Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort & Spa Hotel

I just returned from Beaches Turks & Caicos on June 7th. This was the fourth trip there for my family since the resort opened in 1999. We absolutely love it there and it gets better every time we visit! We tried Beaches Boscobel in Jamaica last year and it doesn't even compare to Turks & Caicos. The weather was absolutely beautiful the entire time we were there. The ocean was calm everyday and the water is the clearest I have seen anywhere. We have also traveled to Jamaica, Aruba, and Bermuda. The beach just can't be compared. My two children love to snorkel and we can snorkel from the beach or take a boat trip. Everything is so unhurried and relaxed here that it is impossible not to enjoy yourself. The help was so friendly ( even better than the previous times we have visited). There are so many restaurants to choose from that you can't get tired of the food. We are already planning our next trip back when the Italian village is complete. The resort was booked to capacity when we went and we never had a problem with crowding. I read some reviews before I left where people complained of having a hard time getting chairs by the pool or on the beach. I have to say that we never had a problem regardless of what time of day we went to the beach or pool. I also read that some of the rooms were run down. We hadn't been since 2001 so I didn't know what to expect there either. I have to say that our room was very clean and freshly painted. They had new furniture and the bathrooms were updated from the last time we were there. I have a 13 year old daughter and a and 16 year old son and it is very difficult to find a vacation spot where we can all enjoy it. My children absolutely love it there and have chosen this resort over going anywhere else since the first time we visited. I do think that as my children are getting older and have outgrown the children's section on the resort (Pirates Island) that there could be more entertainment for teens but the week goes by so fast that it is nice just for this resort!!!

We just returned from seven wonderful days at the Beaches resort in Provo. Our trip began just after Memorial day and continued into June. After reading many of the reviews of the property, I was concerned that I had made a mistake in choosing it. We definitely did not. The only negative about the entire trip were some of the adult guests who were rude to the staff. Guess there is a jerk born every day! This was a 30th anniversary trip - two 55 year olds and no children. We enjoyed watching other families play and relax. The vast majority of the children were very well behaved. There is so much for them to do. We found it very easy to find "peace and quiet" if we wanted it, either on the beach or at the Cascade pool. We really enjoyed with amazing snorkeling just a 10 minute walk down the beach. It is worth every step. It was far superior to the snorkeling available from the Dive shop (included in the cost of your stay). If you get to the reef by 9a.m. you will have it to yourself. Lots of fish and pretty coral and sponges. As the day goes along, many of the fish will leave as more people come. We found the food at the adult only restaurants and at Schooners to be very nice for dinner. Breakfast was great at any of the choices. Afternoon crepes at the Cafe were fantastic. The staff was very helpful and was friendly in response to our "hellos". They weren't pushy, just helpful. The evening entertainment is definitely geared to families - but that's o.k. There are many things to do at the resort. Either take advantage of the orientation tour the morning after you arrive or do lots of reading. If you want to get the biggest bang for the buck, you need to know where things are and how you can take part. We heard several people complaining that they didn't know something was available. That is their own fault - there were plenty of opportunities to get info. We will definitely go back again - this time we may take our two grown sons and their wives. There is so much to do that no on our accommodations were very nice (in the French Village).

We got married at Beaches Turks and Caicos on Feb. 6th, 2003. Eleven family members chose to join us and we had the vacation of a lifetime. The island is secluded and not americanized , the resort is gorgeous, the beach is gorgeous, the weather couldn't have been more perfect (mid 80's and not a drop of rain the entire week), the food was excellent (tons of variety), we just had a ball. I can't imagine how anyone could ever complain about Beaches. It was fantastic!! Much better than Jamaica.

I would like to preface this by saying that I am a travel writer, and as my husband often complains I don't travel as a vacationer, but as a critic. That said, we just returned from a week at Beaches, and after reading many of the negative reviews prior to going, we thought of cancelling our trip. We definitely went there anticipating the worst and were delightfully surprised. We had a choice of rooms in the main building or in the French Village, and we chose to stay in the main building. We thought the room in the French Village smelled funny and was smaller than our option in the main building. We liked the central location of the main building, but (ironically) found that we spent all of our time in the French Village pool. We were there the week of the thimble jellyfish, which was a HUGE disappointment, and the ocean was also too rough a lot of days to take out any sports equipment. But, the three pools are all fantastic. Unlike most other reviewers, I found the staff to be extremely friendly and helpful. The food wasn't fabulous, but I found it to be better than cruise ship food. The evening entertainment was geared mostly towards children, and definitely pretty lame. Mosquitos are a big problem at night, so definitely bring bug spray. We also noticed a terrible ant problem. Our first room had so many that we had to move. The second room was better, but we had to throw all of our garbage out at the hall trash can to keep the ants away. We went with a baby, so it was a perfect fit for us, but if you don't have children I would suggest another resort--its a bit like Disney there. Overall, it was a wonderful, relaxing vacation and I would certainly recommend going.

