First off, what time of year? Makes a huge difference. The run serious specials that can/won't affect budget.

After knowing that, for best prices in airfare check out

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Click on continue to matrix. You can't buy them here but you can see which airline is cheapest for your dates.

1. It's a long main beach. To do different things and different restaurants you eventually need a car.
Within easy walking distance: seven Stars, Grace Bay Club, Villa Renaissance, Regent Grand, Somerset. As for oceanfront, might not be in budget. As for stove, you need 1 bedroom for full kitchen, studios have only dorm size fridges an some microwaves.

2. My top restaurants: Coco Bistro, Bay Bistro, Caicos Cafe. I also like Vix, Hemingways and TikiHut.

3. Car rentals are cheaper than most 1 trip taxi rides. You need one for exploring Chalk Sound, Tqylor Bay, Sapadilla Bay, Da Conch Shack, and depending where you stay off the beach snorkeling. Definitely for most nightlife.

4. Excellent excursion companies and are do not miss, Caicos Dream Tours and Island Vibes.

5. I personally have not used them but know them personally. (I sound like a Spongebob episode). They are terrific for most properties. They are local, they do add extra perks. They are the direct link if you choose Villa Renaossance, Venitian, Regent Grand. Fr other properties they are the same or more, so basically you have to do some homework and compare, or decide where you want to stay and see which does best. Sometimes they can match the price and at least throw in a car rental day, or something else. This is the case for many properties on Grace Bay, but they don't have agreements with some of them. They are local so if something happens they can work on your behalf in a bind, which gives piece of mind.

6. Beaches are far superior to Mexico. Not even close. As for bora bora and Fiji, they are completely different. Pacific beaches are very tropical drenched in palms. More turquoise in bora bora not so much in Fiji. The beaches the are rocky though, and you need water shoes for them to swim, but gorgeous scenery. Beaches in Turks are smooth clean and no rocks. The turquoise hues of Turks are hard to beat.

So with your price range, the best luxury for your buck is West Bay Club. You get luxury, oceanfront, full kitchen, gorgeous. Only thing is you need a car for almost everything. The car part would still be in your budget. If you like this one, I have lately seen the best deals on expedia, especially when you combine air with it. Except for walking to places, this would be the most luxury in your price budget with everything else in your list. Not many kids, basically a quiet resort.

If you choose something else, turksandcaicosreservations.tc can help. You'll probably have to give up oceanfront, but you might be able to get something else. Villa Renaissance and Regent Grand would have fewer kids. Grace Bay Club has no kids sections, but may be above your budget.

While not on the beach, villa Del Mar is ultra luxurious! It's right behind Grace Bay Club, walkable to numerous restaurants, shops, supermarket. Tommy Bahama furniture, upscale fixtures. You get a lot for the money that you can splurge on other things. They still have attendants on the beach and lounges and umbrellas. (actually share with the much more expensive GBC). If you choose this one Turksand caicosreservations.tc is the way to go.

We visited Turks last November and now we're hooked. We've been to all the places mentioned on your list, ( big fan in particular of Negril's amazing beach) but Grace Bay Beach wins hands down. We've also visited Fiji and the Great Barrier Reef, both of which have amazing beaches, but still Grace Bay Beach compares well.

You should wait to hear from the Turks experts, especially Blamona for help with hotels. We stayed at West Bay Club, which we loved, but it's at the quieter end of the beach, and not really within easy walking distance of most restaurants.

However, for comparison sake, I think it's hard to beat the value and luxury at West Bay. More importantly, the beach in front of West Bay was much wider and less crowded than some of the beaches we saw at other resorts.

We liked it so much we're going back in the fall. Good luck with your choice!

Thanks Blamona and Weadles for your insight. To answer your question Blamona, we are looking to travel in July. Out of all the choices you mentioned, if ocean front and having a full kitchen wasn't an issue which resort offers the most Wow/jaw dropping luxury and rooms? I noticed that Gansevoort wasn't listed, is that due to the whole child population or is it just "so,so" in your opinion? Thanks for bringing up West Bay, we'll definitely have to consider it now as it wasn't really on my radar before. Thanks again guys!

