Why You Should Consider Beaches Turks and Caicos

I consider Beaches Turks and Caicos to be the best of the Beaches resorts. We were there the first week of November 2011.
It has everything: awesome sized waterpark for a resort, amazing kids club facilities, the most beautiful never-ending beach, great snorkeling, fantastic pools, innumerable restaurants serving delicious food, good diving, friendly and attentive staff… I could go on and on.

Before I go on, I should address the fact I’m writing a review about a resort my family visited several years ago. Why you might ask, would I do this, and how could it possibly be looked at as plausible?

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My Answer to that Question

Two reasons stand out. The first is the fact it’s a Beaches Resort. If you’re not familiar, Beaches resorts are the family equivalents of the adult-only Sandals Resorts. Hence, Beaches Resorts by Sandals. Sandals and Beaches Resorts are ultra all-inclusive luxury resorts.
This resort company maintains its resorts regularly. When upgrades are required, they get done. They take their reputation seriously, strive for excellence in customer service and have the awards to prove it.

Second, for nearly 20 years I was a travel agent. I dealt daily with vacation travel and booked many family vacations- including Beaches Resorts. In all those years I never had a bad review or a complaint worth mentioning.
What I observed over several years, was how Beaches Resorts continually strived for excellence, won awards, and maintained it’s properties. Due to location, Beaches Turks and Caicos was hit at least twice, with hurricanes. Rather than hurriedly tack things back together to reopen as quickly as possible, they shut the resort down. The time was used to not only clean up and make repairs but to make improvements. When the resort reopened, it was better than it was before the hurricane!

In addition to my family’s incredible experience here, I’ve checked out recent reviews and asked a few agent friends for an honest update. Beaches Turks still get a big thumbs up from clients and agents alike.
While in the travel business I had complete confidence in this resort chain and still do!

Resort Information- Villages, Rooms, Restaurants, Inclusions

We are a family of four, and the kids were 6 and 10 at the time of our visit. We stayed in the Italian Village, I think it was the Italian Oceanview Concierge Family Suite with Kids Room (lead-in room type). I’ll talk more about this below.

Villages and Rooms

There are 5 villages- Italian Village, Caribbean and Seaside Villages, French Village, and Key West Village. Each village is lovely and unique in itself. If within your budget, I would book the Italian Village. Any of the room types as they are all good, and it’s great having the separate kids room with a sliding door. They had their T.V. with video games (no longer a feature), bunk beds, sink, and they loved it!
When we visited, the Italian Village was the newest addition and the Key West Village was a separate resort (Alexandra Resort). Later on, Beaches purchased the resort next door and renovated it into the Key West Village. I’d love to stay in this village too, it looks beautiful.

With five Villages there are nearly 800 rooms and numerous room categories to suit all tastes and budgets. They also offer Concierge and Butler levels. In all honesty, you can’t go wrong with any village or room type, though you may have preferences. See the room types here.
In this picture, you can see where each village is, the beach, and Pirate’s Island Waterpark.

As mentioned earlier, we stayed in the Italian Village. The rooms feature a separate nautical themed kids room (with a sliding door), mahogany bunk beds with a trundle, and a flat-screen T.V. There is also a closet and vanity with sink.
The main room has a mahogany four-poster bed, balcony with garden, pool and ocean views. There is free wifi, and numerous other room features and amenities.
We stayed in a lead-in room category, and it was great. It was a beautiful room with plenty of space and a lovely bathroom.

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Restaurants

With 21 restaurants (not all allow children), you’re sure to find something you like. They are all included and there is an amazing variety such as Italian, Teppanyaki, seafood, Mediterranean, diner, grill, french café, and more. Two new waterpark food trucks, one mac and cheese, the other ice cream, are certain to be popular.
*If you have allergies or other dietary restrictions, please give Beaches a minimum of one month’s notice to make accommodations.

