Before our first trip to Club Med Turkoise in May of 2023 we had never stayed at a resort. When we travel we tend to rent houses through AirBnB and VRBO and occasionally stay in hotels. Resorts have just never been our “thing.” However, last year Peter and I decided to take a couples trip to the Caribbean and agreed to give staying on an all-inclusive resort a chance. We wanted to spend our week just relaxing on a beach and not having to plan where we would eat, what we would do, etc. We didn’t have any particular island in mind. We have been to St. Croix and were open to going back there but also curious to check out other options.
So I contacted our travel agent, the lovely Lisa Stevens with Scantravel International, and gave her our criteria. Peter’s wish list was simple…he wanted a nice beach to sit on every day. I had a few more items to check off my list…mid-range budget, easy flight from Dulles International Airport, decent food and a place that offered some nice snorkeling options (I love to snorkel!) and other fun excursions. We both agreed that we didn’t need anything luxurious, we are not fancy people. Oh, and adult-only would be a big bonus. Other than that, we told her to surprise us.
And surprise us she did when she sent back her proposal – Club Med on the island of Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos. She said Peter would like it because it’s a European-style resort, and I would like it because it’s pretty much a summer camp for adults. Another pleasant surprise was the price – even though Turks is a rather expensive island to visit, this resort fit into our budget. After checking out the website and reading tons of reviews we went ahead and booked the trip. Despite our reservations about staying at a resort, I’m happy to say we had such a great time that we went back again with our daughter Emma in January 2024…and are considering making more trips in the future!
Table of Contents
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Once you book your trip to Club Med you will be given your GM number and access to the Club Med app to download. After logging into the app you will immediately notice that it’s….pretty much useless. Besides outlining the dress themes, activities and nightly entertainment during your say (more on those later) there’s not much else there. All the other information provided in the app you can be found on the website. You can’t actually book anything like excursions or spa appointments through it.
In place of an informative app there is a very active and informative Club Med: Turks & Caicos Facebook page that I highly encourage you to join. In that group you can search for answers to any questions you have, talk to people who have visited before and even connect with people who will be there the days you will be.
ARRIVING ON THE ISLAND
No matter where you are flying from, all visitors to Turks & Caicos fly into Providenciales International Airport (PLS). It’s a small but functional airport. We learned the hard way the first time we visited that the weekends are the busiest days to travel, so if possible I recommend you book your travel days for midweek. Otherwise, since the airport is so small you will be standing in longer security and departure lines than what you’re used to in larger airports. Oh, and there is no air conditioning in the airport.
Don’t worry about having trouble finding your luggage (unless it’s lost)…there is only one baggage claim area right next to the passport control. After you collect your luggage the only place to go is outside where you can find the car rental desks and shuttle/taxi stands. The resort is about a 20-minute drive from the airport. If you don’t rent a car there is a shuttle service that will take you to the resort. It’s not a Club Med specific shuttle, so your drive will be a bit longer depending on how many other resorts it stops at along the way.
ARRIVING AT THE RESORT
The check-in process at the resort is surprisingly easy. After you arrive you are seated in the reception area where a staff member gives you a brief overview of the resort and attaches a band to your wrist that not only identifies you as a guest (different color wristbands indicate how many times you have visited a Club Med resort) but also serves as your room key. No worrying about losing a room key while on vacation!
After that you are ushered to the check-in desks where you set up your account for the week with a small hold on your credit card. While you are at the resort you can charge purchases to your room and the amounts are deducted from the hold. If you exceed the hold, you just pay the remaining balance upon checkout like you would anywhere else.
You will also receive one towel card per person as you check in. You trade this card in at the towel station for a clean beach towel and then during your stay you can take your used towel back to the towel station as many times as you want to for a clean towel. However, if there are no clean towels available you can opt to keep your towel or they will give you a towel card, and then you keep the card until they have a new supply of clean towels. During both of our stays we only ran into that situation once or twice.
