When planning our first international trip with a baby, we had a pretty specific set of criteria to try and make our vacation go as smoothly as possible: an all-inclusive somewhere with warm weather, family-friendly, and a place where we’d be happy to mostly stay put and enjoy the on-site amenities.
Enter Beaches Turks & Caicos.
If you’ve been here awhile, you know I’m a HUGE fan of Sandals Resorts thanks to their luxe suites, pristine beaches, dreamy infinity pools, and included activities like diving and day trips to private islands (I’ve been lucky enough to have stayed at them in Grenada, the Bahamas and St Lucia).
Thing is…they’re adults-only properties. Catering to honeymooners who likely become parents shortly after their romantic getaway doesn’t make for a great long term business model, so they created Beaches Resorts which welcome all ages.
And when I say ‘welcome’ I mean it–Beaches is THE place to come if you have little ones. Kids clubs? Check. Entertainment all day long? Check. Waterparks, playgrounds, and themed movie nights on the beach? Check check check.
And best of all, free babysitting with certified nannies!
There are currently three Beaches properties; two in Jamaica, and one in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos situated along famous Grace Bay Beach which frequently ranks as one of the world’s most beautiful stretches of sand.
If you’re travelling with kids, Beaches is renowned for absolutely nailing every detail to keep all ages happy.
Beaches Turks and Caicos rooms and pricing
Beaches Turks & Caicos has five different ‘villages’ (with another one currently under construction), with Italian, French, Caribbean and Key West themes.
Italian has the most activities, shops and restaurants around it, the Seaside and Caribbean are also lively while being close to the waterfront, and the French section is a bit of a walk to the beach and near the main stage which is loud at night. The quieter Key West area is at the end of the resort, and best for those craving some solace and perhaps travelling sans kids (rooms also have their own laundry facilities, so they’re ideal for longer stays).
There are about 50 different room types accommodating between four and 14 people, which also makes the sprawling resort a great option for groups.
There’s a dizzying amount of configurations, including one bedroom rooms with pullout beds or sleeper chairs, suites with kids bunk beds, and connecting suites with dining rooms and private patios.
To kick it up a notch, book one of the penthouses with sweeping sea views, or the extravagant Key West beachfront four bedroom Butler Villa Residence complete with a private outdoor plunge pool.
While some finishes are sleek and modern like oversized bathtubs and granite counters, the overall vibe is a more of a traditional Caribbean look with sturdy, dark mahogany furniture and nautical-inspired decor.
We had an opportunity to pick between a two bedroom concierge suite in the Key West area, or a Seaside Two Bedroom Luxury Butler Villa Suite along the waterfront. We opted for the latter, and couldn’t have been happier with our choice.
This unit works great for four to six people, with two large bedrooms (each with its own ensuite and patio) completely separated by a kitchenette, dining table, living room with pullout couch and another bathroom.
This worked great as we could put the baby to sleep in one room and still hang out without disturbing her, and I liked how there were no stairs or elevators to deal with to get into our room which is helpful with a stroller.
The Seaside village is near the resort’s main entrance, and steps from the white sand beach. Every village has multiple pools and restaurants so we had lots of options right outside our door, and one of the kids clubs was conveniently just around the corner.
If you’re travelling with tweens and teens, I’d recommend booking rooms in the Italian or French villages instead since they’re closer to the entertainment stage, waterpark, arcade, food trucks and kids swim-up pool bar.
Daily housekeeping is incredibly thorough, and there’s also a nightly turn-down service (if you have a butler, expect to find some sweet treats as well). Cribs are available upon request.
Room levels and butlers
Every single room includes an in-room bar restocked daily, complimentary Wi-Fi around the resort, and airport transfers (butler level guests enjoy private transfers, and child/infant car seats are available).
There are three different room levels to consider when booking: Luxury (most basic), Concierge which has a private check-in area, lounge and dedicated staff to help with reservations and bookings, and Butler.
Yes, Beaches has butler service just like Sandals, and the rooms feature luxurious bathrooms and bars stocked with top shelf liquor and wines. Our team kindly set up a personalized bar with all the ingredients for an old fashioned, so we could make our favourite cocktail right in the room!
