We spent five nights at the 147-room Ritz-Carlton Turks & Caicos, which I’ve been curious to check out, given that it only opened in 2021. The initial reviews of the hotel online are pretty harsh, so what’s my take?
Continue reading: Review: Ritz-Carlton Turks & Caicos
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I’ve stayed at Ritz Carlton properties with plainer rooms. Maybe they add some art, but at least the rooms are sizable. At the end of the day, it is a well done property with attractive grounds, good food and beverage, warm weather location, easily accessible to the US, ticks all the necessary boxes for a nice vacation Ritz Carlton resort. For better or worse this is kind of a prototypical Ritz to me, I plan to visit eventually.
The views look great! You're right though that the interiors looks something closer to an airport hotel than a luxurious Caribbean resort. Maybe since it's new they haven't gotten to it yet?
One thought experiment - if this hotel were called a Westin or an Autograph collection, but with the exact same design, restaurants, room fit and finish, amenities, and pricing, would the rating go up to 4.5 or 5 stars?
Looks pretty average and not something I would pay over $1K a night for. Or burn points at that rate. Those rooms are right out of the RC Resort Factory play book. There is nothing I see that is unique or even attempting at a resort that might otherwise be in Florida. The building is truly hideous.
It is interesting though that they also use Filipinos as staff there. I believe Aman was the first to bring them to Turks and Caicos as the majority of the staff last time I was there, around 2009, were Filipino.
I know I already said it on your "intro" blog, but I have to say it again that it is so upsetting that this hotel was ever approved. As always, it was a great review, however this hotel is a massive eye sore on Grace Bay. There were no highrises before and now this is there... That was a massive part of the allure of T&C. Not to mention it's a casino resort... If you are paying cash rates, there are so many other options to choose from before this monstrosity. T&C is one of my happy places and it's such a bummer that this high rise is now on Grace Bay.
Great review! Those rooms though... yikes. And the building is indeed a massive eye sore, my goodness, how was that even approved? It looks like Miami. You can already tell it's going to age extremely poorly.
Looks too bland especially at the price. Could be anywhere based on the interiors.
And presumably Grace beach was a beautiful spot till they built a huge hotel and apartment complex on it destroying the vibe.
I'm not usually down on their hotels but this is just so meh.
Sitting on the balcony offers two great advantages: 1) you have a lovely sea view, and 2) you can't be looking at that ugly building they call a hotel.
Put up a Westin flag and charge $400 a night and it would be a very nice resort, but that just doesn't seem like a $1200 Ritz Carlton to me.
Per a friend who lives in Providenciales - the original plan was back in the early 2000's for a Ritz Carlton on West Caicos but it fell through. Then during the '08/'09 crisis, the government panicked and wanted to secure a windfall. They signed this deal sometime in the early/mid 2010's. Completely sold out... You can see the top of the hotel from a big chunk of beach on Grace Bay. If you can swing it, I'd prefer to stay on the other end at Waymara or over elsewhere (COMO, Amanyara) where you don't have to look at it.
It seems like they actively avoided any not to local culture. For dinner I can have Steak, Italian or Sushi? The rooms and lobby have zero sense of place. I'd probably stare there on points, but I'd never pay money to stay at a place I could be absolutely anywhere in the world.
Great looking overpriced Resort Factory. Haha. Thought you didn't like those. Also looks like it basically destroyed any REMAINING lowrise/ambience Grace Bay once had. Yuck
1200$ a night for this? Wow. Is the whole Grace Bay area overpriced or is this hotel an exception?
Sounds like the Alila Marea. The rooms were fine but not very inspired, for an upscale beach resort
While I LOVE your blog, your scores are way too kind. 4/5 for this, really? With the exception of being harassed in Greece, have you ever been to a hotel that you didn’t give 4, 4.5 or 5 stars? 😉
Great to see you back in the review business Lucky! Agree with your conclusion and some of the comments, I'd go to this hotel but only on points given the proximity to Miami (also SoFl-based). However, if I am paying nearly 1k a night (or more!) I think there are better deals to be had in T&C. Also, RC doesn't honor Bonvoy members too well, adding to my reluctance to book at this property.
