Review of Beaches Turks and Caicos

As a travel professional, I was always amazed at the high prices at Beaches Turks and Caicos and could never quite figure out if this property is worth the money. Then I stayed at Beaches Turks and Caicos as part of a travel agent familiarization trip.

What is my feedback now--- WOW. Beaches Turks and Caicos is the Rolls Royce of family all inclusive resorts. It is to all inclusive resorts as Disney is to theme parks. I have been to MANY all inclusive properties and was literally blown away by the service level, entertainment, amenities and types of accommodations that this property offers.

This is not to say that I would recommend this resort to everyone but let me share a bit about it and why I would recommend this to the young and the young at heart. If my kids were young, I would want them to experience Beaches Turks and Caicos. I am looking forward to having grandchildren so that I can take my kids and grand kids here. It is just a phenomenal property and I can’t say enough positive about it.

Let’s start with the room accommodations:

My colleague and I were put up in the one of the least expensive rooms- the Caicos Premium rooms with 2 double beds on the 2nd floor of the West Wing in the Caribbean Village. Would I recommend this category of room to my clients? Probably not. Unless they were really stretching their budget to stay here in the first place. The rooms are your typical Sheraton rooms (that is what this block of rooms was originally built as). The rooms are ok, nothing special, nothing that I can gush over. They are a bit dated and I was told that they are scheduled to be updated in the fall of 2010. What you can’t change is the view (garden or pool only- ours was of the basketball court), the smell of sulfur from the pipes and the size. They are adequate for 2 double beds or 1 king bed, an upholstered pull out single sleep chair and a table. The bathroom is ok with a single sink and tub and shower combination. The armoire holds a TV, mini fridge and drawer space. Hopefully the furniture and the soft goods (bedding, blankets, etc) will be replaced soon. The room is basic and as long as my clients realize that it is not a great room, but they want to stay in this resort, they should be ok.

The location of these rooms, however, is very good- right near the kids club, pool, main lobby and a short walk to the beach. Reflections restaurant is just downstairs in the lobby and this was a great place for a buffet breakfast. The meeting space was also in this building. It is a short walk to the water park (which is in between the French and Italian Villages). There are some larger rooms with better views in this village but honestly, if I was spending more money, I would opt for the other, newer villages with nicer and larger rooms.

The French Village is the furthest from the beach but newer than the Caribbean Village. Their entry level room, the luxury room, is similar to the Turquoise Deluxe or Caicos Premium rooms but they have been updated and might be a bit larger.

There are a couple of other room categories, of the 30 different room categories, that don’t offer concierge or butler service.

The rooms that I really liked were the family suites with separate kid’s bedroom in the Italian Village. These rooms had a king bed in the master with a trundle bed, a gorgeous master bath with whirlpool tub and separate shower. The kid’s room has a bunk bed with a trundle, XBOX and game table, TV and a separate closet and bathroom sink and mirror. These rooms can sleep 6 comfortably and offer concierge service. The views ranged from pool and garden views to full ocean views.

Amenities at this resort are just too many to name but the ones I was most impressed with were:
 The water park including pirate ship, slides, lazy river and surfing simulator- just a great place to spend lot of time.
 The Red Lane Spa-a Sandals/Beaches exclusive.
 Camp Sesame for the youngest kids on up to the XBOX “Garage” and the Shadow Lounge for the teens, complete with DJ recording studio. You won’t have to worry that the kids will ever be bored here.
 Choice of 16 restaurants (although we only ate at a few- loved Le Chateau for dinner. Wanted to try Kimonos for dinner but had to settle for a couple of pieces of Sushi, instead. Marios- great place for a buffet lunch- great choices and food. Reflections- for breakfast- everything was nice and fresh)
 Water sports, including diving, snorkeling, kayaking, hobie cats, aqua trikes and windsurfing
 The pools (7 of them)
 The beach- just gorgeous
 The service

Just to give you an idea of the service, on the first night, we asked about restaurants at the front desk. Not only did the woman at the desk make recommendations, she escorted us to one for us to check out the menu. I was having a bit of trouble with the internet service in the business center, so I called the front desk. In less than 2 minutes, one of the staff was in the business center assisting me and then gave me a $10 free internet card because of the problem. We were in Cricketer’s Pub and my colleague wanted to know the score of the baseball game. The waitress came back 3 times with the score, as soon as she heard it. Every staff member went out of their way to be pleasant and helpful. I was quite impressed with the level of service.

I can’t speak highly enough of Beaches Turks and Caicos. I would, without a doubt, recommend this property to families of all ages, a girl’s getaway, destination weddings and family reunions. I think this is a great choice for any of the vacationers mentioned. I would not recommend this property to couples or honeymooners who want seclusion or a quiet vacation- there are many other resorts for them. The Sesame Street characters are around but not overwhelming so adults can certainly enjoy this property without children and there were many there during out stay. There is enough to do for both kids and adults so that everyone can have a great time.

For more information on Beaches Turks and Caicos, please contact us at mindy@myvacationlady.com