Perks of having a dedicated butler team means they’ll reserve the best beach or pool cabanas for you everyday and stock a cooler with your fave bevvies, make reservations for tours, spa treatments and restaurants (which includes skipping the line–a great perk during high season) and even offer to unpack your luggage on arrival.
Guests are given a phone with a direct line to the butler during their stay to call or text with requests, such as breakfast in bed, delivering lunch or procuring a cool drink. This turned out to be handy when travelling with a newborn, since our cheerful butler Jadae also helped with random things like heating up a bottle during dinner, helping me carry a bunch of gear back to the room after a beach day, and checking in with the nannies to see how our daughter was doing during her first evening with a babysitter while we enjoyed an adults-only dinner.
Oh, we also got lattes delivered right to our door every morning, which is a godsend when you’re up most of the night nursing a baby.
Pricing
As there are so many different room categories, land-only versus tour packages, and frequent promotions, pricing for Beaches Turks & Caicos varies wildly. Entry level rooms start at $420 USD per person/night (age 15 and up), $60/night for ages 2-15, and ages two and under are free. See current pricing and promotions here.
Yes, Beaches is definitely at the higher-end in terms of price point, though it’s worth noting that guests don’t have to pay for a single thing once they arrive, and Turks & Caicos is one of the Caribbean’s most expensive islands.
Beaches Turks and Caicos dining
There are 20 restaurants and four food trucks around the property, so yeah, it’s impossible to go hungry here. Perhaps the toughest decision you’ll have to make all day is which one to eat at!
Those who are already fans of Sandals Resorts will recognize a lot of the dining options here, like Soy Sushi Bar and the entertaining Teppanyaki restaurant Kimonos.
Our faves are The Jerk Shack which serves up finger lickin’ good Jamaican chicken and pork right on the beach, the wood-fired pizzas from Bella Napoli Pizzeria, and enjoying breakfasts on the sun-soaked Sky Terrace which has beautiful views of the water.
Meals at all of the restaurants are included, and there are also a few adult-only ones for those wanting a break from the kids. All alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are also included, and there’s an English-style pub, a handful of cocktail bars and four swim-up pool bars (including one that caters to kiddos).
Activities and amenities
When we travel to a new country we usually spend our days exploring as much as possible, which isn’t that easy when you have a newborn.
Part of the reason we chose Beaches Turks & Caicos is because there’s so much to do on the resort that we wouldn’t have too much FOMO about staying put, and it’s close to some of the top sites on Provo island like the Grace Bay shops, Leeward Beach and Sapodilla Bay which we were easily able to see during a day trip (there’s conveniently a car rental location right across the street).
The 12 mile long beach is a destination in itself: the powdery-soft white sand is pristine, there are plenty of loungers and cabanas to relax on, and floating platforms in the water.
All land and water sports are included like Hobie Cats, snorkel trips, glass bottom boat tours, kayaking, stand up paddle boards, wind surfing lessons and even dives for certified divers (which is a crazy generous inclusion, IYKYK).
There are two fitness centres, tennis courts, two spas with complimentary saunas, steam rooms and plunge pools, nearly a dozen outdoor pools and an adult-only whirlpool overlooking the water.
A highlight is the 45,000 square-foot waterpark: Pirates Island features legit waterslides, a lazy river, a surf simulator, water cannons and a special pool for little ones. There’s a swim-up soda bar, a 50s style diner, food trucks serving the likes of ice cream and mac ‘n cheese and an arcade. Basically, it’s every kid’s idea of heaven.
Globe Guide tip: You may want to pack your own floaties, as they seemed to be a hot commodity here and aren’t provided (they are available for purchase in the gift shops)
There are organized activities throughout the day for all ages like arts and crafts, volleyball, corn hole and soccer games, conch fishing, dance lessons and Aquacise, just to name a few. Once the sun goes down, nightly entertainment includes trivia contests, beach parties, karaoke, live music and movie nights.
When we visited around Christmas a large projector and comfy bean bag chairs were set up on the beach, Elf played on the screen and staff were dressed up in festive costumes while handing out treats like popcorn, cookies and fondue–such a fun vibe!
The Club Liquid Lounge has cabanas, a VIP section and guest DJs, and unlike Vegas teens are welcome here too. They get to party from 10-11 pm, and the drinks start pouring from 11 pm-1 AM when it transitions to an adults-only venue.
