Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa

We were at Beaches from Thursday, January 29, until Thursday, February 5. We’d been told this wasn’t a busy time of year at the resort, and we were pleased to find that, yeah, it wasn’t busy at all (one afternoon, I was the only person in the French pool hot tub). Our airport arrival experience was quite smooth, with around a 30-minute wait at customs and maybe a five-minute wait at security when we left ( I’m glad we skipped the express pass). Unfortunately, while we had luck with the crowds, we were unlucky with the weather. We had lots of wind and clouds, resulting in red flags on the beach every single day. That meant no water toys, no snorkelling trip, no glass-bottom boat. And while that was disappointing, given the state of the ocean, it was the right call. Thankfully, the resort overall wasn’t disappointing, at least not to me. I know Beaches Turks and Caicos gets mixed reviews, and I suspect some of that is the result of unrealistic expectations. This is not a true luxury resort; it’s a higher-end, family-focused resort with over 800 rooms (once Treasure Beach opens).  A true luxury resort is about a frictionless experience, one that feels effortless. That’s not Beaches. Yes, it’s expensive, but what you’re paying for is the amazing location and lots of options: Tons of food and drink choices, multiple pools and waterslides and, weather-permitting, lots of water toys and activities. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of what we liked and where there’s room for improvement. The Good - The service: I’m starting here because I’ve seen multiple complaints about lacklustre service, but we didn’t experience that at all. Staff were friendly and helpful and generally prompt (and when we did have to wait, it was because it was obviously busy). - Some of the food: This was a mixed bag, and I now understand some of the criticism shared about the food. We did have some standouts. We especially loved the iced coffee and the many different treats at Café de Paris. The frozen yogurt was also a huge hit with my family (the pink lemonade flavour was delicious). Sky was our favourite spot for breakfast (smoked salmon waffles!), lunch was best at Arizona’s (those chicken nuggets are really good) and dinner…  That’s a tough one. We loved our meal at Mario’s (the focaccia bread is amazing), and my husband and daughter both loved the steak at Arizona’s. We also really enjoyed Barefoot by the Sea, which probably had the best atmosphere.  Oh, and the jerk truck is a must-eat. - Our room: We stayed in a ground-level French Village room, and I really liked it. The updated décor is fresh and pretty, and the room is well-equipped with a comfy bed and a giant dresser perfect for organizing our clothes. Our room had two sinks, one inside the bathroom and one outside, which was very practical.   We never heard our neighbours once in our room, but we would hear the evening shows unless we were running the A/C. Once that thing was turned on, you couldn’t hear any external noises. Also, the shows were always done by 10 pm. We were at the very back of the French Village (I think in the Dijon building), so “far” from the beach, but it was still a very manageable distance and really, because of the weather, we weren’t at the beach that much. I would stay here again. - The pools: Some of the pools are actually heated! We were at Atlantis a couple of years ago, and its “heated” pools weren’t that heated. So, it was nice, especially since the weather was cooler, that some of the pools aren’t ice cold. There are also hot tubs that are (usually) warm. Our favourite pool was the French one; we could always find chairs, and it was easy to get a drink. The layout is also great for kids who have different swimming abilities (there are shallower and deeper areas, and it’s easy to keep an eye on the whole pool at once). Our second favourite was the Arizona pool, which was warm, quiet and had cute bird visitors (you could also easily pop out, dry off and get lunch at Arizona’s). But this one gets deeper (maybe the deepest pool on the property), so it’s not the best for little kids. - Other things we liked: We enjoyed the little pop-ups that would just appear, like the tie-dying (bring your own shirt to save money). The street party is a must-do, and while the shows were short, any that involve fire are worth watching. I also liked how quick the check-in was and that it was easy to change our departure time when our flight was delayed. Side note: I’ve seen people complain about the Italian pool being really loud/being a “party pool”), but personally, I didn't find it loud at all. However, it could be busy, and it was the only pool where we had issues finding chairs. Could Use Improvement -              Housekeeping could have been a little bit better -              As noted by others, the bathrooms in the French Village need updating -              The waterpark could do with a facelift; it’s probably the roughest-looking space at the resort. The lazy river is also a bit too lazy, and the water is so cold -              Okay, back to the food. I was surprised at how limited the buffets were. They were also often bland. Everything I had was completely edible, and nothing was bad, but we did have multiple items that were just kind of there. That blandness, unfortunately, extended to the mac and cheese truck (though it did have good chicken tenders). There is definitely room for improvement with the food Overall, I recommend this resort; you just need to go into it with the right exceptions!

