Turks and Caicos

We decided way back in April of 2016 that we wanted to venture to a tropical island, but we weren’t sure which one to choose. This was supposed to be about fun and relaxation, so we wanted it to be as simple as possible. First, I checked to see what direct flights there were out of CLT, because that airport is much easier to deal with than ATL. There were a lot of options, but I landed on Turks & Caicos because of the Beaches resort. The minute I started perusing their website, I was hooked, and they were advertising 50%-60% off nightly room rates for 2019. This was great, because full price would have been a nonstarter for us. (although 60% off was pretty steep itself) I figured, we’ve got a year to save, so let’s go for it!

The day finally arrived, and we were psyched. We left our house at 3:45 in the morning and cruised up I-85 with no issues. The kids went dressed in their swimsuits, while Julie and I had our beach attire in our carry-on bags. As soon as we landed, we headed to the Beaches desk, and they whisked us away in one of their vans to the resort, which was only 10 minutes away. We departed the van and were immediately greeted with ice cold towels for our faces and glasses of rum punch. (just punch for the kids) They had a “sit down” check-in process which involved us sitting on couches in the lobby and picking out which types of beer and wine we’d like stocked in our room. Once that was complete, Julie and I changed clothes in their “arrival lounge,” and our bags were carried away for us. It was about 11:15 in the morning at this point, and we were told to go enjoy the resort. Our room would be ready at 3:00, and our bags would be waiting there for us. (side note: they do not allow tipping of any sort at Beaches, with the exception of butlers, which we did not have, and spa therapists) They didn’t have to tell us twice, so we were off and running.

Beaches is divided up into four main villages; The Italian Village, the French Village, the Key West Village, and the Caribbean Village. Each village has its own pool, complete with swim up bar. In my opinion, we picked the best village for us, the Caribbean Village. It actually has two different pools, one of which included a cave and waterfall. We went with a “walk-out” room, which meant our door actually opened to the outside, and not into an indoor hallway, and we could simply, “walk out,” into the grounds. We had our own patio, and we were located next to the basketball court and one of their many life size chess boards. Just past those was the pool, and next to that was the beach. It really couldn’t have worked out any better. Plus the Caribbean village is more laid back than the crazy, MTV Spring break feel of the Italian pool, much closer to the beach than the French Village, and more kid friendly than the Key West Village.

The amenities at this place are insane, and when they say “all inclusive,” they really mean it. There are 21 restaurants and bars, including the swim up bars, and there is something for everyone. We had two 8-year-old’s with us, which can sometimes spell a culinary disaster, but not here! If they didn’t like the food at a particular place, then we’d get them food from somewhere else and bring it to the place we wanted to eat. There are several pizza stands near the various pools, and on more than one occasion we grabbed them a pizza to eat while we ate at the restaurant of our choosing. However, that wasn’t necessary often because they have such great options. There are buffets at many of the restaurants, and the menu options are great for all ages. They even have a Japanese steakhouse, which was a huge hit with Sam. Aside from enjoying the food and beverages, we went sailing on a hobie cat, and we had an excursion on a glass bottom boat to see the coral reef (third largest barrier reef in the world), sea turtles, and various fish. We went snorkeling as well. We took the resort’s advice and walked about 10 minutes down the beach to a place with a large reef that was protected by a circle of buoys. There, we saw lots of coral, colorful fish, sea turtles, and a sting ray. However, since our equipment said “Beaches” on it, it was pretty obvious that we were not staying at the particular resort that was located on this portion of the beach. Julie was sitting on one of the beach chairs under one of that resort’s umbrella, and an employee kindly asked her how long she planned on staying there. We took the hint and began our journey back to Beaches.

Did I mention Beaches has a water park too? As if there wasn’t enough to do, this was just icing on the cake. It has a lazy river, two huge water slides, one less huge water slide, a small children’s area with tiny water slides and water features, and a kids themed swim-up bar that serves 1950’s style soda shop milk shakes. Plus, they have two food trucks; one that serves all kinds of mac ‘n cheese dishes, and one that serves ice cream, shakes, and smoothies.

If that wasn’t enough, they have one of those surf machines as well, which most kids used for boogie boarding instead.

