chaplin

My husband, 5 year old son, and I are heading to TCI for the first time in early February. It is our first Caribbean trip in over a decade. After going back and forth about Beaches, we've decided we want something a little more luxurious, quiet and relaxing. Right now we are debating one bedroom ocean view suites at either The Regent Grand or the all-inclusive Veranda. The Veranda would only be a few hundred more total than the Regent Grand, but it is AI. The idea of a somewhat luxurious AI is appealing since it seems like it would make life easy, but I also like the idea of getting to try several different restaurants around TCI and think it might be worth the extra money we will spend on food and drinks. Just wondering if anyone has any opinions to help us decide? I haven't found many reviews for the Regent Grand, but it looks great and the location is excellent. Is one beach area better than the other? Is the food at Veranda worth it?

Thanks!

sunblockstock

To me with the ease to venture off your resort to dine at the many amazing venues on Providenciales - AI is not my preference.
Regent Grand is a very nice resort with a somewhat sloping beach frontage. This section of the beach is not as wide as others and has somewhat of a grade to the beach. With that said the property is very well maintained and has a beautiful courtyard mosaic pool with a lot of seating around the pool.
Suites in the ocean front building are nicely designed.
This resort is self-catering in that there is not a full service resaurant right on the property. A breakfast is provided around the pool area and there are many restaurants a short walk away in Regent Villages nearby and others a bit farther walk. There is also a grocery store and other shops within a few minutes walk.
Right next door is another similar style property Villa Renaissance.
If you are looking for moderately priced properties you could also consider : The Sands, Royal West Indies,Ocean Clubs, Villa Del Mar, Alexandra
More upscale look at : The Somerset, Regent Palms, Seven Stars
Hope that this helps.

KVR

I prefer AI resorts. When we went in 2006, the Veranda was not there yet. We ended up not doing AI as nothing was really what we were looking for. We did not rent a car, which we regretted, as it really was esstential to get around the Island and to various restaurants conveniently. Given the choice again, I would go with the Veranda. We tend to eat off of AI properties also in order to get the best of both worlds.

chaplin

Thanks for the thoughts so far. We have decided against Regent Grand after doing a little more research. But now we are trying to decide between Veranda and West Bay Club. If we did WBC, we would rent a car. Any chance anyone has stayed in both and could provide a comparison?

Thanks!

liblady

WBC is heaven on earth. We were there last March. Facilities are over the top. The 1BDR luxury was all that and more. The wide stretch of beach is fabulous, and they cannot do enough for you. There is beach staff to help set up chairs and umbrellas, provide towels and more towels, and help with instruction for the complimentary equipment. We flew direct from Newark, definitely, the only way to travel is non stop! We just walked and walked on the beach every day, when we got hungry we went "native" for conch and more conch! It was a wonderful trip.

Aviva

We went to the Veranda with our 4.5 year old twins at the beginning of December. It is beautiful, upscale, and low-key. The food ranged from mediocre to excellent. It really depended on the restaurant and the meal. We are not AI people (this was our first time staying in an AI resort), but I really appreciated the ease of getting food from the buffet for our kids. Also, we used room service on a few occasions, which was a nice convenience to have. I will add that we had a few meals off of the property - there's nothing keeping you eating exclusively at the resort.

My biggest gripe with the Veranda was that the pools were small and cold. We never had a problem finding a place to swim or a lounger by the pool, but I'm not sure if that's still true during the high season. Also, I found the pools just bearable temp-wise. The only reason I swam in the pools is because of my kids' desire to swim in the pools. Otherwise, I would have spent all my time at the beach/ocean - which is gorgeous and warmer than the pool.

The Veranda does have some nice family-friendly touches. It has a kids club, which was nice. We never used it for more than a hour or two at a time, but it was nice to have a break from the kids once a day. Also, my girls really liked going there and it was a good break from the sun. There's a nice playground behind the kids club, too, which we used a lot. And there are lots of pool/beach toys for the kids to use, too.

The service was excellent for the most part and the property was beautiful, well-maintained, and very clean. Overall, I can recommend the Veranda.

chaplin

Thanks to those of you who responded. We ended up booking a one bedroom luxury suite at West Bay Club, where I feel like we got a great rate. I can't wait!

katieomax

chaplin, what rate did you get if you don't mind me asking? I am looking at this resort as well and the most affordable room is the studio but I'm not sure if I will regret the lack of view.

chaplin

Katieomax, with the "fourth night free" deal, we are paying about $2475 for four nights, including taxes.

blamona

West bay club is gorgeous!
I do highl

blamona

Sorry, I do highly recommend a rental car to get to the best restaurants though.