Salterra, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, South Caicos

An amendment/addendum to my earlier review: The level of service provided by desk clerks, wait staff, activities staff and even front desk management is adequate. The restaurant service can be very slow, but all staff are polite and courteous. Not top quality, but no bad enough to make a complaint. The front desk manager acknowledged the multiple service deficiencies regarding our arrival and did what she was able to ensure an improved level of service for the remainder of our stay. The root cause of the service issue is at the executive management level. There were two vacation groups present during our stay (Saturday - Wednesday and Wednesday - Saturday). Each group was allowed to reserve every one of their 3-4 tour boats every day of the week excluding Wednesday. The result is that, despite having requested 2-3 days of SCUBA diving 2 months before our arrival, SCUBA diving and several other activities were completely unavailable for most of our stay. Had someone mentioned these activities weren't available when I first asked, we could have come a different week. One group set off a full-scale fireworks display at 21:30 without any notice given to the other guests. As there is no real nightlife available, I can imagine my husband and I were not the only people unpleasantly surprised whilst getting ready for bed. Further, the groups were allowed to buy out the restaurants for a few days which is why Regatta and Brine were "closed" many days that week. The few non-resort restaurants are close Sunday and Monday so the only remaining options are to eat a bar or in your room. Aside from the vacation group issue, the place was running out of food by the middle of the week. Buffet breakfast turned into a la carte and by Friday multiple dishes were unavailable. Inexcusably poor planning. Perhaps it didn't occur to executive management that the people paying rack rate would expect the same services available to those paying a likely discounted group rate? Perhaps they simply don't care. Regardless, any truly "luxury" resort would never restrict services due to the present of a large vacation group. A resort providing a "luxury" level of service recognizes that when people pay a high rate for services, they actually expect for those services to actually be available to them regardless of who else is present. Original Review (Edited for length) I had a bad feeling when I boarded to plane for South Caicos in Miami and nearly everyone else on the flight was a car salesman… The majority of the hotel had been booked for a large vacation group of VW sales managers and the resort clearly prioritized this group over the other guests. We arrived to check in with the transport service to the resort when there were only 10 or so others. Unwilling to stand out in the sun, break through the mass of the tour group and demand to be let onto the next shuttle, we were left to sit and rot. We were finally driven over on the last of 5 vans to the resort. Upon arrival, we were shuttled into a line for the vacation group and had to point out we’re not part of it. When the check-in desk person pulled us aside, he pointed us to the drinks area for the tour group and said we could have some too. I declined to walk over to their welcome set up and eventually he brought our drinks. No personalized check in going over details of my included benefits, no mention of the "guaranteed upgrade" we were simply given our keys and a short tour on the way to our room. We then waited 2 hours for our luggage to be brought to the room. On the plus side, the premises are new and attractive, the rooms are fine, the food is okay. The beach is nice for a walk but not great for swimming. Never come here when a large group has booked out the resort!

We stayed at Salterra for a week. The rooms are beautiful and have recently been renovated. They are large and clean, and all seem to have ocean views. The view of the ocean is nice, but the water was not particularly inviting due to the seaweed beds and the wind we experienced during our stay. It is not the typical white sand stretching way out of Turks and Caicos. We did, however, see rays and turtles while walking the beach. It seems that the more typical beaches can be found only by boat ride to other parts of the island. For this, Sail Rock resort seems much better positioned. However, we noticed that the dive sites seemed to be right off shore from Salterra. We didn't dive on this trip, but even with the wind, we heard others rave about the short boat rides to the sites, great marine life, and visibility. Excursions are recommended to see other parts of the island. We did a short excursion (Caicos Banks) to see starfish and iguana inside a reserve. This was beautiful, and we wish we could have spent even more time out there! We also did bone fishing. Unfortunately, there was no instruction on technique during our charter despite it being private and asking for tips, so this seems best only for those with lots of experience. On our fishing trip, we did see the area where kayaking took place, which was stunning. Booking excursions was at times challenging, navigating miscommunications with the butler and with availability limited by a seeming prioritization of corporate guests. (Attempts on our part to book in advance of arrival we're also challenging.) In all fairness, the staff also seemed to be juggling excursion cancellations due to high winds during our stay, which I'd imagine complicated bookings. Service by the pools was very hit or miss. At times fantastic and at times terrible. This was surprising since the resort seemed to be not busy during our stay. There are limited food options for this duration of stay, and while the food was fairly good (the poolside food truck was a highlight!), by the end of the stay it felt like we had more than exhausted our options. Dinner at Brine (tasting menu restaurant) was nice but the price is wildly out of proportion to food quality and inventiveness. If the price makes you think you'll be getting Michelin Star level food, lower your expectations. Including the 27% surcharge on food and beverages, a dinner for two at this restaurant with the wine pairing would be about $1000 USD. Despite friendly and enthusiastic service, the value proposition seems strained. The resort is situated near a small fishing village with a couple of local restaurants. We didn't visit during our stay but others were very happy with them. The spa was a particular highlight. My wife had a massage, which she said was one of the best massages she'd had. The spa facilities were tranquil and immaculately clean, and the service there was very attentive. Oher guests echoed that praise. Finally, one thing that is very clear is that the resort staff take great pride in getting Salterra off the ground. Everyone was enthusiastic and truly seemed motivated to make our stay fantastic. In short, everyone really cared, and we felt that our suggestions were heard and responded to during our stay. That can't be understated, as it isn't always the norm these days. We attribute the hiccups to the growing pains of an almost brand-new property, and I'd guess that it will grow more polished with experience.

The Adventures team at Salterra was absolutely outstanding! Every excursion was organized, punctual, and incredibly fun. My kite surfing lessons with Sam were a true highlight of the trip. He was professional, knowledgeable, patient, and made the entire experience both exciting and comfortable. He was exceptional! I highly recommend booking an excursion during your stay — it truly enhances the vacation. I can’t wait to return!

Salterra was an amazing stay. The hotel was beautiful and the staff and service was amazing! My wife found the place a little too quiet for her, but I found it perfectly relaxing. The island is a bit remote, which I loved. Whether you take the puddle jumper or the ferry service the trip over is fun, but does take a bit of time.

Salterra resort was worth the visit and had an amazing staff. They could not have done more to make the experience wonderful. Room and food were lovely. Boat excursions from the Adventure club were great and worth the cost. Masks and snorkels are available to sign out and use from the beach area. Spa service was very nice but additional fees added more than 30% to the total cost so I would not recommend this service. We did not have an opportunity to use the complimentary bicycles but would recommend using them as the island is very small and accessible. Regarding the plane from Providenciales, this prop plane holds 24 people total and was full on the day of our arrival. 2 of our 4 guests did not have their luggage on the plane (which we found out when we arrived at South Caicos). It arrived the morning after our arrival. Salterra arranged to collect this luggage and delivered it to our room, but we had the worry of wondering if it would arrive as expected. We would love to return to Salterra but will be making a connection through Miami and taking a larger plane from Miami directly to South Caicos (currently available only on Wednesday and Saturday). There currently is no boat option that allows a reservation for a ride from Providenciales to South Caicos. If this ever becomes available in the future, it might be a beautiful way to get to South Caicos even if the ride takes several hours.