grace bay club or point grace?
Jun 29th, 2009, 09:15 AM
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grace bay club or point grace?
Hi, We need some help deciding between grace bay club and point grace for our honeymoon (end of nov).
We are looking for the following:
- privacy (very important)
- luxurious accommodation
- service
- pools/beach areas are that are not crowded
Thanks all in advance. Your help is greatly appreciated.
We are looking for the following:
- privacy (very important)
- luxurious accommodation
- service
- pools/beach areas are that are not crowded
Thanks all in advance. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Jun 29th, 2009, 10:58 AM
#2
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-Privacy--Point Grace
-Luxurious acom.-Grace Bay Club ( only because they are more up to date, Point Grace is beautiful but, is starting to show it's age, not bad just starting to)
Service-GBC
Pools/beach-Point Grace , quiet and always seems empty.
Do not get me wrong, Pt. Grace is beautiful and great linens , Furnishings staff, food --it's just that the new Estates at Grace Bay Club are fantastic-we toured them this winter.
-Luxurious acom.-Grace Bay Club ( only because they are more up to date, Point Grace is beautiful but, is starting to show it's age, not bad just starting to)
Service-GBC
Pools/beach-Point Grace , quiet and always seems empty.
Do not get me wrong, Pt. Grace is beautiful and great linens , Furnishings staff, food --it's just that the new Estates at Grace Bay Club are fantastic-we toured them this winter.
Jun 30th, 2009, 02:27 PM
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We just got back from GBC. I wouldn't call it luxurious accomodations, however, it depends on your definition of luxuious. And granted I didn't stay at the estates, I was in the villas with a 17 month old son.
It wasn't very crowded, I was right above the villas family pool and it got a little busy with families, the beach was somewhat busy, the adult pool was empty.
Service--see my trip report for more on this. It depends on where your service is important to you, and if you stayed at the estates I would think it would be better, but the beach is the same for all the guests and it was horrible!
I would think that some of the other resorts might be more private for a honeymoon, but that's my opinion of course and it was my first time there.
It wasn't very crowded, I was right above the villas family pool and it got a little busy with families, the beach was somewhat busy, the adult pool was empty.
Service--see my trip report for more on this. It depends on where your service is important to you, and if you stayed at the estates I would think it would be better, but the beach is the same for all the guests and it was horrible!
I would think that some of the other resorts might be more private for a honeymoon, but that's my opinion of course and it was my first time there.
Jun 30th, 2009, 03:40 PM
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Tell me again why you are not looking at The Somerset?
www.thesomerset.com
www.thesomerset.com
Jun 30th, 2009, 06:17 PM
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Cookbound, I read your trip report and am now wondering whether GBC is a good choice. 
What other resorts would you suggest for honeymooners?
Caribzack, do you think Somerset offers everything I listed above? I got the impression that it was more crowded that PG and GBC, no?
We really need some inputs to help decide a resort (on Grace Bay)... your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
What other resorts would you suggest for honeymooners?
Caribzack, do you think Somerset offers everything I listed above? I got the impression that it was more crowded that PG and GBC, no?
We really need some inputs to help decide a resort (on Grace Bay)... your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
Jul 1st, 2009, 02:40 AM
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novhmtc
End of November will not be super busy unless you are going around Thanksgiving...we went 1 year at that time ( stayed at Le Vele) and it was busy. Somerset will give you all 3 of your above except the privacy, by privacy do you mean all alone on beach or at pool? If so , Point Grace will give you that on Grace Bay but, Somerst is newer and the suites are nicer, service is fantastic ( I feel) Have you looked at Trip Advisor? It seems like many LOVE it there...
End of November will not be super busy unless you are going around Thanksgiving...we went 1 year at that time ( stayed at Le Vele) and it was busy. Somerset will give you all 3 of your above except the privacy, by privacy do you mean all alone on beach or at pool? If so , Point Grace will give you that on Grace Bay but, Somerst is newer and the suites are nicer, service is fantastic ( I feel) Have you looked at Trip Advisor? It seems like many LOVE it there...
Jul 1st, 2009, 07:12 AM
#9
Somerset is my favorite too.
Crowds in T&C are relative, meaning, overall it's not a busy island like Cancun, DR, Bahamas, Aruba, Caymans, etc. The most crowded resort consistently is Beaches.
