Best Hotel to stay at and any shopping to be had in Turks & Caicos?
 

I'm hoping to go to T&C in early 2002 but have a few questions to anyone and everyone who's ever been to T&C - what area and which hotel would you recommend? Please advise as to the quality of food, was the room OK, how was the beach (crowded? Battle for beach chairs?) and was the snorkelling any good? Also, are there any stores to shop at in the nearest town? (I.E. for electronics, jewellery etc) Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I have had friends stay at Beaches Turks and Caicos.... if you go during break week i am sure there will be tons of kids.... are you going with kids or as a couple or with friends?<BR><BR>The beach there is beautiful and it is all-inclusive. Several people i know have stayed there and absolutly loved it! (Although it wont be as warm s other caribbean desinations in jan/feb because it is under the bahamas...april and after should be much warmer... (i beleive) I know they went in may and said it was fabulous!

Hi,<BR><BR>I just returned from the Turks & Caicos on December 9, and am already surfing around to try to sort out how soon I can go back.<BR><BR>A friend and I stayed at the Royal West Indies, on Grace Bay. The beach is 12 miles of white sand, just stunning. We enjoyed the hotel, and booked a one-bedroom suite that was lovely. We were in fact the first guests to ever stay in it, and the package price out of Toronto through www.selloffvacations.com was great--app. $1700 Cdn, which is super cheap if you convert it to U.S. dollars.<BR><BR>The best thing about RWI other than the fact that it was a great time of year to go (beach was empty, no hassle for chairs, etc.)--was that we had a full kitchen. Food on T&C is prohibitively expensive, so I recommend packing a bunch of snacks, cereal, etc. to take the edge off. The first night there, we had a very light dinner--a pizza, and my friend had a salad, no alcohol, and we each had ice cream--and it was app. $70 U.S. All of the restaurants are very expensive, but you realize why once you make a trip to the local IGA.<BR><BR>Don't order pasta while there, as it is the same packaged dry stuff you see in the stores.<BR><BR>We didn't snorkel, but spent most of our time lounging under the beach hut.<BR><BR>As for shopping--this is not an island for that. I'm very familiar with Aruba, which has a main city, Oranjestad, and as far as I can tell, on Providenciales, there is nothing but the Ports of Call shopping plaza--nothing really to buy, no cluster of jewellery stores, etc.<BR><BR>Lastly, we met an American couple from Maryland who were staying at Grace Bay Club, and they showed us their room. They go back often, and raved about the place. It does have a good restaurant, Anacoana, which we ate at twice, but again, very expensive: 2 steaks, no appetizers, no alcohol (one Coke and one lemonade), no dessert=$100 U.S.<BR><BR>I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have about T&C. Enjoy it! Spectacular setting, the water is a colour you won't believe.<BR><BR>MJD

My favoirte and imo the best of the TCI is Meridian Club. Not a hotel in the true sense but 12 rooms on a wonderful beach and cay south of Provo. Of course, everything is self contained but it is wonderful! On Provo, which is the busier destination, the "best" (depending on your criteria) is Grace Bay Club and the dining there is excellent. On Provo, all the hotels/resorts are on Grace Bay and it is an absolutely stunning beach. However the shopping is non-esixtent and it sounds like you are looking for one of the traditional duty free ports in the Caribbean. You don't go to TCI to shop! In fact, there really isn't a "town." Since it is not Caribbean but at the southern end of the Bahama chain just north of the Caribb, the winter months will not be as toasty warm as a Caribb destination nor will the water be as warm. Parrot Cay is another high end (aka "best") hotel in the TCI again on its own Cay. A popular stop for people like Oprah, Jerry Steinfeld and I understand People Mag. just spotted Barb Strisand and hubby there so if you are into celeb watching that might be the place to go. I love the pristine beauty of the TCI and the fact that there are places which are true hide a ways and you don't have the beach chair saving and all that other stuff you get on some of the more popular islands. But then, maybe with the increased popularity and the mega resorts like Beaches now building there, things might be changing on Provo anyway!

We are trying to figure out where to go in Feb. (probably Anguilla) but I loved T&C. I think the best place is probably Parrot Cay but it is isolated and very expensive. I've heard good things about the Grace Bay Club. We stayed at the Allegro, and the beach along Grace Bay is so incredible, it probably didn't even matter where we were. The all-inclusive nature of it was good, but there were waits for certain things (dinner reservations) and not enough shade at the pool. Beaches was very crowded looking and had tons of kids there, if that matters. Good luck.

We went to Turks and Caicos in late June and made the mistake of staying at Beaches. It was a horrible (and expensive) experience, too long to go into here. While I recommend Turks and Caicos for its truly beautiful beaches, I would consider staying at one of the truly first rate condo resorts there rather than Beaches. There's not much in the way of shopping or nightlife on the island. Turks and Caicos is really for just relaxing, snorkeling and scuba diving in magnificent waters.

My husband & I went to TCI in June 2001 & LOVED it!! We stayed at Ocean Club West which is very upscale. The food is very expensive- I recommend that you pack non-perishable eats such as chips, cookies, cokes, kool-aid, pop-tarts, etc. A small box of triscuits at the IGA was almost 7$. Shop for groceries at the Island Grocery, eat in for breakfast & lunch & go out for dinner. I recommend The Gecko, Sharkbite Cafe, Hemingway's. The snorkeling is best in front of the Coral Garden Hotel. It's roped off so you have a guide. Also, the snorkeling is good at the Tiki huts. You'll need to rent a jeep for that. Take a day trip to the Iguana Island but don't bother for the middle caicos cave tour- boring & not too interesting. There is NO shopping on TCI. This is not a tourist mecca, no cruise ships, no cheap hotels, etc. I think there is maybe 1 jewelry store on the island. There is no nightlife either. If your looking for this type of atmosphere, I suggest St. Martin. If you want to get away from it all & relax, TCI is your bet if you can afford it.