Sands at Grace Bay

Turks and Caicos

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It was lovely - what a place! Visited: March 2007 Posted by wimvanleeuwen From Europe, we first spent a few days in Miami and then went to the Turks for our second stay. Of course, the weather and the beach were phenomenal. Also, the Sands was perfect. The restaurant served perfect food, and a good price and quality - especially with the good euro/dollar rating! Also, try diving! We saw whales on our boat trip towards our dive-stop. It was perfect. And just off the shore outside the Sands, we saw Jojo the dolphin! We had a great stay, and are looking forward for our next visit! 15 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? They had a beautfil beach, but TCI was not worth the money. Visited: April 2005 Posted by lausar2 This was our second stay at the Sands in Turks and Caicos. We stayed here two years ago, in 2003 also. We enjoyed our stay two yrs ago much better than this last stay. We noticed this time, in spite of paying a lot more for our room, that the accommodations and service were of a lower caliber this time around. The rooms at the Sands were obviously showing some wear and tear. Our fridge door wouldn't close (the seal was no good anymore), so all our food stayed lukewarm. There were also tiny ants everywhere in room, our safe was broken, the lightbulbs were burnt out, and there were stains on the carpet and furniture. Service from hotel staff was mediocre at best. They were not very helpful at all. The cleaning lady was awful. It seems like everyone (not just at the hotel) in TCI think Americans are mega rich because there are these ultra-exclusive elite resorts being built everywhere here (we were hugely disappointed to see that). Also, every time we turned around, we felt like everyone was looking for a tip, but no one was providing adequate service to warrant a tip! Hemingway's had excellent food-some of the best we had during both our visits here. The beach was beautiful although it was very windy for about four of the six days we were here. There were huge amounts of seaweed all along the shore, so my kids didn't want to go in the water. Plus, the waves were too big for them. Also, there was a day when there were large swarms of jellyfish right along the shore, so there was no one in the water that day. We only had one day where the weather was calm and water was nice and calm like you see it in all the ads for TCI. The last time we were here in 2003, the same thing happened where it was very windy for a few days and the water was very rough. It was also very chilly-too chilly to go in water or lay on beach (that was in January 2003). The grounds and landscaping at the Sands were beautiful and well kept. The man at the towel desk was not very helpful. He was not very willing to dig a hole on the beach for an umbrella for us, since the straw beach cabanas were all taken by 8:00 am. The main pool was very cloudy (couldn't see the bottom) and it ws cold. The other smaller pool with the river was cleaner, so we hung out by that one. Overall, the Sands was a nice resort, but too expensive for us this time around. Eeverything on the island seemed to jump up in price since our last visit here. We will probably not be going back to Turks and Caicos again because it has become way too expensive for us. Plus, we were not crazy about the fact that they were building all these mega-exclusive resorts. It is becoming very expensive to vacation here, and it is obvious they are trying to attract the ultra-elite, super-rich Americans. 37 users found this review helpful. 7 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Average at Best Visited: February 2005 Posted by jaisy20 This is NOT an upscale resort - service is barely exsistant, rooms are showing signs of disrepair and not clean (visible dirt on bathroom floor that was never cleaned - hair that in a week was never swept), the management is simply terrible. I would never go back - our worst vacation choice to date. If you are looking for a resort for couples - DON'T GO HERE. It is all families. 16 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Sands is a well managed, upscale, family resort. Visited: March 2004 Posted by mtzajac My wife, our daughter (13), our son (9) and I enjoyed two wonderful weeks at the Sands. We walked the entire beach and found that our choice was right for us. There was enough for the kids to do, yet it was quiet enough to pour though some catch-up reading. The weather was great, too! The beach was the best we have ever experienced and the resort service was top shelf. Take it from a well traveled family, the Sands will not disappoint you. 5 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This is it! Visited: October 2003 Posted by smonastero Imagine the most beautiful soft white sand beach, with a gentle breeze and bath tub flat water. That's Grace Bay. And one of the nicest and most affordable places to stay was the Sands. Pools, gardens, staff, free internet use in lobby, free hobies and kayaks, a great restaurant (Hemmingways)...it was all fantastic. We stayed in an oceanfront studio (building 3, third floor). It