Nancy

Looking for clean, pampering and good restaurants. I love hotels with waterfalls and flowers everywhere. How is the spa at this hotel? I want to be fully pampered. This hotel is very expensive and want to know if it is worth it.

anonymous

You do realize that it is a very family- oriented resort and not a luxury spa/resort where you will be pampered to the hilt.

Antoinette

Was at Beaches June 23 to 30 and have sent them a letter outlining our problems there. I'm still awaiting their reply and will post it when I receive it.
Beaches is BY NO MEANS a pampering resort. Food is not gourmet, rooms are clean but nothing fancy (does pampering mean double beds?- in Beaches lingo it does. The spa is first rate. I had a great massage when I was there.
However, for the money Beaches is just not worth it. You can do MUCH better elsewhere. Check out some of the condo properties if you are wed to going to Turks and Caicos. I also suggest St. Barths for truly luxury resorts (also very expensive).

nancy

Antionette, you are so helpful. I need the truth and you speak the truth even if others disagree. I appreciate this. Can you tell me about the problems you had at beaches? I want to know what to expect. What other condo/hotels do you recommend? Are there decent restaurants on the island. My travel agent also recommended Sands at Grace Bay. Is this a decent condo/hotel with restaurants? Also, did you not like the island as a whole or just the hotel-Beaches?? Thanks in advance, I cant tell you how much this helps.

Antoinette

Nancy- Check out the Rants and Raves forum on this website for a great many details about Beaches and its service (or lack of). I wish I had believed everything people wrote there because its TRUE, TRUE, TRUE!!! I have heard of Sands and also the Ocean Club condo resorts. We never tried to eat at the restaurants in Provo because we had commited to the all-inclusive at Beaches. Beaches was obscenely expensive. We paid $7300 for the Oceanview Deluxe Honeymoon room (NOT concierge level) for 2 adults, one 18 year old (who was charged adult prices), and a 15 year old (who was charged children's rate). Had we paid about $5000 for the trip we would not have had a problem. We went for the extra money because we were promised luxury, pampering and top shelf treatment. Food was mediocre at best and they served the same things on the buffets (which is about all you can get for breakfast and lunch) day after day. It gets tired FAST! A luxury hotel does not give its guests double beds; you should expect a queen sized mattress. Air conditoning in the restaurants minimal. No bar on the beach, nor waitress service on the beach. You have to go to the pool bar and get your own. Somehow the word "pampering" gets lost here. Forget about trying to sign up for the "free scuba lessons!" They offer between 9 to 18 slots each day for a resort that has 1,000+ guests registered! The slots fill up after the first three people in line! This was the biggest complaint I heard from other guests all week. We tried a couple of times but gave up. To sign up you have to get up at 6:30 a.m., line up at the Scuba window by 7 a.m.,wait for the window to open at 8 a.m.,only to be shut out practically immediately after the window opened! Maybe it's me but my idea of "luxury" does not include rising at 6:30 a.m. while on vacation. The beach at Turks and Caicos is magnificent! My family went parasailing (extra cost) and could see the bottom of the ocean from the air! The sand is soft and white- like talcum powder! Again, I suggest you read the Rants and Raves forum. You ca also check out the restaurants on this forum for reviews from people who have eaten there.