My family thinks that this was the best vacation we have ever had (probably to be outdone by another...). I have to thank the many people who have written thier comments here because it prepared us quite a bit on what to expect.I have to agree that the mosquitoes were very bad when we went (5/23 - 5-30). We had found out from the locals and other travelers that the mosquito condition was much worse before we arrived. Apparently there was quite a bit of rain that has fallen this year and has effected the mosquito numbers. Bring your bug spray for night time and some hydrocortisone (unless you like to itch)! They didn't bother us during the day. Second, you definitely want to reserve your lounge chairs early in the morning because they DO NOT free up often. People leave their clothes/towels there for the day. Annoying but that's how it is. We were VERY fortunate to not have the thimble jelly fish swarm happen during our week. There were literally thousands of thimble jelly fish the late afternoon before we left the island. I really fealt bad for those individuals who vacationed the week after we left. I actually sailed over them (being careful not to fall out ;-) ). These gripes are really uncontrollable. They probably could install those new mosquito zappers or use the old kind and have more lounge chairs. The jelly fish is just plain bad luck.On the other hand, there is a ton of food! The food is excellent, the service was spectacular, and the staff was always polite. We went sailing, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving and swimming. We were probably in the water half the time! The grounds are well kept and the video game room was great. They now have a bunch of play stations and xboxs which are better than the regular arcade games. If you have kids, this IS the place to be. There are a ton of kids there so if you don't like kids, don't go.The sailing guys and the scuba shop people are very friendly and it was a joy to be their guest.If you would like to view my home video of the place it is here *******

I just got back from there yesterday & I am not sure why there were so many bad reviews. I did stay at the French village though & am very glad that I did. The room was quite nice & the gardens & pool around the French village were immaculate. The main hotel grounds & pools were unimpressive though so I am really glad I didn't stay there. We ate at all the buffet restaurants & the a la carte restaurants. One thing to note that each a la carte restaurant closes one day of the week but the hotel gives you the schedule so it was not a problem at all. Kimono was a big disappointment. Don't bother going there! I used a lot of their water sports equipment & did their snorkling trips & nothing was broken or not available like one reviewer mentioned. The beach was very nice & very clean & organized. In general the buffet food was good. Not impressive but definately note horrible either. For the a la carte restaurants, some of the appetizers & soups were really not edible but the main courses were very good. The rack of lamb, filet mignon & crab legs were surprisingly good. Schooners was my favorite. Don't miss the seafood buffet nite at Reflections. I loved the Cafe de Paris, we went there often for their hot crepes that they serve from 3-5pm which I found out by accident. Unfortunatly, I was not too happy with the attitude of the staff. They were professional in the way of being attentive but they really didn't seem like they wanted to be there. It was really unsettling when you might say Hi or thank you & no response came back. I even tried being overly thankful but most of the time no one even broke out a smile. There were a few exceptions of staff members who really gave a warm welcome but very few did! As for the nightly entertainment, I considered it quite corny & not of high calibar.