Tipping and exclusions
A welcome feature at both Sandals and Beaches resorts is the ‘no tipping’ policy, so you never have to worry about keeping cash on hand. The only employees allowed to accept tips are butlers and spa therapists.
There are only a few things on property that aren’t included in the nightly room rate:
- Laundry service
- Gift shop & photo shop purchases (I wish we’d gotten our act together to do a family photo shoot!)
- Red Lane Spa and salon services
- Off-property tours with Island Routes
- Wines from the Manager’s wine list
- Private candlelight dinners
Kids-specific programs at Beaches Turks and Caicos
From tots to tweens to teens, Beaches leaves no detail overlooked when it comes to ensuring the whole family has an epic getaway–and sometimes, that means a break for mom and dad too.
There are two ‘Camp Sesame’ locations on site, which is essentially a complimentary day care service for all ages—even our three-month-old was welcome. To be honest we were slightly nervous about leaving our baby girl with someone other than grandma for the first time, but figured their highly-trained nannies are probably more qualified to look after babies than we are.
Sure enough, we returned from dinner to find our daughter snuggled up on one of the caregivers, sleeping soundly on her chest–she won’t even do that with her dad!
The Camp Sesame locations adhere to very high cleanliness standards, have excellent security measures in place, and a few different rooms depending on the age of the child (such as a large, climate controlled room with cribs for the babies).
They open at 8:30 AM, and the one in the Caribbean Village is open until late at night so there’s plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely dinner before picking up the kids. Older kids up to age 17 can join one of the more organized programs catered to each age in a fun, interactive group setting, and private childcare is also available.
Note: Beaches has an exclusive partnership with Sesame Street, so chances are you’ll see fuzzy characters like Elmo, Burt and Ernie walking amongst the palm trees while you’re out and about.
Beaches Resorts is also the first resort company in the world to complete the IBCCES training and Autism Certification. The Kids Camps are Advanced Certified Autism Centers, and staff regularly receive training about things like sensory awareness, environment, motor skills and communication. There’s also Julia, a four-year-old Sesame Street character with autism who welcomes children with engaging activities like ‘Art with Julia’ specifically developed for children with autism.
Beaches also has a special needs program, where parents can request a one-on-one Beaches Buddy to be with their child in a sensory-friendly location.
A highlight for little ones is the nightly Sesame Show in the open air theatre, a high energy spectacle produced by the same touring company that does the Sesame Street Live shows around North America. Every weekend, a lively procession of Sesame Street characters and a Junkanoo band parades from the Italian Village to the Caribbean Village for the Friday Street Party.
Globe Guide’s take: Beaches Turks and Caicos resort reviews
We had a fantastic week at Beaches Turks & Caicos, and our first family vacation was perfection. It ticked off everything on our list: great weather, a stunning beach, fun activities (and also plenty of ways to relax), and the ideal set up for travelling with a newborn with lots of help on hand.
It doesn’t have the same elevated feel as the Sandals properties I’ve been to, though that’s to be expected at a place where little ones are encouraged to let loose. However, given that this is one of the priciest properties on Provo, it would be nice if they’d reinvest into the pool areas, room and restaurant decor for a higher-end vibe.
The price point definitely puts it out of reach for a lot of families (despite that, the resort is frequently sold out), but the fact that you don’t have to pay for anything once you arrive makes it a bit easier to justify—especially when you tally up what a week’s worth of food, drinks and activities would cost on an expensive island like Turks & Caicos.
And it’s a heck of a lot more relaxing than Disney, so there’s that.
Having free childcare just steps away is an incredible value add, and has basically ruined us for travelling anywhere else now. The ability to actually enjoy parts of your vacation like a fancy dinner, spa treatment or excursion and know that your child is being well cared for is a true luxury.
My only regret is that our daughter was too young to be able to remember our special trip and enjoy all of the fun kids activities–hopefully, we’ll get a chance to return to another Beaches resort in a few years so she can fully appreciate what a special place it is for families.
Globe Guide experienced Beaches Turks and Caicos as a guest of the resort. As always, hosts have no editorial influence on articles.
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Loved your positive review of Beaches resort. We are taking our 11 grandchildren & 2 adult children to the resort in July. Ages of grandchildren are 1 year – 16 years old.
You put my worries to rest. If you have any suggestions that might make our 6 days memorable, please forward to me.