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Turks & Caicos Vacation. Trauma. Help.

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moremoremore

Ideal_Rock
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OK. I've lost it. Totally lost it. Tripadvisor is a nightmare. It brings nothing but doubt.
I was set on Paradisus Punta Cana. Read two review about roaches and mildew. Say no more. That's OUT.

Planning Turks and Caicos later than planned. End of April for many reasons.

All inclusive Club Med, Sandals, NO.

#1. The Palms? But looks like a "see or be seen" place...not looking for that. Like sardines by the pool?
#2. Sands? Some say a "Howard Johnsons" ... not on par with Palms... but beach is spread out and pool has nooks and crannies. Me like.
#3. Grace Bay Club. Too remote?
#4. Sommerset. Tooooo expensive.
#5. Parrot Cay. Available rooms toooo expensive. (Don't want to go over $600 per night for un-inclusive places)

Aruba is too crowded despite casinos. Nothing to do at night in T&C.


Anyone? I've lost it.
 
Date: 1/10/2007 9:17:36 PM
Author:moremoremore
OK. I''ve lost it. Totally lost it. Tripadvisor is a nightmare. It brings nothing but doubt.
I was set on Paradisus Punta Cana. Read two review about roaches and mildew. Say no more. That''s OUT.

Planning Turks and Caicos later than planned. End of April for many reasons.

All inclusive Club Med, Sandals, NO.

#1. The Palms? But looks like a ''see or be seen'' place...not looking for that. Like sardines by the pool?
#2. Sands? Some say a ''Howard Johnsons'' ... not on par with Palms... but beach is spread out and pool has nooks and crannies. Me like.
#3. Grace Bay Club. Too remote?
#4. Sommerset. Tooooo expensive.
#5. Parrot Cay. Available rooms toooo expensive. (Don''t want to go over $600 per night for un-inclusive places)

Aruba is too crowded despite casinos. Nothing to do at night in T&C.


Anyone? I''ve lost it.
Grace Bay has gotten great reviews by friends. Parrot Cay is super nice, didn''t now it wasn''t all inclusive. Check out Antigua, www.curtainbluff.com Or Jumby Bay, and Mill Reef is very nice.. This is high season, so not sure of the prices. I have been to Curtain Bluff for the past 7 years. To me it''s my home away from home.
 
I''m not sure how set you are on a location, but, have you considered Hawaii? It should be nice at the end of April...All of the spring breakers will be back in school. I think you are on the easy coast, no? so that may be more of a trip than you want to make.

I was just sitting down to try to find something for us to do in April. We won''t be going very far (San Diego or Santa Barbara), but, trying to find something for kids aged 12, 11, and 4 (who still naps) to do isn''t easy.
 
Thanks guys. Hawaii is out. I'm only taking 1 week off.
I looked at Galley Bay Antiguq. loved it. Sold out LOL....

I'll look at the others...thanks..to tell you the truth, I don't even feel like going anymore...

Edited; just looked at curtain bluff...looks lovely... but beach is too narrow for me (now you see why I can't find a place to go...I'm crazy....out of my mind picky)
 
The beach is narrow where your room is, but there is a whole other side. Did you see that?? Beach is pretty wide to me. The beach where you stay isn''t used during the day. Kind of a place to go to after hours, you can''t swim there as it''s too rocky. Anyway, I hope you find your paradise. Good luck!!!
 
Can''t offer any advice other than to say I feel your pain. We were checking out hotels on the Mayan Riviera in Nov. 05 and were driven CRAZY (onTripAdvisor) because every review said something different and usually bad. (even though they were supposed to be top notch places) We ended up renting a condo on St. Martin. Don''t know how we ended up there but at least we got to see a picture of the actual condo, unlike the hotels where we were just guessing. Good luck.
 
Looked at the other pictures at curtain bluff... is lovely...but $695 is too much non inclusive.

I think I''m just going to do the palms. How bad can it be? LOL.

Thanks!

It''s crazy planning a trip! Partly b/c we don''t go anywhere LOL
 
lol mmm i have been there too with trip advisor. honestly i try to take some reviews with a grain of salt. every hotel can have a bad night or whatever. i typically figure if 90% of the reviews are positive then it''s worth it for me to check it out a little further...you also cannot make everyone happy!! anyway i have no advice re: what you asked but good luck and try not to get too stressed out, haha.
 
It's definitely a blessing and a curse. Some people are from the back woods and would be happy *anywhere* but where they love !!!

Well, HOW bad can this be! My travel agent emailed me and he scared me...I hope he didn't mean that it sold out since yesterday...

I'm not exactly "swimsuit ready"...I'm "tarp" ready but I have some time....I hope the actual vacation is more relaxing than the prep!