I was at Beaches Turks and Caicos from May 8th to May 12th 2003. The weather is absolutely beautiful there and the beaches are prestine! It looks EXACTLY like the pictures on the website for beaches! The food was the best at Reflections for breakfast and Arizona's for lunch or dinner, and also at Guiseppe's for lunch or dinner. The pools and pool bars are absolutely amazing and the staff there are very hard workers, always catering to whatever you need. Our favorites were Earnest, DaMary, David, Rico and Nesly the bartenders; Kim and Jerome for the activities directors; and Garth was our absolute favorite and was our server at Arizona's and La Petit Chateau. They had so many activities that we couldn't keep up! You'll fall in love with this place. It's great for kids too, they cater to them around the clock. There were kids activities, they have thier own kids places there like the pools, slides, eateries and game room. They had kids talent shows, pagents, singing contests, lots of sports, lots of swimming, basketball, pool, volleyball, bocci ball, shuffle board and all sorts of stuff. Make sure you bring sunblock (at least 15 spf) and CASH! There are only 2 ATMs on the entire island and they take a limited variety of ATM cards. The beach is the best place for gifts to bring home and hair brading. The hotel has a spa, but it's extremely expensive. I paid $74 for a manicure and pedicure, but it was my vacation so I went for it! Bring shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and your own soap with you, the hotel gives you a goodie bag with lotion, shampoo, shower gel and aloe vera gel in it, but they were dollar store quality and the only place you can get those toiletries was the gift shop ($3 for a 2 inch long tube of toothpaste) and the spa ($32 for a small bottle of shampoo and conditioner). There is not alot of nightlife there, but they do have the Iguana Trail bar that is open every night until 2 am, and the new Turtle's bar (which opened while we were there and it's really nice) and that was open untn swim whenver you feel like it, and although the beach has caution flags up at night, they will still let you go out at your own risk. We did the kayaking, water tricycle (that's a workout in itself!!!), and snorkeling, but instead of going on the trip with the hotel, we just used thier equipment (you get it for up to 2 hours) and walked about 5 minutes down the beach to the "Fire Reef" which is really called the Bight Reef and saw TONS of tropical fish, swam with a few sea turtles (large and small) saw baracuda, and what looked like a pirhana but I wasn't sure! The fish are friendly too, if you just float in the water they will swim right up to you to check you out. Bring an underwater disposable camera with you though... you won't want to miss a minute of it. We went through 2, 27 exposure cameras in the first 15 minutes there was so much to see. The hotel also does scuba diving, with equipment, and they teach you to do it first if you don't know how, but we missed the 9 am classes every day so we didn't go. On the way out, they have duty free shops at the airport and we purchased a few bottles of premium liquors at less than 1/2 the price of the US. They also had cigarettes at the airport for less than 1/2 the price too. I think a carton of Kent's or Kool's was something like $11 a carton. The tangueray gin was 2 liters for $20, in DC it's $25-$35 each. (limit into the US is 2 bottles per person as a carry on). Make sure that you bring your passport, or Driver's license and state issued birth certificate with a raised seal. You will be asked for it many times between leaving the US and coming back. I am going back in September and taking my son (9 years old) this time. I can't wait!!!

Our experience at the beaches resort was a nightmare from start to end. First let me say that with what they charge to go there they should be ashamed ofthemselves. The food they provide is totally horrible, mind you we are a young family, not very picky but this was beyond picky. It was outright unedible. they close restaurants left and right so while they tell you you have choices of so many restaurants you really dont because they are constantly rotating and closing so many each day. The rooms are musty and old. Unless you stay in the french quarter in which case youll haev a new room but half the size of the other ones. Now you might say, well we only sleep in the room, this is tru unless it rains then youare stuck there the entire day as there is nothing else to do. The staff is mediocre but no one seems to want to work anywhere there, after all why should they , they dont get tips and jamaica is built on tourist tip money, the activities are ok, if they are working, most of the time they dont. It amazes me to read all these reviews because it makes me wonder what resort these people went to because it was certainly nothing like the beaches resort I went to. total dump and waste of money. Id rather save some money, and travel the distance to Atlantis in the bahamas, much better vacation spot for families and atleast there they know what customer service is. Beaches rated a -1 in our book on a scale from 1-10.

