aha4159623

I'm wondering about the general layout of the Grace Bay area. Are certain areas "busier" than others with lots of hotels/condos in a row? Is there a quieter section with a more "secluded" feel? When I go to Grand Cayman I always stay in a condo on the north side of 7 Mile Beach past the "tourist area" and am wondering is there a condo/resort area which is like this? Any specific recommendations would be appreciated.

bubbs

Just got back from Grace Bay last night! Yes, parts of Grace Bay are much busier than others. We stayed at the Turks & Caicos club (www.turksandcaicosclub.com) which is at the far end of Grace Bay in an area called the Bight. It is on the fringe of the residential area so it is very secluded and private. Although it calls itself a resort, I would call it more of a condo building with 21 suites (full kitchens and living rooms). At first I was disappointed because I was looking for all the amenities of a resort (beach concierge, for example) but after visiting other resorts in more congested areas, I realized if I returned to Grace Bay, it would be to TC Club because of its location. The beach is gorgeous and as I said before, more secluded than others. You are steps away from snorkeling at the coral reef in front of coral gardens. The water is crystal clear and you will see sea turtles, star fish, and regular fish, right on your own beach. If you have more specific questions, please let me know. Also, go to www.tripadvisor.com or expedia.com as they are running hotel specials right now!

aha4159623

Thanks for your helpful info. Glad you had a wonderful time!

beachluver

I am in the process of planning an April 05 trip to Grace Bay Club. Does anyone know of a site which offers a really good layout of hotels along the beach? Have not been to this island and would like to know what order the hotels are in and all. I also understand there is construction, reservations feels they will be on interiors by april, since it is to open in september, any comments?

bubbs

Beachluver - Since I only visited Grace Bay Club for dinner, I can't remember for sure what hotels were bordering it although I think the Ocean Club and Ocean Club West flanked it. I believe Club Med is nearby as well.

I'm kicking myself for not bringing one of my TCI magazines back home because they had the exact map you're looking for - with the locations of hotels, restuarants, etc. One was a free Turks & Caicos magazine by USAirways - you might be able to contact the airline and have them send you one - we got ours in Charlotte, NC on our flight out but they had them all over the TCI airport and resorts. Also, another magazine was called "When Where" or something like that and there was also one called S3 (Sun, Sand, Surf?). These are again free magazines about the island that are found at most of the resorts. You might try contacting Grace Bay Club and asking for them to send you copies of these.

beachluver

bubbs-thank you for the info, once on the island those detailed maps are plentiful!! But it sure is a help when plannning. I usually try to bring home at least one, in case of a future trip.I read your other post and wish you had seen the rooms too, am curious how updated and nice they are----any comments from recent visitors to GBC?

HowardC

If you go to www.wherewhenhow.com the on line magazine of the Turks and Caicos you might find a map of Grace Bay. The resorts from east to west are--Ocean Club, Club Med, Royal West Indies, Grandview (mostly private), Grace Bay Club, Pinnacle (Under construction) Allegro (being torn down to build condos), Villas Renaissance, Mansions (Mostly private), Levelle (UNder construction) Point Grace, The Sands, Sibonne, Sommerset, (under Construction) The Palms (under construction) Alexandra Resort and Spa, (On going construction), Beaches, Coral Gardens and Turks and Caicos club. Most congested areas are Club Med and Beaches. The resorts to the west are more spread out. The suites at Grace bay Club are very nice. Down side Ongoing construction--4 buildings of 30+ condos, new beach bar/restaurant, pool, enlarging Anacona. It is supposed to take 20 months and they just started after the first of this year.

beachluver

Howard-Thank you for your reply, appreciate it. In your opinion, april 05 at GBC will still be construction noise? Reservations feels they will be on interiors, noise will not be a factor. It is funny I want to go to this resort based on beachfront suites(sounds somewhat similar to Cap Juluca, which I enjoy) and I want to see a new beach. I do wonder if I will be disappointed, because of construction, I suppose I will not know unless I just go ahead and try it out. I bet the rates will go up after completion! Such hard decisions!!!!!!!

HowardC

Tough call on when construction will be complete knowing how slowly things move in the islands. Last June when we were in Provo The Palms was under roof and still not finished this April. Same with Pinnacle. The plus side is that the construction at Grace Bay Club is all to the west of the current building with the restaurant in between. I wouldn't compare GBClub to Cap. More like Frangipani on Anguilla. In fact the same architect did both. The majority of the suites are condo type with kitchens. We personally like Coral gardens better as it is a little more remote and the only place the reef comes in to the beach to snorkel. The beach and water are awesome.

aha4159623

I noticed that Beaches is next door to Coral Gardens. Is there enough buffer space in between the two as not to be bothered by crowds or noise? Also is a rental car recommended?

beachluver

thanks Howard. We don't snorkle, but we do enjoy direct beach access, with sound of water, soft sand swimable shallow beach. If GBC's website is accurate it sounds like it would deliver. Maybe we should go to the other end, Turks and Caicos Club, bubbs says it is wonderful. I could not tell from the pictures how the beach access and views are there. I guess, from what I read this beach is the closest to Anguilla, which is where I hold the bar for comparisons. We like to try new places, but so far the top choice remains the same for me.

HowardC

To AHA--It is about a 15 min walk from Beaches to Coral Gardens. They are not very close since there are private homes in between. Of course people do come from Beches to snorkel as well as many other resorts but it is not crowded. Yes I do recommend a rental car to go to the store, explore, go out to dinner etc.

To Beach lover--Have stayed at GBClub and toured T&C Club. Between the two I would stay at Grace Bay Club. We love Anguilla beaches but Grace Bay Beach is better. It is constantly ranked one of the top beaches in the Caribbean by readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Caribbean Travel and Life.

beachluver

thanks again Howard-probably will be booking this trip this week, as we have frequent flyer miles, and the first class seats go very quickly. I wanted to narrow down the island and then secure the room. I am pleased to hear you compare the quality of the beach as even better than Anguilla(have stayed on Meads,Maundays and Shoal)and love all three beaches we have been on. I think it will be GBC, if anyone has any other pros or cons of this resort, would love to hear about them.

ktebe

I snorkeled several days in front of Coral Gardens in early June and I never heard anything other than beach noise. I made a mental note to check the availability of CG next time we go. The penthouse suites look amazing. The entire front wall, along with portions of the connecting side walls is glass. What a view to wake up to.
At the other end of the beach road there didn't seem to be much difference between the OC's, the RWI or the GBC. We were at the Royal West Indies and I'd definitely stay there again. We spoke to people who stayed at the other two resorts and said they would stay there again