Beaches Welcomes you Home

We just recently got back from Beaches Resort, owned by Sandals, in Turks and Caicos! This was one of our favorite trips that we have taken, and most of it boils down to how much fun Kent had. It’s amazing how when you become a parent, your joy comes from your child’s joy. This was such an incredible trip, and had a ton of great aspects, so grab some popcorn and get ready for an in-depth review.

We had this vacation booked and paid for (in cash), for almost a year. (You’re probably tired of hearing this, but I always recommend paying for trips on debit cards vs credit cards! This way it’s paid for and you don’t have a dark cloud of debt floating over your head as you’re trying to enjoy your vacation). The US released some more travel restrictions before we left for our trip, but we had it booked for so long that we were willing to take the extra steps to get there. Between the precautions that the airlines and resort took, and the reduced capacity, we felt extremely safe at the resort as far as Covid went, and honestly felt safer there than going to the local grocery store.

There were several additional tasks we had to do to get to Turks and Caicos. Turks and Caicos, like most international locations, are requiring a Covid test, and proof of additional travel and medical insurance to cover any Covid related expenses, God forbid you come down with it in T&C (although rather unlikely with having to test prior). Once you have all that documentation, you need to apply for Travel Authorization from Turks and Caicos Islands. To return to the United States, you have to re-test for Covid within 72 hours of your departing flight. All in all, the restrictions were not a big deal. Especially with Beaches’ wonderful customer service!

Leading up to the vacation, I got countless emails and phone calls from Beaches making sure that I was aware of the travel requirements and checking if I had any questions. I called before we left to request a crib in our room, and was asked once again if I had any questions that they could answer for us. I’m very Type A personality, so was already on top of all the requirements (so much so, that at the airport the ticketing agent jokingly asked if I could stick around to help other passengers). One of the many emails that I received from Beaches was letting us know that they had purchased the additional travel/medical insurance that was required on our behalf, so we would not have to source a provider on our own. Such a relief! A few weeks before we left for the trip, a new requirement was put in place that we would need to test prior to departing back to the United States. This caused some anxiety trying to figure out when, where, and how much this new requirement would be. No worries, the next email I received from Beaches was that they hired more medical professionals to administer the Covid test, and that they would foot the bill, as to not disrupt our relaxing stay. Amazing!! They did everything they could to make the requirements a breeze, and one less thing on our minds.

One of the best parts of Beaches was that everything was included! Food, drinks, and even water activities were included. Though it was more expensive than if we had hypothetically bought each meal separately, it was nice to have a “one and done” feeling. By the time we arrived, we had already paid for everything, so mentally we didn’t have to think about prices or budget out each meal. The all-inclusive aspect even went to the transportation to and from the airport. They have shuttles that pick you up and drop you off at the airport, so you didn’t even have to think about that! We were dropped off at the door by the shuttle and were welcomed with a “Welcome Home” and promptly handed a glass of refreshing Rum Punch. As for the water sports, sailboats, glass bottom boat tours, paddle boarding, ocean tricycles (google it, it’s pretty cool!), snorkeling, and even scuba diving were included (as long as you’re already certified)! That is a rarity for all inclusive resorts.

The food was incredible! There were 20 restaurants all over the resort (some are only open for certain meals so plan ahead!), and we tried a good majority of them. One of my favorites was the Mac N Cheese truck, with fried mac n cheese balls! There was a sushi restaurant, hibachi, a pub, Italian restaurants, Mexican, Mediterranean, the list goes on and on. I’ll admit that there were several days that we ate 4-5 meals a day….yikes! One common aspect with restaurants in all-inclusive resorts, is that several menu items are additional charges. Most of the menu will be included, but that steak you really want is $30 additional on top of what you’ve already paid! This was not the case at Beaches. Everything was truly included. Besides the food, all drinks were included as well. Each pool had some sort of swim up bar (the kids pool even had a smoothie bar!) for you to grab a tropical drink. I think there was only one drink we had that we didn’t like, a frozen mojito. Mojitos aren’t meant to be frozen. It also didn’t help that it just looked like a health smoothie. I was on vacation, the complete opposite of trying to get in shape 😉 One of my favorite things to do at the end of the night was refilling my drink right before we left the restaurant and taking it to go (and it was highly encouraged by staff).

The difference between Sandals and Beaches, is that Sandals is adult-only, and Beaches is family focused. Ok understatement of the year! Beaches was completely family focused for members of all ages. For adults- there were a few adult only restaurants. For teens- there was a teen nightclub and amazing waterpark with waterslides (Brad and I had a blast going down them!). For kids- there was a kiddie pool that was warmed up and had a smoothie swim up bar, a cooled hot tub for kids, and a pirate ship splashpad area where we spent most of our time. The pirate ship area featured smaller waterslides, a bunch of sprinklers, and an actual pirate ship you could climb up and play on. There also was a lazy river right in that area that we took advantage of, it was so lazy it even put our wild child to sleep.

I mentioned the adults only restaurant. Easy if you have older kids that you can leave in the room or let them wander around. What if you have younger kids? Well, they had kids camps throughout the day along with hirable nannies for the evening. The kids camps appeared to be great. We saw them take the kiddos to the water park, to the shops, and even to grab lunch. It wasn’t a typical “sit and watch this movie” type camp. Note: we did not put Kent in any of the camps as we wanted to spend as much time with him, but they appeared to be amazing. Additionally, the staff working the kids camps and nannies go through rigorous training, including all receiving an Autism Certification, having successfully completed a demanding training program that better equips them to welcome families with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They really work to make the camps and resort as inclusive as possible, and so that everyone can take advantage!

