Trip Report to T&C in November (long)
Nov 30th, 2004 | 06:36 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 4
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Trip Report to T&C in November (long)
This was my first trip to Turks & Caicos and it was actually for my honeymoon. I have to say that I am really glad I picked this location for my honeymoon because it was a little peace of paradise. We went for 8 days in mid-November and stayed at a oceanview studio at the Sands. We had a wonderful view (3rd floor) of the ocean and the pool area. I'm glad I didn't speand the extra money to get a oceanfront suite. I would highly recommend the Sands because the staff is friendly, the resort and the rooms are beautiful, and the location is perfect. We decided to not rent a car and found taking the taxis and the shuttles worth the money (we spent $8 per person each way to restaurants and $10 roundtrip to IGA). The Sands is within walking distance to the Ports of Call for shopping and also near some restaurants. I would definitely suggest if you are going to stay for a while, to go to the IGA and buy enough for breakfast and snacks and a few lunches unless you want to spend a lot of money just on food everyday. Prices were high but comparable seeing how everything is imported.
Restaurants- We LOVED Hemingways and found ourselves eating there often for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We ate at the Barefoot Cafe sometimes for lunch (decent) and tried the Tiki Hut (go on Wednesdays for Chicken and Ribs!) Banana Boat (50% off entrees on Tuesdays) and lastly Coyaba. I know everyone raves about Coyaba but we found ourselves feeling out of place (it is very fancy) and the food was a little to extreme and pricey for my taste. We had 2 entrees, 1 appetizer, and 2 dessert and it costs $150. We couldn't afford cocktails and I threw it all up about 4 hours later. So needless to say, we probably would not go there again when we return. Higher priced restaurants like Coyaba, add a 10% service tax to the bill so beware. If I had more time,I would have tried the Bella Luna or Baci (Italian), the Aqua Bar, Sharkbite, and Magnolia's.
Activities- Like everyone says, not much to do unless you do stuff in the water. We did 3day, 2 tank dives with Caicos Adventures. We were told by many that is the operation to go with and we were so glad we did. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to snokel by Coral Gardens but we heard it was a great place to see sea turtles. Most of our time was spent on the beach, in the ocean, tanning, and relaxing in the jacuzzi. The sunsets are absolutely amazing and the waters are unlike you've never seen. The weather was warm everyday (high in the low 80's) with cool tropical breezes (not at all humid). Since the Sands has screens on all the balconies, we barely used the AC and kept the windows open all the time. A small amount a mosquitos came out at night (we did use OFF).
Suggestions- Please use the equipment the resorts provide for free. We used the kayaks which seats 2 and the bicyles everyday and it was a lot of fun. Tipping is pretty much expected for everything so make sure you have enough dollar bills. Make sure you negotiate prices for taxis before you get in because some of them don't use the meters. Reservations are usually required for most retaurants for dinner so don't just show up and expect to get a seat, and some of the fancier restaurants don't allow kids under 12. And definitely walk on the beach without shoes and at sunset because it will be an experience you will never forget!
Restaurants- We LOVED Hemingways and found ourselves eating there often for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We ate at the Barefoot Cafe sometimes for lunch (decent) and tried the Tiki Hut (go on Wednesdays for Chicken and Ribs!) Banana Boat (50% off entrees on Tuesdays) and lastly Coyaba. I know everyone raves about Coyaba but we found ourselves feeling out of place (it is very fancy) and the food was a little to extreme and pricey for my taste. We had 2 entrees, 1 appetizer, and 2 dessert and it costs $150. We couldn't afford cocktails and I threw it all up about 4 hours later. So needless to say, we probably would not go there again when we return. Higher priced restaurants like Coyaba, add a 10% service tax to the bill so beware. If I had more time,I would have tried the Bella Luna or Baci (Italian), the Aqua Bar, Sharkbite, and Magnolia's.
Activities- Like everyone says, not much to do unless you do stuff in the water. We did 3day, 2 tank dives with Caicos Adventures. We were told by many that is the operation to go with and we were so glad we did. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to snokel by Coral Gardens but we heard it was a great place to see sea turtles. Most of our time was spent on the beach, in the ocean, tanning, and relaxing in the jacuzzi. The sunsets are absolutely amazing and the waters are unlike you've never seen. The weather was warm everyday (high in the low 80's) with cool tropical breezes (not at all humid). Since the Sands has screens on all the balconies, we barely used the AC and kept the windows open all the time. A small amount a mosquitos came out at night (we did use OFF).
Suggestions- Please use the equipment the resorts provide for free. We used the kayaks which seats 2 and the bicyles everyday and it was a lot of fun. Tipping is pretty much expected for everything so make sure you have enough dollar bills. Make sure you negotiate prices for taxis before you get in because some of them don't use the meters. Reservations are usually required for most retaurants for dinner so don't just show up and expect to get a seat, and some of the fancier restaurants don't allow kids under 12. And definitely walk on the beach without shoes and at sunset because it will be an experience you will never forget!
Dec 1st, 2004 | 10:18 AM
#3
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 446
Likes: 0
Just curious....You mentioned that the taxis were $8 per person, each way. Was I mis-reading this, or did it really cost $32 round trip per couple to go out to eat? That sounds really high.
Glad you had a nice trip, thank you for sharing...
Glad you had a nice trip, thank you for sharing...
Dec 2nd, 2004 | 05:50 PM
#5
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
I apologize...it cost each person $8 for a roundtrip to the restaurants at Turtle Cove (Tiki Hut, Sharkbite, Baci, Aqua Bar, Barefoot Cafe, Magnolia). This was a service provided by the Sands hotel, but if you were to take a taxi, it might be a little more.
