Travel to Turks + Caicos {Grace Bay Club}

We planned this trip for a few reasons...it was our first big trip away from our 10 month old little boy, it was our 2 year anniversary (April 21st) and it was the first birthday of my Dad's that we are celebrating without him.  It's been tradition for his birthday that we take a family trip to the islands, so we felt it would be nice to keep the tradition rolling...

We picked Turks and Caicos for a few reasons: {1} It was one of the easiest islands for us to get to with reasonable flight costs {2} We had never been (minus a quick one night trip Matt did a few years back for fishing) {3}  We found a beautiful resort that enticed us! 

We flew from Pensacola with a layover in Miami.  Things could not have gone smoother.  Miami airport has finally finished all of it's renovations and made for a very easy layover spot especially when dealing with customs.  

We stayed at the Grace Bay Club.  We were extremely pleased when we arrived at the resort (only a quick 15 minute cab ride from the airport which is a bonus in my book) and were greeted with Rum Punches in their perfectly decorated lobby (sad I don't have a picture) and a pearly white Caribbean smile!!

Checking in at the hotel and sipping' our rum punches! 

We were ecstatic to find out that when we checked in they had kindly upgraded us from a Villa Junior Suite to the One Bedroom Suite in the Hotel (adults only).   Our suite was only on the first floor which was money for us because we walked out the sliding glass doors to these gorgeous views and the infinity pool and hot tub!!

We arrived on a Monday night and every Monday the hotel hosts a "Managers" Cocktail party where they invite all the guests and serve apps and free drinks as well as some nice mingling amongst guests and the employees.  

The Cocktail Party

 We had the most gorgeous sunset that night too!  We had dinner at one of the hotel's restaurants, Anacaona, and it was fantastic.  The restaurant has stunning views of the beach and sunsets like these on clear nights.   We loved our meal and had a perfect first night.  

Tuesday was our first full day and we used the day to relax by the pool and beach and do some research on excursions that we might be interested in on the trip.  

Poolside with a swim up bar... That evening we had a 5 o'clock beachside couples massage that was outstanding.  They do it in the cabana you see in the bottom left photo.  Those carribean women have some strong hands!  I loved it.

We learned about a BBQ on the beach that the hotel hosted that night and we decided to do that for dinner.  They did an outstanding job setting up for the BBQ and even had a flame blower for entertainment at the end.  

Matt cheesin' it up for me at dinner

Wednesday was a big day because we signed up for the Island Vibes Snorkel Tour.  This way by far the MOST FUN DAY we had!  Whoa...  We met an adorable couple on our first day that were honeymooners from Dallas and we joined them on this excursion.  These boat captains knew how to party and forget the snorkel (it was pretty, don't get me wrong), but the party was much more fun!  We drank rum punches until we said "Donkey" and frolicked around private islands and crystal clear water.  They even served us fresh conch salad that we watched them catch!  

The top of the boat had a diving board that we all jumped from a few times.  I had just enough liquid courage to do a front flip off the dive.  I will spare you that video, but it felt pretty ballsy.  

Lounging on the rooftop

The boat tour was a half day tour, but we didn't let the party stop there.  We came back to our resort and hopped in the pool with homemade rum punches in coffee cups.  We played with the see-through glass a bit and then walked down to the beach.  

I wish I had photos of this (I'm sure some random beach bystander does), but we all rode one of those silly bananas that they pull behind the boat.  We were nice and toasted by then and continuously fell off the back.  It was a sight, I'm sure.  

Somehow we managed to re-group, nap, shower and dress for a nice evening out to dinner.  We went to a Japanese restaurant called, Soro, that was walking distance from the hotel.  At first sight, we were a bit concerned with the ambiance; but we sat outside and the food ended up being quite delicious.   The sushi was great and a bit different than the sushi we're used to in the US.  

With the cute newlyweds! 

After dinner we headed back to the resort for dessert and cigars for the men...

We spent Thursday pretty much recuperating and lounging around the resort between the pool and the beach.  The weather was so pleasant the entire time we were there.  

Thursday was my Dad's birthday, so we planned a nice dinner at Grace's Cottage just a short taxi drive from our resort.  The restaurant was a perfect little oasis and so quaint.  My sea bass literally melted in my mouth.  I was dreaming about it that night.  It was incredible.  We toasted to my Dad and Matt had a Jack and Sprite in his honor.  

We called it an early night and when we were back in our room, we had a knock at the door.  It was room service delivering us complimentary chocolates and a bottle of Flowers Pinot Noir with a handwritten note.  Our concierge (each room is assigned their own butler) had asked us how the service had been and we told him wonderful but in one area of the resort that the serviced seemed slow in the evenings.  

They sent this as an apology.  It was so unnecessary, but proves how hard the resort strives for great customer service.  I think that says so much about the resort.  I was very impressed. 

Friday was interesting.  Matt was dying to fish while we were in the Turks.  He wanted to go out on a center console boat and troll for the big boys...dolphin, tuna, marlin, etc.   Unfortunately, he left the booking up to me and we were stuck on this awful boat with a dozen people and bottomed fished for 4 hours.  We caught fish.  They were just extremely small and mostly not edible.  We at least thought we were going to catch large grouper and snapper, but everything was TINY.  What a BUST.  Oh well....live and learn.  I do not suggest going on a Silver Deep Fishing trip if you go down there. 

At least Haley and her hubby caught a few!  

We made the best of it and had our hotel cook up the fish we did bring home and they did an excellent job.   It made for a perfect lunch after all...

Friday night was our last evening and we had dinner reservations at one of the nicest restaurants on the island, Coco Bistro.  It was a short walk from our hotel.  We had several bottles of wine and some booze still leftover that needed to be drank, so we had our new friends over for cocktails before dinner.  We got one last gorgeous sunset and laughed about our pathetic fishing trip before we walked to dinner. 

Dinner at Coco Bistro

All and all, our trip was just perfect.  It was exactly what we were looking for as a couple and were very happy with this island and our resort.  If you are looking to plan a vacation and have any questions about the resort or the island, I would be happy to answer for you!  We really didn't know much about the island when we planned the trip and learned quite a bit in the 6 days we were there!  The resort was also night because they did provide some free amentities and entertainment such as Sailboats, kayaks, bikes and paddle boards that you could take out at your convenience.  

I'm so proud of us for getting away from the baby for a week.  I love that kid more than life itself, but I think it's so important for a couple to have their own time.  We are completely blessed to have two wonderful, amazing, loving grandmothers that happily watched sweet Brody while we were gone.  That made leaving him a lot easier.  Honestly, I looked at other couples that brought their babies along with them at the resort and wasn't sad at all that I left Brody behind.  It is constant work and isn't conducive to a relaxing vacation at all...  I was just ready to kiss that little face as soon as I got home!!! 

Hope I didn't overload you too much with photos!  Thanks for following along if you made it this far :)