Turks and Caicos

Beaches Turks and Caicos is a tropical playground paradise. 

My family decided to take a lovely beach vacation to Beaches Turks and Caicos; we enjoyed it so much that we proceeded to return after a year ‘off’ in Jamaica. Beaches Turks and Caicos hits the wallet pretty hard, but let me tell you that it is worth every single penny.

This resort truly has a little bit LOT of everything for every and anyone. It is certainly heavily geared towards children in that it has a sesame street character theme; this theme can be found throughout the resort at a number of attractions including character breakfasts, weekly parades, nightly character shows (one of which is a beach party cook out with local food favorites, local entertainment, and it is an absolute blast), daily photo opportunities with the characters in a number of places and daily activities involving furry friends such as ‘Cookies with Cookie Monster’ or ‘Discover Treasures with Abby Cadabby’ and most recently a new activity in the brand new Discovery Dome called ‘Exploring the Moon with Elmo’ and many more. You can find at least one activity with your favorite Sesame Street Characters, but there are often more.

Aside from character themes, the grounds are full of additional entertainment, for all ages, at every turn. Relaxing beach front or poolside cabanas and chairs, the red lane spa and swim up bars are available for the vacationers looking for pure relaxation.

A multitude of watersports such as kayaking and stand up paddle boarding are included, scuba diving is complementary as long as you’re certified to dive. If you are not there is no need to fret, they offer PADI resort certification for $100 US dollars. There are caribbean golf courses and other land sports such as tennis and beach volleyball that often have games organized by resort staff, Pirate Island Waterpark includes large, medium and small waterslides, a variety of water activities suitable for all ages, a very lazy river, and the surfstream surf simulator (the only one in the Caribbean!).

For dry land and after hours fun, Beaches provides teen-oriented night life at Club Liquid and a DJ academy. The Trench Town arcade room includes ping pong, pool, air hockey, Foosball and more. An  xbox live room is available for the whole family with games like Just Dance, Kinect Sports, Madden, Forza 5, and more. There’s also a kids club where you can drop off your little ones for dinner and fun activities while you enjoy quiet, or crazy, adult only time. In the late night hours adults take over Club Liquid and some nights are made even more interesting with a theme such as dress like a Roman Emperor or a Pirate. Boredom will never be a problem at this resort.

Beaches is a chain of resorts found on the islands of Turks and Caicos and Jamaica. At any of the given resorts you may find up to 20 restaurants that are, don’t forget, included in the cost of your stay. One of our favorite dining experiences is Kimonos Japanese Restaurant. You MUST have reservations to dine here and I suggest making them upon your arrival. The food is of hibachi/teppanyaki style and the staff is incredibly kind and entertaining. This is not simply a meal, it is an experience for diners of ALL ages. My little brother is a very picky eater and the staff at Kimonos accommodated us well by setting off plain rice and chickento the side before cooking the rest of the tables food up all fancy. I would have to say this is one of our favorites restaurants at the resort! If we didn’t need reservations we would have eaten here more than once, my brother and I are sure of it.

Another great dining experience was at Soy, a sushi bar near the Red Lane Spa. My dad and I went on a late night daddy-daughter date since my brother fell asleep during a show; we watched him while my Step-mom and her mother went to dinner and then they watched him while we went to eat. I love sushi and my dad loves me so we found ourselves at Soy. Our rolls were really very good and the late night ambiance was peaceful and enjoyable. I will say however, that the service at Soy was not great. I’m sure it had something to do with being there pretty late in the evening hours, however, that doesn’t mean we should be half forgotten about! If you and your party enjoy sushi it’s a great stop, if not I wouldn’t bother.

We also love Arizona’s a Tex-Mex eatery serving southwestern classics. We have eaten their both times we’ve been to Beaches Turks and Caicos and both dinners have left us full, and happy. You are served fresh tortilla chips accompanied by guacamole and salsa to begin your meal; you may choose to order an appetizer before choosing from many amazing options on the menu for dinner. During our last trip we all ordered steak which was juicy and delicious, except for my grandmothers because she likes her steaks completely dead and charred (lol!). Although there are many restaurants we have not been able to experience, the above mentioned have had a lasting impact on my taste buds.

Other great stops include Barefoot by the Sea for breakfast; they have a lovely menu and a
beautiful view, however their service is exceptionally slow due to the location of the restaurant (it’s on the beach). If your party can withstand the wait while enjoying the view or playing in the sand you’re sitting right on top of, then this is a must for at least once peaceful morning. A quick lunch stop, that can be brought to wherever it is you wish to eat, is Bella Napoli’s brick oven pizza. They are personal, 4 slice pizzas that you can get a number of ways. One day I walked up from the beach with my brother and returned with a Hawaiian, Pepperoni, and Cheese Pizza, an order of french fries and a salad. The pizza is honestly very good, the service is quick and it can be brought to wherever it is you want to eat it. Your room, poolside, or the beach can easily become your dining room.

Finally, if you have children, of almost any age, I suggest scheduling a character breakfast. We have attended the character breakfast for both stays now and it was even better the second time around. My brother is not a Sesame street kid, he didn’t and doesn’t really watch it or know much about the characters, but the experience is one we all remember for positive reasons only. The breakfast takes place at Le Petit Chateau and serves a buffet style breakfast including everything from yogurt and cereal to waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage and various pastries. The meal itself is nothing special, your typical breakfast buffet geared towards a childs tastebuds, however you will not be disapointed in the liveliness of the characters and entertainment. And if you choose, you will walk away with a multitude of pictures to match your amazing memories.

There are many different options regarding accomodations at Beaches Turks and Caicos. There a four different villages that you can choose to stay in: The Caribbean Village is a garden oasis, with a seaside view. The Italian village is a mediterainian themed oasis with a tropical feel. The Key West Village is casual and laid back; I believe it was previously a different resort next to Beaches that they bought out and made into an additional village. It has different architectural touches then the rest of the Beaches resort and it is quite beautiful. The final village is the French village. This caribeean paradise has just enough of a french accent to make you feel as though you are stepping into the gardens at Versailles whenever you leave your room. The main pool is a half-acre of paradise that includes a swim-up bar and jacuzzi (pictured to the left). Our last stay, in 2015, was in the French village on the first floor which was incredibly convenient for ‘walk out the door’ pool access and it is just a short walk from the water park, a number of resaurants, the gift shops and the fitness facility. Beaches Turks and Caicos has many difrent options for rooms and suites which can really make or break your stay. For example we stayed in a two bedroom family suite which allowed all 5 members of the family access to eachother whenever necessary and privacy whenever needed; having so many options for accomodations is amazing. Please do you research to see which village is best suited for you families needs!

We have so many amazing memories from our two trips to Beaches Turks and Caicos. From sparkle tattoos, to eating ice cream from Bobby Dee’s (the pirate ship) multiple times a day, to bulding sand dinosaurs and castles, to family photo shoots on the beach, countless laughs, great meals and spectacular views. There are no negative memories associated with this beautiful resort. If you’re looking for a family getaway where you can choose to relax one minute, and go on an adventure the next, I whole-heartedly suggest Beaches Turks and Caicos.