I don't know your budget, but if secluded on a gorgeous beach is what you want, then check out Amanyara and Parrot Cay. Amanyara is on Provo (Providenciales, the main island) but on a hard to reach stunning beach. There is services on the beach and by the pool, and you'll have spots with very few people or almost to yourself. Parrot Cay is on its own little cay (island) and other than a few (famous) villas, the resort is the island. Service is the best in the Caribbean there, it's a stunning resort on a stunning beach, and probably has the one of the best spas in the world too.
On Grace Bay, Somerset is my favorite, but by no means is there anywhere bad to stay--all the places are good. If you like hip and chic (with some celebrities sprinkled in for people watching) you could check out Gansevoort Wymara Turks + Caicos. Impossibly hip, yet not crowded on a wide stretch of beach walking distance to snorkeling. They have a beach bar, pool service, beach service, and 24 room service.
There are other resorts that offer total quiet with gorgeous pools and nice stretches of beach I could recommend. The trade off is no beach service, or in some cases no restaurants on property, but still centrally located to walk to restaurants and shops. They are ultra luxurious, but a little more self-catering, and substancial savings. Personally, you are allowed coolers and food on the beaches, so that may be a thought for you.
Back to Somerset: best architecture on the island. Service is awesome, yet laid back. It's very luxurious, yet no pretense. On the beach you can get buckets of beer served and mangotinis, and they have fun things to do on different nights. Tue is clam bake sunsets, Wed is movie night on lawn, Fri is happy hour on the patio with NaDa singing.
Point Grace is super quiet. The pool is very peaceful and zen like--there are even signs reminding you to be quiet. It's a gorgeous property, but with so many newer shinier properties, it's needing a little TLC.
Grace Bay Club Estates looks really nice. My experience with GBC is service is hit or miss. There always seems to be a lot of shuffling but not much done. Or a lot of yes we can but never develops. I know some people that love GBC, but those have been my experiences. Would I stay there? In a heartbeat. Little things don't really affect me, I'm pretty low maintanance as long as I have a beach, but I mention them because they seem important to you.
My personal ideal honeymoon? A split=3 days at Parrot Cay followed by Somerset=incredible!
On a side not, for ultra romance on an unbelievable beach--take your sweetie to a "beach getaway" day trip to Half Moon Bay. All day, either Silverdeep or Caicos Dream Tours will set you up, coolers, food, drinks, umbrellas, lounge chairs. Stunning beach to yourself (most of the day, excursions do stop twice a day for about 1/2) it will be your favorite day ever. I gave it as a gift to my sister (she got married there) and they loved it.
Crowds in T&C are relative, meaning, overall it's not a busy island like Cancun, DR, Bahamas, Aruba, Caymans, etc. The most crowded resort consistently is Beaches.
I don't know your budget, but if secluded on a gorgeous beach is what you want, then check out Amanyara and Parrot Cay. Amanyara is on Provo (Providenciales, the main island) but on a hard to reach stunning beach. There is services on the beach and by the pool, and you'll have spots with very few people or almost to yourself. Parrot Cay is on its own little cay (island) and other than a few (famous) villas, the resort is the island. Service is the best in the Caribbean there, it's a stunning resort on a stunning beach, and probably has the one of the best spas in the world too.
On Grace Bay, Somerset is my favorite, but by no means is there anywhere bad to stay--all the places are good. If you like hip and chic (with some celebrities sprinkled in for people watching) you could check out Gansevoort Wymara Turks + Caicos. Impossibly hip, yet not crowded on a wide stretch of beach walking distance to snorkeling. They have a beach bar, pool service, beach service, and 24 room service.
There are other resorts that offer total quiet with gorgeous pools and nice stretches of beach I could recommend. The trade off is no beach service, or in some cases no restaurants on property, but still centrally located to walk to restaurants and shops. They are ultra luxurious, but a little more self-catering, and substancial savings. Personally, you are allowed coolers and food on the beaches, so that may be a thought for you.
Back to Somerset: best architecture on the island. Service is awesome, yet laid back. It's very luxurious, yet no pretense. On the beach you can get buckets of beer served and mangotinis, and they have fun things to do on different nights. Tue is clam bake sunsets, Wed is movie night on lawn, Fri is happy hour on the patio with NaDa singing.