The resort was like its own little town. There were several shops located in each village along with multiple photo galleries. There were general stores for any random snacks you’re craving that wouldn’t be served at a restaurant, clothing boutiques, and even a candy store with a Build A Bear Workshop inside. I’ll admit, even I got a little excited about the Build A Bear. When we walked into the candy shop, Kent made a beeline for the deflated Elmo, and gave it a little hug. I knew instantly that I had to get it. Plus, you could charge it to the room, so it’s practically free money 😉

So the photo galleries. This was one of my favorite (but honestly most expensive, be warned!) aspects of the trip. The resort offers a complimentary family photoshoot, along with taking candid photos while around the resort (there were a few that were taken that we didn’t even realize they shot until I reviewed all of our pictures). Yes, I said complimentary after I said expensive. Here’s the catch, the photoSHOOT is free, actually acquiring the photos is very much not free. We scheduled the photoshoot on my birthday and it didn’t go quite as planned. Kent usually hams it up for photos and the photographers are great at making kids smile (ask for the photographer Rooftop!). That is unless your child just wants to play in the sand or go to the pool and is not a fan of being forced to smile during typical pool time. We were able to get a few decent pictures so I was happy! Make sure if you do the photoshoot or have candid photos taken, that you go to the gallery the day before you leave. They flip through each individual photo with you and you say “yes, no, or maybe” to narrow it down. It took probably about an hour to go through, and you do not want to wait till the last minute as you have no way of looking at the photos online to decide. I eventually narrowed it down to 11 photos to get the digital copies. They charge per photo, hence why I only picked 11 and mentioned it was expensive! Nonetheless, I’m obsessed with the photos and it was definitely worth the money in my eyes!

We were in Turks and Caicos for my birthday and I was so excited to celebrate. I didn’t have anything big planned for the day, aside from the 20 minute photoshoot in the morning. That is until I grabbed my phone to get a photo of Kent at the swim up bar. My wonderful team from work had surprised me and Venmo’d me to enjoy drinks on them. The resort was all inclusive though, so I decided to put it toward a much needed 90 minute massage! It did not disappoint. I don’t typically do to the spa on vacation because I feel like I already have limited time to enjoy the beach, pool, whatever is around. But I really wanted to treat myself. Great decision, Ali! Very relaxing, highly recommend, and not unreasonably priced. They have so many different services to pick from, that you won’t go wrong. I personally chose the Himalayan Salt Massage and wanted it to go on forever.

This was our first time enjoying the resort, so we were not familiar with the 4 villages. Beaches Turks and Caicos is made up of 4 different villages, each with their own shops, pools, restaurants, and rooms. Don’t worry, it’s easy enough to get from village to village, and they even have golf carts to drive you if you don’t want to walk. There is the Caribbean Village, French Village, Italian Village, and Key West. The French Village was not being occupied at the time as that is where they were housing anyone that became Covid-positive and had to quarantine. The shops, pool, and restaurants were still open though during that time. The French and Italian Villages are most centrally located, although as mentioned, each village is quick to get to. We seemed to spend most our time in those areas. The Caribbean Village is closest to the beach and a little further out if you’re wanting a quieter room. And then there is Key West. Whoa! Key West is comprised of individual villas near the beach with private pools. Wow are they nice!! Key West is also either Concierge or Butler level, which gives you access to more services.

I did not take the room selection into enough consideration before booking, partial because it was already a more luxurious trip than normal. We just booked a standard room with a King bed, and requested a crib for Kent. They were super accommodating and had the crib in our room almost instantly so Kent could take a nap after his long day of flying. The room was very nice and pretty large, we will just plan on booking a different room next time we come (yes, already planning a next time!) The one major downside to the room we chose was that there was no separate room for either Kent or us. That meant that when we put him down for a nap or bedtime, we would have to go out on the porch to not disturb him or keep him awake. Thankfully the weather was nice and it wasn’t the biggest deal, but next time I’d much prefer having a separate space for him. Just something to think about.

One of my biggest stressors leading up the trip was milk. Funny the things you stress about as a parent. Kent recently switched from formula to milk and drinks milk before bedtime, so all I could think about was how to get milk for him. Was I going to have to ask for a cup to-go every night at dinner and carry it back? What if it wasn’t enough for this milk monster? I called the resort before we arrived and asked them to stock our mini fridge with some milk. They gave us 2 big containers right away, and were quick to bring us more when needed. One little crisis easily averted!

This was one of our favorite vacations so, and that’s saying a lot. Between watching the joy on Kent’s face every single day, and the ease of the entire trip, it was seriously the best! Beaches made everything so simple and truly catered to you the entire time (we were to make dinner reservations for each night to limit capacity and one night we forgot. We got a call at 4pm asking if we were dining for the evening and then took care of reserving our spot at the specific restaurant). The only “downside” of the resort that it is on the more expensive side, but their service, food, and fun was definitely worth the value. If you are looking for your next tropical vacation, this would be my first suggestion!