BonnieToronto Pearson Airport Experience – Terminal 3
In hindsight, it seems like I selected the right day to travel. On Feb 9th, our flight departure time was at 9:30 AM, so we arrived at the airport around 7:00 AM. We had to check-in at the counter because we were unable to print our children’s boarding pass, due to their vaccination history documents. It seemed like their second vaccination was not registered in the system, so we showed the check-in counter their proof of vaccination. However, even with this additional step, it only took us 30 minutes to arrive at the airport, check in, get our boarding passes and getting through customs to the departure gate! It was one of the smoothest airport experiences I’ve ever had.
Returning to Toronto Pearson Airport was even better. We were the only plane that arrived at that particular time, and the time it took from getting off the plane, going through customs and immigration, getting our luggage and exiting only took 15–20 minutes. There wasn’t a lineup at immigration but we did see others get selected randomly PCR testing. We didn’t get selected so we were able to head home.
Providenciales International Airport Experience – Turks & Caicos
Wednesday has the least amount of flights arriving at the Providenciales Airport, Turks & Caicos. When we arrived, there were only 2-3 flights in front of us but it took us about 1 hour and 40 minutes to get through customs. This was due to two factors. The first factor is that we flew out on a day with bad weather, due to freezing rain the night before. We weren’t delayed, but a number of other flights were, and arrived around the same time we did. The second factor was that there were only three officers working at customs, due to additional processes for COVID screening. There is a Fast Track service with a separate line that costs about USD$75 per person and can take between 10-20 minutes to get through customs. I’m not sure how much faster the regular line would have been, had the other delayed flights not arrived when we did, but I would highly suggest purchasing the Fast Track service for entry. No one can estimate how many officers would be working on the day you arrive, so this will help ensure you start your vacation in the best possible way.
Transfer to the Hotel
A shared transfer is included whether you book Beaches Resort as an all inclusive package through Air Canada or Westjet, or if you booked with the resort directly. The transfer shuttle is a van that fits about 10 people. When you check in with the transfer service, the wait time is unknown and can be 5-20 minutes depending on how many other people are going to the resort and exiting the airport at that time. The drive to the hotel is short and only took about 10 minutes. We booked a private transfer and were picked up in an Cadillac Escalade.
Beaches Resort Turks & Caicos Hotel
Room Type: Upgraded to Key West One Bedroom Suite (1BG)
We stayed in room 6117 in the Key West Village. It was a lovely room with a trundle in the living room for the children, as well as a washer and dryer but not all suites at Key West have a washer and dryer. Beaches had purchased a condo building and converted the suites into rooms, so we also had a microwave, oven, and full sized fridge. The location was extremely convenient. It was on the ground floor and close to the lobby and the Bayside and Neptune Restaurants. It was also only a 5 minute walk to the water park and the beach.
The shower had good water pressure, but the toilet was lacking. The big complaint was that the toilet paper was extremely thin, rough, and one-ply. Even the paper towel that was provided in the kitchen was better! The air conditioner worked well and was quiet in the room. They use an HVAC system and the vents were not located right above any sleeping areas. The Wi-Fi in the room was not that fast, but the children were still able to play their video games on their iPad with minimal issues. Our experience with the Wi-Fi on the beach was much better – it was both fast and stable!
As part of my work, I also conducted a site tour with the sales manager and was able to see some other room categories. If you have any additional questions, feel free to email me.
Water Activities
Water activities vary depending on the colour of the beach flag. When you see a green flag, try to get as much done as you can (weather permitting). We really enjoyed the Catamaran / Hobie cat rides. If you want to learn how to sail one you can get lessons, otherwise you can ask for someone to take you out. If you opt to have someone take you out, It’s generally about a 15 minute boat ride.
Beaches offers a snorkeling tour at a nearby reef. We had about 12 people on the boat but were slightly disappointed with the amount of fish and things to see at the reef. The boat was large, and the Captain was very nice and allowed each child to have a turn driving the boat. Snorkeling tours should be booked at least a day in advance in order to secure your spot. According to the Captain, the early mornings usually have more fish to see.
If you don’t snorkel, you can take the glass bottom boat instead. It’s a different boat, but takes you to the same location as the snorkelling reef. Instead of jumping out to snorkel, it has an array of glass windows at the bottom so you can see the fish down below. This can only be booked 24 hours in advance, and people start booking early in the morning when the dive shop opens at 7 AM.
A better spot to snorkel nearby though is by the Coral Gardens resort. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the Jerk Shack at Beaches Resort. There is a protected reef area where you’re not able to go into, but around it, you can see plenty of different types of fish, schools of fish, possibly manta rays and turtles.
