Help Us Decide...Beaches Resort?

Old Jan 5th, 2003, 10:07 AM
  #1  
Scott
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Help Us Decide...Beaches Resort?

Hello Fellow Travelers,

My wife and I are planning a trip with another couple in the summer and are considering the Beaches Resort in the T&C. We have a one-year-old, and our friends have a two-year-old and a five-year-old. We have read such mixed reviews about the resort and now we are a little leary about booking the trip there. We are interested in a family vacation and have traveled extensively through the caribbean, so we do have an idea of what to expect. We have not ever done an all inclusive resort. Can some of you who may have been to Beaches recently please advise, and give us your honest opinion? Thanks in advance for helping us make a decision.
 
Old Jan 5th, 2003, 11:14 AM
  #2  
xxx
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My husband and I were at Beaches in T&C 2 years ago. We did go on a special, 2 for one sale. My husband is a diver, so we thought it was a great deal. It is extremely family oriented with many activities for children, a childrens pool area etc. We had no children so I am sorry I cannot comment on the specific programs. I can tell you they all seemed to have a good time. The place is o.k. it is a small beach, but the beaches there are very nice. The food I thought was pretty good. I can't really complain about the food. There is one restaurant that is adults only. I believe they provide babysitters for several hours while adults can have a dinner out w/o the children for one p.m. It was very good. There are older buildings and some newer buildings which were called the French ?? (quarters) They were very nice rooms, but further away from the beach. It is a very large resort. Be prepared to do some walking unless you stay in the older section. I wouldn't be hesitant to recommend this place to a family. I more than likely would not return since it is more for families. The nightlife is somewhat geared for kids. Not much for adults that I could see. I hope this helps you decide.
 
Old Jan 5th, 2003, 01:17 PM
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Scott
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Thanks for the information. If anyone else can give us any feedback on the T&C Beaches resort we would greatly appreciate it. How crowded was it? Was it hard to get into some of the restauratnts? Was it worth the money?
Thanks!
 
Old Jan 5th, 2003, 02:17 PM
  #4  
Noel
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Visited Beaches T&C about 2 years ago also.
Thought the resort was great...if you have children.
I however do not, but heard the beaches there are wonderful and since I am a beach bum I wanted to explore.
Well they were right!!!!!
What beautiful beaches on this island.
I do not have any complaints about the resort.
Food was great! Concierge Service was wonderful! They did everything for us!
Rooms from what I saw were clean.
The one thing I couldn't do which I would have liked to have done was sit out on our balcony. There were to many little creatures out there for me!
Would I go back....Definately, but with children.
This resort is all about the kids.
They do a great job entertaining them!
 
Old Jan 5th, 2003, 02:58 PM
  #5  
M
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Just returned from a December trip to T&C. I would go to Ocean Club West,if I
were you. Beaches looked too crowded,
and the beach was small. Check into OCW
which is oceanfront, and very upscale.
 
Old Jan 6th, 2003, 06:34 AM
  #6  
xxx
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Scott, if more than likely depends on when you go as to the crowds. We were there in Jan. and yes it was crowded with many families. There was never a problem with eating or the restaurants. Prices vary upon seasons. Difficult to say if it was worth the money. It is a nice family resort. I think the prices would be less in summer.
 
Old Jan 6th, 2003, 07:59 AM
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Ellen E
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I have been to beaches Turks the last three years, and going back for a fourth trip this month.

We have two children 7 & 2. We have stayed in a suite the last 3 years, and recommend them. They have microwaves, minibars which are stocked constantly, robes, and are a very nice size. They have a pullout couch for the kids.

Onto the babysitting. Honestly, we have had mixed results, for our youngest, it has been fine, as she was an infant and needed very little stimulation, there was a very good child care provider to infant ration. For the older kids, the we have had mixed results. Not the most stimulating child care providers, your kids will be looked after. We have always left one walkie talkies at day care in case of a problem, since we move around the resort so much. They also have one on one babysitting available, I think the rate is $8.00 an hour. It is a very stress free vacation, plenty of pools, we have never found the beaches crowded, but tended to go to them in the afternoon. The diving is very good, and it is a very child friendly vacation. The food is adequate, we had the best luck at Giesueppies', in the French Village(which has the best pool). If you do not take a suite, I would stay in the french village over the main part of the resort.