Your room may or may not be ready depending on your arrival time. In either case, your luggage will be taken to your room for you and you are free to start enjoying your vacation! If you are arriving at the resort before your room is ready, I suggest having sunscreen, flip flops and your swimsuit all ready to go so you can change into it pretty quickly and enjoy the beach while you are waiting for your room.
Oh and for reference, resort staff are not called employees but rather are referred to as GOs (Gracious Organizers). In the same fashion, guests are not referred to as guests but as GMs (Gentle Members).
THE RESORT & ACCOMMODATIONS
The first thing you will notice about the resort is that it’s not a large resort, and what is there is spread across approximately 35 acres. There are only about 300 rooms that are divided between several brightly colored 2 and 3-story buildings throughout the resort. So even when the resort is at full capacity, it doesn’t feel crowded. It has a very laid-back vibe.
I will warn you, though. If you are looking for a luxury resort, Club Med Turkoise will disappoint. There’s absolutely nothing fancy about the resort, and that’s one of the reasons why we enjoy it so much – we are not fancy people! As you can see from the map above, there aren’t that many amenities. There is only one pool. There’s no swim-up bar. No beach-side food or beverage service. A small gym (that we’ve never used) and even smaller spa.
There is one boutique that has a small selection of souvenirs, toiletry items such as soap and sunscreen (for a VERY high price!) and clothing. Every day they also put out clothing options for that days theme, so if you forgot something or want to join in the fun, you can purchase it there!
If you read enough reviews about Club Med Turkoise, however, you will discover that the biggest complaint are the rooms. For one, there are only two options…one with a balcony and one without. Overall, they are nothing extravagant, but they are clean. There is a bed (two twin beds put together that can be separated), two chairs, a mini-fridge, a desk and two closets. The bathroom again is nothing special but it does have a sink, shower and toilet in a separate room. Quite honestly, you will most likely find that you don’t spend a whole lot of time in them! Both times we visited, we pretty much only used them to change clothing and sleep. There’s also no room service, although you can take food from the restaurant back to your room and store it in your fridge for those midnight snack cravings.
The Turkoise sign by the pool is one of the most popular places for photos around the resort.
As you walk around the resort you most likely come across some cute little critters as well.
And yes, you will see resident cats around the resort. Some are friendlier than others, but all are well-loved and well-fed.
FOOD & DRINKS
There are only two dining options here on the resort, which did concern us before our first trip. Not only were we worried about a lack of variety in food options in general, but since Peter and Emma both have Celiac Disease, we wondered if there would there be enough for them to eat at each meal or would they have to go vegetarian or vegan for the week? Thankfully, after our first couple of days we figured out that we had nothing to worry about.
Grace Bay Restaurant
The main restaurant, called Grace Bay, is a buffet-style restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are about 15 different food stations serving a wide variety of hot and cold dishes – all prepared fresh daily. While most of the main selections change daily, there are always some staples at each meal, such as the omelet station at breakfast, and the pasta and pizza station at lunch and dinner. Both times we’ve visited we have been pleasantly surprised at the variety and quality of the food. There are always plenty of options for whether you are vegetarian, vegan or have other dietary requirements. So far both times we have been there Peter and Emma had no problems finding enough to eat. The ingredients of each dish are clearly marked and if you have any questions the head chefs are there to answer them.
As far as drinks go…you are welcome to bring a drink from the main bar or there are typical buffet drink stations like the soda machines, beer on tap and (magnificent) coffee machines that dispense cappuccinos, Americanos and mochas. For those that just like basic coffee or prefer tea, they have regular coffee and hot water as well.
Since it is a buffet restaurant, there is limited table service. They are there to clear dirty dishes and bring you water and wine. Otherwise, you have to serve yourself. Again, it’s no problem for us, but it’s not for everyone.