Check out The Somerset www.thesomerset.com if you want wow! Many restaurants within walking distance, beautiful suites with full kitchens, they will stock your condo for you ( a charge of course) PLUS they are running specials now for travel before the end of the year. Beautiful beach with no "chair game" to reserve a chair . Fantastic staff.

Gansevoort is ultra-trendy and ultra-expensive. It's next door to West Bay. Definitely has that "wow" factor if you like uber-modern and sleek design. Lots of young families at the pool though, and since July is prime vacation time, I imagine there will be plenty more.

West Bay has that "wow" factor, too, but in a more "this is your friend's insanely luxurious condo" kind of way. Our one bedroom oceanfront unit looked like something out of a major design magazine, but seemed more homelike/comfortable (to me!) than the Gansevoort. Lots fewer families/kids, too.

I can help answer a few of these, but all others are the real pros. We visited for the first time, a couple of months ago.

2. Our favorite restaurant was Coco Bistro. It's everything everyone says.

3. We were there five nights, and had a car for one day. Driving was much easier than I thought it would be. Next time we visit, I'll probably rent a car for a few days, and plan to see more.

5. We used Turks and Caicos Reservations, and thought they were very good. The lady we spoke to on the phone was patient with my wife and me, and took time to answer a lot of questions we had. I also read about them while lurking the forum websites. Their website address is www.turksandcaicosreservations.tc I don't remember the phone number, but calling was our best way to make the right decision. They also gave us a free rental car.

We looked at many resorts one morning, and I agree with caribzack that The Somerset is very nice. We also thought The Palms next door was nice, although both are a little above our budget. We were overwhelmed by all the nice hotels they have on the island.

I can't compare it to the other places you mentioned, but you're going to love Turks and Caicos. It's the nicest beach and water we've ever seen.

You can likely afford with ease the Somerset and the Palms but lovely places. I personally think that for sight seeing yoyu only need a car for 1 day. One of the disadvantages to a 5 day vacation is you loose a day getting there unless you live i n the Southeast near Miami/Atlanta or possibly Houston. We wouldleave at 8-9 AM but not be in our room until 3PM at the earliest if the flight is on time. Often on the day of departure we had to be out of the roome by 11-12 AM so that day is shot. If your airfare is not too expensive you might be able to make it 5 nights so you really have 4 full days. We make our own reservations because we often, but not always, found that hotels if we email them directly especially for a summer stay will quote us a better rate than the posted rate and AAA often gives you 10% off.

That's right. We flew from Orlando, Florida, then did our connection in Miami. We were on the ground in Turks for lunch. Taking an early flight from Orlando, we had time to eat breakfast at the Miami Airport, and that was nice. I hate having to run through airports.

Five nights wasn't enough for us either, mostly because we didn't want to leave. I'm already asking my company for a full week vacation this summer.

My wife spent a long time trying to read all the hotel websites, but Turks and Caicos Reservations helped her make the best choice for us. We'll probably use them again.

We will be flying in from Dallas, from the available flights I've researched it looks like if we depart at around 8 am, we will be arriving around 2 to 3 pm at Turks. We may have to add on an extra night to make up for lost time. Decisions, decisions. I ran into a couple of reviews in regards to the service and breakfast at West Bay that concerned me (decline in service/poor treatment from GM)& (limited breakfast selection which is overpriced). How would you rate the service/amenities as compared to the other resorts?

Also almost forgot, how is the water and weather in July? What months are considered the best months to travel to Turks....our schedule is flexible, so going closer to October or November is not an issue.

Hi again,

About West Bay: You're paying for luxurious accommodations and a huge section of uncrowded beach. Those same accommodations more centrally located would cost much more.

The reviews are right about the breakfast and some of the staff. Breakfast is not very good, but there's a huge supermarket that you can drive/taxi to. We stocked up and had breakfast most mornings in our room. You can also walk over to the Gansevoort for breakfast, but I think it's probably ridiculously expensive. And, I've heard that there's a breakfast place within biking distance of West Bay, too.

The staff is uneven. The beach staff is wonderful, but the front desk staff run the gamut from really helpful ( shout out to Renee, their concierge) to abrupt and unhelpful. The GM was helpful and available during our stay.

