LisaGee

My husband and I have been to Aruba a few times and really liked it. We are considering going to Turks and Caicos for our next vacation. How does Turks & Caicos compare to Aruba?

KVR

Like comparing apples to oranges.

T & C is all about the beach and water. You will not find shopping, evening entertainment, night clubs, a great variety of restuarants or casinos like in Aruba. It is a very quite Island. I would say quite safe also. We walked everywhere even at night and never felt unsafe.

Most of the day entertainment is water related; swimming, snorkeling, boat trips, diving, sailing, sunset cruises, and driving around the Island to different beaches.

If you want a great beach vacation to just relax and do nothing, T & C is the place.

T & C is very expensive in our opinion compared to Aruba. We did AI at the Holiday Inn in Aruba for $420 total. We did not go AI in T & C and spent almost double that in food/drinks and cab fare. We preferred Aruba.

If your interested we have pictures on our site at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

LisaGee

Thanks. We liked the Holiday Inn in Aruba too. We tried to get rooms at the Sibonne in T&C and they are booked up. We are considering the Royal West Indies and like the idea of having a kitchenette in our room. Trying to decide if a water front room is worth the extra fees.

eileen

There are some similarities -- i.e. the beach is one long strip lined with resorts and you an walk for miles. However, Aruba is more built up but at the rate T&C is going it may catch up soon. The islands are both not lush but much more dry and scrubby and both have white sand and turquoise water although T&C's is much whiter and more turquoise. I think there are plenty of restaurants on T&C but there are not the American options they have in Aruba such as fast food places and Outback Steakhouse, etc. And yes, agree with previous poster that T&C is much more expensive -- I actually think Aruba is one of the least expensive Caribbean islands.

KVR

We did stay at the Sibonne and like it fine. Nice location on Grace Bay and within walking distance to Ports of Call and Salt Mills.

Also look at the Alexandra. It's 2 or 3 hotels down (I think) from the Sibonne. They have kitchettes in the rooms and a swim-up pool bar. We considered them also since it was similarly priced to the Sibonne and on a nice stretch of Grace Bay.

BeachGirl247

I'll vote for the Royal West Indies. You don't have to have a waterfront room to enjoy your stay. Its not that big of a resort. While we enjoyed a beachfront room (only one building has that and its Building One) it wouldn't have been less of a vacation to have had something different. Take your blender of cocktails and sit on that gorgeous beach and enjoy it just like the ones in the beachfront rooms. No difference. And the Mango Room (restaurant/bar) outside is pretty good -- great people and they make a mean strawberry-mango drink!

I would take Grace Bay ANY DAY OF THE YEAR over Aruba. Its absolutely the most beautiful beach and water.

blamona

Another vote for T&C. Aruba was fun when I was younger, lots of activities, nightlife, etc. But I can do all that here.

T&C is a quiet relaxing destination.

Like KVR says, like comparing T&C to Aruba is apples and oranges.

Aruba has fast food chains, cruise ships, and lots of nightlife. The snorkeling is just average, and while the water is turquoise, it's not crystal clear.

T&C has the most gorgeous water you'll ever see, on one of the most beautiful beaches you'll ever see. It has great restaurants, and secluded beaches and cays to explore. It has crystal clear water that's great for snorkeling.

It depends what you need out of a vacation. Some people are all about the beach, some people are all about activities.

Travcarib

In my opinion Turks and Caicos is much much better than Aruba. Aruba is much more americanized and touristy than Turks and Caicos. I felt that Turks and Caicos had better beaches with amazing water! If you are looking for a nice quiet romantic vacation with water activities during the day and great dinners at night I would opt for Turks over Aruba!

katolb90

Been to both. There is a lot more to do in Aruba. I think the beaches are comparable, but T & C water is prettier, one of the best in the Caribbean. I think the resorts in Aruba are generally more upscale and the tourism industry is much more sophisticated there. Some people might label this 'Americanized', but I like it. People are much more friendly and professional in Aruba as well. Turks and Caicos is probably better if you are looking for a quieter more laid back vacation.

patsfan1

How about Grand cayman? that may be a viable option for you. great white sand beach/clear turquoise water, clean island, upscale and a variety of activites, resorts and restaurants. very similar island to Aruba with better snorkeling.
Turks&Caicos probably has the best beach(grace bay)in the caribbean, some would aruge Anguilla's are better, Aruba's beaches are right up there, maybe a notch below those 2 islands. Aruba has nicer weather, less chance of rain, much more shopping and is more built up than T&C, the capital Oranjestad has a nice shopping area and some bars, T&C has no town center, and there is a wider selection of restaurants and things to do.

beachplum

It depends which island you are speaking of in the TCI. Sounds like you are headed to Provo which is the more popular and busy compared to the other islands and cays. There really is no comparison with the calm gin-clear water with great snorkeling/diving off the reef and the beaches seem to go forever. You won't find (altho Provo is growing in leaps and bounds) the same atmosphere that your find on Aruba with party buses, shopping, nitelife. chain hotels, etc. I also found it void of the awful wind that plagues Aruba and you'll find your entire focus on the beach with little to distract. Someone mentioned the "lack of upscale" but for that check out Grace Bay Club, or the more exclusive Meridian Club or Parrot Cay. There are even more laid back casual spots on many of the other islands and development is coming there as well with the cruise ship port on Grand Turk, an anticipated Ritz on West Caicos, and more development on Ambergris Cay and Dellis Cay. North Caicos has several little "resorts" which offer little but diving and relaxing. It is hard for me to imagine that anyone who really enjoys Aruba and all its commercialization would find a trek to any of these spots exciting enough.