There are three areas to sit for meals, they have a large indoor dining area (which is rather cold with the AC blasting) and two outdoor decks. The outside seating areas (where we prefer to dine for meals) fill up quickly so if you want to sit outside I recommend you to go when they first open for meal service or wait about an hour after opening or you will most likely not be able to get a seat.
Pro tip: You can mix & match options at each food station. For example, you can take a protein from one station and a vegetable from another station to create your own entree.
SHARKIES GRILL & BEACH BAR
Sharkies is an open-air bar & grill sitting right on the beach and is open throughout the day and well until the night. They are open in the mornings for late breakfasts after Grace Bay closes and serves breakfast burritos. The lunch and dinner menu here is limited to typical bar food like burgers and fish tacos, but it’s very good. In fact, the fries here are probably the most popular item on the menu, we had them many times for an afternoon snack! There is also a juice bar and smoothie station. They have happy hour here at 5pm every day with live music. It’s the perfect place for a quick bite to eat and a drink as well as a place to chill with a card game and people watch.
And the sunsets from Sharkies are just perfect…
We also like going to Sharkies after the evening entertainment and dancing for a drink and just listening to the waves before going to bed.
THE ATMOSPHERE
If someone were to ask me to describe the resort in one word it would be…FUN! Unlike a lot of other adult-only, all-inclusive resorts that cater towards couples and are heavy on the romance aspect, here there are people of all ages from 18 – 98 (and maybe even older) and no romantic vibe at all. There are also a lot of different “groups” of people. There are couples but there are also multi generational families…grandparents, parents and college-age kids…and everything in between! It’s also a great resort for solo travelers because you will easily make friends and not feel out of place.
However, introverts (like Peter) beware! Nearly everything at the resort is designed to encourage guests to socialize with each other and that includes the GO’s. By the end of your first day most of the GO’s will remember your name and greet you along the walkways. By the second day they are inviting you to have lunch or dinner with them. Throughout the day they are joining you for activities and pulling you onto the dance floor every night during the dance parties. By the end of your stay, whether you are there just a few days or an entire week, you feel like you are at one big family gathering.
While we enjoyed chatting with fellow guests during both of our trips, we really enjoyed getting to know the GO’s (maybe because I work in international exchange students). They come from all over the world, but mostly Canada, Brazil, Mexico and the US. It was nice getting their perspectives on things and what their plans are for the future. Their energy is simply impressive. They truly enjoy their jobs and want you to have the best stay possible.
I think this social atmosphere is especially true for the younger crowd. Our daughter (who is a social butterfly) made a lot of friends during our week there. We pretty much only saw her at breakfast and dinner, otherwise she was hanging out with the GO’s and other young resort guests, some she still keeps in touch with.
IS THERE A DRESS CODE?
During the day there is no official dress code. They only require shirts and shoes at Grace Bay Restaurant, but otherwise you are more than welcome to wear whatever you feel comfortable in during the day. However, there is an evening dress code (which is more like a theme) for every day of the week. But don’t worry, this is merely a suggestion! The suggested dress theme can be anything from beachwear to neon to elegant night. If you want to fit in with the GO’s and other guests, you’ll want to join in the fun like we did. It also makes packing easier because you know what to wear each day for dinner!
THE BEACH
Quite honestly, the best thing about the resort is the beach. I mean, just look at that water:
Grace Bay Beach, typically winning awards as one of the best beaches in the world, is simply gorgeous! Any photos you see online don’t do it justice, you have to go there experience it yourself. When we aren’t eating or involved in an activity, we are on the beach and in the water. It’s just so clear and turquoise. And relaxing. And since Club Med has the largest stretch of beach, there’s plenty of room for everyone so you are never tripping over people.
And the sunsets…..they win a chef’s kiss.
ACTIVITIES ON THE RESORT
Our travel agent was not lying when she said that Club Med is like a summer camp for adults. It’s designed for the person that wants to do all kinds of things on their vacation but doesn’t want to plan it. They offer activities all day, everyday! Quite honestly, if you get bored here it’s your own fault. There are so many land and water-based activities to keep you busy from sun rise to sunset! And since everything is designed to be social, you don’t need to worry about feeling awkward if you sign up for an activity by yourself.