Oceanfront is a big stretch here. Maybe the building in front of you is oceanfront.
@ Sel, D. -- Interesting. I have several criticisms of this hotel, but that's not one of them. But I guess different people view room naming differently. To me an oceanview room is one that looks at the ocean but potentially has an obstruction, while an oceanfront room is one that directly faces the ocean.
So few weeks ago you downplay the devaluation, yet you say here you're trying to burn all your Bonvoy points.
So are we suppose to panic and quickly burn them or not?
@ Lukas -- Hah, there was also Solaz Los Cabos:
https://onemileatatime.com/reviews/solaz-los-cabos/
I hear you, perhaps four stars is too generous. I think the reason I rated it that highly is because a) you can redeem points here, and there aren't many options in Turks & Caicos where that's the case, and it's a decent value on points b) Grace Bay is really beautiful, so the location can't be beat, and c) everyone was friendly and the dining options were good.
To me it's easy to decide if a place deserves a 4.5-5 star rating (this place doesn't), though perhaps I struggle a bit more in deciding between a 3.5-4 star rating.
@ Mark -- Most hotels on Grace Bay are pricey, though the Ritz-Carlton probably commands a premium over some other places based on the name recognition and global distribution power of Marriott.
@ Eskimo -- When did I try to downplay the devaluation? I literally wrote the same thing about wanting to redeem my Bonvoy points in the St. Regis Aspen review.
@ MVF -- I'm not usually a resort factory fan, but I have been wanting to visit Turks & Caicos and there's a points angle here, hence the visit.
@ Anthony -- I'd say it would probably get 4.5 stars, assuming rates were actually materially lower.
@ Vodelhaus -- Yeah, I do kind of wonder if they're still waiting on some interior finishes...
Great review! Very impressed with this resort and location. I’d use points as my first choice as the cash price seems high.
This room was going for over $1k a night? I guess I really do not get the allure of these luxury properties. Yeah there are some nice amenities and the rooms can be nice but what are you really getting for your money? You pay such a crazy amount for a bed to sleep in, then on top of that you have to pay exorbitant amounts for meals. It's always confused me. When I pay an expensive cash rate to fly first/business on a high end international airline, I know that my comfort and experience is going to be leaps and bounds above economy and it is all included for the price I paid. With hotels, it is the exact opposite. The more you pay, the less things are included. Just weird. I would be equally as happy at a Hyatt House as I would at this Ritz Carlton 😉
Since 2021, I’ve been truly surprised at room prices for luxury hotels with close access from the US (or a part of the US). I think it’s part of the travel reality for a while.
Appreciate the review. Based on that, definitely not going. Other than the beach, looks like there was nothing that made it stand out from any other reasonable hotel in any other similar place.
To me "Resort View" has no view of the ocean. "Ocean View" has a partial or direct view of the ocean, and "Ocean Front" has a completely unblemished view, with no other buildings blocking your view of the beach and water. These views/rooms would be the closet to the beach. I've seen other hotels use this nomenclature as well. Since you can see another building from your balcony that is closer to the beach, I would have thought that those views are "Ocean Front" and you would have an "Ocean View".
Nothing says "Ritz-Carlton" like wasted people staggering around a booze cruise yelling "f*ck you" at the sky!
Not terribly impressive, but not too bad for a points hotel that's just a short hop from south Florida, I guess.
Was that asparagus as huge as it looks in the photo?
At the end of the day, easy access to pools, nice beaches (along with water sports, booze cruise), restaurants is worth a lot of money to a lot of people, especially in the winter months. You also get a large, comfortable room. Four or five nights in this setting can be a good opportunity to recharge. Remember you may be on a plane for four, five, seven, 10 hours, but you are at this kind of hotel for days.
The issue is I think a Westin would price out at $800 or more in the current environment. Westin hotels in Maui routinely get $1,000. The price is the price, I’m not sure if this is temporary
Based on this review I think I would do a Marriott stay and enjoy the beautiful beach, as well as finally see the Turks and Caicos’s.