was actually two separate rooms - one queen bedroom, nice size, nicely furnished. The other was a sitting room with a comfortable queen Murphy bed you could fold out from the wall. This room had a mini fridge, coffee pot, sink, and microwave. We only used the fridge for our water and juice. The lovely screened in lanai porch had beautiful furniture and a view to die for. The bathroom was perfect...nice shower, water pressure, sink, plenty of space and light. I snore, so wifey slept in the bedroom and I got the Murphy bed. It was not a problem as I cracked open the sliding door and slept like a baby while listening to the gentle waves rolling in all night. Weather always showed partly cloudy with 50% chance of storms. It only rained twice... once overnight and the other time for 15 minutes in the afternoon. We will definitely return. 5 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A terrific resort and stunning, tranquil beach. Visited: August 2003 Posted by jchavoos My husband, daughter (age 15) and I spent a wonderful week at the Sands. Although most of our time was spent on the pristine beach, we snorkeled right off the beach (just past Beaches), went out on kayaks and rode bikes to the small shopping area nearby. My daughter had a great facial at the spa. We enjoyed our meals at Hemingway's restaurant. However, there were several other good restaurants (some were rather pricy) within walking distance. We rented a car for a day to see the island because that was all that we felt we needed it for. The rates at Provo car rental down the road seemed the most reasonable. We particularly enjoyed the friendliness of the staff and relaxed casual atmosphere of the resort. 2 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Here there are beautiful beaches around a lovely resort. Visited: June 2003 Posted by sherryannstewart I have traveled extensively in the Caribbean and throughout world, so I have pretty high standards. I'm happy to say that Sands at Grace Bay met and exceeded almost all of them. I stayed in a studio, which was a very comfortable size, although the kitchen was a mini, not full. It had a microwave, small fridge, a toaster, and all of the requisite plates, glasses, silverware, etc. Washer/dryers were located in the bathroom. There was one restaurant - Hemingways. Fortunately, the food was very good here. We ate all of our meals here (due to laziness after a day filled with activities) and were never disappointed. Several other guests did recommend going to Cuba Bella and Bella Luna for dinner for a change of scenery. The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming which is not always the case in the Caribbean. We could walk to other restaurants that were located closer to Ocean Club West, but it was a solid 15-minute walk. That doesn't seem like much, but in 90 degrees and with no shade along the streets, it can certainly seem much further. The beaches were gorgeous. The sand was baby powder white with calm, crystal clear blue water. The only place to snorkel off the beach was quite a walk down the beach to the end of Grace Bay. We walked it at a pretty good pace and it took 45 minutes. There were two reasons I didn't give this resort five stars. 1) TV. 2)Bathroom. There was only one small TV in the sitting area, so it was pretty impossible to lay in the bed and watch TV at night (a favorite passtime of my significant other). If you're going to have a TV, make it a decent size and convenient to watch. For a resort of this caliber, the bathroom was very small. It was functional, but small. I do believe, however, that the bathrooms were bigger in the one-bedroom suites. If you are looking for a place to party, this is not the place for you. It is a place to relax and gather your senses. The island was pretty much asleep by 10:00 pm. I do not have children, so I always notice the bahavior of children when I am out and about. There were families with children here, and I'm happy to say they were amazingly well behaved and always well attended by their parents. It was not like some places where parents drop their kids off and go the other direction and let them run wild. All in all, I would return and I would stay at The Sands, but I may upgrade to the one-bedroom suite for a larger bathroom and full kitchen. 5 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Sands offers wonderful condos and gorgeous beaches! Visited: June 2003 Posted by adams_kathleen My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon and a delightful seven-day stay at the Sands. We have both traveled extensively in the Caribbean, but never to Provo..so this was a new experience. Our room was "ocean"view (had to strain a bit to see a sliver of ocean), but that was the only downfall. We had a one-bedroom condo with a full kitchen and all amentities. It was clean, well appointed and well maintained. The resort staff was courteous, friendly, and on island time! They never moved too fast, but that was fine since we weren't in a hurry! Rent a car and see the island. Take the day Island Discovery boat trip...the snorkelling was great and the lunch was tasty! Coyaba and Cuba Bella were great restaurants, as Hemmingway's