Beaches Turks and Caicos
 

This resort came highly recommended by friends with children, however; they haven't been to the resort in 4 years. I have read in online forums people saying the rooms are outdated and small, the food at the restaurants is bad, they've gotten bed bugs, the security on the beach is low and all around it was a waste of money. My husband and I are used to staying in 5 star boutique hotels but with 3 kids, we were exploring our options. Has anyone been there recently with an opinion? Thanks so much!

It's not a boutique hotel. It's a big resort (nice but big), so if you are looking for that kind of intimate experience, you just won't find it there. However, the resort gets consistently strong reviews.

Frankly, I'd rather stay at a nicer regular hotel like 7 Stars that offers condo-style rooms and eat at restaurants. Unless you need or want the giant pool and included food and drinks, there's no advantage to staying at an AI in Provo. It's a beautiful, fairly safe island with good independent restaurants, not at all like Jamaica or the DR, where you are unlikely to leave the resort grounds.

Look at The Somerset Resort on Grace Bay. We were there for Christmas ( Have stayed before) Wonderful suites ( Condos) excellent restaurants & many near by . Beaches is huge& crowded. Somerset is clean, beautiful pools, nice big beachfront & nice staff.

Beaches Resort was completely refreshed and updated after the 2018 hurricanes, so I don't know where the bad reviews come from.

In general the rooms are smaller than other resorts, just by nature of it being an AI

If there was a bed bug outbreak, the island would know, haven't heard of any

I don't know if accommodations would consider it 5 star compared to other gorgeous 5 star properties on island, but it will be better than your friends from 4 years ago because everything was refreshed and fixed after hurricanes

However if you want truly 5 stars, check out: (they're not AI)

Grace Bay Club
Palms
Somerset
Shore Club

We were there 10 months ago. Did not encounter bugs of any kind anywhere. The beaches in TCI are public - so anyone can use them. There was an occasional beach vendor, but not sure what security concerns are. Food is OK - its a big resort, so don't expect small local bistro fare. Ingredients were fresh and meals appeared to be prepared and not m/w or assembled. I would highly recommend it for families wanting to spend time with their kids but not 24 hours/day. We were a group of 6 adults, so no personal experience with kid care. But never felt place was over-run with free-range kids. Even though we are usually independent travelers, for this trip we wanted a decision-free vacation and not have to stress over where to eat 3 meals/day other than which restaurant on-site.

What is the Covid situation in TCI? Besides flying into, are restaurants and shops open?

We have stayed 5 years in a row at Ocean Club West but haven’t been for a few years now.

After visiting the Caribbean fir 25 years we remember Grace Bay beach as the best and would like to return.

A bit quieter than some other islands. If you are looking for beach bar chaos this is not the spot. We do remember the restaurants as some of the best.