This month I had the greatest opportunity to Travel to Turks and Caicos with my mom and sister for 5 nights while my sister attended Social Media On the Sand! I had never been to the Caribbean and we also haven’t had a girl’s trip for over 10 years, so this trip was even more special for me!

But first, a little background on the British territory of Turks & Caicos. Turks & Caicos is comprised of two group of islands; the smaller being Turks Islands and the largest being Caicos islands. Located south of the Bahamas and North of Hispaniola, I had no idea where this island was. to be honest, before this trip, I hadn’t heard of it! The population is rather small with a total of approx. 49,000 people.

Turks & Caicos’ main source of revenue is collected mostly from tourism throughout the year. Due to its beaches, coral reefs and clear blue water, these islands lure in thousands of U.S and Canadian tourists over the course of the year. The dry and sunny climate and consistent warm temperatures make this a popular place to visit at any season. The islands slower times are between June to November, as those months are dubbed their hurricane seasons. In fact, our trip was postponed last year due to Hurricane Maria and Irma.

The great thing is U.S Currency is accepted, the bad thing is the Island is SUPER expensive! Apparently, it is one of the most expensive islands in the Caribbean. If You go, I do suggest saving and possibly choosing an all-inclusive accommodation, like BEACHES Resorts!

This trip was the first time I stayed at an all-inclusive resort and it was phenomenal. I think I am spoiled now and may only opt for this accommodation for future travels, but it was so worth it, especially on an expensive island. Everything was included from water sports, attractions to entertainment, FOOD, AND DRINK… ALCOHOLIC DRINKS!!!! I couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend the time with my family. Although we did not bring kids, the resort caters to them too. With Sesame Street characters roaming the street to performances from Disney characters and the addition of the Pirate Island water park, kids will have a blast! I must admit, I definitely relieved some of my childhood experiences while there.

So that was my little brief overview. Now here are the 7 things you should do at BEACHES and in CAICOS that will make your trip worth it!

1) TAKE PHOTOS FROM THE SKY

Why is this the first thing? Look, the view from the plane on your way to Turks & Caicos will be one of the most beautiful scenes you will ever witness, so do yourself a favor and take photos!!

2) TAKE A TOUR OF THE RESORT

There are four villages; French, Italian, Key West and Caribbean, all with their unique charm and decorations. Make it a goal to visit every village at the resort! I suggest hopping on and off the intra-village golf cart services that the hotel provides and take a tour of the resort! This is something that we did pretty much the whole trip, must mostly for the first two days that we were there in order for us to get acquainted with the area. ( I know what you may be wondering.. yes, every village has bars in close proximity, in fact, every pool has a swim-up bar as well! ) Love that Rum Punch!

…. or you could take an official tour that Beaches offers. We decided to just roam around ourselves.

French Village:

I may be biased, but my favorite was the French Village, with the Italian coming in at a close second. The French Village had a unique charm and beautiful architecture. It also had one of the biggest pools and was close to the nightclub, water park, and some amazing French-themed restaurants. Most importantly it was close to my trusty SUSHI restaurant, SOY! This accommodation was a dream and the foliage, in proximity, was breathtaking! The views compensated for not having beach views that the other villages offered. In fact, I did not even miss it, as getting to the beach was only a short 5-6 minute walk or 1 minute by cart. Sigh, I am missing it already.

Italian Village:

The Italian Village was my other favorite European style spot at the resort. The pool was GORGEOUS and the hotel rooms varied from apartment style to beautiful pool-front family suites. This village is right on the ocean and is home to one of the most breathtaking views! In addition, it is closer to the boutique shopping areas at the resort.

Caribbean Village:

The Caribbean village has the most beautiful outdoor Gazebos with probably the most picturesque backdrops. I think this is where Beaches hosts most of their weddings because it is breathtaking. I just wanted to sleep in those Gazebos.