If you think of this as more of a self-catering kind of place, you will definitely NOT be disappointed. It was one of our best vacations ever, despite some so-so staff members. Guess it depends how important that it is to you??

Don't read reviews, you really know nothing about the person that writes them...July is beautiful, warm air , warm water. We always book through the resort directly..best rates.

Thanks to all for your feedback, I have one last question prior to going back to my travel agent for quotes...out of these 3 the Regent Grand, Seven Stars, and West Bay club...which one would you consider to have the nicest combination of ocean front rooms/facility in general and beach property? I think I'm leaning towards West Bay based ont he feedback, but depending on the price quotes I get back; I may choose another resort if I'm able to strike a deal that I'm comfortable with. Thanks again guys!

I'm considering Turks in July as well. Spoke with www.turksandcaicosreservations.tc and they recommended Le Vele Resort. Is anyone familiar with this --- i haven't heard of this resort before.

All 3 properties are stunning, can't help you narrow down.

Having visited them all I would say the Regent Grand but I am surprised you passed on the Somerset. The weather in July/Aug. as you know is hurricane/tropical depression season (June-Nov.) but we traveled the Bahamas and Cartibbean 15 times and only has 2 days of of wipe out on one trip though we had a number of cloudy days becaue the system was 100 miles or more away so all we got was clouds. But that is why the rates from June-Dec. are lower by 20-40% based on the hotel.

Thanks Stan, I was starting to lean towards the Regent if it fit within the budget. Hmm...I didn't get the July/August hurricane season memo. Thanks for letting me know, this surely will effect my planning. Would you say the risk of saving 20-40% outweigh going during peak time and spending more?

I love July in Turks, water is still like glass, crystal clear and bright neon.
Turks is one of the driest islands in Caribbean.
If snorkeling is important, west bay club is the winner
If not other 2 are great.

All 3 are gorgeous, WBC gives most luxury vs money, other 2 you pay for more luxury.

Seven Stars is in middle of hub, easy walk to everything but snorkeling and other terrific beaches.

Le Vele is nice but feels more residential. Very modern, definitely self catering.

Based on what we saw, West Bay has a much nicer beach than Seven Stars. Also the rooms at West Bay are practically ON the beach, whereas Seven Stars is set back a bit from the beach and the main hotel is in back of the pool.

Downside of West Bay is the distance from restaurants/hotels/town, and the in-house restaurant which is mediocre at best.

Hi Weadles,

What room did you stay in at West Bay? And what floor would you say provides the best view of the ocean if you book ocean front?

We were in a 1-bed luxury ocean front unit on the ground floor. It was really gorgeous, but the bedroom views were obscured by two trees directly in front of the window, and we didn't have much privacy since it was close to the walkway for the beach.

If you are going to book it, I would definitely ask for a unit from the second floor up, so that you can take advantage of the views.

Lastly, there are two categories of ocean front: Luxury and regular. I think the luxury 1-beds are all corner units, and the furnishings/amenities are nicer, if that matters to you.

May I tag on a question here?

I'm interested in visiting in July as well, but know with school out there will be many families.
Our dates are set by my husband's office closure.
Peace and quiet are important to us in a beach vacation.

Any thoughts as to best "zen-like" property? We want beachfront with a degree of luxury but Aman is probably over the top!
Or should we opt out of the island and look for an adult only property elsewhere?

Welch: On Turks and Caicos look at Point Grace, they allow children but there are few. There is a sign by the pool saying "quiet please" or something to that effect
Love that!! Old british feel to property & great location.

Great!
Thanks so much for the suggestion. What's the situation with Grace Bay Club?

Grace Bay Club...part of the resort is adults only ( I think) call them . The Estates section is beautiful but, it is a large resort, not intimate at all. IMO

Blamona and others,

So I got a quote back from West Bay and I wanted to know if I was getting a fair deal for my ocean view 1 bedroom suite...6 nights with the 5th night being free so that's 3k x 21% surcharge= $3600 for 6 nights for the hotel and I haggled and had them throw in 5 days worth of free car rental. Did I get a good deal or should I look some more? You mentioned Expedia was running good deals, do you think it'll be able to compete with this deal? Plane tickets alone for July 2nd-8th are running around $1500 rountrip for 2. Total package would be $5100 with the price they quoted purchasing airfare on my own. Is that fair?