Point Grace is super quiet. The pool is very peaceful and zen like--there are even signs reminding you to be quiet. It's a gorgeous property, but with so many newer shinier properties, it's needing a little TLC.
Grace Bay Club Estates looks really nice. My experience with GBC is service is hit or miss. There always seems to be a lot of shuffling but not much done. Or a lot of yes we can but never develops. I know some people that love GBC, but those have been my experiences. Would I stay there? In a heartbeat. Little things don't really affect me, I'm pretty low maintanance as long as I have a beach, but I mention them because they seem important to you.
My personal ideal honeymoon? A split=3 days at Parrot Cay followed by Somerset=incredible!
On a side not, for ultra romance on an unbelievable beach--take your sweetie to a "beach getaway" day trip to Half Moon Bay. All day, either Silverdeep or Caicos Dream Tours will set you up, coolers, food, drinks, umbrellas, lounge chairs. Stunning beach to yourself (most of the day, excursions do stop twice a day for about 1/2) it will be your favorite day ever. I gave it as a gift to my sister (she got married there) and they loved it.
Jul 1st, 2009, 09:45 AM
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Novhmtc,
Blamona & CaribZack have been to this island numerous times and can offer a lot of info. as they both have done. I would definelty look at tripadvisor too.
You & I had two different trips planned, you are going for a honeymoon, I had to look at places for my 17 month old son....TOTALLY DIFFERENT!
GBC was nice, and there were a lot of couples, I saw more couples than families, but it wasn't very private.
If your budget allowed, I would look at the two Blamona recommended, I would have booked either of those if it was my honeymoon. Somerset looked nice, but again, didn't strike me as a honeymooner retreat either.
Blamona is right, the beaches are not super busy like Miami, Cancun. There are definetly people and I was surprised that most of the umbrellas and chairs were full when we went out to the beach at GBC, but we did always get a spot.
Good luck! But no matter what, you will enjoy yourselves, it is very laid back and beautiful beach and water!
Blamona & CaribZack have been to this island numerous times and can offer a lot of info. as they both have done. I would definelty look at tripadvisor too.
You & I had two different trips planned, you are going for a honeymoon, I had to look at places for my 17 month old son....TOTALLY DIFFERENT!
GBC was nice, and there were a lot of couples, I saw more couples than families, but it wasn't very private.
If your budget allowed, I would look at the two Blamona recommended, I would have booked either of those if it was my honeymoon. Somerset looked nice, but again, didn't strike me as a honeymooner retreat either.
Blamona is right, the beaches are not super busy like Miami, Cancun. There are definetly people and I was surprised that most of the umbrellas and chairs were full when we went out to the beach at GBC, but we did always get a spot.
Good luck! But no matter what, you will enjoy yourselves, it is very laid back and beautiful beach and water!
Jul 6th, 2009, 04:35 PM
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Thanks a lot caribzack, blamona and cookbound.. we just read all the responses.
Blamona, thanks for all the information. We did some more research on Point Grace and decided against it - like you mentioned, we think that it does look a bit dated compared to the other brand new resorts. We are looking for something more on the lines of Somerset/GBC.
Caribzack, we are getting to T&C on 20th - for 7 days. So, we were a bit concerned about resorts being crowded over the Thanksgiving week - buzzing with ppl, having to search for umbrellas/beach chairs. That is why we were asking for something more private, less crowded. How bad is it during Thxgiving at GBC/Somerset? Any suggestions on resorts that are relatively less crowded?
Cookbound, are GBC's estates and hotels newer than their villas?
Thanks once again!!
Blamona, thanks for all the information. We did some more research on Point Grace and decided against it - like you mentioned, we think that it does look a bit dated compared to the other brand new resorts. We are looking for something more on the lines of Somerset/GBC.
Caribzack, we are getting to T&C on 20th - for 7 days. So, we were a bit concerned about resorts being crowded over the Thanksgiving week - buzzing with ppl, having to search for umbrellas/beach chairs. That is why we were asking for something more private, less crowded. How bad is it during Thxgiving at GBC/Somerset? Any suggestions on resorts that are relatively less crowded?
Cookbound, are GBC's estates and hotels newer than their villas?
Thanks once again!!
