Where to start with this beautiful island?!
My little sister (only sister) graduated from college earlier this month and as her graduation present my mom took the three of us on a vacation to celebrate. My mom loves Turks and Caicos and neither one of us has been so thats where she decided to go. Let me tell you, IT IS BEAUTIFUL. I will always love the Caribbean and I think it is one of the best vacation destinations, especially if you love Turquoise waters and the softest white sand!
Requirements for
Turks & Caicos
Turks and Caicos does require all visitors to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated prior to entry into the country. The resort had lifted their mask mandate so we did not have to wear a mask except in the airport in Turks, except no one was wearing or enforcing that policy. The US requires a COVID test prior to entering again, so we made an appointment at the resort to get those done 24 hours in advance. This is included as well and free of charge.
Where did we stay?
For this vacation my mom made all the reservations and we were just along for the ride, which normally I am the planner so it was kind of nice! She booked us at Beaches All-Inclusive in Turks and Caicos. Beaches is a family friendly resort and you might know their other adults only, Sandals. I flew out of Orlando, met the girls in Charlotte where their layover was and we all flew to Turks from there. The flight from Charlotte to Turks was approximately 2 hours in the air. Beaches includes transfers from the airport, so we were picked up in a van and taken to the resort. The ride from the airport was short and approximately 15 minutes. Once we arrived at the resort, there are 4 villages to the Beaches property. We stayed in the Caribbean/Seaside Village and when we got there we were greeted with cool towels and a rum runner. The property is massive and has different villages for all types of vacations. I will link the resort here so you can take a look. This is a very family location, so if you are looking for an adults only resort I would recommend staying at another resort.
Food and Drinks
Beaches is all inclusive so food, drinks and alcohol is all included in your rate. The property has 21 different restaurants, 15 bars including swim ups, and unlimited premium liquors based off availability. For breakfast we had the buffet almost every morning, however they do have a sit down breakfast if you would rather order off the menu. I think the buffet is the best option for breakfast for a group of people because everyone can get something they want and have a variety of different options. The other restaurants we ate at for dinner were Kimonos (hibachi), Arizonas (tex-mex), Schooners (seafood), and Le Petit Chateau (french). They also have a french coffee/pastry shop on site for other dessert options. At the Seaside village they offer lunch right by the beach where they rotate a buffet that you can take with you to go. Let me tell you, tacos by the beach are a MOOD. They do have staff walking the beach to take drink orders for you as well.
Both my mom and I have been to a few different chains for all-inclusive and we unfortunately found this resort to lack in their food. I have been to Sandals, their other partner, and they had great food. Unfortunately we found this property did not have great food, or anything special. The food here is what you would expect from an inclusive family resort. Our favorite dinner we had was actually the french restaurant. None of us are big into french food but we had the best dinner at Le Petit Chateau.
For lunch the best food is to-go Pizza from Dino's by the pool! They make really good individual pizzas! The drinks were very good and easily accessible.
I love the Sandals/Beaches signature frozen and cocktail menu though!
The waterpark does have 2 food trucks parked permanently and we ventured over there just for that some afternoons! The have both a Mac n' Cheese truck and an ice cream truck. The Mac n' Cheese truck had 10 different types to order and they were all VERY GOOD...yes we tried almost all fo them... No shame here.
Outside of the resort, everyone on the island recommended the Thursday Night fish fry, but we were not going to be there on Thursday. This came highly recommended, so if you go and end up there let me know how it is!
Activities
Resort Activities
Sandals and Beaches are known for their activities they offer. The nice thing about Beaches is they offer something for everyone and all ages. For the kids they offer a waterpark, kids camp, Sesame Street, a choo choo train and a XBOX lounge and arcade for teens.
Other activities offered are water-sports, shopping, the spa, and various water and land sports. Beaches does offer other excursions available to purchase and visit as well. Beaches and Sandals do offer Scuba lessons and PADI certification for an extra charge.
While we are there we visited the Red Lane Spa, went to the pool and spent the majority of our days on the beach. They set up and offer free beach chairs and umbrellas, but they go quick so definitely have to get there early! The Beach was the most beautiful beach and ocean I have ever seen! The photos will speak for themselves...
Lady Grace Catamaran
My mom did book one excursion that was not on the resort. She booked a snorkeling catamaran offered by the Ritz Carlton, which is just down the road. We took a taxi that we had the resort arrange to the Ritz and the Catamaran, Lady Grace, is docked there. The catamaran was a 4 hour excursion that took us to the reef, Iguana Island and back to the Ritz Carlton. Lunch was provided from the Ritz on board and the drinks were made at the bar on the boat as well. The boat is BEAUTIFUL and everything about this excursion was amazing! The views, the reef, the food and the drinks! While snorkeling Piper saw a small reef shark and a great barracuda! Thankfully I did not see them but now I almost wish I had because they were both harmless, but I am terrified of sharks... If you visit Turks and Caicos and can afford it, the Ritz Carlton is beautiful and the Lady Grace catamaran/excursion was AMAZING! Take a look at their Instagram to see how beautiful it really is!
Shopping
While we were down at the Ritz Carlton for the Lady Grace we went shopping after because it is right across the street. They have a small strip of shopping and all within walking distance.
Turks and Caicos was beautiful and I will go back again soon! I can't even describe how beautiful the waters and beaches are. My mom would love to move and live there and I can see why! It is beautiful, safe and Island time truly is a thing! I would love to explore more of the island and eat and drink off the resorts. I loved this girls trip and spending time with my sister and mom!
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