Review: The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos
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Booking
The cost to stay at the The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos was $7,248 USD ($10,370 CAD) or 504,000 points for a 5-night stay.
I opted for the points rate which was a great deal compared with the cash price. I earned 50% bonus points on incidental expenses thanks to being a Platinum Elite Bonvoy member and 5X the points per dollar spent by using my Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card.
Location
The Ritz-Carlton is located directly on Grace Bay beach. This is one of the most famous beaches in the world, known for its clear, warm, calm waters. It is close to most of the attractions in the area that you’ll want to see, and there are even shops and supermarkets in easy walking or biking distance around it. The airport is a 15-20 minute drive away.
Reception & Property Grounds
The hotel building itself is a fairly standard North American design. It sort of sticks out from the area around it, being very modern and not really following the style of architecture of the other buildings in the vicinity. The property grounds are very nice and spacious though.
I was hoping to upgrade to a suite using some Nightly Upgrade Awards, however the hotel was sold out while we were there so it was not possible. We did, however, receive an upgrade from a limited ocean view to full oceanfront room which was great.
Deluxe Oceanfront Room
The hotel’s standard rooms are nice. They do feel a bit low-end for the Ritz Carlton brand, however. Some of the finishes and lack of artwork don’t have the level of luxury that you’d expect. Like the building exterior, it feels like a very standard North American hotel room without a whole lot of charm to it. Having said that, it was spacious and very comfortable. We had two terrific queen beds, a set of chairs and mini table, and a chaise lounge.
Two things that stood out were the balcony with a beautiful view of the ocean, and the huge bathroom with double sinks, large separate bathtub, and waterfall shower. Amenities were provided by Philosykos.
Pools & Beach
The highlight of the hotel were its grounds and location right on Grace Bay Beach. There is a family pool and a separate adults-only pool with cabanas available to rent. There are some nice amenities available including sunscreen and aloe vera gel, and even swim diapers for very young children.
Full bar and restaurant service was provided by the pool and beachside, and a watersports kiosk was available during daylight hours for people to use water sports equipment such as sailboats, kayaks, snorkeling gear, etc. There was a firepit just off the beach which was used twice a week for cooking smores.
Dining
The hotel’s main restaurant is called Coralli by day and where breakfast is served. Right next to it is the main beach bar. By night the name changes to Casa Nonna and an Italian menu is served. The morning buffet is a whopping $47 USD ($67 CAD) per person including tax and service charges. Being a Ritz-Carlton, there is no breakfast credit for elite members, but there is a discount for children under 12. There are also à la carte options. The food was quite good, but nothing outstanding. The location is great outside on the patio so you can watch the ocean as you eat.
For other food and beverage available:
- There is a steakhouse restaurant called BLT. This is more focused on evening fine dining and since we were travelling as a family with young kids we skipped it.
- There is a lobby lounge called Noori open most of the day and evening which has small plates available including sushi rolls.
- There is a club lounge which gets great reviews and includes a lot of food throughout the day. It is not complimentary for elite members, and costs $600 per night for 2 adults. Children are $50-$75 per night depending on their age.
- Food and drinks are available around the pool and on the beach, and also via room service.
Facilities & Service
There is a spa, gym, and kids club available on site. The gym and kids club are both complimentary for hotel guests. The kids club is hit or miss – our children did enjoy it, but the animation there wasn’t very engaging.
On the service side, the staff are very friendly and helpful. Service was pretty prompt as well. Sometimes hotels in the Caribbean can run on a very relaxed ‘island time’, but I didn’t find it to be the case here.
Overall Impression
Overall The Ritz-Carlton Turks & Caicos is quite a nice hotel. Its exterior and room design does lack some warmth and charm, but is modern, well-appointed and comfortable. The exterior grounds are beautiful, and the pools and beachfront access are great. Food is very good, if not excellent, but quite pricey. And the staff are very friendly. If you’re looking to vacation in Providenciales and are a Marriott enthusiast looking to use points, then this is a solid choice. If you’re flexible with using cash then you may consider looking at some other options in the area which offer better value for money.
Keep reading with our experience with our travel guide on Turks & Caicos :
Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points
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- $600
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