(and yes, those are poolside cushion beds!)

palms.jpg
 
Next trio will have to be Cabo. I mean that''s not even funny.

cabo.jpg
 
We stayed at Royal West Indies Resort when we were in T&C last April. They have one and two bedroom condos that are fully equipped with a kitchen, washer, dryer. They were clean and quite nice. The beach was beautiful and the pools were clean and uncrowded.

It''s a beautiful island with great snorkeling but you''re right, there''s not much to do at night. Restaurants are expensive but the food is just OK, nothing special. The best tip I can offer you: skip the glow worm "cruise." It''s a total waste of time!
 
Have you checked out the chat boards on Fodors and Frommers? You can get a lot of good advice from people who have been there. The good, the bad & the ugly. I''ve found people on it to be very helpful just like on PS.

Good luck. I''d so love to go somewhere warm in April that I''d probably be willing to sleep in a tent!
 
HI:

I haven''t heard anything bad about the Palms--just the opposite. And the large Spa is "supposed" to be a destination holiday in itself.....

cheers--Sharon
 
I think you should rethink Aruba. I''ve been there in April -- totally not crowded. The food is fantastic and there is lots to do at night. Reconsider!
 
Hi guys! Thanks so much for all the info.....Well, The Palms it is. I''m sure hubby will be bored...but whatever. I think I''m definitely going to start traveling more and do Aruba next year! :)
 
Date: 1/11/2007 2:25:02 PM
Author: moremoremore
Hi guys! Thanks so much for all the info.....Well, The Palms it is. I''m sure hubby will be bored...but whatever. I think I''m definitely going to start traveling more and do Aruba next year! :)
HI:

But he''ll "see" and "be seen" and isn''t that what men really want?? LOL Aruba is simply dreamy. I''m envious!!!!!

cheers--Sharon
 
LMAO!!! He''s not really a "see" or even a "be seen guy" for that reason...I''m the one who is like LOOK AT THAT GIRL''S GREAT BUTT! LOL...
 
I would just say that I just got back from Paradisus Punta Cana late last night -- no roaches (only saw ONE gnat in my bedroom in a week, I am terrified of all bugs) and no mold, mildew, etc. It was great!
35.gif
 
CRAP! LOL..Tell me more!!!? How was the weather? What was the room like? Do you have any pix? I don''t think I''m going to switch but it''s not too late!!! :)
 
MoreMoreMore..

Dont switch.. come to Turks and Caicos... I live in Turks and Caicos.. and can give you all the info (and more) you need!!! And by the way.. April is GORGEOUS here!

Ask away..

BTW.. the Palms is my dream place.. want to stay there soooo bad! I have to settle for eating lunch there once a month or sooo!!!

I wanted to type this quick and get your attention.. I''ll reread the posts here in a min. and answer any questions...
 
You got my attention!!!!!! :) That''s great news!
We are actually going April 30 so I hope it''s not waaayy hot!!!

We got a really good deal on the rooms and it''s the 5th anniv so we are going for it!
How is the food priced at the palms? Drinks?
Is the walk to nearby restaurants a short one?
Any places you suggest? The catch is I eat NO seafood...LOL...kind of like going to the Hershey''s factory on a diet LOL....

Thanks so much!!!

You lucky lucky gal to live there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Oh.. so glad you decided to come here!!!

April is absolutely beautiful here.. and honestly.. it doesnt start to get "too" hot until around July... as a matter of fact.. our worst months here were Sept and Oct. So I think its safe to say you are in the clear as far as heat is concerned.

The Palms has two restaurants:

The Plunge bar: this is the poolside bar (which yes!!! those are poolside beds.. I''m dying for my mom to come and stay there.. so I can partake in the poolside beds and barstools in the water!!) Great food.. I''d say $20-$25/person... like one drink and an entree...

Parallel 23: this is the nicer restaurant. I have not eaten there yet (ugghhh, I''ve been here for a year, and still havent eaten there.. what is that about?) I would venture a guess and say that it is probably around $150-$200/couple.. I''m assuming that is with apps, entree and dessert.

One thing you have to remember about Turks and Caicos.. is that.. other than conch.. there are no real natural resources here. All the food is imported from the US and the UK... so the price is representative of that.

I believe that the Palms offers a starlight barbecue on fridays or saturdays.. and their Sunday brunch is very nice as well (last year I went on easter Sunday.. and it was $50/guest)

The walk to nearby restaurants would be quite the jaunt... my suggestion would be to take a local taxi (jitney) and they are pretty cheap... the front desk can call for you.. and wherever you eat will also call one for you when you finish, or take the Gecko bus, which is this big red bus that for $4/person will take you anywhere on their route.. there are 20 some stops on its route.

