Our family of 4 stayed at the Sands from 6-21 to 6-28. Weather was beautiful everyday except for one. We stayed in Bldg. 1 & had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo with an ocean view. It more than met our expectations. Our view was spectacular even though it was not ocean front. It was very clean, nice screened-in porch and contained amenities we did not expect. These included a blender, 2 tvs with dvd/vcr player, cd player, movies, games and books. I have to admit housekeeping did not come to our condo until the afternoon. This wasn't a problem. The in-room safe did not work. We could have complained but didn't think it was a big deal. We were so happy with everything else that the little things that were not perfect did not matter to us. Bugs were not a problem either. It is very easy to get sunburned no matter what the spf is and to get dehydrated. You really need to reapply often and drink a lot and I don't mean alcohol. We were picked up at the airport on time, check in was not problem. The shuttle to the IGA Supermarket was $8 roundtrip and we had a half hour to shop. It was expensive but eating out every meal would cost a fortune. Its well stocked. The beach was a once in a lifetime thing as the construction will change this very soon. I took a walk on the beach and didn't see anybody for at least 20 minutes. We ate at Tiki Hut on Wednesday. It is $12.95 for chicken or ribs. We also attended the Tues. night manager party at the Sands and had a great time. Hemmingways was fantastic. We had lunch there twice. Parasailing with Marvins was very nice. The ganga music they played while my 2 teenagers were up 500 feet did not instill confidence but it was wonderful. Our sunset (glowworm) cruise with Sail Provo was beautiful, relaxing, well-run. Horseback riding with Caicos Coral for the kids and Dad on the beach was absolutely incredible. Riders at any level would enjoy it. Excursions are pricey but there is little else to do. We walked past Beaches. Yuck. It looked very crowded but everyone seemed to be having a good time. This wasn't for us though. The Gecko is a great way to get around, although prepare yourself for a bumpy ride as most of the roads are greatly underdeveloped. We walked down to Coral Gardens to snorkel in the evening. There were perhaps 20 people on the beach and we used 2 chairs to rest while we got ready. Unfortunately we sat near the owner who promptly complained to staff to ask us to get off the chairs as they were reserved for guests only. He didn't have the guts to ask us himself and incidentally I counted 50 chairs most not in use. We had intended to have dinner there or have lunch at the beachside cafe. Not a chance after that. I found it funny that a lot of the posts contained complaints about the islanders attitude. We did not find this to be the case. Go to Mama's for souveniers. She danced with my daughter in her store. Tyrel at the Sands drove my hubby to the bank when we ran out of cash. ATMs are scarce. We found 1 at Salt Mills but it was broken. Cell phones for the most part do not work. Sorry this is so long but I feel reading these posts for months made our vacation a trip of a lifetime and I thank everyone who takes the time to report.

Hi ramblinmom:
Sounds like you all had a great trip..now I curious where did you go??Was it the Bahamas?If so,what island?
Thanks I have been reading alot of the trip reports trying to decide on our next trip

Ramblinmom was in Turks and Caicos.

Thanks for a great report.

Marion

MarionCk... you are an expert in the Caribbrean island travel scene. I am impressed!! I just joined this site in late March. What are your favorite places to visit?

nice report to read. do ramble on

iw,

Thanks for the compliment but I'm certainly not an expert.

I do have fairly good reading comprehension skills and try to keep the brain working.

In my younger life I traveled to Hawaii (many times )the Pacific coast of Mexico, Martinique, T & C and Eleuthra.

In the last few years I have visited Anguilla twice, Jamaica twice and love them both for very different reasons.

I'm returning to Jamaica in early December for two weeks and then to Nevis in February for a month.

There are certainly some real experts here...and you'll be able to recognize them Fodor's is a great place to learn.

Marion

I enjoyed reading your trip report ramblinmom. Sorry to hear about your experience at Coral Gardens...doesn't sound typical of the staff there.

I had no idea there was horseback riding on the beach. Was it on Grace Bay Beach?