Honest Review of Beaches Turks and Caicos in 2024
My family and I recently took a trip to Beaches Turks and Caicos, and I was really surprised by my experience. When I checked other reviews, most seemed outdated or sponsored, so other bloggers aren’t really telling the whole story. This post is my unsponsored review of Beaches in 2024 to help future travelers decide if the resort is really worth the money.
Table of Contents
- What is Beaches Turks and Caicos?
- How much does Beaches Turks and Caicos cost?
- Included Amenities & My Experience
- So Is Beaches Turks and Caicos Really Worth the Money?
- Read More
What is Beaches Turks and Caicos?
Beaches Turks and Caicos is a 5-star, family-friendly, all-inclusive resort located in the Caribbean on the island of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. It’s part of the same hotel group as Sandals, known for luxurious Caribbean vacations.
According to the 2024 U.S. News & World Report vacation rankings, Turks and Caicos has the 2nd best beach in the world. The Beaches resort has prime real estate with 12 miles of beachfront access.
Beaches Turks and Caicos offers 19 restaurants, 14 bars, 10 pools, and wifi—all included in the upfront price of your stay. Food and alcohol are unlimited, roundtrip airport transfers are included, and the resort offers on-property activities and shows for no additional cost.
How much does Beaches Turks and Caicos cost?
Room prices range from over $1,000 to $4,500 per person per night (kids cost a lower rate around $50 per night). This price includes the room, amenities, food, drinks, and activities. Some rooms even come with a personal butler to handle room service, reservations, and other needs.
On the surface, this seems like a typical price for a luxury Caribbean vacation. In this article, I review each amenity at Beaches Turks and Caicos and help you decide if it’s worth the money.
Included Amenities & My Experience
Here’s my review of each part of the vacation experience at Beaches Turks and Caicos.
Beach Review
Let’s start with what you’re probably most interested in: the beach. Turks and Caicos beaches are famous for a reason—they’re stunning! The water is crystal clear, the sun is bright, and the sand is pristine. But while nature was perfect, the resort’s beach amenities and service were lacking.
Normally, resorts like these have staff walking around taking drink orders, but in my seven-day stay, I only saw this happen once.
Finding available beach chairs was a challenge, too, since many guests reserved them with towels and then disappeared. Although there were signs saying staff would clear abandoned chairs, I never saw this happen.
I also noticed that the lifeguard station was often unmanned, which is concerning, especially with so many kids around.
Pool Review
There were plenty of pools to choose from, and we got to go to a new one every day of our trip. Each pool had a swim-up bar and nearby restaurants.
However, like the beach, the pools suffered from a lack of staff attention. No one took drink orders or cleaned up during the day. By early afternoon, the towel shelves were empty.
The pool chairs were always reserved by late morning, and lifeguards were missing over half the time during the day. The pool water was also extremely murky and the water felt slimy. Hopefully just because of sunscreen… though I was never confident enough to put my head underwater.
Can you spot the empty towel station in the background?
Check-In
Airport Transfer Review
After clearing customs at the airport, finding the shuttle to the resort is tricky. You need to go to a specific podium outside where the Beaches staff coordinates shuttles.
The staff weren’t as welcoming as I expected from a luxury resort. They were uncoordinated, and each guest seemed to get different treatment.
I waited around 30 minutes for the transfer to the hotel. There’s an option to pay Beaches for a faster transfer, but it didn’t seem like those who paid got a shuttle any quicker.
The shuttle itself was poorly air-conditioned and cramped, but the ride was short. Overall, the first impression wasn’t great.
Hotel Greeting and Check-in Review
When we arrived, hotel staff greeted us outside with a drink and an overview of the resort. They also unload and deliver your suitcases to your room.
However, no one came up to welcome me, and I had to interrupt another group to get checked in. This wouldn’t usually bother me, but at a resort where people pay $10,000 to $20,000 for a stay, I expected the check-in process to be smooth and welcoming.
At this point, I noticed a trend. As a guest, I had to make an effort to get the staff’s attention instead of the other way around.
Room Review
The rooms are divided into different “villages”—Caribbean Village, French Village, Key West, and Italian Village. Each village has its own style and amenities, and you can easily walk between them. I stayed in a Caribbean deluxe double. The style in the Caribbean Village feels a bit dated, while other villages, like the Italian, are more modern—but they come with a higher price.
The rooms were fine, but not amazing. I’ve read reviews that have mentioned uncomfortable mattresses and old decor, and I’d generally have to agree. The rooms definitely don’t match the luxury level of other high-end resorts, which was disappointing.
Room Cleanings
The rooms are cleaned daily, but the timing varies. The staff restocks towels and makes the beds.
We had a lice issue with one of the kids on the trip and requested a special cleaning. The front desk told us it was a local holiday, so no one could come that day. I had to remind them over the next few days, but I’m still not sure we ever got that decontamination cleaning. Fortunately, the lice didn’t spread, thanks to the nurse station.