Another perk of the resort is their kids club, which runs pretty much all day and into the night. We only used it one night, and only because we wanted to go to the adults-only French restaurant in, you guessed it, the French Village. We checked the kids into the club and then headed over to “France.” The first ironic twist was that the kids club was going to eat dinner at the restaurant right next to ours, so there was a risk of running into them. But the bigger twist was yet to come. The French Village has a great atmosphere, and the weather during April in Turks and Caicos is fabulous (high of 82, low of 77 every day), so we asked to sit out on the patio. This restaurant is considered “fine dining,” and the menu features “premium” bottles of wine one could choose for an additional cost in order to pair better with the cuisine than the “included” wines. It has the white table cloths, the servers in tuxedoes, and the hard to pronounce entrees; all the classic signs of a sophisticated joint. This was going to be special. We were excited about our date night, still feeling good from our poolside cocktails from earlier in the day, and ready to get our romance on. Shortly after the bread arrived and we were served our wine (we went with the “included” wine), the evening took a turn.

One thing I should mention about the French Village is that it features an outdoor stage that is utilized for performances most evenings. Another tidbit about Beaches is that it features the Sesame Street characters much in the same way as Disney resorts feature Disney characters. They are everywhere, roaming the grounds and hugging children. Well, when they’re not roaming and hugging, they are performing. (You might be seeing where this is going) Located adjacent to the patio of the super swanky French restaurant is the stage, and as soon as we began to take a sip of wine, Elmo and his friends took the stage. Suddenly, through very powerful speakers located very near our ears, came the sounds of Elmo singing, “I’m Elmo and I know it!” Needless to say, the ambiance was lost, and we needed back inside. We motioned our server over and asked to relocate. Just prior to Elmo’s appearance, we questioned why we were the only ones sitting outside. We had found our answer. Clearly, the rest of the patrons were seasoned veterans and knew what was coming. However, our server wasn’t too keen on our relocation. He said, “Elmo is only going to be on for 20 minutes.” Fortunately, fueled by our cocktails and our innate disdain for Elmo, we advocated for ourselves and found refuge indoors. (Side note, the food wasn’t our favorite)

We spent five nights at Beaches, and during our stay we noticed some interesting behavior. One such peculiarity involved the guests with butlers. These guys are dressed in tuxedos with tails at all times, and they can be seen early in the morning scouting out poolside cabanas for their guests and setting them up with towels and snacks. I spotted one particular butler one morning on his cell phone speaking with his guest. The butler was waving and pointing to the cabana in front of him while the guest was on her balcony waving back at him. These butlers also set up tables on the beach for special candle lit dinners for two, complete with linens and china. I don’t even want to know what else people have the butlers do, but I can say that I wouldn’t know what to do with one. Sam however has requested we get one next time. (We most definitely will NOT)

Whenever I travel, and let’s face it, whenever I’m at home too, I like to sport my University of Kentucky gear. I have found that no matter where I am, New York, London, Paris, Seattle, or Turks and Caicos, I’ll come across a UK fan. Mere hours after our arrival, we came across a woman in the hot tub who is from Kentucky. We struck up a conversation, and she told us about a man she had come across earlier in the day. He had on a Duke shirt, and his toddler son had taken his clothes off and was running around naked. The man apologized for his son, and the woman told him, “Your son isn’t bothering me. It’s your shirt that offends me.” I loved that so much that I told lots of people back home about it, only I took credit for the line about the shirt. (Sorry, woman from Kentucky whose name I forget)

Departing, while sad, was as easy as arriving. Our flight was at 3:30, and our shuttle left at 12:30 from the “departure lounge,” We packed up our things and left them in the room. Someone came and picked them up at 10:00. We were free to enjoy the resort until we left on the shuttle. We wanted to avoid wet activities, so we got to enjoy basketball, life size chess, and the Xbox Lounge. (Yep, you read that correctly) We managed to keep this Mecca of screen time a secret from Sam for the majority of the trip, but on the last day it was actually a welcome activity. We dropped the kids off there and went on one last stroll through the grounds. This place has 50 flat screens, complete with stools, arranged much like an art gallery. It’s quite a site.

This was one of our favorite trips we have taken, and we’ve been to some pretty great places. It’s not a place we could go very often, due to the price tag, but it was a great experience for all four of us, and it’s fun to splurge once in a while. Also, it has inspired Sam and Virginia to enjoy playing chess. They had me head to Target and buy a chess set the day after we got home! Fortunately, that is one aspect of the trip we were able to duplicate back home; the swim up bars and endless supply of free food and drink, not so much!