Sounds right, but t doesn't hurt t punch it intexpedia to compare. You don't have to buy, but you can compare. I'd do expedia with airfare, that's where you might save money.

The properties on TCI don't really haggle to much, not that kind of place.

Last question, do any of you have experience purchasing third party travel insurance? If so what company did you guys use? My grandfather has been sick, we just want to cover and protect ourselves. Thanks again!

I personally don't get it, but when someone wants ir I find Travel Guard one of the best

Check the policies very carefully. Some of them will not reimburse you unless- god forbids- your grandfather passes away. And if he does pass away, which is what happened in our family a few years ago before a vacation, be prepared to submit tons of paperwork from his doctors,funeral home, etc. Then get ready to wait several weeks, maybe months while the company reviews and processes your claim.

Not an expert but just a few thoughts...I think it was very nice to be on a more quiet beach and just drive places. Rental car was pretty inexpensive. One of my votes for a restaurant would be the Tiki Hut(casual, great food!). Also, I have never seen water the color of the water in T&C. I have a ton of pictures of just the water!

Though June 1-Nov.15 is the official seasaon for hurricanes in the Caribbean and Bahamas each year there usually are only 8-12 named hurricanes (in 5.5 months so your odds are excellent of avoiding any) and a number of tropical depressions.These are more frequent but they tend to bring heavy rain for a day or two the most most most often just over-cast shies but little change in temperature.so the water temps are fine. We visited the Caribbean and Bahamas probably 7-8 times in July-Aug.for 7-8 days at a time while our daughter was in sleep-away camp and as best I can recall we had one vist with 2 days of rain from a tropical depression and one from the sme but never was hit by a hurricane. I think for 30+% going in August is well worth it. You may get a passing shower a day or two but those last an hour and cool things off.

I agree with StanKase. You never know when things like that can happen. We went the first of May and the weather was horrible, and that is not hurricane season. We still had a great time. It just meant there were a few things we didn't get to do, but we will try again someday and hope that the weather cooperates next time. I say go for it

This last post seems fishy to me...

Turks & Caicos is beautiful EVERY month of the year...there is not any place that you can predict the weather...not at home or vacation.

@Caribzack, that is exactly what I was trying to say. @Weadles,I don't know why my post would be fishy?? Very confused. That was what I was saying: You can't predict, so why not just go for it

Not you, palmtree2384. The Fodors editors removed the post I thought was fishy. Looked like advertising to me. So sorry if you thought I was targeting you!

Hey Guys,

Looks like I am responsible for starting one of the longest threads under the Turks section here, hehe. Just to update everyone, my wife and I decided to travel to Turks from 7/7-7/13. We will be buying trip insurance for piece of mind. As most of you have said, you can't predict the weather..so why worry?

Taking Blamona's advice, we will be booking a 1 bedroom luxury at West Bay Club with a preference of being on the 4th floor (mostly to avoid palm trees/blocked views). During all this planning, the most surprising aspect has been the killer cost of airplane tickets, but luckily we will be redeeming rewards points off my credit card to soften blow of $1600 plan tickets.

I'm sure after I finalize the booking, my wife and I would like some input on how we should plan out our stay. Cheers!

@Weadles: Ok, good I hadn't seen that other post, so I thought you were talking about mine, thanks

For plane ticket info, try
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Can't buy them thru them, but you can see who has lowest price.
West Bay Club is awesome!

We didn't walk all the way down to West Bay Club, but I'm sure it's nice.

Have a great vacation! I hope you enjoy the island as much as we did.

Turks and Caicos is an excellent destination for miles redemption as you only need 30,000 miles on American Air off-season for a round trip ticket.

So signing up for a credit card offer that gives you 30k-50k miles is a great deal if you cancel after the first year.

Well Guys,

I'm back!! My wife and I are a month away from our trip. We're super excited and want some restaurant/excursion advice.

We are staying for a week, so I wanted to see what were some of your favorite dinner/lunch spots are (perhaps listing each with a $-$$$ ranking), along with your top 4 or 5 paid excursions.

Please also list "free things to do" or must sees as well. We will have a car for the entire trip, so driving around the island and finding neat little beautiful or private spots would be great. Thanks again!