We also had never been to an all-inclusive before this, and found that it is sucha a no brainer, that the ease outweighs whatever service for food issues we have had(which have not been many)

Hope this helps. We have found it a great family vacation for both kids and adults.
 
Old Jan 6th, 2003, 09:53 AM
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mrs. e
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we went to beaches 2 years ago for feb. vacation with kids ages 8 and 10...the weather was NOT great - needed a sweater at night...cool when it was cloudy during day...that was disappointing..food was ok, beach/ocean water was beautiful not much going on at night... chairs were hard to save by the pool and beach and sometimes there were fights over chairs.. i would maybe go again if garanteed great weather - we like hot sunny mexico weather - but if you like cool you'd be ok...
 
Old Jan 8th, 2003, 12:29 AM
  #9  
Scott
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Thanks to all that responded. For the most part your comments look positive. We are planning our trip for sometime in the summer. Does anyone know first hand how crowded it is during the summer months? That is our main concern at this point. I summer is considered "off season," but I didn't know if that necessarily indicated that the resort wold be any less crowded during late June or July. We knew there were crowds during prime season and during the holidays like around spring break. Thanks in advance for this additional piece of information if any of you know first hand and have been there in the summer.
 
Old Jan 12th, 2003, 07:19 AM
  #10  
Dnenis
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Message: My family and I visited this resort on Dec. 15-19, 2002. It was the low season immediately before the Christmas/New Year crowds. We stayed in one of the larger suites so we cannot respond to room size but we certainly talk about the stay. The resort is very nice. The grounds are well maintained and clean. The beach is excellent. There's a lot to do there for kids, swimming, activities, games, etc. I can say that the hotel staff are some of the most unfriendly people I've met. With the exception of a handful, the staff are stand-offish, unfriendly, non-smiling. Their attitude is a complete turnoff. The food is average at best. The food in the main restaurant is below average for dinner, lacking flavor, over-cooked, and bland. The Japanese-style restaurant is ok, our Chef was not very good at the presentation. Avoid the 50's style restaurant.
Oh! One last thing... absolutely verify and get in writing that they have reviewed everything in your room before you leave. Three weeks after leaving the resort we were charged for the two robes provided. They claim we took them. We were charged $130. I am still waiting for a response to my reply email asking why they think we took them (we did not) and why it took three weeks to determine it was us. I've asked if they had audited the guests who stayed after we did. I am protesting the charge to Citibank.
 
Old Jan 12th, 2003, 09:11 AM
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Kelly
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My family stayed at beaches three years ago.I know things have probably changed a lot but I thought you my want to here about our experience.First of all no restaurant takes reservations so you have to put your name in and just wait,could be 30 minutes could be 90.The food was average and I have stayed at several all-inclusives in the caribbean that were so much better.Many times we ended up just eating in the buffet because of the wait for the other places.That gets really old since that is where you eat for breakfast and lunch too!The diving was ok,I did not really like having to go into the pool to demonstrate my diving skills to the instructor before I could go out on a dive.I have been diving for several years and have never had to do that,but they make everyone.My two teenage kids almost said no because they did not want to give up an afternoon doing this before they could as they are certified too.We did dive the next day and the instructors were the least friendly I've ever encountered.That was the only dive we did and what a shame because it was included in the price!The pool chairs were very hard to come by so most days were spent at the beach, which was nice but a little windy and cloudy and cool most of the days.We were there in march and always had to wear a jacket at night.Not much nightlife except for teens.My son had a really great pair of brand new Michael Jordan basketball shoes stolen from our room,but when we reported it nothing was ever done! Oh I almost forgot both my mother and my son became very ill after eating in the japanese steak house,and I mean sick,vomiting and the other.We were on our way home the next day,they did not have fun.So as you see I will never return.Too many other really great places that are not nearly as expensive and have better sun,beaches,food,and much friendlier people.These people were some of the least friendly people besides the bahamas that I've ever encountered,and we've been to a lot of islands!
 
