We are headed to the Turks next year and have been stewing over the decision of where to stay. We're a couple who like quiet and good beaches. We love a good luxury resort but really want it to be worth the price tag. Please let us know what you think and any room recommendations if you have them. We are considering the adults only part of GBC but have heard there's a ton of construction going on there. I have not heard back from them on that with multiple emails (doesn't bode well). We also want plenty of room on the beach and maybe a good cabana. Thoughts please! Going in May.

As Bahamian, growing up, I never really heard much about TCI (don't have family from down there) but always knew it was there. I've heard online from various sources that culturally we are very close, Is this necessarily true?

How do you view our relationship? Are we sibling nations or the same people split apart? What's your opinion on our history and us in general?

Also, Bahamas, UK or Canada ? What's your pick?

TW: We were robbed at gun point outside of Da Conch Shack in April of 2024.

Unfortunately I am going to have very very negative things to say about my experience here. While leaving the restaurant in April and walking to our car outside of Da Conch Shack, my husband was robbed at gun point and had his rolex watch stolen. Thankfully, we were ok.

We were very shaken up, and very upset. We attended on Wednesday night, when the line was out the door and every tourist on the island was there. I'm heartbroken and devastated for the experience i've had here on this island. Security was very late to arrive and did not offer much assistance. Thankfully everything was captured by CCTV. The food was ok, but unfortunately we felt targeted in terms of the robbery. The men were in a white chevy suburban and said the watch was theirs. My husband resisted giving them the watch that was very obviously his, and the driver of the car pulled out a gun. We gave it up keeping the safety of our lives in mind. We were heckled all the way back to our car and sped out of there in panic.

Once we got back to where we were staying, we told our host everything that happened. Our property manager reached out to Da Conch Shack and the restaurant said they retrieved the watch after they reviewed the security footage. Which was awfully quick if you ask me considering we left the restaurant at 11 PM, and received email notice from our host that it was retrieved at 4 AM. They said they retrieved the watch from the individuals and said we could pick it up from the restaurant in the morning. My husband went to pick it the watch as directed to by our property manager. I stayed backed because I was extremely anxious and uneasy about the whole situation. The property sent a local with my husband to retrieve the watch. When he attempted to leave the restaurant the next day with his watch, the same men appeared and took the watch from him for A SECOND TIME. The management and workers spoke with the men and tried to de-escalate the situation, however it seems like they may be been connected in their efforts. They even continuously asked “where’s your wife”??? which leads me to believe they would have harmed me had I been there..

We have since contacted local police and our embassy. The anxiety and uneasiness we have felt has been unparalleled to anything we have ever experienced. We moved up our flight and lost out on pre-booked experiences, excursions, and reservations among other things.

While waiting to depart at the airport, we spoke to police on-site and confirmed they were in possession of the watch. They took our statements and returned the watch to us. They had said they would be launching an investigation but we have waited months and never heard a thing.. seems too connected.

We went through all this and the food WASN’T EVEN GOOD FROM THE RESTAURANT. I left a detailed google review on the page and shared it to all of my socials, which garnered A LOT of attention and NO ONE from the restaurant ever reached out to rectify the situation!!! I even had someone find me on social media who witnessed this happen in person and was also accosted by the same men. Too too connected, seems very much an inside job.

Reconsider coming here!!!

Figured I’d add some things incase anyone is traveling soon

1. Bring bug spray, we got eatennnnn alive by bugs. I don’t know if it’s bad all year round but worth it to pack

2. Our baby ran out of formula (she is on similac aliemetum & we were able to find it at the grocery story in grace bag next to the flamingo pharmacy. It was about 50% more than in the states but was such a relief in a pinch

3. Don’t pay too much mind to weather forecast - said it was going to rain all week long and that was not the case

4. Favorite dinners were at Infiniti & indigo & da conch shack was super fun for kids

5. We used a nanny service and we had such a great experience!

6. Airport was fine to get through security however the actual gate was a living hell. Try to get there with as little hang around time as possible

Share your pros/cons or experiences between the adults only hotel of GBC or from the Estates side. Couple going without kids. Trying to understand the differences across the villas/estates/hotel. Much thanks.

Started getting busier by 11am, which is the earliest they will print bag tags and provide any ticket assistance. Even if you arrive super early, they will not open and start working until 11am.

We were on the 1:40 flight out to MIA which is the second plane to leave. Through checkin and security within 25 minutes. Things are definitely slow moving here as the airport has limited space and resources to move big crowds through quickly. If I remember correctly there were only 2 security scanners (that you walk through).