Food Review
Once again, Beaches Turks and Caicos fell short in the food department. The meals were decent, but definitely not what you’d expect from a five-star resort. When you’re paying $10,000 or $20,000 for a vacation, mediocre food doesn’t cut it.
At times, you’re serving yourself from a buffet swarming with flies. The service at sit-down restaurants was so slow you’d think they’d forgotten about you. When you needed something, staff often seemed to have disappeared entirely.
For example, Mario’s, the Italian restaurant, usually had a wait time of about an hour. At the hibachi restaurant, where reservations are required, they didn’t even take our order until 40 minutes after our reservation time. Overall, it was not a great dining experience.
Customer Service Review
The relaxed island vibe is part of the appeal of a resort like Beaches Turks and Caicos, but in this case, it often felt like the staff simply didn’t care about the guest experience. Whether it’s a cultural difference or something else, the service was just bad. It‘s also noticeably different from other Sandals resorts.
At restaurants, the service was painfully slow. Half the time, the staff didn’t acknowledge us or would interact with us without saying a word, which felt uncomfortable and rude.
Considering the high price of staying at Beaches, the service simply doesn’t match the cost. After a few days, I even tried being overly polite to see if it would improve how I was being treated, but I had no luck.
Why is the service so bad? Well, I came across a review from someone who visited Beaches just a few weeks before me. They posted a picture of this flier that they found on the pool chairs:
This flier explains that the staff at Beaches Turks and Caicos feel severely underpaid and overworked. The staff are very upset, and this definitely comes through in how they interact with guests. The result is poor service, and an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Entertainment & Activities
There’s a full schedule of activities throughout the day—silent discos, nightly shows in the French Village, trivia competitions, and movies. All the events are family-friendly. There are also a lot of Sesame Street-themed events—I’m not sure why, but it seemed like there was always something going on involving Sesame Street.
Kids & Family Friendliness
Beaches Turks and Caicos is very kid-friendly. There are special zones for kids, like the lazy river, waterpark, and video game arcade (which includes Xbox games). They also offer a Kid’s Camp if you want to drop off your kids for a few hours.
Nursing Station Review
We made several visits to the nursing station for one of the kids to receive lice treatment and for peace of mind, and we were impressed. Visits to the nurse were free (though medication wasn’t if it wasn’t already something in stock), and the staff were thorough and professional. They even have an M.D. on-site if needed. I saw the nursing staff handling a wide variety of issues during my visits, and I have nothing but praise for them!
Wifi & Connectivity
The wifi worked well for texting, emails, and internet browsing. I made phone calls and streamed videos with some minor connectivity issues, but nothing too disruptive.
Resort Grounds Review
The resort is huge, and the outdoor areas are beautifully landscaped. Walking between the villages, especially at night when the temperature was cooler, was really nice.
Nightlife
The pool bars close around 6 pm, and restaurants close down around 10 pm at the latest. I think there was one bar (Turtles in the Caribbean Village) that stayed open later at night. There is not a lot to choose from when it comes to nightlife, which is not surprising for a family resort. People also don’t swim in the pools at night, either.
Safety & Security
I felt safe at Beaches Turks and Caicos the whole time. That said, non-resort workers do roam the beach from time to time, trying to sell activities or items to tourists. These people aren’t affiliated with the resort, so I wouldn’t recommend buying from them or going on their excursions.
Outside the resort, the island is mostly safe, but tourists stick out and can be targets for crime. You can read more about safety on the island here.
Check-Out
When it’s time to check out, you’re supposed to leave your bags outside your room in the morning, and staff will bring them to the check-out lounge.
Check-Out Lounge
The check-out lounge has a few couches and some snacks, but it gets crowded fast. Many kids had to sit on the floor. When it’s your turn to go to the airport, you find your suitcase among the others and board the shuttle. The process was hectic.
Airport
Leaving the island at the airport was a painful experience. Wait times to check luggage were painfully long. Once you get through check-in and security, the airport is overcrowded, hot, and dirty. All the seats are taken (no exaggeration), there is practically no air conditioning, and it is very disorganized.
Consider avoiding some of this mess by reserving a space in the VIP lounge. It is not associated with any resort, but they offer a fast track through security and a private, air-conditioned lounge.
Adding to the chaos, my flight had the wrong destination listed on the screen, and they didn’t scan my boarding pass. They ended up calling my name over the loudspeaker after I’d already boarded, which just summed up the entire experience. It was a fitting end to the vacation.
So Is Beaches Turks and Caicos Really Worth the Money?
In short, no. For the price, Beaches Turks and Caicos is not worth it. The long list of cons—especially the inconsistent service—completely overshadows the positives, including one of the best beaches in the world. The customer service experience taints everything from the dining, pool, beach, check-in, check-out, and everything in between. I do not recommend choosing Beaches Turks and Caicos for your next trip.