Tennis and Pickle ball Courts
There are 5 tennis courts in total. One by the Italian Village and four by the French Village. The Italian tennis court is a type of rubber court, whereas the French Village ones are hard courts. They’re both nicely lit at night. Tennis racquets, wet towels, cold water, tennis balls and a tennis ball basket are available for you to use. If you prefer Pickle ball, they also have painted pickle ball court lines on two of the tennis courts, and Pickle ball racquets and balls available as well.
Activities for Young Children
There is a water park inside the Beaches Resort with a number of water slides. There are lifeguards at the top of the slides and children can go on them depending on their height. The lines move fast, but there aren’t that many slides for each age category. If you have older children, there are just so many times you can go down the three larger slides. With the short lines, it may not keep the older kids occupied for too long. However, they can enjoy the surf rider and lazy river. For younger kids, there is a splash pad with a pirate ship
There is also a train that takes children around the resort. There is a collaboration with Sesame Street for the kids club, and the kids club has a lovely heated pool. There are street parades and other activities geared towards keeping everyone active and having fun. There’s also a Sesame Street show that seems high quality and much better than the usual Caribbean entertainment you expect.
Ocean
Most of the time, the water feels quite warm. If swimming or walking outwards, you need to be careful, as the water gets deep very quickly. Make sure to keep an eye out on kids and those who aren’t strong swimmers.
On rainy, windy days, the tide can get quite high. The north wind tends to be strongest and on those days, water activities are not available. My husband and I walked along the beach during one of the windy days and the water can go all the way to where the lounge chairs are at some resorts, and as we headed towards the Ritz Carlton resort, it seemed to get worse, with barely any beach front in some areas.
PCR / Antigen Testing for COVID
Expect to wait between 30 minutes to an hour for your on-site for your PCR/Antigen test. This will probably be the most congested area you’ll experience during your stay. Also, review the form given to you at check-in to verify the date, time and type of test you need to take. For us, we needed a PCR test, so we were booked for 2 days before the end of our vacation. Some people walking out from their COVID test were talking about it barely going up your nose, or only getting tested in one nostril. However, we think it depends on the nurse that you get, because for our test, it was quite deep and like what a PCR test is like.
Covid Protocols at Beaches Resort
You’re required to sanitize your hands before entering a restaurant, and touching a menu, whether it’s outdoor or indoor. Even though Bayside is an outdoor restaurant with a buffet, in addition to sanitizing your hands at entry, you need to wear a mask to get your food at the buffet station. At the a-la-carte restaurants, I see the servers wiping down the menus as well.
Based on my observations, I estimated that the following staff would wear their masks correctly (over their nose and mouth):
- Housekeeping and lobby staff – 95%
- Restaurants – 85%
- Other staff, such as gardeners, towel staff, sports staff – less than 50%
Restaurants
There are 21 restaurants at Beaches Turks & Caicos and the majority have outdoor seating. I was able to try over 13 of them and our favourites would be:
- Sky – An adults only restaurant above Bayside restaurant. The food was the best compared to all the other restaurants I tried, and it overlooks the beach.
- Neptune’s – Amazing breakfast and dinner options. We enjoyed the braised lamb and octopus appetizer
- Soy – Sushi restaurant restaurant serves Sake and Japanese beer (Kirin)! The conch sushi is very fresh and delicious and the taste and texture is similar to geoduck. There was one night the conch was a bit bitter though; I think it may be because we arrived really late near closing. We came here for 3 nights straight as my “second dinner”.
For more information as to which restaurant I sampled and what food I liked there, feel free to email me.
Important Tips
- Even at 100% occupancy, the property doesn’t feel congested, but during dinner time, there can be a long wait, depending on your group size and what time you arrive. For example, on Feb 14th, occupancy was about 88% at the hotel. We arrived at 6:30PM and the first 3 restaurants we went to had over an hour of wait time. We ended up going to Barefoot by the Sea as our last resort.
- If you are able to, getting the butler room will make your trip much more pleasant. Your butler will help you get food (there is no room service, but take out), make dinner reservations for you, and get you beach chairs early in the morning. You’ll also get a cabana and other added perks. They say that the two things that Butlers will not do is babysit your children or do laundry for you. 🙂
- Complete the online check-in at least 4 days prior. This will ensure the hotel has all your information and can arrange your transfer and PCR / Antigen test properly. I know of someone who didn’t check-in online, and instead of receiving a PCR test, she ended up being booked for an Antigen test because the majority of the guests come from the USA. However, she needed a PCR test as she’s from Canada, so she ended up having to re-do all the forms and it took about 2 hours to get everything settled.
- Always check the PCR / antigen form given to you at check-in to make sure it’s correct
- Fill out all forms beforehand. There are a lot of forms to fill in – both for entry to Turks & Caicos, and for departing. On departure, make sure you are in an area with good and stable Wi-Fi, as you also need to upload passport photos to complete the form.
