BDezz

Hello all. First off, I want to apologize if there are any repeat questions and want to thank everyone in advance for any advice. My fiancee and I are planning our honeymoon to the Caribbean (first time going for us) for November 2011 and are leaning towards TCI.

First question I have is whether or not TCI is the right choice for us. We are 2 laid back adults with no kids. I got all of the partying out of my system in college, so night life is not really important for us. My fiancee does not like crowds...like at all. We tried to pick an destination that isn't as "touristy" as some of the more well known islands. We're not saying we want an entire beach to ourselves, but we would like to go somewhere that you don't have to fight for a spot on the sand at a beach.

Assuming TCI is a good destination for us, I had picked out some hotels using Expedia and TripAdvisor and was hopefully looking for some feedback. We plan to stay for 7 nights and our budget runs us about 300$/night for a 1 bedroom or studio.

We have narrowed it down to either the Alexandra, Ocean Club West, or Villa del Mar. My fiancee is leaning towards Villa del Mar but I'd rather go somewhere that is on the ocean. A lot of reviews for Alexandra are mixed. There are reports of thin walls and having a limited supply of beach chairs. Any advice on these 3 or suggestions on another choice?

Thanks a lot!

qwovadis

T&C ok Provo nice beaches fairly touristy rolling hills

Otel.com offering 5% cashback 10% facebook DC on Alexandra but

for something more romantic in Nov

runawayhill.com Pink Sands on Harbor Island

pavillionsandpools.com St Thomas

Westin Resort St John betterbidding.com join spg.com

for suite upgrades for free...

Might consider those prettier for me...

Congrats!

BDezz

Thank you for your help and the link to the discount qwovadis!

TPAYT

I'm voting for "Ocean Club West", however you must upgrade to a Junior Suite" for a better location. Try www.vrbo.com for some good deals.

Why do we like OCW? Well, it's low rise, 3 story buuildings with extremely easy access to the beach, pool, and restaurant. Absolutely no fighting for a beach chair---enough for all on an extremely good stretch of Grace Bay. Great location to walk to restaurants.

OK, there are much more luxurious properties( 2 of them are on either side of OCW--7 Stars on one side and Grace Bay Club on the other), but OCW is lovely(some units better than others) and the location is prime.

I'm not familiar with Villa del Mar, but to me The Alexandra might be good if you are close to the beach, otherwise the rooms are a long walk.

We usually go in March, so I have no comment about November. Blamona can probably give some good input on your situation.

Early or late November? You might want to head further south for better weather.

After 20+ years of going to the caribbean this is just my take on it, everyone is different. When asked if we recommend a property, we say "no, but we did enjoy our stay there, yes"--again, everyone is differnt.

blamona

Okay, I found the perfect place for you:

Regent Grand. Gorgeous property, stunning pool. $246 a night, includes transfers to from airport, FREE unlimited golf (with transfers to and from golf course) and continental breakfast. It's in the middle of the "hub" so you can easy walk to shops and restaurants, but I still recommend a car to get to the best restaurants and freed of to explore ($39 daily)

The property is totally upscale, so it's a terrific "bang for your buck."

try www.turksandcaicosreservations.tc and ask for Val--

Caribzack

Blamona is spot on...Regent Grand for sure...plus, November will be quiet!

TPAYT

WOW! That price at The Regent Grand, including golf and transfers is fantastic. We may have to look into it ourselves. Is it only in Nov?

blamona

The deal is thru Dec. 19th, but now they must have booked those rooms, because the only thing left there starts at $450 (I hope BDezz got the deal!)

Don't know the actual dates, but in Nov. there's still a week left at:

http://www.vrbo.com/55300

gorgeous too-at Villa Renaissance $250 nightly includes 1 day rental car--gorgeous unit by the pool, has full kitchen, flat LCD TV, gorgeous! Hope those dates work for you.