Old Jan 12th, 2003, 09:40 AM
  #12  
xxx
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Scott, I see some people state the people were unfriendly. My experience was completely different several years ago in Jan. I found the service and the people to be extremely friendly, and helpful. Don't figure. Maybe you should consider DR or PDC area, or Jamaica. I think this resort is somewhat overprices for what you get. JMHO.
 
Old Jan 16th, 2003, 09:00 AM
  #13  
Michelle
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I did not stay there, but I would never stay there. I guess I just enjoy some peace and quiet. We went to Turks in September, which is the offseason. We stayed at The Sands. I'm not kidding - there were days when there was NO ONE in sight on the beach. It was amazing. I have pictures and you can't see another person anywhere. Hop to Beaches, about a 20 minute walk away. The beach was so crowded you couldn't find a place to put a towel down, it was SO noisy, etc. I know you have children, but I guess you have to figure out whether you want crowds like that. And that was the offseason, September, so I can't imagine what the rest of the year might be like.
 
Old Feb 25th, 2003, 08:22 PM
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We just got back and I have to tell you....the place was great but the food and beverage service we paid an arm and a leg for-- sucked!!! Our children (ages 3,6,10 & 12) wouldn't even drink the cokes. We BOUGHT bottled water for a week!!!! The food was more cafeteria than luxury/gourmet. The only meal we truly enjoyed was at the adults-only "Sopadillas". The good news is we didn't gain any weight while we were there. On the plus side, the beach area and activities were great. The pools were beautiful and it was never crowded. The entertainment staff did a terrific job with daytime and nighttime activities. Kids Camp was great for the little ones. However, at the ages you're talking about, you'll have to pick them up daily from 12-1 and again from 5-6pm so that the staff doesn't have to feed them. Kinda messes up your schedule if you're trying to take scuba lessons or leave the property for other excursions. (We didn't). Another sad note from this mother of 4 was that the bartenders were not very friendly and I'm pretty sure the booze was cut-rate. Watched one bartender pour "Tangueray" into a Beefeaters bottle so I assume it was all the same thing. Your only beer choices are heineken, red stripe (if they're not out) and coors light. The wine, too, appears to come from a tanker somewhere on the property. Sooo, to sum up, if you're going for atmosphere and relaxation, it will be great but if you're looking to get your money's worth with the food and drink, forget it. I wish I could offer an alternative but we saved for A LONG TIME for this trip and haven't been anywhere else. Maybe you could reply with some suggestions of your own (?).
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Old Feb 26th, 2003, 02:18 PM
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We have been to beaches several times. Most recently in the beginning of February 03. The first time I took my daughter she was 6 months old, then 18 months old. The most recent trip was great. My son (now 6)loved the kids camp, they had great activities. My daughter( now 2.5) was ok in her area, they have a good kiddie pool.

They have daycare for the very young. There is an indoor play area with toys, which leads to a small splash pool. there is a bright room with lots of cribs for the kids to take naps on. I have found that for the infants who dont require too much stimulation it is fine. We would frequently put our daughter in there around nap time, and it worked well. For this age group there is a high ratio of care giver to kids. This is not the most stimulating group of caregivers, but the kids will be watched. If you are not happy with the environment, you can always hire one one one babysitting(I think it is $8.00/hr). One thing we have done in the past is to leave a walkie talkie with the day care, and take one with us in case we need to be reached. In terms of food, the buffets are well stocked. If you are not in a suite, request a refrigerator, all the bars and restaurants will give you cartons of milk to take to your room. The regular rooms do not have microwaves, however. If your daughter is still on formula, bring it. The resort is no where near a supermarket, and the store is very expensive, so bring everything you think you could need including medicine. There is a nurse on property. But bring extra diapers, wipes, etc. Hope this helps.

EE

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