Punta Cana and Turks
 

Can anyone advise me of a nice, clean, expensive or inexpensive place to stay in Punta Cana and Turks & Caicos? I would like to stay at a resort that has wonderful tasteful food and a calm beach.

In Punta Cana most of the resorts are AI's and are very large. You don't venture off the resort property very much. I'm not a big AI fan
In Provo the resorts are smaller and you can freely move about the island. Grace Bay Beach is consistently rated as one of the top beaches in the Caribbean by readers of Caribbean Travel and Life and Conde Nast Traveler. A good resource for Provo info is www.wherewhenhow.com the on line magazine of the T&C. You will find lots of resort info. Excellent restaurants on the island in all price ranges. Would help if you would define inexpensive and expensive.

Most of the resorts on Provo share the same huge, gorgeous beach. Also, there are many good restaurants in the area. So from almost any resort you can walk to a place with good food.

Howard is the most knowledgeable guy I've seen on this board on that island, so if you give him a few more preferences, like size of resort, desired activities and amenities he can probably help narrow the choices.

Wonderful laid back island.

Ken

HowardC:
Please advise which resorts to avoid in Provo: old and poor service. Interested in moderate price range accomodations and very calm watered beach and reasonable package for Christmas time for a family of four. Please advise on any websites or agencies I should contact for a 7 day stay December 23-30. I am interested in the Sands but they require a 10 night stay at Christmas time. Thanks for the insight.

Not sure how you define moderate price. At Xmas you will be paying top dollar. How old are the children?? toddlers ??. Don't know what the minimum stays over Xmas are at the various resorts but will try and help. My first choice would be a two bedroom luxury suite at Coral Gardens--it comes with a kitchen which will help cut down on eating costs. Specifically suites 4206 and 4306. The web site is www.coralgardens.com and if you call the 1-800# you will connect with Marcine in Vancouver BC. There is a reef right off the beach if you are into snorkeling. If you don't need a beach/ocean view Seagate right behind Coral Gardens is nice. Suites with kitchens and about 2 min to the beach--www.theseagate.com. Grace Bay Beach is very calm. You might also consider Villa Oasis which is between Coral gardens and Beaches. They have a two bedroom villa and it is right on the beach. www.villaoasis.com. You will definitely need a car if you stay at any of the above. CG has rentals. Sibonne is a small intimate Caribbean Inn next to The Sands. The two Premier Suites which are beachfront might work. They are adjacent to each other but not sure if they have an internal connecting door. www.sibonne.com. Next recommendation would be Ocean Club West. www.oceanclubresorts.com. Across from Ports of Call Shopping plaza where there are some good relatively inexpensive restaurants. They have a nice pool with beach bar restaurant for breakfast and lunch. They run a shutle to Gecko Grill at Ocena Club for dinner. Royal West Indies is another option. Probably a little less expensive than some of the others. Their restaurant Mango Reef is average. RWI is next to Club Med which can be noisy at times and you might see some topless on the beach. Another resort not on the beach is Caribbean Paradise Inn. About a 200 yard walk to the beach. They have a pool and I believe offer breakfast. Walking distance of Ports of Call. www.paradise.tc. I would stay clear of Turtle Cove Inn, Treasure Beach Villas and Mirimar in Turtle Cove although their restaurant Magnolia is excellent and one of our favorites. Not sure this helped but it's a start. Keep the questions coming.

Anyone have any thoughts on Alexandra Resort and Bay in Grace Bay, TCI?