Saw all the horror stories on this sub and soaked in all the feedback from other peoples experiences. I would say most valuable was that it depends on your flight time. The airport started to get packed by 1pm, so 2:30pm and later flights, be prepared for a big crowd. If you’re on one of the first few flights out, shouldn’t be too bad.

I know this might sound odd but when I travel I often buy a little knife of the country/place I’ve visited. I’m in Provo. Near the resort strip, and was wondering where I could procure a little knife! I usually mail it back or put it in my checked luggage, thanks 🤗

Wondering if anyone has been to the building that just opened at Windsong (Beachfront), thinking of booking it for mid-December but it doesn't really have any pictures or reviews yet

Hi everyone!

I am heading to TC in February. My past trips there were taken during the summer months, and the bug bite situation was extremely intense. Without bug repellent, I got bit so bad I still have a scar from a bite that scratched sooo bad. I ended up using Raid, because I felt I had no choice....but would much rather avoid it if possible.

Is it different in Feb or am I doomed to douse myself in Raid?

Thanks in advance :)

My wife and I (both in our mid-50s) will be coming to Turks and Caicos in late February to (hopefully) see some humpback whales. This will be our first visit, and unfortunately it will have to be a short one. We are arriving on a Thursday and leaving on Sunday, because I can't leave the office for very long during that time. We plan to stay on Provo, and on Friday we will take a little flight to Grand Turk to do a whale watching trip, then fly back to Provo Friday evening. We'll spend most of Saturday on the beach.

That leaves Thursday afternoon/evening, Friday evening, Saturday evening, and Sunday morning/early afternoon for restaurants, bars, site seeing, and shopping. We'd prefer to stay at a place right on the beach, with a nice pool, but also walking distance to restaurants and shopping. It doesn't have to be adults only (I understand that's a rarity in Turks and Caicos) but a minimal kid presence would be preferred.

My wife is allergic to shell fish, and avoids all seafood in general (I know that rules out a lot of the best food in the Caribbean).

With all of that in mind, where would be a good places to stay, and what would be some good restaurant choices? Thank you in advance.

What are some MUST DO’s in Turks? going in the middle of May! We do plan on being there for fish friday! However, I don’t eat pork and i’m allergic to shellfish which sucks! I can eat fish though. What are some must try restaurants and excursions that we absolutely HAVE to do? Basically a bucket list for going to Turks.

Any recommendations for a local photographer in Provo for family pictures?

I‘ll be staying there for a longer period and have been warned that the food stores are limited and don’t carry many things - the most drastic warning was no vegetables/fruit available. Can anyone shed some light on what I should bring from Provo and what is locally available in terms of cooking ingredients like vegetables, fruit, fresh herbs, meat etc. Thank you very much!

We will be going on a weekday or weeknight, these places are not super fancy but I cannot find whether a reservation is needed or not. Could y’all help me out? There will be 3 of us.

Las Brisa’s restaurant for lunch time Hemingways for breakfast or lunch Baci or Bella Luna for dinner
Omar’s for lunch or dinner

Thank you!!

The weirdest thing happened to my boyfriend and I last week. We were staying near Grace Bay, and our beach had water sport equipment available - eg. kayaks, paddle boards, etc. My boyfriend and I decided to go kayaking, and were on the water for maybe 10 minutes (near the shore) before a motorboat came up to us and the two people onboard told us that we had broken Turks and Caicos law and that because we weren’t wearing life jackets, we were liable for $10,000 EACH that we had to pay them. We quickly let them know we would need to go back to the beach and discuss with our parents, at which point they became confused and ended up turning the boat away and speeding off towards the reef. We were very confused, but they never came back and no one at our resort had ever heard of the “fine”. Has this happened to anyone else or were these “pirates” trying to get money out of us?

In between These 4 hotels Planning to rent a car Will be traveling with an infant Please recommend best options Tia

Who do you guys recommend for car rentals on north Caicos?

I‘m trying to plan our next vacation and am deciding between TCI and Aruba. Does anyone have thoughts about the pros and cons of each? Aruba fans seem to be quite rabid.

Anybody on the island in the lifestyle. We are staying at RWI til Monday. 12/2/24

What are the best beachfront hotel options that are kid friendly, outside of Beaches, and why?

Hey everyone!! I have a trip planned for next week for Turks. How’s the weather there right now? Never been and I’m excited.