Not many resorts offer options for people with food allergies and other dietary issues. Higher-end resorts cost more, but these added values are what make the difference.

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Inclusions

Beaches Resorts are all-inclusive! (Sandals resorts pioneered the all-inclusive concept, and they do it well)
While not cheap, the resorts features, amenities, and inclusions far outweigh what you will ever see at most all-inclusive resorts on the less expensive side. You can also expect a higher level of service.
In travel, you most certainly ‘get what you pay for’.
To see a full list of inclusions click here.

Being all-inclusive means all meals and drinks are included. Resort activities are also included, like Pirates Island Waterpark, and the kids’ clubs. Scuba diving is included for certified divers.

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The Beach

What can I say, soft white sand and clear water for miles and miles? You betcha! Grace Bay beach is 12 miles of pure beach bliss. A beach lover’s dream.
It’s busiest in front of the Beaches resort. Once past the resort in either direction, there are other resort hotels but never a crowd. It was peaceful and made for a nice walk! The water was warm and great for swimming.

Kids Clubs and Pirates Island Waterpark

The kids’ clubs are divided by age. My younger son loved it and wanted to go every day. They have a schedule and the activities are planned out and written on the board each day. You decide if they want to participate or not and sign them in if they want to stay. You sign them in and out, and they wear bracelets, which are cut off when you sign them out. I don’t need to go into detail about the activities as it’s all on the Beaches website and in the brochures, or travel agents who’ve been there can tell you.

Our daughter was in the higher end of her age group, yet a bit too young for the 11-14 group (next level up), so she went a few times but not as much as her brother. She would pick the activities she wanted to go for, and the rest of the time she hung out with us at the beach or pool. There are a couple of extra activities you pay for, like the Martha Stewart crafts. Our daughter did this activity, and still has the seashell she painted!

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Did You Know?

All the Nannies and kids club staff are members of the International Nannies Association. AND, Beaches has completed the IBCCES training and Autism Certification, and can offer families with children with autism or other special needs, a vacation tailored to their needs so they have the best vacation experience possible! Get more info here.

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There is absolutely something for every age at Beaches Turks and Caicos!

Club Liquid- Perfect for teens. Before the adults arrive, a great place for teens to socialize and mix.
Xbox Play Lounge- Video games for everyone, of all ages!
Trench Town- A great hang out spot for tweens, with arcade-style games like air hockey, shooting hoops and pool tables.
Sesame Street- Beaches is home to your favourite Sesame Street characters.

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Pirates Island Waterpark

Pirates Island Waterpark is awesome. There are waterslides, a lazy river, and the Surf Simulator. Three large waterslides were great for our kids, but there are smaller options for younger kids. A 50’s style diner and kids-only swim-up bar are fun for the kiddos as well.
This waterpark is a busy place, so keep an eye on your kids. (You don’t want them getting lost or injured)

My Final Thoughts

All in all, it was a great week, and we would go back in a heartbeat. It’s fun seeing the Sesame Street characters roaming around. My kids never really watched the television show, but still loved it.
Honestly, for a luxury all-inclusive family resort, I’m impressed. The beach is amazing here on Providenciales. The food is good and so many options! Activities abound, there’s no getting bored.
It’s a large resort, but after the first day or two, you’ll find your favourite places and get into a routine. We loved the Italian Village pool, so we would hang out there a lot with daily trips to lounge and swim at the beach (which was so close to the pool!), and waterpark visits of course.

The Beaches resorts don’t come cheaply. You can sometimes get deals and sales, but prime dates tend to sell out far in advance. You get a quality product with better service, plain and simple. I like to think of it as an affordable luxury.

This resort is great for everyone. Honestly. Families are the primary focus here, but it truly is for everyone. Couples, you’ll find plenty to do, and there is a spa … great resort for family reunions, weddings, honeymoons, you name it!

Our kids are much older now but still talk about this trip. Like I said above, we’d go back to Beaches Turks and Caicos in a heartbeat!