Turks and Caicos - Where to stay?
 

Hi all,

I am surprising my wife with a trip to TCI in December. It will be our first time visiting the island. I have researched places to stay for the last month and have narrowed down my choices to the Atlantic Ocean Beach Villas, Atrium Resort or West Bay Club. Which hotel/condo would be the best choice for our first trip?

Thanks in advance.

I would definitely stay on Grace Bay for your first trip so I think that takes Atrium out of the running. I am not familiar with Atlantic Ocean Beach Villas but I don't thinbk it' in the heart of Grace Bay so I would choose the West Bay Club. It is a gorgeous property and close to the reef if snorkleing is important to you.

hi jags, which house at atl ocean beach villas?
i've stayed in the one now called ocean vista/edge. (despite what it says on the site the beach is NOT private, but neither is any other beach in t&c.) we enjoyed our stay in the house on 2 visits immensely, but it has changed hands. when we went, the owners had the upstairs unit & were never on island when they had renters downstairs, so we had the house & more importantly the yard to ourselves. it's a 10-15 min walk to smiths reef snorkeling & is away from the busy part of the beach. you will have to have a car. not sure what your price range is but you might also look at the house next to aobv/vista/edge called bella sur mer. it has a Very nice pool to surprise your wife with :)
i suggest you also consider coriander, ballyhoo, callaloo & nutmeg from this site: http://www.tcvillas.com/nutmeg_cottage/
all 4 are really nice 1 br houses with private pools & are located right in front of the smiths reef snorkeling.
aobv, bella & the 4 little houses are all by turtle cove marina which has 6 restaurants. more dining 10-15 mins down the beach towards the center of grace bay.
west bay club is quite nice. i've not heard of atrium.
what a nice surprise 8-)

Kristen and Virginia, thanks for your replies.

Virginia: I am considering the Magnolia Suite villa or one of the Oceanfront villas.

Of your choices West Bay Club is the absolute nicest, that would be my choice.

Hi USAJags21,

We just returned from Turks and Caicos and listened to blamona's advice (along with other Fodorites who know this island well) and are glad we did. We stayed at the West Bay Club for 8 nights and loved it there! Your wife will feel quite pampered there, and you will win points in her eyes. Then be sure to reserve at Coco Bistro for your special night out...do so before you go so you won't be disappointed as that popular restaurant fills up fast.

You can take a look at my trip report that I just wrote up. Scroll down the recent activity list, and you will find it under my name.

One thing, however, are you hoping for really WARM waters and weather? If so, I think you will need to go more south in December. I really like bath water temperature when I go to the Caribbean and just found the water warm enough to get in when I was on T & C in late March ...it's not like the Grand Cayman water in December (am not suggesting GC, just comparing water and weather temperature). Others may disagree, but I would prefer T & C from March on. Do stay on Grace Bay beach! It's gorgeous, romantic, and like no other beach I know besides the St. John beaches.

terryr

Thanks for all of the wonderful responses! I have checked out West Bay Club and it looks like a great place to stay. In your seasoned opinions, will the studio suffice for enough space or should I consider the 1 bedroom?

Also, terryr has brought up a great point. I am really hoping (praying, actually) for really WARM waters and weather. With that in mind, should I consider other places in the Caribbean or will Turks & Caicos be warm enough?

Decisions, decisions... :-)

That is sort of like asking what kind of car to buy.
Do you want to experience the tourist trap, cookie cutter,
all foreign tourists, all inclusive, non-adventure trip or something else that is authentic, exciting, and the real Turks and Caicos. That's the first thing. The second is what is your budget. Do you want to go fishing, snorkelling, scuba diving,
eco-tourism (butterflies this time of the year). etc....

Go further South if warm waters are important to you. We went Dec 30-Jan 7 and the water was pretty cold - water temps dipped to 74-75 degrees on the first day but warmed up to high 70s by the time we left. 80 degrees is comfortable for me.