What kind of weather should I expect? How’s the water temperature? I know this probably gets posed all the time but I’m nervous and just want to make sure it’ll work out!

It's tricky to figure out which of the adventure companies offer public/group boat excursions that would work well with an almost-4 year old. Any recommendations? Thanks!

Will someone 30-something who goes to Ft. Lauderdale/Miami beaches be impressed by Grace Bay water/sand? He claims to not like “bay beaches” I guess due to ones in Florida.

This would be our honeymoon, so I’m trying to impress him with ideas and anything with “Bay” in the name gets an eye roll lol

My girlfriend and I will be in Turks the last weekend in January and we’re looking for places that are around 500 a night or cheaper. Any recommendations?

tl;dr - Don't get your hopes up about a luxurious experience. It's a nice hotel on a SPECTACULAR stretch of beach. Service subpar, most everything else was good.

We had a very mixed experience at Grace Bay club this past August so I thought I'd document some of the details in case it could help others better prepare packing wise and mentally for their trip.

We did go at the tail end of the true "season", the first week of August, so we were told things were quite a bit quieter at the resort (and on TCI in general) than usual. We want to blame this for the poor service we experienced while at the resort. Thinking maybe the service staff was "over it" -not expecting much from people traveling in a less expensive season? I had only read the most glowing reviews of service, kindness, "feeling like family" etc at GBC but instead we were mostly ignored by all beach/pool attendees and wait staff. We had to hunt down towels, ask for (drink orders, food orders, can we have a chair, etc) repeatedly. I went out of my way to tip generously, smile, be friendly and was consistently met with coldness (with only 2 exceptions during our 4 night stay).

I'd told the prearrival team we were there to celebrate my birthday, yes, but moreso we were celebrating that it had been 5 years since I had finished treatment for Breast Cancer - my husband and I were celebrating this milestone (which in the TNBC community is a big, big milestone) with this bucketlist trip. I probably had my hopes up too high.

ROOM: Online and Trip Advisor shows gorgeous, bright rooms with beds and couches that overlook the stunning Grace Bay. We were placed in a 1st floor room which at first glance was dark, cold, austere. We eventually realized that we could walk 5 steps to the pool/hot tub and 12 steps to the beach. The 1st floor location made our trips in and out of our room easier, certainly. I made myself a cup of coffee and drank it with my toes in the sand every morning! That was wonderful - but the bedroom was in the very back, in a room with no view. If you are a light sleeper, need blackouts to rest - these 1st floor rooms would be ideal for you. If you wanted to look at the gorgeous beach while lounging in bed, not so much.

The bathroom needs SOMEWHERE to hang towels. 1 hook. That's all there is. With wet towels from multiple showers, wet bathingsuits etc, it just seemed strange that they want us to drape our things in the tub, I guess?

Bed was super comfortable; linens were clean and so crisp and soft. I slept like a baby in that cave of a bedroom.

FOOD & DRINK: The vast majority of the food we ate was great. Presentation and taste altogether, it was really excellent. The pork shank ssam we had at Infinity was a highlight. All of the drinks were well mixed, delicious and as strong as they should be, no light handed pours! The taco spot on the beach had great drinks, lovely place to get a drink but they had music playing SO LOUDLY out of a crappy speaker that I couldn't hear myself think. We tried to move away from the bar to sit somewhere farther from the music and they said "wait wait let us put towels down on those seats" and then just...never came back. I know island time needs to be respected and taken into consideration but, if you're telling me I can't sit down b/c you have to do something, and then you just stand there and talk to your coworkers for 10 minutes...and I'm still holding chips and salsa and standing in the sand next to the couch...and you don't bring the towel...what am I supposed to do?

SPA: We booked our spa appointments with the pre-arrival team before we came. The concierge who showed us to our room when we first arrived didn't know about this, had no paperwork and when I asked about it just said "oh, well if you booked it the spa knows about it". The day of our service we were just getting ready at noon to head to our 12:30 appointments (planning to arrive 15 min early as they asked), when we got a call to our room that said we were late for our noon appointments. I corrected them, explained I had the email confirmation, it was 12:30. They corrected me right back and said no we should have arrived already. OK no problem, we hustled over there and showed up within 5 minutes. We heard no more about being "late" and truly had the BEST massage experiences either of us had ever had. Ari provided a Balense massage that blew me away, actually brought me to tears because I'd spent the last 24 hours feeling like we'd spent $1000 a night for this poor service, dark, dank room, being ignored everywhere we went - and I finally felt a moment of calm and joy and was appreciating the experience.