Key West Village:

We visited Key West a couple of times while there. It is the most family accommodating of them all, I believe because there are townhomes and single family style homes available for your stay. The accommodations there have pure Florida vibes and the most beautiful shades of blue and yellow colors! It is a retreat from the rest of the resort, as it is sort of tucked away, but perfect for those who would rather relax and retreat from the busy villages.

3) TRY TO VISIT ALL OF THE RESTAURANTS

We did very well in this area, I must say. Planning the trip, I made a vow to deny my diet shenanigans and eat everything possible at the resort. I mean, the food is included and I was not going to take that for granted! It was really hard to do because we packed our days with activities! However, we did our best to visit most of the restaurants. Beaches are super accommodating in that area. I remember the first day, a chef overheard me talking about my appetite for Ox Tail and offered to make it for me to pick up the very next day! I was so thankful and blessed because that’s all I really wanted that day!

While there we dined at:

All day snacking at The Jerk Shack & RUM BAR

Let me tell you about my best friend, MAMA, the chef at the Jerk Shack. MAMA HOOKED a girl up every single time she saw me, and I will forever be grateful. jerk chicken, fish, & pork, cassava bread… sweet potato fries. it was heaven.

Right next to the Jerk Shack is the RUM bar which you could guess has all the rum you could ask for; as well as one of the greatest tenders of all time, RJ! He also hooked ya girl up with some amazing concoctions of RUM punch, yes!!

Breakfast at Schooners

Breakfast at Schooners is the delicious! We ate there on our last day and the beach made a perfect backdrop for the morning meal.

Breakfast at Sky

The views attracted me to this spot! Thus Sky Restaurant is praised for it’s views and it did not disappoint.

Dinner at Kimonos

We went on the Friday night of our trip and it was by far the greatest dining experience I had while I was there. First time at a hibachi restaurant and was told that this was probably the best it would ever get! The meal was a performance, with singing and dancing filling the room. The whole restaurant (and I mean every table) would join in on each others songs. At the end of the night , my whole table actually became friends, laughing our way into Ctivketeers right after for karaoke. .

Afternoon Coffee & Dessert at Cafe De Paris

I recommend the Beaches Caramel Coffee and the Dark Chocolate Brownie! At some point I wanted to be bougie and get an “afternoon dessert”. So I walked a couple of steps from my room and entered into the Café de Paris for a hearty piece of brownie and a really good Beaches Caramel Coffee.

Dinner at Le Petit Chateau

The Best Lamb dish … that’s what I think about when I think of this restaurant. Also it’s aesthetically pleasing room decor. This is also where I decided to try my first oyster. Those who know me know that I cringe at oysters. clams and calamari, but I decided to be a little adventurous here and I am glad that I did. Still no calamari though—can’t get with it.

Also, they were nice enough to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom at the end!

I may just leave it here with the photos and pictures because I do not want to overwhelm you, but we also managed to go to the following : Snacks at BaySide, Dinner at Neptunes, Late Lunch/Early Dinner at Soy, Dinner at Arizonas, Breakfast at Giuseppe’s, Lunch and Brunch at Sapadillas.

Yes, I did gain 5 pounds that week and I am perfectly fine with that.

4) ATTEND THE FESTIVITIES: Karaoke at Cricketeers, Beach & Pool Parties!

Odds are that the week you are at Beaches there will be something going on! While we were there, there was a beach party at Treasure Beach and later on that week Social Media on the Sand hosted a Alice in Wonderland themed party at the French Village!

5) HAVE A PHOTOSHOOT ON THE BEACH! Or anywhere at the resort

The beach is the most beautiful during sunset and that is also when photography golden hour is! I wrote a post about the Most Instagrammable Spots at Beaches Turks and Caicos so read that for some ideas! :) Also, if you aren’t camera savvy, the resort does offer free photoshoots w/ paid photo packages which is awesome!

