Beaches is an expensive resort, but it's a great value for our family, so we've gone for three years in a row. Here are a few things to contemplate when considering a trip to Beaches, or for that matter, to any other all-inclusive family resort:
How Much Does Beaches Turks and Caicos Cost?
A weeklong stay at Beaches resort in Turks and Caicos costs around $9,000 for a family of four, including airfare. Vacation packages can easily reach $15,000-$20,000 for families who stay in Butler-Level suites. Price-wise, the best time to visit Turks and Caicos is Spring.
Related: Beaches Resort Deals and Promo Codes
Our family can't afford to go to Beaches in the high season (and even if we could, we probably wouldn't want to go at that time because of the crowds), so we travel in May and we’ve paid around $1,000 per night. This is comparable to what our April stay at Dreams Punta Cana cost. That said, we think that Beaches is the better value of the two resorts.
Travel Time
Our family likes to stay 1.5 days at our vacation destination for every hour that we spend traveling in the sky. It's a silly rule of thumb, but it helps us make sure that we have enough time to relax on vacation instead of feeling like the whole trip was just a rush to pack and to catch flights. Flying to Turks and Caicos Islands takes around 3.5 hours from our home in New York City and we can afford to stay at the resort for 5 or 6 days. The math works for us, but if we lived on the West Coast, I doubt we would have stayed at Beaches.
Airfare
When we book a trip to Beaches, we actually book a vacation package through our airline (JetBlue). It's a good deal for our family, but depending on where one lives, airfare might be prohibitively expensive. It's important to consider the total cost of a trip to Beaches.
Food Preferences
Our family likes all kinds of food and we especially like ethnic dishes. (Our daughter was eating octopus and tripe by her second birthday.) That makes Beaches a great fit for us because we live in New York City where it’s expensive to dine out, especially when ordering surf or turf dishes.
Beaches has more than 20 dining options: Some have exotic dishes and others serve classic dishes like pizza, burgers, pasta, and chicken fingers. If our family stuck to the simple stuff, we'd question if the price was worth it. The more adventurous one is with food, the better a deal Beaches becomes.
Open Bar
We enjoy beer, wine, and spirits on vacation. When we add it up, our combined bar tab would cost around $700 per trip. (Don't worry, we're not boozehounds. The open bar at Beaches has upper-shelf spirits that would be expensive anywhere else.) That's a lot of money, and for those who don't drink alcohol, it’s a lot of value to be lost.
Childcare
Childcare services are included at Beaches, and in our experience, the staff and service provided is excellent. It’s worth noting that kids who attend camp are subdivided into five age groups, ranging from infants to 12-year olds and every age in between. This system could result in siblings being split up, which seems like a potential inconvenience, but one that we haven’t suffered firsthand.
Excursions and Waterpark
Unlike other Caribbean resorts, like Dreams Punta Cana, Beaches’ all-inclusive price includes excursions like a glass-bottom boat ride, a party cruise, scuba-diving, and a variety of watersports. There is also a 45,000 square foot waterpark with several slides, a lazy river, a surf simulator, and a dedicated waterpark for younger children. Even without these inclusions, we’d consider Beaches resort to be a good value for our family, but this is just more icing atop a very large cake.
Convenience
At Beaches, you can walk around the resort with empty pockets and never have to worry about restaurant reservations, meal times, or tipping. If you don't like a meal or a drink, you can order something else. Childcare is included. There are fun things to do every day. These conveniences are worth a lot to our family, so we’ve returned to Beaches multiple times, but each time, in the “off season” to save money and to avoid crowds.
