We recently did a site visit to Beaches Resort in the Turks/Caicos. This is an all inclusive resort for families and what a wonderful place it was!
We arrived in Provo and were taken to the resort via mini-van. A Beaches rep. was on hand to greet us at the airport. Beaches is approximately 10 - 15 minutes from the airport. Upon pulling into the resort, you will be delivered to the "village" that your room is located in to check in- either the Caribbean Village (the oldest part of the resort but with magnificent ocean views), the French Village (beautiful garden views, no water view at all) or the newest village, the Italian Village.
Our room was in the French Village in a two room suite, rooms 1304 and 1305. 1304 was the bedroom and upon walking in, a bathroom with double sinks and full tub was on the left. One sink was outside the bathroom, another inside. A large closet with safe and luggage valet was also located here. In the bathroom was a wonderful supply of Red Lane Spa toiletries - shampoo conditioner, body lotion and aloe vera (for sunburn!). Not small sample sizes - actual 4 oz. bottle of each item, a real luxury!
Further into the room was a beautiful four poster king size Jamaican bed (on a platform, no boxspring). There were two nightstands with drawers, a huge flat screen t.v. on a dresser with six large drawers. Past the bed in a corner near the window was a gorgeous pull out bed so you can put two more people into this room.
In the adjoining room was a living room with two pullout couches and similar dresser amenities. Another flat screen t.v. and bathroom were in this room as well. You can fit three to four people on the pullout couches.
Outside our room was a wonderful zero entry pool (unheated but will be heated sometime in the near future), a huge hot tub and swim up bar.
There several restaurants in this area - Le Petite Chateau,serving French Food, Cafe de Paris, where we enjoyed wonderful pastries and specialty coffees, and Guiseppe's, an Italian Restaurant.
Walking from the French Village straight to the water, you will arrive at the Waterpark, which house Pirates Island, waterslides, and a surf simulator. There was also an outdoor stage area where shows happen almost every night. And rest assured, the outdoor shows are over by 9:45 PM. There is also Octopus, a swim up kids bar in this area.
For teens, there is also an XBOX 360 Game, a Scratch DJ Academy and Liquid, their very own nightclub.
Also in this area are three restaurants, Bobby D's, a 50's theme diner style restaurant (great chicken nuggets here!), the Sushi Bar and Kimonos Restaurant. (You need reservations for Kimonos).
The Red Lane Spa and Fitness Area is also a left hand turn from the French Resort. This spa has the normal spa amenities, such as massages, facials, wraps, etc. The air smelled wonderful!
Walking toward the water behind the Waterpark is the newly opened Italian Village. There is a huge pool that is lit beautifully at night (and is heated). The Italian Village features two and six story building featuring suites. There is a Octagonal Bar as you walk into the Village from the Italian Village check in area and of course a swim up bar at the pool.
Many restaurants are located in this area as well. There is an Italian Restaurant, a Pub (where we had a terrific dinner and was uncrowded) and Barefoot by the Sea, a seaside restaurant on the beach.
The the left of the Italian Village is the Caribbean Village, which was the first part of the resort. There are several buildings with many rooms here, from villas to . The kids play area is located here. There is a parade in the early evening that the kids can participate in.
Also in this area are several restaurants, Sapodillas, Arizonas, Reflections and Schooners. There are several pools, the Octupus Swim Up Bar and Turtles Lounge.
Beaches hosts wedding at the resort and there are several chapel areas on the beach which provide a lovely backdrop for pictures.
How about free scuba diving? Canoes and kayaks, windsurfing, sail boats and hobie cats, and hydrobikes. All included. On land you can find table tennis, croquet, lawn chess,beach volleyball and billiards.
For the kids, there is a staffed nursery, supervised activities (we were participants in a scavenger hunt) and Sesame Street characters. Our observation of the kids activities showed us kids having a wonderful time and excellent staff members.
Beaches allows no tipping and we found the service impeccable, from check in to dining and bar servers. The dress code is casual wear during the day and a bit dressier at night - we saw men in long pants and golf shirts at the fancier restaurants.
I would highly recommend Beaches for families and couples. Take a look at our photos:
http://travel.webshots.com/album/573334988NUNtJx
Videos will be posted soon on our website!