You could also try Coral Gardens, $279, plus 5th night free. Gorgeous unit, but you need a car from there to get to the best restaurants and small shopping strips. (at that price, you can afford the car rental at $39 daily)

http://www.vrbo.com/316291

Let us know what you decide! and I expect pictures when you return! 8-)

BDezz

Thanks for those links Blamona.

Unfortunately, there was a bit of a hiccup in terms of when exactly we were planning our vacation, so by the time it was finalized there was no availability for any of the places you gave us.

Now that we're positive on when we want to go to TCI, someone brought up a point to us that I honestly didn't consider. Since TCI is pretty far north, and isn't technically a Caribbean Island, how is the weather in Provo in mid November? We don't need blisteringly hot, but we'd like the weather to be nice enough to be able to enjoy the beach. Thanks.

BDezz

Oh, and of course I will post a trip report with pictures when I do get back.

virginia

have been in nov. it's hot, dry & ocean temps are warmest of year. royal west indies or the sands might work for you. i would not stay off beach. the beauty of grace bay is why people go. 8-)

candace12

Yes, Villa Del Mar is not on the beach. Nice and warm in November. I did not like Coral Gardens at all. No restaurant at the Regent Grand but continental breakfast is included in the nearby Vix restaurant which was mediocre.(two months ago) But a beautiful resort. Look at Ocean Club West and Royal West Indies. (21% tax added to all room rates on the island -- sometimes not if booked through VRBO)

BDezz

Wow, it's been 2 months and I still haven't made a decision.

We got a bit indecisive and were looking at other destinations. We almost committed to Cuisinart on Anguilla, but settled back on Turks after comparing the costs of the two islands and airfare to Provo dropping recently (thank you Yapta).

We scrapped the previous hotel considerations and right now are trying to decide between a 1 br suite at Le Vele, 1 br suite at Windsong, and 1 br suite at Turks and Caicos Club. We also were looking at West Bay Club, but unfortunately they didn't have any 1 br suites available for the timeframe of our trip.

I've read that Windsong's beach is quite narrow and gets a lot of foot traffic from people snorkeling on Bight Reef. Turks and Caicos Club seems nice since it's low key, but it's the most expensive out of the three. We're really leaning towards Le Vele since they're also low key and are running what seems to be a really good special (2 nights free and a free dinner at Grace's Cottage). I was just looking for any additional input before pulling the trigger. Thanks.

drand

sorry, no extra input, but we will be staying at Le Vele in October when we go to TCI for the first time. The downside is lack of bar/restaurant onsite, but I am guessing that won't be a problem for us. They provide some sort of food in-room each morning, and the 2 nights free (we are staying a total of 5), free airport transfers, and free dinner next door made for a very good price. It will cost us hundreds less than our next best option, which easily pays for a few nights of dinner out. All that and no extra for all beachfront units. A co-worker of mine was on the island last month and she said Le Vele was an easy walk from her resort (Sands) and was very quiet. It also looks from the map as though it would be an easy walk to other places - restaurants, shops, etc. Good luck!

liblady

Next to Alexandria, is a gem..the West Bay Club. We loved it, went in March 2011. They have specials all the time, we got 4th and 7th nights "free." Gorgeous rooms. All facing the ocean, all with great balconies. The beach was never crowded. WBC is up at the end of the strip where all the hotels are, so there is nothing next to it and you can walk for a long long time. We did that every day! There is no real night life at the resort. Small bar, that's it. We made our own! Found the conch shacks and we were happy. Complimentary breakfast was OK, but, it was included so one less thing for us to do. Take a look- www.thewestbayclub.com

BDezz

Thanks Liblady. Unfortunately, West Bay Club only had the 1BR luxury suite available for the dates we were looking to travel, which was above our price range.

I went ahead and made my reservation for Le Vele. Hopefully both Drand and I will enjoy our respective stays. Thanks to all the experts here (and on Tripadvisor) for all of the advice. It's a huge relief to finally have the airline and accommodations squared away. I'm already looking forward to enjoying Grace Bay.