makes fun of me but I get so excited over their endless vanilla lattes! I could sit on the porch overlooking the marina sipping on my latte for hours!

One of my favorite spots that is part of the property was the Ritz Carlton Beach Club.

You had a choice to either put your toes in the sand and enjoy the gulf, or sit by the pool. Either way the Ritz Carlton staff was there to wait on all your needs or wants including pool and beachside drinks and eats. A quick shower came through and we were able to take cover and eat lunch at the Beach Club’s restaurant Ridley’s Porch. We snacked on pulled pork nachos and finished with the best chocolate ice-cream waffle cone. After lunch and the shower had subsided, we decided to relax poolside.

The resort also offers transportation to St. Armand’s Circle every 30 minutes. We were able to take the bus and have an amazing dinner at the Columbia, walk around the circle, and eat our favorite Kilwin’s ice-cream. It was amazing we never had to drive anywhere! The shuttle was so easy and convenient.

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While we were visiting, there was a wedding that had taken place. Jenn quickly encouraged us to run over and take pictures! So we quickly took the opportunity to reminisce our vows and take pictures under the altar. Sometimes the best plans are the unplanned ones.

Other Activities and Attractions

• Sarasota Jungle Gardens – Family friendly attraction where you can interact with all kinds of animals and birds.
• Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium
• Lido Key Beach
• Siesta Key Beach
• St. Armands Circle – Boosts unique, luxury shops and best restaurants in Sarasota.
• The Ringling Museum
• Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
• Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
• The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
• Golfing
• Atlanta Braves Spring Baseball complex
• Water sports – water skiing, surfing, and paddle boarding
• Fishing

XOX

Mandy

Thank you so much to the Ritz Carlton, Sarasota for sponsoring this post!