was good, but kind of basic. Be prepared, it was very expensive. It was nice to have a kitchen to cook in. IGA was spendy, but you could get a couple of meals from one trip. My only gripe: Why do smokers think the beach is their personal ashtray? That was really gross. Unfortunately, that is a problem all over, and not a just a problem of the Sands. The water was really that blue and the sand was really that white! We will definitely return some day! 7 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was perfectly peaceful. Visited: February 2003 Posted by krepicci8 After weeks of research dedicated to finding the perfect island with the perfect resort, we settled on The Sands at Grace Bay. We were a little nervous (having done all of the investigating via the internet), but had a great time and the resort surpassed all expectations. We stayed in an oceanfront one-bedroom suite which was located just steps away from both the beach and the pool. The suite provided far more room than necessary for two people - who planned to do zero cooking (kitchen, large living room, bedroom, patio, and two bathrooms). The island was beautiful, the staff was friendly and helpful (everywhere but at the front desk), Hemingway's food was good and the staff was excellent. Also, the excursions were fun. I highly recommend the half-day snorkeling and beach cruise. We walked all the way down to the end of the beach, checked out most of the surrounding hotels and decided that we had chosen the best of the bunch. If you're looking for an acion packed place, Club Med would be a better option - or perhaps a different island. If you're looking for an absolutely silent place to meditate, Grace Point Spa might be the place for you (as you enter the pool from the beach there is a sign that says "Quiet Zone" or something of that nature). Also, we did not encounter any noisy children at The Sands (as warned in other patron reviews)- it was a very quiet and relaxing spot. 4 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A super beach with the best water. Visited: September 2002 Posted by johann_siebern When I think back to Turks and Caicos during our rainy days in Europe, I remember that it was a great vacation. They had the best beach and most sparkling water we've seen. The unit with garden view was also the best with all the utillities we needed. During our stay in September, the resort was to 15% occupied and that was best for us - no dogs, no kids! However, there were some units under construction, so there was a terrible noise some days. 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Sands at Grace Bay is the most beautiful place on earth! Visited: August 2002 Posted by janemay2 The one-bedroom apartment was clean, beautiful, bug-free with a great ocean view. We had an unobstructed view from the top of building one. The pools were lovely. The staff was eager to please. The restaurant was very, very good for all meals. The beach was the most magnificent I've ever seen - and I've seen many in the Caribbean. The sand was like powder, with no rocks. The water was turquoise, warm and clear as can be. Truly, it was heaven on earth! I highly recommend the Sands. 3 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? They had a great setup. Visited: July 2002 Posted by pcanters My wife and I stayed at the Sands for week and the end of July. We were afraid that the rooms were going to be too small, so we opted for an Ocean View one bedroom. Needless to say, the descriptions for the room did not do it justice. The room was amazingly spacious with a full kitchen stocked with pots and pans. Food was expensive on the island, but having a kitchen certainly gave us another option. We enjoyed being able to make breakfast in our room and having sodas in the fridge. The pool, while not big, was very functional, and the beach was simply amazing. I would definitely come back and would not hesitate to recommend this to other people. If you are looking for a nice place to stay where you are not in a true hotel type setting, then this is the place for you! 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This place is heaven on earth. Visited: July 2002 Posted by morella1 I can't say enough about the Sands - it was paradise. The food at Hemmingways was great, and just eating dinner at sunset made the vacation perfect. Everyone on staff was kind and caring. The condos were great and having our own kitchen made it great, because we could sit and have dinner in the screened-in porch. The beach was great, and they didn't charge us for using their equipment, if we wanted to snorkle. I have never had such a great vacation. Our family was going to go to the Allegro Resort, and boy we were glad we did not go. We had peace and quiet, and lots of relaxing time. The Sands had a large amount of families and that made our eight-year-old happy to have lots of playmates. The resort was very family-friendly. We had so much fun we are already planning our next visit. The water was so clear and the beach was so white. My husband and I share the same birthday, and they went out of their way to make it so special. The only minor downside was that it was expensive. It was not too bad. And, you are paying for the best. I felt I got my money's worth all the way. If you go, just shop at the IGA, and have breakfast and lunch in your condo. Food was expensive, and it was shipped in from Miami. We did that and that did save on food. Our family rated it above five stars. We made many new friends. 