Snorkeling, sailing, paddle boarding and kayaking are all popular activities and included in your stay that we love doing. As long as conditions are favorable, the dive team at the resort offers snorkeling twice a day…morning and afternoon…but can only take up to 40 people at a time so I recommend lining up at the scuba shack at least a half hour before the listed departure time. Don’t worry about needing your own snorkel gear…they provide mask, fins and life jacket. We have gone snorkeling several times and it was amazing – like swimming in an aquarium! You will see so many different fish and if you are really lucky, you might even see sharks and rays! Click here to read about our snorkeling adventures.
Kayaking, sailing and paddle boarding are offered through the water sports team. Kayaking and paddle boarding are first-come, first-serve at certain times of the day, but if you want to sail you have two options. You need to sign up the day before if you want to take sailing lessons (and then go out on your own after they determine you know what you are doing) but if you just want to get out on the water and sail, then you can sign up to be taken out on a 15-20 minute trip with someone from the sailing team.
Aside from water sports, the resort offers a variety of activities throughout the day like sunrise yoga, daily aqua-gym in the pool, ping-pong tournaments, tennis, pickleball and sunset yoga on the dock. One of the most unique Club Med Turkoise activities is the circus and trapeze classes! I have never worked up the courage to try out the trapeze lessons, but I did try out the lyra!
If you want to take an excursion off property but don’t want to arrange it yourself, you can book a half-day or full-day excursion through the Caicos Dream Tours. They offer several different tours, some seeming to be catering towards partiers, but all involving some sort of snorkeling. We chose to do the snorkel cruise to Iguana Island and had fun.
EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
The entertainment crew puts on an incredible performance every night with different shows night consisting of dancing, singing, and circus acts. I must say that for non professionals, the GO’s put on impressive performances. We have enjoyed every show we’ve seen. Our favorite night of the week is White Elegant night (typically Friday nights) where everyone eats dinner around the pool and the circus team puts on a show over the pool. It’s truly a beautiful evening.
After the nightly show those that want to party longer reconvene at the bar for something called “Crazy Signs,” which are fun dances lead the GO’s that put your coordination skills to the test. It’s fun and infectious. After that a DJ plays music and the alcohol flows until the wee hours of the morning. Most nights we ended up heading back to Sharkies for one last drink on the beach listening to the waves.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you’ve made it through this entire post, I hope you’ve come to the conclusion that we love Club Med Turks! While I love to visit new places when we travel, we also like to return to our favorites once in a while, and this resort and island is at the top of the list! But as I’ve said in the beginning, this resort isn’t for everyone. Some people expect more from a resort, and that’s okay. If you’re looking for a true 5-star resort with the elevated experience it brings, then I would probably look elsewhere. BUT I know that everyone values different things on vacation, so if you’re looking for a nice all-inclusive resort with lots of all-inclusive fun, decent food and direct access to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, then Club Med Turkoise is definitely worth checking out!
OUR TOP TIPS FOR VISITING CLUB MED TURKOISE
The following are our top tips that we’ve learned after two trips (and wish we had known the first time we went):
- Prepare to sweat at the airport, as there is no AC. If you are traveling in the winter from a cold location, pack clothes you can change into in your carry-on so that you can change in the airport bathroom right away.
- Bring your own insulated travel cup or mug to keep hydrated around the resort.
- Pack at least 3 swimsuits so that you will always have a dry suit.
- Bring more sunscreen than you think you need. Replenishing at the boutique is expensive.
- Pack bug spray and anti-itch cream (for after you get bit).
- Pack a waterproof phone case with a neck strap.
- Plan at least one day off the resort to go shopping and dining in a local restaurant.
- Pack a deck of cards or other card games for those times you want to take a break from the sun (or the weather forces you to).
