As stated in my other reviews, we make it a point to visit at least 6-10 all-inclusive properties each on an annual basis so that we have a good sense of the properties for our clients. This was my first trip to Beaches Turks and Caicos and I've been to all 3 of the Beaches Resorts in Jamaica numerous times. I'll both review this property and how it compares to the other Beaches properties.
Accomodations -
My family of 5 stated in the Presidential 2 bedroom suite with butler service. The room was more than spacious, but did not have many of the luxury type items that other 5 star family resorts have, especially in regards to the bathrooms, where the showers especially were dated. Furniture in the room was mixed, with some recently renovated (LCD TV in the family room) and what looked like new beds, and other components that weren't (dressers, drawers, etc.). Having a full mini-kitchen definitely had it's benefits when wanting to store things like milk for the baby overnight so we could give it to him when he awoke. The patio outside was nice and we used in on occaison, however our rooms had no view at all (406-408). This room would be easily suitable for families up to 6-7 people....and enough room for 8 if the children are small.
Butler Service-
Having experienced Butler service mutliple times now, I can honestly say that our butler at BTC blew away the experiences we had in the past. My entire family felt as if Lisa was definitely one of the highlights of our trip...she truly went above and beyond to make our children happy - which is the most important thing, especially on a family vacation. We really left with a feeling that she "cared" and wasn't just performing tasks associated with the aforementioned service. We've had some great butlers at the other Beaches/Sandals properties but Lisa was the best we've had yet. If you haven't experienced Butler service, I've found it much more important at a Beaches property than at Sandals....as any parent with small children knows, any extra hands definitely come in handy...and not having to worry about dinners, seats at the Disney shows, snacks at the pool, seats at the pool/beach, etc. made our vacation much more enjoyable.
Food - Food at the resort was generally mixed. We found the breakfast buffet (we went to the same one each day that was closest to our room - not the ones in the French Village), was average....2 seperate omelet making stations to avoid lines, generally good pastry, fruit, hot item selections, etc. Things that were missing included a fresh vegatable plate (tomatoes, onions, etc.) and also smoked fish that is normally found at similar resorts. Although they did have a fresh juice maker, orange juice was the only option. No fresh waffle, crepe, or pancake makers found at similar properties elsewhere (yes, I know I'm picky, but that's what people want in reviews and for the amount you are paying). Another let down was the coffee. We really enjoy good coffee and the coffee at Beaches in Jamaica is much better than the coffee on property - with the exception being the creperia in the French village that has very good espresso, capaccino, and other coffee beverages....we started getting coffee there each morning and bringing it to our breakfast.
Lunch - we generally ate lunch at Arizona's or the grill area outside of it. Good variety in options, generally no wait for tables inside or out. Hamburgers and Jerk Chicken were very good. Missing was the jerk pork found at the resorts in Jamaica. Also, if you have picky kids, your options were generally limited to chicken fingers, french fries/curly fries/onion rings, or getting pizza at the brick oven (which is really good for an all-inclusive). We went 1 day to the 50's diner for lunch (near the existing Pirate waterpark) - wouldn't really recommend it although the chicken caesar wrap was actually very fresh. Felt like that restaurant could have really used some exciting salad options for parents - maybe something like a taco salad?
Dinner - we ate at Kimonos (same experience as all of them ) where food was actually very tasty althought the show was somewhat boring. We ate at the seafood restaurant which was rather good, with a great ambiance even with lots of kids around. Conch chowder was one of the best I've had at an AI. We also ate at the Italian buffet - twice - was really impressed by both the pasta station that had lots of options in addition to other very well done hot/cold items. We skipped Arizona's since we went to lunch there so often, and we also didn't get to the adult only restaurants since we were there with our kids.
Activities - Beach on property is excellent. Not as wide as the beach at Beaches Negril, the water is the best. Our kids were in the ocean much of the day, water was crystal clear and if you walk away from the dive center, you can snorkle right off the beach to a small reef, which had plenty of Atlantic Blue Tangs, Squirrel fish, Damsels, Anenonomes, etc. Plenty of barracuda also but most of them aren't too large. I took the included snorkle trip which is super convenient - entire trip is less than an hour, with 30 minutes in the water (which is just right for me)....boat ride is only about 5 minutes from the pier so no risk of seasickness or boredom. One of the best snorkle spots I've been to in the Caribbean...water was warm, calm, and tons of varried sealife...everything from squid, lobsters, coral, and at least 30-40 types of fish.....saw a nice 5 foot barracuda getting cleaned by cleaner wrasse and saw plenty of other exciting things. For the kids, the existing water park is ok....but the new waterpark currently under construction for completion in April/May looks great - even better than those found in Jamaica. Sesame activities were generally good but actually found the shows very short (15-20 minutes), where the ones at Beaches Negril at our last stay were more lengthy. The beach party on Friday nights was amazing - the best I've ever been to at a property. Likewise, the evening entertainment was more than adequate and it's very nice that the creperia, ice cream, etc...are all right there. Our kids didn't spend much time in the kids club this week, but we saw plenty of happy kids from 1-15 that wanted nothing to do with their parents since they were having so much fun in the appropriate programs. Sesame Parade and Sesame breakfast were both top notch and better than what was offered at the other Beaches properties....although I still wish they had better food at the breakfast (I have the same complaint every time I've attended one).
Other items -
I took a tour of the new Italian village. The rooms were just what you would expect and similar to the best/newest family resorts in Riviera Maya. Marble, great layouts with kids having their own rooms with Xbox/TV that sleeps 3 kids. Definitely where I want to stay on my next trip to the resort.....I have some pics that didn't turn out great but if anyone is considering the Italian village, let me know and I'll email them. Rooms are scheduled to open at the end of January, but the waterpark won't be open until April/May. Not sure about the restaurants in the Italian village (3 more) but they looked done from the outside.
Pools - Pools were generally chilly during our stay....they got warmer as the week went on, but were definitely cold on our first day. There is a childrens pool that is heated (or felt heated) that we stayed at for a couple of hours so our 18 months old could play around on his own....otherwise he was generally relegated to hands or a float in the larger pools. Our 4 year old had no problems jumping in out of the pool/jacuzzi.
French Village - many of our clients currently request the french village due to the fact that the rooms are newer, pool is larger, and the creperia. Please be aware that the rooms on upper floors do not have balconies (I wasn't aware previously)...so depending on your wants, it might not be a good fit for you...also if you are beach people, it's a good 8-10 minute walk to the beach from the French Village.
Mitch
mitch@tripguy.com