This was our first visit to Beaches Turks and Caicos. It was an amazing experience for the whole family. Our butlers Antonio and Rassul took care of our every need and even the ones we didn’t know we needed. I highly recommend the butler rooms as it streamlines your vacation and gives you the opportunity to enjoy a stress free vacation without needing to worry about food, drinks, or poolside amenities.

We went as a family of 4 the last week of January our children are 2.5 and 6 and we stayed on the Caribbean village. Starting off we were originally booked to go to Jamaica in November but because of Hurricane Melissa we were moved to Turks and Caicos. Turks is a much larger resort, with more restaurants, a larger entertainment staff and overall just a bigger resort. It’s very much like multiple resorts put together (which I guess is kinda what happened). We spent most of our days on the Caribbean village side eating breakfast at reflections then spending the day by the pools. We went to the water park a few times (it’s in the Italian village) and went to the beach but I found the beach had a lot of sand fleas (not the resorts fault) and they really did a number on my legs. The room we had was a little small. Our oldest son alternated between sleeping with me and sleeping with my husband, our two year old slept in a crib. The beds were only doubles so you couldn’t really fit two adults comfortably. Our kids loved that the could go up to the “bar” and get a fancy drink anytime they wanted and anytime one of the resort staff saw one of our boys they stopped said hi and chatted with them a bit. This game the resort a more homey feel even though it was so big. We used the kids camp a few days for the kids and they had an amazing time. This was honestly the best feature (in my opinion). Knowing our boys were 100% safe, and having fun while we got to relax and have some quiet time was worth the whole trip. When we picked the kids up we got to hear all about their amazing fun day and we would get to chat with other kids, their parents and the staff at the same time. The only real hiccup was at check in. We landed around 1pm and we had to wait in line for 30+ mins while they did a semi check in with everyone else going to the resort outside while waiting for transport to the resort. Then when we got to the resort we had to go through it again. So it kinda felt like a waste of time. Then the front reception staff went through a very long “orientation” that was very rushed and honestly hard to follow since we have a 2&6 year old who couldn’t care less and wanted to go away. Our room wasn’t ready yet and we had to dig through our bags in the lobby to get changed in bathrooms before we could go exploring. I would 100% go back and I would 100% recommend this resort to anyone with little kids and for folks with older kids too. It was an amazing time and I think that our boys had a really wonderful experience.

What can I say other than I love this place and it truly feels like a second home. I most enjoyed the entertainment- almost every night there’s at least 3-4 things going on. This past Sunday’s Welcome Home show was called the “Magic in Me” and was great! All three of my young children were even engaged and that says a lot. From the set and costume design to the performers talents it was a real treat. My children got to have a few minutes of fame themselves up on stage for family karaoke night! I also have to say that I LOVE Camp Sesame. This was my second trip to Beaches and it was lovely seeing a lot of the same faces- Fedeline, Maricar, Mary, Dannia to name a few- everyone was so attentive to our children and put our minds at ease. The counselors are all so nurturing and really take pride in what they do. I cannot thank them enough.. The food was great too! I especially loved Arizonas and Giuseppe’s- the petite Cafe in French was another go to every night after the shows. They also added a new coffee and fro-yo place that quickly became a favorite with my family. All of the pools are lovely- you have a lot of variety when it comes to peaceful and serene as in key west or life of the party as in Italian! The water park is always a hit too! If you have little kids and are looking for a truly all-inclusive resort this is the place to book! For families on a budget they have a nice span of pricing to accommodate everyone too. We first stayed in Carribean (most economical) and this trip Italian. You honestly have access to the entire resort so wherever you stay you won’t be disappointed! We just booked a third trip back in 18 months!

Overall our experience was excellent. So many pros - the hotel transfer from the airport was easy and efficient, the grounds of the resort were beautiful, clean and safe. The beach was stunning. We had no difficulty finding chairs throughout the day at the beach or the pool. The food was plentiful and great as far as all inclusive food goes. You should not expect 5 star food but by far the best at an all inclusive resort that we’ve experienced. The raindrop massage with Swean was fabulous! By far the best massage I’ve had on any vacation - book with her for sure. The photographers were wonderful. I highly recommend doing a photo shoot. Our only con was that the Caribbean rooms were quite dated and a little run down given the price you are paying. That being said we were only in our rooms to sleep and the location of the Caribbean village is by far the best if you want things to be a little quieter and you want to be close to the beach!