We stayed at Regent Palms on our Honeymoon - love it -beautiful suites, worldclass spa, great staff, huge beach and MANY dining options to walk to. Also, look at The Somerset--running specials. www.thesomerset.com We have fallen in love with Somerset ( next door to The Palms) Again MANY restaurants that are walkable. Seven Stars is nice- a step below Regent Palms , closer to grocery store and different restaurants. Rent a car for a day or 2 to sightsee a bit, check out Da Conch Shack for a meal, Chalk sound, Taylor Bay areas . A ferry to North and Middle Caicos is fun, rent a car there-can do it in a day.

We only walked through the hotels you named, but I promise you it was hard to pull my wife away from The Palms. She liked the small shops there.
All look very nice. Seven Stars looks more like a hotel than the other two. The Somerset and Palms have more of a "resorty" look (is that a word?).

Seven Stars is a great choice, and yes a car is very helpful and economical due to high taxi fares. Seven might be the best restaurant, but you will need transportation to places like Opus, Hemingways and Coco Bistro. The car will also allow you the freedom to visit other beautiful parts of the island

Ok, will rent a car for our entire stay, I think I like knowing if we get too much sun we can get up and go.
Still torn between both of these hotels, are they near each other?
I'm sure they are both nice.... UGH

They arent next to each other, SS is central and RP is a little out of the way. Maybe a little out of the way is what you want? To me, Seven Stars is a better choice because of location. You will be able to walk to the store, the bakery, other restaurants etc.. To me its a hassle to drive everywhere even if staying in a really nice place

We stayed in the central location at Villa del Mar, and had a car for one day. Now that I better understand the island, I'll probably rent a car for a couple more days for our next vacation.

There are lots of restaurants I've read about that we'd like to try, but we'll need to drive to them. Tiki Hut, Conch Shack, Las Brisas, Magnolia's, Baci, and others were not in walking distance. Even our favorite restaurant (Coco Bistro) was not in walking distance, so we had to pay for a Taxi.

Also, it cost our family $36 each way for the airport taxi, so that's something we'll consider avoiding.

Turks and Caicos Reservations gave us a free rental car for our recent trip, so that was a cost-saver. We'll probably use them again, and do the same next time.

Maybe I'll give Turk & Caicos a call and they can help me make my decision on which of the two hotels to stay at.

You sound like us, but instead we were trying to decide between several of the lesser expensive hotels. My wife and I both got on the phone, and the lady at T&C Reservations spent a lot of time explaining all the differences. Villa del Mar wasn't initially at the top of our list, but it turned out to be exactly what we needed. Just tell them your budget, and the kinds of things you're looking for. They're great.

Good luck.

Regent Palms has no real nightlife (live mellow music at dinner Wed nights)

Seven Stars has live music 5 nights, and the Deck there is the best ambience on the island, with tiki torches fire pits and couches on the dune of the beach. They also host beach BBQ with music on Sundays.

From your post I would say Seven Stars sounds better suited to you.

You can't really go wrong, there's not a bad place to stay!

Go with Seven Stars, don't even give it a second thought. And to be honest there really is no need to rent a car. You will spend most of your time at the resort and strolling the amazing beaches. If you need a quick getaway you can grab a cab easily. Everything you need is right at the resort and right outside of it in walking distance. Have a great trip.

Leaning towards SS, but don't I need a car to go to chalk sound and to get to most of the good restaurants? also would like to take ferry over to Middle Caicos or do a half day sail, wouldn't I need a car? can you rent by the day

Sorry must NOT AGREE, I would stay at Regent Palms over SS. Better walkable restaurants, world class spa, and the beach in the am is so beautiful...at Seven Stars the height of the buildings causes the beach to be shady in the early am...plus we hate the onsite restaurant , Seven and we are foodies. P23 at the Regent Palms has a nicer setting and much better food.

Donna1185 - gotta say, regardless of where you stay, a day trip over to see Middle Caicos is definitely worth the effort - striking difference between that island and Providenciales.

Can someone tell me which restaurants are closer to SS and which ones are closer to Regent Palms?

Donna, I would get a car regardless where you stay, because not all the great restaurants are in the same area and sooner or later you'll need transportation. You might want a car to check out an amazing site there too, Chalk Sound, where water is neon turquoise, and Sapadilla and Taylor .bays, completely different from Grace Bay, and collect shells from Pelican Beach and go to Conch Shack.

From Regent Palms, there's Parallel23, O'Soleil, Mango Reef, and Bay Bistro(best on island) the restaurants (one roof top!) at Veranda.

from Seven Stars, there's Coco Bistro(best on island), Coyaba(one of the best, chef won Canadian Iron Chef), Anacoana, Seven, Caicos Cafe(another good one),
Opus, Vix, Grace's Cottage, a Thai restaurant, Indian, Japanese, and the casual Jimmys Dive Bar (late hang out) Upstairs, Flamingos and the good breakfast at Fresh Bakery. you also have IGA Gourmet supermarket across the street with deli, prepared food bar with daily specials.

Hemingways is in between the two.

Not walkable to either, Da Conch Shack(do not miss, it's an institution!), Magnolias, Tiki Hut, Sharkbite(nightlife) Somewhere On The Beach(nightlife), Las Brisas, and local places like Three Mary Queens and Sailing Paradise.

We just stayed at the Alexandra Resort. It is next door to the Regent Palms. Depending on what is most important to you I would decide where to stay as follows:

If you want more than a beautiful beach and pool- Seven Stars

If you want groceries and cute shops to walk and browse- Seven Stars

If you want the best location on Grace Bay Beach- Palms

If you want pure luxury in your resort - Palms

If you want night life more than a pianist - Seven Stars

If you like to walk on the beach to dinner - Palms

If you like to have oceanfront dining- Palms area

If you like casinos- Seven stars

If you want to rent a car either way- Palms

We took the free Casino shuttle to Co Co Bistro from the Alexandra. We walked on the beach to Hemingway's, Bay Bistro, Mango Reef, Parrelle 23 and The Veranda roof top restaurant.

Personally I would stay at the Alexandra. You get much better views from your room and amazing balconies in almost all rooms and for their rates vs. The Palms you will be able to eat anywhere you want every night and still have money left over.