Ben, just stayed at the St. Regis Punta Mita. Excellent use of points, and was also able to clear 5 upgrade certs. A Sun-Friday stay, as well as ambassador status I think helped. Very very nice resort and beach property for Marriott- can’t recommend enough.
Stayed at Grace Bay Club recently and couldn't believe they allowed that monstrosity to be built , heard from a local cab driver the Ritz Carlton owners bribed the local officials to get past the building code where no building should be taller than the tallest palm tree. I have no idea if that is true but would not surprise me. The Ritz truly is an eyesore on Grace Bay.
Stayed here in November. The only way to stay here is a room with Club Lounge. It makes it like an all inclusive, but Ritz style!!!
It's amazing how much Ritz relies only on its name. Obviously too many people have much more money than sense. The only worthwhile Ritz I've ever stayed at was in Langkawi. All others have been a huge disappointment and I've pretty much written off Ritz entirely. I'd love to visit T&C but definitely won't be wasting that many points on such an average property.
I know that recipe!...
1. Build a Westin
2. Give it gym equipment from a Sheraton
3. Add a chain steakhouse
4. Subtract elite benefits
5. Mix well until branded as Ritz-Carlton
6. Charge $1,200 per night and profit.
I often stay at Ritz’s and find a wide range in terms of price/experience. For example, the prior Ritz in Lake Las Vegas, in Amelia Island, or in Orlando - more competitively priced and more average experience. However, the Ritz’s in prime locations tend to be expensive and high-end experience (like Grand Cayman or Naples) or even Reserve properties. Surprises me that this one isn’t more expensive per night (in high season) and higher experience - that location could command it.
No resort fee I’m guessing? So at least that’s nice?
Also funny how titanium elites have a special published upgrade benefit at ritz and it’s such a scam that it goes totally unmentioned.
Well put Mark. I think where this becomes a bigger deal is when you pay for it and have a certain expectation vs. a check-in upgrade. How can a room be oceanfront if another is oceanfronter? Lucky this could make for a good (somewhat) whimsical general post - I know you’ve been unhappy with room descriptions before.
Ironically if you look at satellite view the rooms are set much further back from the beach than almost any other hotel on Grace Bay. I can't imagine paying the cash cost for this place given what else is available just yards away.
Great Review. Don't forget there is a Ritz in Naples Florida. You could drove there and taken Winston.
I get the reservations about the room. The room looks like a small step down from the JW Marriott Cancun I stayed at during a "I have to take a beach vacation somewhere other than Florida" last year. Though at the JW at least they had some décor in the corridors.
The other plus of a JW over a Ritz (there was one right next door) was the included breakfast with Platinum status. I'll almost always choose a JW over a Ritz, and a St. Regis is a no brainer over a Ritz.
@Lucky - Did you ever re-book your Ritz cruise???
Honestly this looks like a Grand Hyatt — 100% not a Ritz Carlton. Depressing rooms, harsh lighting everywhere, and boring restaurants/bars. The only thing this place has going for it is the beach, and I’m sure there are places with a much better value nearby.
This looks like a condo in Florida - definite pass! And those food prices are extortionate. Gotta make up for all the people redeeming Bonvoy points, I suppose...
Meh, rooms def don't seem like a Ritz. Mini cruise looked nice if snacks were plentiful. But the price wasn't bad. I'm always disappointed when resorts like this don't offer local food. Sushi and steak are nice but I want local grub when I travel.
Building lacking in style, cheap furnishings, rooms inside look like a nicer Hyatt Place, no real Bonvoy benefits...smells just like Marriott to me!
It doesn’t look like a $1200 per night place. BUT I can see that getting away to the ocean and having nice service and food can make it a nice experience hence the 4 stars. For me you summed it up with nice balcony and waves crashing.
If you’re not spending a whole lot of time in the room or corridor it kinda makes sense
I just headed straight to the comment section. Is this where you do your offshore banking ? 1,000 corporations probably use the hotel address as a tax safe haven.
