We are considering a family vacation (2 kids, 8&12) in Jan. 2002. read the "rants & reviews" on this site and they ranged from horrible to perfect. anyone been recently and can help us make this decision?

I really thought the island itself, though it was trashy on the inside, the beaches were the best and ditto the snorkling. I stayed at beaches. I wouldent go back. Stay at one of the non all inclusives. The rooms are basic, no views, the food is average at best, service is mainly rude. Its like disneyland there. Stay somewhere else.

I don't really agree with Jeremy's comments. Our romm had beautiful furnishings and the view of the beach was outstanding. You never mentioned what room category you were interested in. Possible the entry level rooms offer poor views, but ours was wonderful. I love an all inclusive with a great kids program when our family travels to the Caribbean. When we are finally on vacation, I don't want to keep catering to our kids appetites. The all inclusive - get as much as you want whenever you want is a great plan for us. Don't discount this hotel...it might be just what your family would enjoy on holiday.

I hate to start a fight but the resort rooms are not even seeable from the beach. We were on a 3rd forr ocean view room and we only saw a speck of blue-green sea.

My husband and I really enjoyed Turks and Caicos....we stayed at the Beaches resort and loved every minute of it...got out to see the island and did excursions. The accomodations were great as well as the food. We are leaving tomorrow morning in fact for Beaches.....We'll let you know how it went!

Thanks for you reply, "beenthere". How old are your kids, did they enjoy the programs, which room would you recommend?

You asked if staying at beaches was worth it, then you only listen to the positive. Truth is, most people are dissopointed and you should go somehwere else. See message boards on turks.

We had a positive experience at Beaches. WE thought that the grounds and pools area's were beautiful, the beach is just amazing except not enough shade area's (which is needed!), food and service to be very good (especially Schooners - huge portions of King Crab) and just really enjoyed ourselves. <BR> <BR>We too had an Ocean View Room, in the main building,, on the third floor. From we were, we could see the beach and ocean from our balcony as well as a beautfiul view of the gardens. I think third floor is a muct if in the main buildings for the view ans depends on where in those buildings you are as the trees can obstruct your view. <BR> <BR>Also ture in that there are some wonderful non-all-inclusive places to stay at on Turks but I feel for families (and couples wanting all-inclusive_ Beaches is worth the money.

Gab - We had a presidental 1 bedroom and the view of the beach was breathtaking! Our children were 6 & 8 at the time and loved the kids clubs. The pools are a lot of fun and the watersports were really great. Kids learned to kayak & sail a bit. Snorkeling was fun also. When you add up the cost of doing some activities + cost of meals it seems like an all-inclusive price makes sense. Plus I love a couple of frozen drinks at the swim up pool bar. My kids wish they were going next week for the N'Sync concert on the beach.

Hey "beenthere" thanks for responding!What month did you go and how was the weather? How far is the resort from the airport? Was there any kids programs at night?

I also read the "Rants and Raves" reviews about Beaches before I took my trip there in June. How I wish i had listened to those people who did not find Beaches to be the five star luxury resort it touts itself to be!People either love or hate Beaches.Those who love it get extremely verbal and abusive to those of us who have had a less than stellar vacation there. I enjoy the all inclusive type resort (it works well when you have teenagers)but found this to be one big rip off. Beaches neglects to let potential guest know little details that are lacking from its so-called luxury such as the number of buffet type meals, hokey entertainment, double (instead of queen) size beds, and the latest- NO BOTTLED WATER unless you are staying in the premimum priced "concierge" level rooms. Imagine an all inclusive resort that excludes something as basic as bottled water and you have Beaches. Follow your gut instincts- if you have any questions about not going there DON'T GO! Wish I had followed my intuition and stayed elsewhere on that beautiful island. I also suggest you check the weather in Turks and Caicos in January. I believe it might be cooler than you expect. My boss just returned from the Allegro in Aruba and loved it! You might want to check it out. The weather will also be much warmer there.

