Hi everyone, I'am looking to book a vacation next summer at the ocean club west in turks and caicos. My question is, if i take my 3 boys ages 8, 13 and 15, will they have enough to do for the week? The last thing i need to hear is "I'am bored". They are all great swimmers, (mom's an aqua aerobics/ swim instructor), and they love to snorkel. Has anyone advice as to what else they can do to make the week a joyous one? Thanks for any advice. And as always, happy journeys. ron

Yes, by all means take them to T&C. However, change your hotel plans to Beaches. It is very doubtful that your boys would get bored at Beaches. There is plenty of activity for young people.

Thanks, but I have been reading alot of things not too good about beaches. Expensive, not clean etc. Maybe we can walk down to beaches to check it out and play some arcade games. I have to read more about it i guess. ron

i would never recommend beaches. and
you will not be allowed to "check it out/play arcade games". they do not allow anyone on the property who is not a registered guest!! plus it is a long walk to beaches from ocw.
ocw is a beautiful resort. i think you will enjoy it. you are quite close to club med, where you can get a day pass, but it is an adult club so i am not sure if they would allow your kids to have day passes or not.
other choices might include para-sailing (at least for the 15 yr old- not sure of age/weight requirements), renting jet skies, windsurfing, a visit to the conch farm, you can rent a small boat from the leeward marina and go off to one of the little cays, there are tons of snorkel excursions available.
and as you are traveling in summer there should be other kids on island for them to meet and hang with.
you might enjoy a meal at the tiki hut (casual fare at the turtle cove marina, you watch the boaters while you eat), or sharkbite also at turtle cove/at marina - they have a great burger and they do have a couple arcade games.

My husband and I went to T & C and loved it, however, we have hesitated to take our kids there (they are 8 and 13) because we are afraid they will be bored. If your kids are capable of entertaining themselves for hours with a beach and a pool and water-related activities, it is a great destination. Our kids love the water but after a few beach days they want to do other things, and there are just not that many options on Provo. And, other than Beaches (which I would never stay at -- I visited it and in my opinion it is so overpriced and the facilities were very mediocre) there are not really any resorts with organized kids/teen activities. There is a fun catamaran sail to iguana island by Sail Provo which would be a good choice. OCW is a good choice, they might meet other kids there. But, depending on your kids, you may be hearing "I'm bored."

thanks for the advice. I really want to experience Provo, before my oldest hits college, which is approaching soon. Everyone knows how college costs can dig into the travel budget! I will continue to research destinations. thanks again. ron

Hi Rone,
We just recently returned from T&C with our 9 and 16 year old children, as well as a 17 year old guest of our daughters. We've been many places in the Caribbean with the kids, and of all the islands, T&C had the least to do. However, the water is truly spectacular and if you're willing to let the kids parasail, banana boat, take a snorkel trip and jet ski, they should be ok. We tried to plan one outing for each day we were there (we stayed a week). If anything, our daughter was the most bored (no place to shop!). The boys seemed to be fine, especially our 9 year old. I wouldn't say T&C would be my first or even second choice for kids -- personally I would recommend Grand Cayman. The water on 7 Mile Beach in Grand Cayman is equally--if not more--spectacular than Provo, and there is much more for kids to do. If i were you, i'd check into condo units such as The Avalon, etc. on 7 Mile and do some comparisons to T&C (we stayed at the Westin on 7 Mile and it was great, but we like condo living better. The key is staying directly on 7 Mile to enjoy that fabulous beach!!).

Don't get me wrong: we loved Provo. But, the island itself if very flat and arid with very, very little to do; also, there's quite a bit of construction going on which in my estimation took away from any natural beauty that might have been, and if you're concerned about the kids, you can't go wrong with the Caymans.

If you DO decide to go to Provo, I concur with others: Don't stay at Beaches. I walked the property and was not at all impressed, and neither were our kids. We stayed at The Sands and had a great time and a wonderful condo. I hear OCW is nice also, but didn't walk down to see it.

Good luck on your research. In my opinion, any travel is good travel