Your glass is either half empty or half full, life satisfies you or it doesn't. I expected to be dissappointed after reading some reviews posted here especially as we were travelling during spring break in New York, New jersey and New England. The resort was full but we still little to complain about except some of the guests who were quite unreasonable. I have stayed in many top shelf hotels all over the world. I concede that top hotels will go out of their way to meet your every need and will provide all manner of facilities all for an extra fee with every request. I have had too many $100 dollar breakfasts at the Four Seasons and $50 per hour hobie cat rentals at top tropical resorts. The concept of the all inclusive is very seductive. You enjoy what you want when you want it. The more advantage you take of the facilities the better the value. For us, Mom Dad and kids 10 and 11, Beaches was a very good value. We did everything on offer. If you just want to lie in the sun go somewhere else. If you don't have kids definitely go somewhere else. Last year in Negril we took a beachfront suite but we were never in it so this year we took a room on the third floor of the French Quarter. It was very spacious, beautifully tiled and always spotless. The location involved a short walk to the beach but was delightfully far from the madding crowd that was found at the beach and pools. The stage was far enough away to be unobtrusive but we were rarely in the room. I want this review to be useful to those who are undecided and to those who are going so in the interest of brevity I will dish out practical advice. Guissepe's buffet is much less crowded than Reflections with similar fare. The buffets really suit me on vacation as you can make a meal of exactly what you want. There was no shortage of healthy food, fruits veg, grilled fish etc. in addition to lots of generic pasta, pizza, roast beef etc. to appeal to typical American tastes that we did not even try. Sapodillas was worth three visits, and Le Petitewhite glove service. I am sorry I wasted a night at Schooners although the breakfast there is great! Sushi was always fresh and generously portioned. We went almost every night and picked up a plate for the room while changing for dinner. The afternoon crepes at the Cafe are still calling to me, paper thin with a choice of 30 or so fillings. The best raspberries and papaya mm! I like wine and the wine was drinkable but not great as I expected. I understand premium wine is available for a surcharge. The kids enjoyed a freedom they never get at home. Walkie talkies are the key! They do exactly what they want and you do too yet you can keep in touch. The spa was like an oasis of calm with its plunge pools and seclusion. The fitness instructor is russian and the best yoga teacher I have had. She went so far to reach you and make sure you were doing things right. Considering she does this for a constantly changing mass of bodies she went beyond the call of duty. Just to illustrate the unreasonable nature of some guests, despite a large sign indicating that the spa and health club was for adults, some still persisted in bringing their offspring in there and refusing to leave when asked. I saw this repeatedly and I still do not understand why. After a few days I started to wonder if the staff were medicated because I certainly could not have maintained a sunny demeanor in the face of the rudeness of the guests I saw everywhere. With the exception of some sullen girls at the dive desk we developed some fond relations with many wonderful staff members. We had no problems with chairs although I brought one along in case! We dragged our chairs beyond the pier and dive hut to the empty beach beyond. We had to walk further for drinks and toilet but gained the illusion of being alone on a magnificent beach! Behind us the resort beachfront was chocabloc! Entertainment leaves a lot to be desired. In Jamaica we had great reggae bands and dancing all night and i was looking forward to that. We got line dancing until 8:30 but I belyoung kids. There were attempts to provide live music in the two adult bars but once again always very sparsely attended. If the clientele supported more entertainment I am sure it would be provided but we saw no evidence of any such support. One night the water main broke and their was no water at all from 8pm on. They had it all fixed by sunrise! One side trip I that is imperative is the sea-trek helmet diving that we learned about from a tripadvisor review. It is not advertised at the hotel but if you ask they will tell you. It is an incomparable experience to walk around on the seafloor and have fish swim all around you. My kids can't stop talking about it. Kids as young as 5 did it with us. Go to the web site sea-trek.com and get the contact directly. No mosquitos until the last two days and then it was as if the plague of Egypt was visited upon us. For some reason they all obligingly retire by about 8pm however. Bring bandaids (fins can chafe) and antibiotic and steroid ointment. Bring antihistamines in case they have the thimble jellies in the water. They are so cute but some people react to their antigen and my daughter was one but not my son. When leaving pack lots of food from the buffet table as there is little to eat in the departure lounge of the airport. We brought along some fruit and cereal boxes but should have brought a lot more. I think Beaches delivers for families and I would return but probably to Jamaica. Turks really did have a Disneyword feel to it because it lacks that ethnic edge that the drive to Negril and natives on the beach convey. And of course the great music and dancing in Jamaica and the much more interesting food, patties and jerk and ackee and saltcod and callalloo all at Beaches all the time. The kids also preferred Jamaica. They said the people were so nice there. Bottom line: a truly hasslefree vacation for families. Kids, especially tweens and teens, have great independence. That allows mom and dad the peace of mind to truly relax.

We visited on 12th April 2003 for 10 days. Myself, my wife and 18 yr old son.The best about this resort:The beach itself is fantastic, the sea warm, and no beach vendors so no hassles on the beachThe food was generally very good compared to other places we've stayed in the caribbean (ie other 4* resorts) and the service also good.Most of the staff were pleasant and polite except for the usual sullen few who need a personality bypass.The rooms (we were in the French Village) were well decorated and spacious, and clean.Also, the beer was bottled and so of standard quality unlike some other resorts which seem to serve watered-down draught brands. The same applied to other spirits.The gym was well equipped and well airconditioned.However, there were some problems:The age rule for drinking was strictly enforced at age 18. My son had to show ID all the time. Ok for Americans with their ID cards but my son had to carry his passport around all the time if he wanted a beer! Difficult at a swim-up bar, and very inconvenient if lost! We have never experienced this anywhere else in the caribbean (we have an older son aged 21 who did not accompany us on this trip but has done so in the past) and I have to say it was a complete pain. On one occasion they asked for ID even when eating a meal with us.Next problem was with the room. This had a damp smell when we checked in and after 2 days black mould started to show on one of the bedroom walls.I called the front desk for houskeeping to clean it off, and we were offered another room without any argument. (This is to the management's credit).we asked several other people about this and it seemes that a number of ground-floor rooms in the Village also shared this problem.The next problem is that the resort is just too big and not the place to be with older teenage kids, although it seems great for anyone with a young family.The size of the resort and the fact that most of the staff are not local, and the fact that 95% of the guests are American (although I have nothe not in the caribbean but in some US theme park, especially in the French Village where it was like living in the French part of the Epcot centre. Just a bit too pretentious.Although we enjoyed our stay, we will not return.