The Ridges Resort And Marina, Ascend Hotel Collection,

Young Harris, GA 30582

"Attended a Military Ball. Everything was wonderful except the audio system was not clearly heard in the back of the room and the speakers were in an UNLIGHTED corner. It appeared that bulbs were out. Also there was not a photo location or photographer (organizers' job). Food was delicious. Cash bar was open. Room was by parking and easy to access. We had a great time!!"

"Run don't walk from this place says it's a resort but it's far from it. Upon arriving at 2:00 a.m. there was a notice to call for the night manager which I called repeatedly and eventually had to sleep in my car for 6 hours while I waited for the manager to come. Upon arrival the manager after learning my plight, was gracious enough to take off the resort fee of $20!! Hardly what I would call customer service or hospitality and that's not forget the voucher you get for your breakfast McDonald's serves better breakfast"

"A disappointing experience. Very poor value given the high price and absence of information about "resort" amenities. Great location but a rather strange interior grey/dark grey color scheme in the rooms/hallways. The front desk person treated us like we were checking into a Motel 6 for the night with zero information about the resort beyond how to get to our rooms (and there was no information in the rooms either). This is a newly renovated property that is clearly still getting its act together, but I certainly couldn't recommend them based on our experience. We had two reservation/billing issues. We had paid extra for a lake view room but were given a room with a view of the parking lot (the price difference has now been refunded). We were also double-billed for the (wildly overpriced) room, which took two days of phone calls to resolve, with the hotel pointing fingers at Chase/Expedia, and claiming that a note in our account said to bill us directly for the room (!?!). That left a bad taste in my mouth. (They double-billed us by charging the card we gave at check-in even though we had pre-paid with credit card points through Chase Ultimate Rewards in a booking made two months prior. The manager, Sam, says she really dislikes third-party bookings, but that's hardly our fault). They have a lovely location & grounds, and (mostly) very friendly staff. But the "resort" part seems more aspirational than reality, as we were told nothing at check-in about any of the amenities (or anything at all beyond how to get to our room) and there is no information in the rooms about any of the amenities available, including basics like breakfast or housekeeping, etc. We arrived on the day of the grand opening of their new restaurant, which featured a party with live music, but were told nothing about it and only learned of it from the local newspaper. We were never even told how to get to the restaurant, and no maps of the resort were made available to guests. The facilities are generally nice, with fire pits, a floating patio on the lake, and a nearby marina/water park. However, despite the seasonal 80-degree weather and their adjoining water park being open, the pool was closed. The main lodge has an impressive great room/lobby with a HUGE fireplace and animal heads--including a moose head (!?)--mounted on the walls. It honestly seems more suited to Alaska than North Georgia, but it does seem pretty swanky. But the rooms and hallways of the main lodge are very peculiar--it appeared to have recently been repainted with contrasting colors of grey and dark grey paint and carpets. This was such an odd color scheme for a "resort" that it was honestly somewhat unnerving. Between that and a strangely large gap between the doors and the door frames in each of the rooms, it all seemed a bit ominous, like something out of a David Lynch movie. (It also appeared that our door had previously been kicked in at some point.) However, the bed was quite comfortable and the in-room air conditioner kept the temperature quite cool. Overall, this experience would have been barely acceptable at half the price, but was a terrible value at the "resort" price we paid on a Saturday night. I'm a bit sick over how much we paid for such a lousy experience, even though it was "just" paid for with (many) credit card points."

"Was raised over in hayesville, currently reside in Michigan. That being said. This was the greatest experience I have ever had with a resort/hotel/motel/....nothing else. The customer service was phenomenal, absolutely coming back. Every day, every single day. Found something new to do or checkout based of the staffs suggestions. The staff was great with my little ones. Very friendly and made it feel like I had stopped at a 5 star lodge far away from home, even though I was obviously around the corner from my childhood. Place is peaceful, extremely clean, great view/beautiful scenery, best best best. If you come through the area please so you and yours a fantastic favor. Stay with the resort. P.s. Tell them the Gribbles said hi!"

"Pleasing room and nice atmosphere. Very Friendly staff. Husband enjoyed playing the lobby's piano, while the moose looked on. Only complaint is the pillows were too fluffy. Haha. Seriously, got a creak in my neck."