Hi Gab - We were there in April. The weather was fine for us. The water temps were comfortable. At night sometimes we wore a cotton sweater. We had bottled water in our suite, I never asked for any at a bar, but sounds like it's not provided. I did see some at the gift shop. I don't remember what time the kids center closed at night, but it must be around 9. The transfer from the airport took about 15 minutes. I don't think that the weather in Jan is definately going to be warm enough, I'd consider postponing until a warmer month or go to Beaches Negril, which is just about as good at Turks. The transfer to Negril is much longer or you could take the short flight. I rate a good vacation by my families happiness and the amount of time I get to relax. Beaches always makes us happy. We are Sandals & Beaches people. We're not blinded and do realize that some things could be improved, but we haven't found a better product and we're constantly searching!

Antoinette!!! My goood friend!!! I see you made it!! LOL <BR>Im here just to get iformation about st. martin, not to bash beaches anymore!!

GOOD POINTS 1. PRETTY GOOD FAST FOOD 2)BETTER THAN AVERAGE KIDS PROGRAM IF YOUR KIDS ARENT SHY.3)ALL THE LIQUOR YOU CAN DRINK.4)VERY NICE BEACH 5)NICE PROPERTY.BAD POINTS 1)ONLY SUPERIOR ROOMS OVERLOOKING BEACH ARE WORTH $$$.OTHER ROOMS PRETTY MUCH ARE NEAR NOISE AND SUCK.2)NOT ENOUGH CHAIRS IN SHADE UNLESS YOU GET UP AT 6AM AND PUT A WET TOWEL DOWN FROM PREVIOUS DAY.3)THE ONLY ENTERTAINMENT FOR ADULTS BESIDE SNORKELING AND DIVING IS GETTING DRUNK IN BAR POOL AND TRYING TO TALK YOUR WIFE INTO A BLOW JOB WHILE THE KIDS ARE STILL AT THE KIDS CLUB.4)GETTING INTERUPTED BY LOUD BANG ON THE DOOR WHEN KIDS COME BACK EARLY FROM CLUB AFTER YOUR WIFE FINALLY AGREED .

I am wondering if Beaches TC is a fun place for teenagers...ages 13, 16, 17, 18...would this be a good vacation choice or is it better for younger kids?

I was with a 15 year old who wasnt impressed. He likes ocean views and he is like a food critic. He hated the american imported food, and believed he felt like he was in disneyworld, rather than a tropical island. And really, hes 15, hes not gonna go play sega when hes on an island. Thats what home is for.

You will run into the same problem we had with the 13 year old and under. The "adults" only restaurants will not permit the child to eat there with his/her family. The older teens will be bored unless there are other teens around their ages there. They are certainly too old for the Pirates Island/Sega Center (where the games always seem to be broken anyway).

thanks for your responses...wouldn't the teens be bored at any of these resorts without other kids to hang out with? they are too old for the organized activities and nightlife is on the quiet side...can they go out of Beaches to neighboring hotels in search of other kids? would this be safe? thanks again...phyllis

I was there dec 25 to 31 at Allegro AI.<BR>It was very hot by the pool but the water was very cold. Dipped in to cool off...got right out.We did burn and tan.<BR>Ocean quite cold too, only a few people in. Nights were windy, glad we had sweaters and long pants. During the day the beach was a bit windy too. Our last day was cloudy and windy even near the sheltered pool so we drank a lot waiting for it to be time yo go. The teens there were somewhat bored but played tennis, snorkeled, etc.

I agree with the poster who said she rates a place according to the fun and happiness and relaxation she and family gets. Me too. I was at Allegro 2 Decembers ago snd it was hot by the pool, windy on the beach, breezy at night. All water, pool and ocean, was coolish. Kids club was great keeping kids happy.<BR>In contrast, a good value for a nice place is the AI in Aruba called Divi. We were there last Christmas and the weather, water and everything was perfect. For me the AI is great. Don't want to worry about schedules with kids. Eat when they want!! I do not know if they have a kid's club for the young ones, but I didn't see a lot of kids around so they must have been somewhere. Our teens were fine with the included kyacks, sailboats, volleyball games etc. I admit, we never stay in our room and I really do not care if my room is ocean view. I go for the beach, drinks, variety of food and activities, and especially the fabulous weather. I am the kind of person who has never NOT liked a vacation. While some are better than others, I look for the good in each place. (Give me sunshine, warm weather, a chaise, a drink, and a book, and I'm good to go!!!(I did go to Cable Beach Bahammas once and would never go back because it rained every day in August and the food was extremely expensive. But I am probably misjudging due to one bad week. Sorry.)