Lindsey Valente

Review of Grace Bay Club

As I write this, I realize my issues with Grace Ba...

As I write this, I realize my issues with Grace Bay Club are all first world problems, but I have been to my fair share of luxury Caribbean resorts, and for the price you pay, I don't think I'd come back to Grace Bay Club.

I love that it is close to the airport, you are at the hotel within 20 minutes of leaving the airport. They greet you with water, rum punch, and cool towels. As the week goes on however, you start to plan your next vacation, and it isn't coming back here.

The staff clearly does not receive the same training as employees at other 5-star resorts. Getting towels, whether on the beach or poolside, almost always required me getting up to get them myself. Is that difficult? No, but at other similar priced resorts, When someone sees my family approaching a set of chairs, they have met me there with an over abundance of beach towels.

There is no phone rule for the employees. Over half of the people I did approach for help, were on his or her mobile phones. One of the guys at the pool even carried on his phone conversation while servicing those at the pool.

Noise pollution was everywhere. Apparently the hotel has no policy against drones. We spent our first morning on the beach with one hovering over our heads for over an hour. Several afternoons, different groups would come from the hotel and blast music on the beach. I don't know that there is an answer to this, we just found it extremely annoying. (It isn't spring break, after all). I am also completely aware that my children are annoying and can be loud, and I would like to ban them on occasion. Fortunately for people who don't want to listen to my children, there is an adult's only pool ample distance from the children's pool. Sadly, I can't leave my children alone and go there. Having the pool bar in the children's pool was a brilliant (though I'm not sure planned) move.

The food experience left much to be desired. The menus were only ok. Once again they fall short on service in dining. The rooms are nice, they have been painted and have updated furniture since our last visit, though they are visibly worn in some places.

The beach is one of the prettiest anywhere I have been and it is excellent for the kids.

They are currently building a Ritz not too far from here and it will be interesting to see what happens to Grace Bay Club when that opens. If the service is what it is at other Ritz locations, GBC will need to make some serious revisions to keep up. I know I am eagerly awaiting the Ritz's opening for our next trip to Turks.