This was our first visit to the Turks Beaches following 4 very enjoyable stays at Beaches Boscobel. We travelled with our two sons (age 6 & 7) and visited for 10 days. Let me begin by saying that this destination is quite expensive and considerably pricier than Beaches Boscobel. Highlights: Resort is extremely close to the Airport. Large, beautiful beach. 3 well-appointed pools: all with swim-up bars. Italian Village Pool is nicest: we spent half our time at this pool. Water park is good but not great. Large selection of restaurants but need more choices on the ala carte menus. Although the resort is quite large, it doesn’t feel like it. You can walk between the villages within about 3-7 minutes of each other.
We stayed in the French Village which is conveniently located near the water park. Room was ok.
Arrival: Arrival is quick and seamless…though we did arrive on a Friday which we gathered is far less busy than arriving on the weekend. Resort is very close and we were put into a shuttle within minutes.
We left on a Sunday and the airport was MUCH busier. Many people complained about the cramped conditions.
Rooms: As above, we were in the French Village: Luxury Walk-out King. Rooms are quite small and you only get outdoor space if you pay extra for a terrace (which we did). The 2nd or 3rd floors do not have balconies. Our bathroom was relatively small and we did get ants in the washrooms sinks + floor over 2-3 days. This was quickly addressed by the staff who sprayed immediately. There was also a ‘trundle’ bed which offered a pull-out mattress. Works well for children. The room in Beaches Boscobel were more ‘dated’ but they were also much larger for the same category of room.
We would have preferred to stay at the Italian Village; but it is far more expensive.
Restaurants and Bars: Large selection of Restaurants. We prefer ala carte so I’ll focus on these. The Breakfast buffets are also all good (largest & newest is Marios). Favorites: Kimono’s: Japanese stlye. Very entertaining and quality of food was good. Only drawback is that you have to make a reservation as soon as you arrive and limited to one visit/week. Schooners: Mostly seafood, but the steak & chicken were both good as well. The scallops were excellent. Barefoot by the Sea: Great all around for breakfast and dinner. The tenderloin is very good. Beware of sand-mites: we wore bug spray as a precuatuion (bring this with you). Bobby D’s Diner: fantastic for ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes, popcorn, etc. Also good for very casual fast food: onion rings, burgers, etc. Sushi Bar: enjoyed the decent selection of sushi. Le Petit Chateau: Adult only, enjoyed the duck. Cafe De Paris: great for coffee & specialty coffee drinks. Also offered a tasty selection of pastries and mouth-watering chocolate croissant. 2 Pizzerias: both good for pizza & sandwiches. The thin crust pizza at the Caribbean Village pizzeria was amazing. Biggest complaint about the ala carte restaurants (not including the adult only spots) is that the selection on the menu is quite limied unless you like fish. At Schooners, Barefoot by the Sea and Arizonas, outside of chicken or steak, there isn’t a ton of choice. At Beaches Boscobel, the Venetican Restaurant had a treamendous selection (steak, chicken, rack of lamb, pork tenderloin, etc…) and there was no ala carte restauranat at Turks Beaches which offered this type of menu. Also, NO shell fish (Lobster, Crab, etc.) could be found anywhere we ate. We were told the buffet restaurants for dinner were average. BARS: Good swim-up bars with very short waits. Very few other bars for socializing aside from the pub. There is virtually no adult entertainment after 9pm.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: Italian Village pool was heated and was our favorite. It is also the busiest by far. Great design with lots of shallow areas for toddlers. French Village Pool is also nice with the most comfortable lounging chairs. Caribbean Village Pools are the oldest but one of them offers some waterfalls which are fun to swim under. Waterpark: Not a great layout and really only 2 medium sized slides. The priates island portion is on land and not in water. Ok for very small toddlers. Beaches Boscobel water park is significantly larger and more fun: has many waterslides including a few large ones which are a blast. Also at Beaches Boscobel, adults can be in the pools where the slides are set up so they can watch their children while enjoying the pool. In the Turks Waterpark, the slides are set up very diffent- with no ‘social-pool’ area for the adults to swim in or lounge around. There are NO large waterslides in the Turks waterpark. Lazy river and surf simulator are both a ton of fun for adults & children.
Beach is very, very nice and definitely one of the draws. The water is beautiful and very little seaweed.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: X-Box Garage is large and well equipped with games…however, you will often need assistance from the near invisible staff to reset a game, replace the batteries on the controllers OR add a second controller for two players. There is an outdoor area for young children which has a few pool tables, ping pong, fooseball and a basketball game. Regretfully, during our visit the basketball game broke down and was never fixed during our stay. The ‘tweens’ have their own games room which looked fun; as well as a disco. Tennis courts were good and rarely busy. Sesame Street shows are a hit with the kids; but they haven’t changed these in 4-5 years.
Sesame Street Parade: wonderful and children love the entire parade route.
Other Comments:
Even with my reservations noted above, this is still a great resort and most likely you’ll have a wonderful vacation. Kids of all ages likely won’t notice any of the negatives and the majority of adults will enjoy the amenities as well. Overall, our family would still receommend this destination.