I had the best vacation with my family at the #Beaches Resort in #Providenciales. When I was booking I couldn't believe how expensive the rates were for this resort and I am still in shock I paid over $6300 for 2 people plus $1200 airfare.
I had been in this resort back in the 1990s when there were only two villages on the property, now there are four; Key West, French, Italian & Carribean plus a water park and an under construction super luxurious village, Seaside. There are 5 pools plus the water park pools and lazy river. There are about 20 food establishments through out the property. Some restaurants serve only lunch by the pool or beach. The property has grown so large there are shuttles to move vacationeers from village to village.
Amazing Beach at Beaches Turks & Caico on Grace Bay
The beach at the #BeachesTurksAndCaicos, #gracebay is probably one of the nicest beaches I have ever been on. It lived up to my memories of the 90's. Crystal clear turquoise water, white soft sand and calm waves as far as the eye can see. I could not get enough time on the beach but the sun was relentless and I would have to retreat. Even wearing 70 sunscreen protection, I needed rash guard swim suits to protect myself.
The beaches are public even though you are entering from the resort. On the beaches are lovely chase lounges with umbrellas available. We definitely appreciated the break from the sun. The sun had penetrating heat, 85 degrees in #Providenciales is hotter and more potent feeling than 85 in #NYC or #Pittsburgh. On the beach there are many people peddling services such as #bananaboat rides, #snorkelingtrips and #parasailing. These service providers are not part of the #BeachesResort. Their insurance, licensing and experience are not verified. If you want to book water activities from the resort you must do it from through the resort and not on the beach.
Hotel Rooms: some are newer than others.
The hotel rooms were somewhat updated and others really modern and spacious. Our first room was almost brand new but it was located on the furthest most point of the resort which made it difficult for my Mom to meet up with the rest of the group who were in the Key West village. The room had a walk in shower with a seat and niches for our personal items. The shower was fitted with two shower heads and glass doors. The rest of the bathroom was very modern and clean looking with a lighted mirror. The room also had lots of ants and safe that wouldn't work. They kindly moved our room to the centrally located Carribean village just off the lobby. Both of our rooms had a beautiful dresser with entertainment center, coffee bar area and plenty of room for personal belonging. The second room hadn't been refurbished, the bathroom was really dated and less roomy. The shower was a bathtub with a curtain and rough faucet.
Restaurants in the Beaches Resort
The main restaurants usually served breakfast and dinner. We went to #Marios for breakfast everyday, there was hardly a wait to seat our group of 7. The breakfast had an omelette station, french toast, pancakes, bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs. There was a bread bar with many types of bread, sliced, rolls, scones and pastries. There were two sections of offerings that changed daily. Sometimes fruits and vegetables and sometimes lunch meats and cheese.
We had dinner at #Marios 3 times, #Schooners 2times & #Arizonas once. The plaques on the wall claimed 5 Star Cuisine but I don't agree. The food quality was nothing to write home about. Our group often frequented #BobbyDees after the dinner to have a smash burger.
We were at Marios for 3 dinners. Believe it or not, Sunday buffet was the best night. There was a pasta station and the everything just seemed to taste so much better. On regular nights, I had the chicken cutlet, the steak, penne Alfredo with salad and appetizers. The food was ok definitely not gourmet and reminded me of upscale cafeteria.
The first night we had dinner at #Schooners was the hottest of the trip, we apparently were seated on the side of the restaurant without a breeze. The chairs and tables on the patio seemed out of proportion. We had one really tall guy in our group who was over 6' couldn't sit comfortably with his legs under the table. The second dinner at #Schooners was much better. We sat below the deck on the beach side walk, the tables were more comfortable and the breeze kept us cool.
Our only night at Arizonas was below par. The service was and the food didn't impress anyone but me, I really enjoyed the #shrimptacos. The rest of my party including the children went straight to Bobby Dees for smash burgers.
No Tipping -vs- Tipping
Lets talk about service, it was the best and worst. The resort has a #notip policy. The staff who would not ordinarily be tipped provided the best service. On the first day, I asked the girl who was manning the activities hut, how to get to #Cricketeers and she left her post and walked us as far enough for us to be able to see restaurant. This happened again and again when I asked others for assistance finding places in this enormous resort. It took me about 1 1/2 days to figure out the resort. There were numerous times different staff members stopped what they were doing to assist me. Now let's talk about the staff that would normally be tipped. It was difficult to find help from the support staff. It was a gamble as to whether or not our water would be refilled or plates cleared. I would recommend allowing tipping, To Insure Proper Service. By not tipping, it seemed the staff was unenthused about serving and cleaning. We started sneaking tips at the beginning of the meal to ensure we could get drink refills and dirty dishes removed from the table.
My days were filled with bouncing between the pool and the ocean. The pools have swim up bars and tables with sun umbrellas to keep everyone cool. The kids loved the bars and the bartenders served them virgin versions of frozen tropical drinks. We enjoyed different pools with their different themes. The #Carribean village has a cave pool, which was there when I was back in the 90's. The kids thought it was the greatest to swim through a cave. We spent afternoons in the cave which provided sun protection. As much fun as the caves were, there was some cleaning needed, there was algae growing on some parts of the cave. Although it is completely natural, it was a bit gross when you bumped it.
BE CAREFUL: the floor tile around the Italian pool is VERY Slippery. That was definitely a poor design choice for poolside flooring. I was a victim of the floor after exiting the pool, I was walking to the bathroom and down I went, no alcohol was involved. It all happened so quick. Over the course of a week I saw others fall victim to slippery floors. The floors around the Carribean pool have a bit of texture keeping them safe from dripping bathing suits.
Each evening we visited the Pirates Island to lounge in the lazy river and enjoy the water slides with the kids.
I don't know how quickly I will be returning to Beaches, Turks & Caicos but I will definitely always remember this trip as a really good time.
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