Ben, although I generally agree with your review, my wife and I felt that the food on the property (other than BLT and the burger we had almost daily) was lackluster at best. Although the sushi ordered from the lobby bar was excellent, the hour plus wait for lunch was well beyond island time acceptable. The physical plant of the hotel was perfectly fine. You are in the Caribbean and if you are expecting the Ritz in Grand Cayman or Aruba, T&C is neither. But, it is still a perfectly fine hotel. The hotel needs to work on F&B (both food quality and staff attentiveness). It has the bones to be great property with some hard work. The core staff members were fantastic, but we have found that a mandatory 10% service charge is an invitation to mediocrity. We spent 10 days there in January and are currently in Aruba. Both great islands, but at the end of the day, we’d go with the Marriott Surf Club. Next month Zemi on Anguilla; we’ll try to do a comparison on Zemi and the Ritz.
Yikes. I am so disappointed with the St. Regis in Bermuda and with this. I was looking for some nice hotels to stay at in these new destinations I’ve never been and I am put off the photos. Firstly, the beach does not compare in quality to other areas on Grace based on guest images on TripAdvisor and Instagram. The tile by the elevator in the lobby looks so boring and poor. The hallway is a 4 star hallway. The rooms have boring furniture and carpeting. The only redeeming feature is the stand alone bathtub.
The hotel does look like a monstrosity. It is too far recessed from the beach. That’s a long walk to the beach.
I was shocked and laughed so hard when I realized the rooms in Bermuda (St. Regis) have the entrance that goes through the bathroom to get to the room. I’ve never heard something so ridiculous. These were two of the most prominent new additions to Marriott and it’s disappointing. The Westin in St. John was also renovated a few years ago into something comical. Basically, the Ritz in St. Thomas and Grand Cayman are the only ones I can vouch for in the Caribbean.
Comical place.
Awful building, no soul whatsoever, generic restaurants. Sushi in a lobbybar and wasted people yelling during a cruise, what a confusing mess for those nightly rates.
Also the beach looks average? There is literally no scenery or anything, so I am not really sure what makes even that spectacular. Hard pass.
Aside from the food, which looks nice, everything just looks....extremely dull to me and not luxurious. Even the balcony view to me is not very good because it's so far away from the sea and you have directly the other big building to your left, feels more like eastern bloc plattenbau almost.
Im sorry but no-way does that look like its worth $1200 a night IMHO, you get better rooms from an all inclusive in family resort in Greece.
One very stupid question...but from everyone's experience, what's the purpose of the "do you need me to take you to your room" offer?
Is it for tips? Is it just legacy? Given that most people have travelled for years, and the ones who have never travelled probably won't tip thinking it's part of the service, what purpose does this serve anymore given that I've never been "lost"...
(That said...my partner does say I do excessive research ahead of time for everything)
I'd say it's for clearly for tipping and also just in case people think they may get lost. I presume the bags are delivered separately anyway?
Exactly my thoughts. I've stayed at resorts on the Greek islands for a tenth of this price and all the same charm. The Coke branded refrigerator screamed 3 star.
I wonder whether this approach is sustainable. The rooms are very average, the hallways no more than 3 stars, the level of detail as regards art and design is low. If a property fails to justify a premium, I wonder how many Bonvoy elites will return and still pay that premium.
From your "Marriott Bonvoy Devaluation: How Bad Will It Be?" post.
-For the average, run-of-the-mill redemption, I wouldn’t expect the elimination of award charts to be bad news
-I’d even expect that many high-end hotels will continue to have award pricing that’s similar to what it is today, at least for much of the year
-Personally I think there will be some unofficial cap on redemption rates
-The good news is that I don’t think all aspirational properties will suddenly become outrageously priced.
I mean we all agree devaluation is bad, and we should book asap.
But there is also a difference between
I'm going to xxxxx this year so I should redeem them now.
vs
I'm making a trip to yyyyy just so I can get rid of Bonvoy while there is still something left.
And I guess I'm stuck here on what exactly is your opinion. That post makes me feel like devaluation sucks but no need to panic. Just go to xxxxx but don't go to yyyyy yet.