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? The Sands at Grace Bay is heaven on earth. Visited: June 2002 Posted by lkohn My wife and I stayed at the Sands during the last week of June 2002. The facility and the service were both excellent. The food at Hemingways was great and reasonably priced (for the islands). Annie, who worked at the excursion desk, was always helpful and was a joy to work with. Most definitely, Turks and Caicos has the most gorgeous beach and water that I have seen in the Caribbean. If I had the money, I would buy a unit here. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Sands is a nice resort with an amazing beach. Visited: May 2002 Posted by bearwithmoi We chose the Sands after much research. It was a very peaceful vacation. The beach was unbelievable! We loved the beach and had a great time just lounging under the umbrellas and taking long walks. We had a oceanview studio. The first room we got was farthest from the beach. So, although it was supposed to be a "oceanview" room, it seemed much more like a garden view. We spoke to the desk and they gave us another room that had a much better view. Since each condo was individually owned (or can be) our room had a number of things that were the owners'. They kindly left their guests the use of the VCR, which was nice of them. But they also left a number of Jesus and Christian fundamentalist videos, which made me feel very uncomfortable and as if I were staying in someone's house and not an expensive hotel. The plus was that there was a washer/dryer - even though it was a studio. We tried to take the morning cruise, but because we here during off-season, and they never had enough people to go. But Katarina, at the excursion desk, was very helpful and friendly. Her restaurant recommendations were great. Hemingway's was good for lunch, but the Caribbean buffet dinner was disappointing and expensive for what we got. The restaurant and IGA shuttles were convenient and reasonable. The computer in the lobby was a huge plus for an occasional e-mail check. We didn't see too many kids, but we weren't here during a school holiday. We liked the fact that it felt deserted. We also never had a problem getting an umbrella on the beach. We really liked it a lot. It wasn't the most amazing place we've stayed - but we loved the beach! 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was Paradise! Visited: May 2002 Posted by mikecharb We loved our stay at The Sands. We had a wonderful room, even in the cheaper ocean view studio category. We had a great, direct view of the water, through the lovely landscaped grounds and interconnecting pools. The studio was large enough and had everything we needed, including a kitchenette and a washer and dryer. The balcony was large and the screening did not affect the view. The grounds were immaculate and lush with three beautiful pools interconnected by rivers. The beach was heaven - long, secluded with the prettiest water we've seen anywhere, and we've been to five other islands. The resort was also very peaceful. I couldn't understand the other poster's comments about a lot of kids. We saw only a scattering of kids here and there, and they were very well behaved, quite literally "building sandcastles" next to their parents. Seriously, this was the total opposite of a kiddie resort. Maybe it had to do with the time of year we went. The restaurant (Hemmingway's) had good and reasonably priced food with great views (check out the sunset). There were many others within walking distance. The hotel also offered reduced taxi service. The tour desk was very good. The maid service was great and all the staff was wonderful. I cannot say enough positive comments about this place. It was pure paradise. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A perfect blend of Luxe Resort and Condo. Visited: April 2002 Posted by pntrllo2 We just spent a wonderful 11 days at the Sands with our 4-year-old daughter. We had a one-bedroom ocean view suite which was perfect for our needs. The full kitchen allowed us to stock up on food, snacks and booze at the local supermarket. We kept things pretty simple for lunch and breakfast, including the ability to pack picnic lunches while we explored the more secluded beaches. The Sands arranged a jeep rental for us and their tour desk provided access to pretty much all of the organized water sports and excursions available on Provo. Hemingway's on the property was a terrific restaurant with great food, a great location and fair prices (by TCI standards anyway). They didn't provide room service, but we did have take-out one evening. There were anywhere from two to four pools on the property, depending on how you counted them, but they existed in two primary areas. The main area had a wading pool for the kidlets as well as a larger pool - both by the beach. The secondary pool(s), connected by a Venetian-style little canal system, was in the center of the complex and was far more picturesque and generally quieter. This was a fantastic place to bring the kids. Besides having a full kitchen and separate bedroom(s), it was truly family-oriented all the way around. If you are looking for romantic seclusion, check out Point Grace next door, this may not be for you. With full working apartments combined with daily housekeeping (very thorough), on-site bar and restaurant, activities, spa, workout facility, concierge, and transfers .... this was the perfect blend of a luxury resort and an efficiency condo. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Romper Room in Paradise Visited: April 2002 Posted by wpmr The Sands is a quality condo-resort and a solid vacation value. My wife and I honeymooned here and agree with many of the favorable comments posted in the other messages - large, clean suites, very courteous staff, and terrific beachfront locale. On a standalone basis, the Sands is at least a 4-star property. However, our 3-star rating should be viewed as a signal to the unexpecting or naive: there were children everywhere! More infants than a maternity ward. More kids than Disneyworld. More pre-teens than a Brittany Spears concert. These were not a couple cute kids building sandcastles on the beach. These were ritalin-starved youths who overran the pool(s) and used the common areas as their personal playground. We could not read by the pool or lounge on the beach without being splashed or distracted by a temper tantrum. Too, the only thing more obnoxious than the children were their parents (nannies?) who would emerge periodically, cocktails in hand, to reprimand the cretins before disappearing again, leaving the munchkins to rampage unregulated at essentially all hours of the day. The suites are ideal for families, and apparently this fact is being taken advantage of. We encountered a few minor glitches - billing and room service errors, slow service even by island standards, and weak in-room air conditioning - but these were minor quibbles. The rooms have cable television but no cd/dvd/vcr players. Our unit had a washer/dryer and a jacuzzi tub. The resort has a very small jewelry store and gift shop on the premises. There is also a limited mini-mart that was great for snacks and minor necessities. Like many suites, ours had a full kitchen and eating area, so we went to the local grocery store (arranged through the front desk) to stock up on food and booze to make our own meals. The resort offers discounted taxis to restaurants and shopping. The restaurant selection on the island is plentiful, but stores/shopping was more limited. The Sands own restaurant - Hemingways - offered decent fare at so-so prices, and offered a great view, particulary at sunset. We did not rent a car - it was not necessary and driving is on the left which would have intimidated us. Taxis are not inexpensive. Though a British island, the standard currency is the US dollar. The Sands is located right next to the more expensive Point Grace. The sister property to the Sands (the Palms) is in the development phase. The beachfront along all the resorts is a national park and thus open to all-comers. We liked Turks very much and would stay at the Sands again, but probably not until we have children of our own to bring along. 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We stayed at a wonder in Paradise! Visited: March 2002 Posted by jmaustin The Sands at Grace Bay was one of the most relaxing and - at the same time - eventful places I have ever stayed. I am a mother of three, and I was a little nervous coming because I was worried there would not be enough to do, considering the nearest Chuckie Cheese was islands away. I proved myself wrong. The staff was very friendly and the maid service was excellent. The water was crystal clear and they had a great beach for walking. The restaurant, Hemmingways, was good food at decent prices. The service was also quite fast. I strongly recommend this resort to families! They will be sure to have a great time. 2 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Nice place, slightly expensive. Visited: December 2001 Posted by bigunive The Sands is a classy place, though a bit expensive, but probably worth it. We had an oceanfront place, which is nice. The staff is friendly and fairly responsive (for island standards). The restaurant, Hemingway's, is nice, reasonable priced, and extremely convenient with an awesome view. After eating at several other restaurants, we felt Hemingway's was the best bet! The multiple pools, jacuzzi and beachfront amenities are all good. The screened-in porches will keep the mosquitoes out. The exercise room has a universal machine, 2 treadmills and 2 steppers; however, it is poorly located underground, which gives it a claustrophobic feel and to make things worst, it was hot inside. The oceanfront rooms are probably not worth the extra money, unless you are planning on spending a lot of time indoors looking at the view. Overall, I definitely recommend this place. 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?