PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

This Grace Bay megaresort remains a perennial favorite among families. And with a whopping 453 units and a $68-million expansion that includes an additional 168 family suites, a water park, and a 1,115-sq.-m (12,000-sq.-ft.) swimming pool in the new Italian Village set for completion in 2007, it's remarkable that it all chugs along as smoothly as it does. The grounds are beautifully maintained, guests (especially kids) seem deliriously happy and busy, and weddings are held on-site on an almost daily basis. It's a winning formula: Rooms are nearly impossible to come by in high season without reservations made long in advance.

And yet, you wish the rooms were brighter, bigger, and warmer, and that deluxe suites were more, well, special -- especially in comparison with similarly priced luxury suites elsewhere on Grace Bay. Yes, the older part of the resort is in the process of being refreshed (the decor is spiffier in the French Village, the newer section), and the rooms need it; some have a dark, slightly moldy feel and rattling air conditioners. You wish the food at the buffet looked more appetizing. You wish the resort's beach wasn't so tightly packed with people, vendors, beach floats, you name it -- an anomaly on the luxuriously spread-out sands of Grace Bay.

This resort is part of the Sandals chain of all-inclusive hotels, though unlike most Sandals, families with kids are welcome here -- and welcome here with a bang. The price tag is high, but the all-inclusive designation means you get plenty for your money: all your meals and drinks, excellent watersports, winning service from a huge staff of nearly 800 employees, a full-service nursery with cribs, swings, rockers, and a full coterie of nannies with whom you can leave babies and toddlers, even a spa, the Red Lane (open 8am-8pm daily). A Sesame Camp is available for kids 5 and under; actors dressed as characters from Sesame Street -- Elmo and his friends Cookie Monster, Grover, and Zoe -- are on hand to interact with small children. A Pirates Island Kids Club camp has daily activities for children 6 to 12. Gratuities are included for everything, so you don't have to worry about stuffing your pockets full of small bills and change and doling out tips all day. If you've got a gambling itch, 24-hour slot machines are available on the patio near the Turtles Bar. Note, however, that you'll pay extra for many spa treatments, certain scuba-diving courses and island excursions, and international telephone calls.

Accommodations come in 12 different \"categories\" and a variety of configurations and bedrooms. All rooms and suites have king-size beds. The higher-category suites have four-poster beds, a \"Premium Bar\" and fully stocked refrigerator based on your personal requests, and 8am-to-8pm concierge service. The luxury suites offer a really nifty amenity: 24-hour butler service, with professionally trained butlers catering to your every need. The largest unit, the French Village three-bedroom suite, can accommodate up to 11 people. Nightly entertainment -- from movies to family game shows to adult discos -- is held on the Main Stage in the French Village, so if you prefer to be away from the evening action, request a room elsewhere. And keep in mind that not all rooms and suites have ocean views; some have pool and/or garden views.

Facilities: 10 restaurants; 7 bars; 6 outdoor pools; golf course (nearby); 4 lit tennis courts; fitness center; spa; 2 saunas; kayaks; windsurfing; Hobie Cats; Aqua Trikes; snorkeling; volleyball; basketball; children's center w/pool; game room; massage; nurses station; babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning; Wi-Fi; Internet cafe (extra cost); nonsmoking rooms; 3 shops; rooms for those w/limited mobility. In room: A/C, ceiling fan, TV, dataport, fridge, coffeemaker, hair dryer, iron/ironing board, safe; CD players, in-room bars, and bathrobes available in concierge rooms.

Day Pass at Beaches -- Even if you're not staying there, you can treat yourself and your family to a day's worth of all the resort activities, meals and drinks, and encounters with Sesame Street characters you can possibly stand with a day pass to the all-inclusive Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort & Spa. The cost is $120 per adult ($60 per child) and lasts from 9am until 5pm. It's an especially fun option for the small kids in your party who are gaga for all things Elmo and Cookie Monster -- and not a bad day at the beach for older kids who have total access to Beaches' wealth of sports and watersports facilities and Xbox Game Oasis Center. Turn to chapter 3 for a rundown of all the activities that Beaches has to offer. For more information, call tel. 649/946-8000.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Portable Turks and Caicos, 1st Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Find Hotel Deals on Yahoo Travel»