@ JP -- This is an excellent question, which I'd like to address in a separate post. Thanks for the idea!
@ Eskimo -- I didn't take this trip solely to redeem points. I'm simply prioritizing redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points over other hotel points, as I've often done in the past when a devaluation is imminent.
I think you're selectively quoting from that post. I also speculate in that post that redemptions could cost up to 200K points, which would mean that the value for high-end redemptions in peak season would be cut in half. That would be a massive devaluation for those looking for aspirational redemptions.
But I also stand by everything else you quoted above. The two concepts aren't mutually exclusive.
There's a middle ground here. I think the most premium redemptions will go way up in price, but that doesn't mean everyone should suddenly redeem all of their Bonvoy points. Meanwhile for those who want to redeem at Marriott's most premium properties in peak season, I absolutely think it's worth locking in an award.
My favorite part about Turks and Caicos is getting out and exploring the local restaurants, interacting with the friendly locals and seeing the even more beautiful beaches "off the beaten path" like Half Moon Bay. Rent a kayak and a half hour later you're on a nearly abandoned piece of beautiful sand. These Grace Bay all-inclusive places just look depressing to me, especially the Ritz (looks like a prison when you drive past it on the road.) I can't imagine visiting Turks and just staying in one of these resorts the entire time. The island is filled with incredible Airbnbs and VRBOs for a fraction of the price and infinitely more character than this Ritz.
Boy, they put a Pepsi branded cooler out by the pool? How is this a Ritz Carlton? At least throw some palm fronds on the side to hide the garish red/white/blue advertisement.
Thanks for your explanations.
Sitting on way too much points. I was saving up for several miles hotel + air package, decided not to buy due to the year expiration. Got Bonvoyed for not buying. And for the same reason, still can't convince myself to burn many weeks in paradise just for the reason to not get devalued.
I guess staying a few months at RI or CY that didn't get devalued is not a bad consolation. It would be a weird milestone but should be interesting to reach 75 or even 100 nights with 0 USD spent.
I've seen the Ritz and am not impressed at all, other than the beautiful beach it's on. We stay at the building next door to the Ritz -- the Villa Renaissance -- which in my opinion offers more luxury and space in a more intimate setting with equal or superior facilities. And, it's price is a fraction of the Ritz.
Stay at the AMAN resort, Amanyara, and you will not be disappointed. First class all the way.
This was a great review Lucky. The property was on my honeymoon short list (we ended up at Zemi Beach House in Anguilla) and we'll definitely keep it on the list for future trips.
Very thorough and helpful review!
I would be interested to know if the adult/ family pools are monitored and enforced. It has been my experience that hotel staff and management are very reluctant to enforce the adult only rule.
I also recently stayed at the ritz on points and had similar thoughts. I was also overcharged for taxes and fees — over 3X from what I was quoted in my confirmation. Did you experience this too? I’ve been trying to dispute this along with another incorrect charge with the hotel but am not getting a response.
We stayed at Villa Renaissance down the beach over Thanksgiving and walked over one afternoon to check the Ritz out. I agree that the lobby and grounds are terrific but the rooms and interior just look depressing. Other nice thing about that area is that there are plenty of walkable shopping and dining options, as well as a grocery store.
This Ritz looks like a decent alternative for a quick weekend in TCI burning points but otherwise stay at one of the villas in the area; same beach, 3-4x the space w/ a kitchen yet half the price of the Ritz.
Wow. What an unimpressive monstrosity! No redeeming qualities. Generic AF.
Found the comment "nothing says Ritz more than wasted tourists cursing at the sky" pretty funny.
My fiance really wanted to go to T&C, and in our research; we found the Ritz Carlton commanded a (cash) premium, consistently. The neighboring hotels must love the Ritz Carlton, as it will allow them to raise their rates.
Unless people have points to burn, this place looks like a pass.
Unfortunately, secrets out.....and AA is now offering daily flights to Anguilla. Anguilla = a refined Turks & Caicos. Better hotels, better restaurants. When you bake the two off against each other; it is a mystery why people still pick T&C over Anguilla