Turks & Caicos vacation
 

We are looking to go to Turks & Caicos during Mar 17-22. Can I get some help in finding a place to stay & attractions. Is this a good time to go there in March? Sould we do an AI or just try the sight seeing route should we get a car rental? We want a safe place, decent price, close to atractions, walking distance. Price isn't really a problem but we dont' want to go overboard. This is our first time there and want to make the most of our time and money. Any tips or idea are welcome.

Not a lot of information you have provided us.

Why did you chose T&C as it seems you know very little about the islands.

Also, you do realize there are several islands that make up the T&C? Are you going to Providenciales, Grand Turk, etc...

The main resort area is Grace Bay on Providenciales( Airport code PLS) For 1st timers it is a great start, beautiful 12 mile beach, great resorts and yes you can walk to dining options. From there you can take day trips, boat trips etc. Check out www.thesomerset.com for a hi-end resort that we love- 2 restaurants, can walk to many more, beautiful pool, suites and staff. or check out The Sands Resort, also very nice, less $$ but still nice condo units. Rentt a car for a day or 2 to check out the islnad, we like Grace bay Car rentals, older cars but great service, will bring car to you. You will love it! March is beautiful there( we have been almost every month)

provo ai's are beaches, club med and brand new verandah. as the island is known for outstanding dining i would not choose ai.
all the resorts are directly on grace bay beach. 2 days with a rental car should be plenty to do some sightseeing - not really a lot to do that does not involve being in or on the water. island is generally very safe.
i have been in mid-march and found the sea temp a bit cool for extended snorkeling. if that is a priority for you i'd advise finding an island a bit further south.
any site like expedia will list all the resorts and give you an idea of price range. most of the resorts offer condo style accomdations and there are many villas available.
look at aquamarinebeachhouses.com go to their FAQ page and look at their provo map to get a good idea where each of the resorts are.
and look at wherewhenhow.com for tons of provo info.
once you've selected a few options come back and ppl can give you details about the chosen resorts.

http://www.fodors.com/community/cari...rip-report.cfm

Here's my trip report from TCI with some responses.

Maybe it will help you. I'll post my second trip report on the next post(I haven't figure out how to copy and paste 2 things at once yet)

http://www.fodors.com/community/cari...ime-around.cfm

Here's my second trip report.

We are most likely returning in March 2010.

I remember a few months ago when you started out looking for an island. T and C is a great choice. Grace Bay beach is gorgeous. We stayed at the Sands back in 2005 and loved it. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago. They did have more children there than most of the other hotels that we've been to but it was still very nice.

We walked up and down the beach and were impressed with The Turks and Caicos Club which was the one end of the beach. The hotel was small and intimate. We ate at Simba there and had a nice dining experience with excellent food and service. I think that I read that they have snorkeling close by but we didn't do that.

Coral Gardens is the hotel that has snorkeling right in front of it but I remember that their beach area was more crowded than some of the others due to the snorklers.

For great food at a reasonable price I'd go back to Da Conch Shack. They had a grilled conch dish with coconut sauce that was delicious.

Since T&C is in your plans I say go to Beaches (and I must say it's my favorite place on earth). I know some folks don't like AI, but we absolutely love AI, and with Beaches you simply can't go wrong. Lots of restaurant choices, lots of pools, lots of extremely friendly staff (like I've never seen before), and plenty do to on-site. Their main concern is to please the guests. It is pricey, but you mentioned money wasn't an issue. As for sightseeing, there really isn't much to do on Provo, so a rental car really isn't necessary. You can book a tour at the resort that will take you to the Conch Farm, other than that I don't believe there is any sightseeing to do. I believe you can book a tour to go shopping as well. A rental can probably isn't necessary at all. The Coral Gardens snorkeling reef is an easy 15 min. walk from Beaches, plus there are also some smaller reefs practically in front of the resort. Also, there are some submerged "reef balls" right in front of the resort (man-made reef starters). Though there isn't much coral on the reef balls yet, there are fish that live in and around them. In case the ocean is a bit chilly for swimming, they have a heated pool in the new Italian Village area. It's huge, it's beautiful, in fact the entire resort is beautiful. We are now in our 50s and don't travel with kids (you didn't mention if you have kids). Anyway, we have never been turned off (by lack of any other words) that kids were at Beaches. I am always so impressed by the way the staff interacts with the kids. I've seen staff in restaurants go over and play with kids when they've been less than happy (as they will do sometimes). This gave the parents a little break as well as entertained the kids and brought them back to their happy place. I've never seen that interaction any where else before. Mind you, an unhappy kid is rare at Beaches. If you will consider an AI, you will love Beaches T&C. We've been every May for the past 6 years, and we are already booked for this May too. I may go on other island vacations, but I plan to go to Beaches every May as long as I can.

Tiav, I forgot to address your "safe place" comment. Yes, we always feel very safe on Provo in general. There are places my hubby just won't go to, but he always says he feels safe in T&C.

We are also planning a T&C vacation around the same time (3/7 - 16). We are debating between RWI and the SAnds -- or a less expensive room at Windsong. Any suggestions?

hi LUV, i'm glad you love beaches but please do try some of provos restaurants this may. there are many that are fun, beautiful or delicious or all 3.