The good news about you being anti-seafood... hehe.. is that on island (and this frustrates me so much!!!!) they do not offer fresh seafood, unless they verbally TELL you... for example : "we have fresh snapper on the menu tonight" Everything else is frozen and brought in -- sad I know.. but there isnt much of a commercial fishing industry here... alot of that is due to the island being pretty much surrounded by a national park! Its so sad you dont eat seafood though... Da Conch shack is a national treasure.. and has some of the BEST FRESH fish on the island (again.. the availability of fresh fish is slim, Da Conch shack always has it though!).. they are literally on the beach,...and go pick your conch out of the water when you order it! YUM.. there is a place next door to it.. Called "horse eye jacks" that has chicken and stuff on the menu... they have an amazing location on the beach.. and great deck for just lounging the day away... Those two restaurants are in blue hills... way away from Grace Bay... you would need to take a local taxi to get there!

I could go on all day about this place... It definitely holds a special place in my heart thats for sure! I''ll try and work up a good list of places to eat and things to do for you!! Let me know if you have any questions.. and I''ll try my best to answer those as well! Good job on getting a great deal at the Palms.. I''m sooo jealous.

Are you divers at all? Interested in Snorkelling? Day trips? Lemme know.. we have made some great friends with the local day trip companies!
 
THanks so much!!!

I guess it''s a long walk even to the resorts next door!?

I''m not a diver or snorkler (I''m afraid of sharks LOL...totally irrational)....But I love turtles, dolphins, anything.... Any ideas?

I''m not sure there is much to do there but I guess who cares ? :)

Can I ask what you do? THat is such a great place to live, no?
 
You are quite welcome!!

The walk on Grace Bay itself is not bad.. you can walk the beach for an hour or so.. and see probably 8-10 resorts... for example.. one of my FAVE restaurants for lunch is Hemingways at The Sands (YUM), which is only three doors down!

I know you are not a snorkeler.. but really.. snorkelling here is one of the EASIEST places to learn.. and if you stay inside the reef (which 99% of the time you will) you will most likely NOT see a shark.. so that being said.. if you cant be convinced to put on a mask and snorkel.. I would suggest the following:

Reef Peepers: glass bottom boat (but they also snorkel in their trips)
Undersea Explorer: a semi-submarine where you sit below the water line and cruise around Grace Bay.
Middle Caicos Tour: many companies on island will do a day trip to explore the caves on Middle Caicos.. ooh and go to one of the most FAB beaches on Middle Caicos!! (I''ll try and shrink some pictures tonight or tomorrow at work to show you). Again.. this includes snorkelling, but you do not have to snorkel
Secluded Island trips: many companies again offer to take you to a "secluded" island equipped with a cooler, umbrella, chairs, and lunch.. you get to spend the day all by yourselves.. very romantic...

There are so many things to do... the lists are huge... night life is kind of scarce.. but I would suggest going to Club Med one night (buy a night pass that includes dinner, or splurge and buy a full day pass to partake in ALL the fun!) they have a disco there.. and great food.. and a good party atmosphere if you are interested in that at all.

I am very fortunate to live here.. sometimes I get rock fever.. but I dont want anyone to think that I am ungrateful.. I am very fortunate. I am currently the office manager for a construction management firm. We are building one of the many new resorts on the island...there is one resort between where I work and where you are staying... If you are interested in the Spa at the Palms at all.. let me know.. I am friends with a masseuse there.. and she is AMAZING!!!

Any other questions.. let me know.. I''ll try and get some pics for you!
 
I want to second the recommendation to do some snorkeling in T&C. I''m not a snorkeler either and I absolutely LOVED it. There''s a place everyone goes to where you can snorkel right off the beach. I can''t remember the name...Coral Beach or Gardens? You definitely won''t see any sharks there. We did a snorkeling cruise and if I ever go back, I would do that more than once!
 
Maria D ~~~

Its called Coral Gardens.. yes its beautiful there... and there is also Smiths Reef which is very nice as well!!!

Working on shrinking pictures right now!
 
Picture time.. I have resized some of my pictures that I have taken here (being here for a year now.. there are WAY too many to count.. so this is just a taste! I'm sure MoreMoreMore will have tons too after her vacay here!)

This is that FABULOUS beach on Middle Caicos.. if you go on the Cave tour, you will have lunch here...

Atoll1.JPG
 
This is us on the beach that is in the picture that I posted before this!! That is a little sand bar that connects the Atoll to the beach! Amazing...

Frolicking.JPG
 
A closer picture of the rock formations on that same beach!

Atoll2.JPG
 
This picture is from Little Water Cay (pronounced "key") This is one of the "secluded" beaches that many companies will take you to if you would like a romantic picnic.. which I think is really cool! Some friends and I had a barbecue on the beach on New Years Day there... it was awesome!! and about a 20 min. boat ride from Turtle Cove Marina or about a 5 min. boat ride from Leeward Marina!

Water Cay.JPG
 
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