6) WALK ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT

One of my favorite nights had to be after dinner at Neptunes when my mom, sister and I went on a walk on the beach, singing and acting crazy! This is actually a tradition for us because at our girls trip to Disney World 10 years ago, we did the same thing. Made my heart happy for sure.

7) LEAVE THE RESORT & MEET SOME OF THE LOCALS

The best part about Providenciales were the locals! On Saturday before we left the island a couple of us ventured out of the resort into the actual downtown areas. I would really love to say that ALL of the islands was as gorgeous as Beaches, but you can still see the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma and Maria. Despite the devastation, there is so much history and beauty surrounding this British territory.

We learned about why the island is so expensive and in a nutshell, it is because this island imports EVERYTHING. Our tour guide took us to the actual ports that bring in all the supplies on the island and it was so interesting to witness. We also were able to visit a Tiny Bay in the area right behind Las Brisas Restaurant and Bar.

We also stopped by a cigar shop and was able to witness how tobacco is actually rolled! Did you know that the best cigar actually comes from Nicaragua?

It was really interesting so definitely get out of the resort for a bit and roam around.

Please note that we did all of this as a group! Please consider safety first when traveling in an unknown area. Take a friend or make sure you are aware of your surroundings at all times.

On the way to our next destination, we passed horses and I just had to pet and ride them. I had never been on a horse and we were pressed for time so the lovely man allowed me to just ride them in close proximity for a couple of minutes. That was all I needed to feel fulfilled. This was the highlight of my trip, for sure.

8) VISIT THE POTCAKE PLACE

So meeting animals was definitely the theme throughout this trip because I could not leave without visiting the Potcake Place and you shouldn’t either! If you are a dog lover, your heart will melt when I tell you that if you go early enough you can actually take the dogs for a walk on the beach! Although it was too late to take the puppies out for a walk on the beach, I was still able to play with Flurry, here, until the shop closed.

There is no animal shelter in the Turks and Caicos so this is the only place that these #puppies can be cared for until a permanent home can be found! The Potcake Place is staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers who work endlessly to ensure that these puppies get their vaccinations and other treatments in preparation for adoption. They also make it convenient for you, as they will usually try to find a courier to fly the puppy to right to your home!

If you are ever on the island, pay them a visit; or donate to their efforts!

9) Partake in the ATTRACTIONS & INCLUSIVE ACTIVITIES at Beaches Resorts

Snorkeling, Diving, Boating, you name it and its included in the cost of the rooms. I wasn’t able to go snorkeling this time around, but my mom and I did go on the Glass Boat which took us into the Great Barrier Reef to look at the fish and sea creatures. If I can be honest, I was more mesmerized by the ocean than the animals. Turks and Caicos is the home of one of the largest barrier reefs in the world. This reef is home to tons of colorful marine life, from sea turtles to starfish. I was even lucky enough to see an eagle ray for the first time along with piranhas and a barracuda.

While at the resort, my sister helped me to conquer one of my fears and tube down the slides at the Pirates Island Park, a water park for kids. But hey, before you get condescending, it was a big slide!! Anyways, Pirates island may have been created with kids in mind, but it isn’t exclusive to them. My mom, sister and I had a lot of fun on the Lazy river in the park too. So I recommend taking a leisurely stroll to the park and enjoying yourself.

10. RELAX & ENJOY THE BEAUTY AROUND YOU

I know that there can be tons of pressure to take photos of everything and try to preserve enough memories to last, but the main thing you should be doing on this island is enjoying every minute that you have on it. I had a phenomenal time meeting new people and learning about a new culture, but the best memories were me, my mom and my sister eating dinner together, walking on the beach and singing or just laying on the beach taking in the sun. I took a lot of photos, but I also refrained from posting them on social media for the week because I wanted to enjoy my vacation. As someone who likes to recount their memories through photos, it can sometimes be hard to part ways from technology, but I had to in order to truly be present.

I enjoyed every minute of Beaches Turks and Caicos and would recommend it to families, couples or even groups of friends who want to get away. This resort has everything that you need.