CONCIERGE/HOST: When we arrived we were offered fruit juice or water and a place to sit. I sort of figured a rum cocktail or a glass of champagne was customary for this $ort of $ituation but I'm not usually big drinker so I brushed it off. Our "personal concierge" called me by the wrong name repeatedly, seemed offput about us being "late" based on what we'd told them in our prearrival emails - but our flight had been rescheduled - they had our flight information, I'm not sure why they ask for it if they don't use it?

Our concierge eventually left us in the room but luggage was no where to be found. We walked around a bit...visited the "afternoon tea" (where there was a single scone left) for a quick bite and when we came back an hour later our luggage had been delivered. That was so weird, to be left in the room without the luggage?

The WhatsAp communication was swift, useful and a nice way for people to communicate with the concierge. They should let people know what to download before they arrive though - my husband was stuck, couldn't authenticate his account b/c he had no cell service.

We asked for help booking a snorkeling excursion, which they took care of very quickly and booked us on a trip exactly as we asked for a reasonable rate.

One night we approached the Infinity host stand to ask for a seat at the bar for a drink and as I said "hello!" the host responded "I'm sorry we are fully booked tonight and cannot take walk ups". That's it. No hello. No smile. I didn't even want one of the tables he was asking for, I was just being courteous and asking if the bar was open seating. We sat anyway and had a great drink/sunset view.

CLEAN: Room was always spotless, pools were SO clean, so neat.

BEACH: there's a "flag" system to get a drink/service. Seems to work sometimes. I had to steal a flag from empty chairs to get help at one of the beds. The attendant was like "ok ok I see your flag I got you" and we had a laugh. He also went out of his way to put up extra umbrellas so we could have more shade. They covered every square inch of the bed with towels which was very nice and extremely comfortable! When attendees were at the stations they helped pretty quickly (towels, drinks etc) but they'd disappear for 30-40 minutes at a time.

POOL: 100% ignored by pool attendees at the adult pool for hours. Walked by us, offering drinks, menus to other guests. We tried to wave them down, smile, "hello!". Just ignored. The swim up bar at the family pool was so busy with people just standing at the bar and drinking/talking that you couldn't get a drink (this is not a GBC problem but a people problem).

GROUNDS: The overall grounds are beautiful. Established landscaping, well swept, well trimmed. Little shelves to store your sandals as you walk out to the beach. If the concierge had walked us along the paved path that ran parallel to the beach the layout of the resort and how to efficiently get to and from the restaurants and amenities would have made more sense but we figured it out eventually (this might have only been relevant b/c we were in that 1st floor room).

On our last evening we came back to get ready for dinner and found balloons, wine, and a cake. A nice touch, certainly, but the night before we leave? Isn't this the kind of thing that we should arrive to? Maybe there was some logic to this for the GBC team, but for us we just felt like it was another way we felt like they'd forgotten about us.

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NOTE: I've had this saved in drafts for 2+ months b/c I didn't want to kneejerk post it. But it's been 2 months and I'm less mad, more sad that such an expensive, bucketlist trip was tainted by made to feel "less than" the rest of the guests, by service and attitudes. I hope this is helpful to others. If you have questions about our experience please let me know and I'll give any additional detail I can to be helpful.

Planning our first vacation with a 4 month old in mid December. Looking for hotels around $600/night with decent distance from the beach if possible. Also is the weather good in December? TIA

We are considering a two week rental of Keith Richard's Rocky Point Villa and wondered what all excursions are recommended other than what is offered at Como resort.

Staying at Long Bay, first time in turks and caicos. Can anyone help me/point me in the direction of where I could get some mary? Just looking for a couple pre rolls

It’s our first trip to TCI. We’re staying at Club Med end of Feb and would like to hear advice on what would be the best option to get from the airport to the hotel.

We’d like to have the safest, most convenient, and cheapest options (in that order of importance).

Thanks in advance!

Torn where to stay for a couples getaway without the kiddo next month. We’re looking to stay at a resort where we can get rest,relax,eat,drink and beach. Snorkeling, kayaking and ride bikes, for off resort for activities. Otherwise we’d love to have most everything be at the resort.

We don’t have the budget for Seven Stars, Ritz.

RWI, Sands, Windsong, Ocean Club, Oasis at Grace Bay, Regent Grand look to be within our range.

Thank you!