- excellent, friendly service
- the beach, the beach, the beach
- spacious, well-equipped suites with full kitchens
- not enough oceanfront suites or rooms with ocean view
- lack of nightlife: bars and nightclubs close early
- Address: Ocean Club, P.O. Box 240, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, BWI
- Phone: 649-946-5880 or 800-457-8787
- Rates: $180 (studio, low season) to $1,285 (three-bedroom, high season)
- Dining:Cabana Grill: alfresco, ocean-view breakfasts, lunch and dinner; Gecko Grille: upscale dinner, extensive vodka bar
- Spa: Spa Tropique services include deep-tissue and hot-stone massages, mud wraps, aroma therapy, manicures and pedicures
- Other amenities: 24-hour gym; car, scooter, bike rentals; shuttle between sister resorts, to restaurants, casino, market
- Rooms: 86 air-conditioned, condo-style suites with ocean or garden views, housed in three-story buildings
- Just for Kids: Ocean Clubs Kids Club House offers daycare; director Karina Felix is fluent in several languages
My spacious, one-bedroom garden-view suite, overlooking the garden pool, featured ceramic-tile flooring, rattan furniture, full kitchen, and windows with storm shutters that open to admit ocean breezes. The deep, wide suite led out to a screen porch with a separate, lockable entrance. Although not quite as opulent as The Tuscany –- the private-residence condos located next door -- the Ocean Club suites are certainly nicer than neighboring Club Med's dormitory-style rooms.
The full-service restaurant, the Cabana Grill, offers ocean views and alfresco dining. Catch the complimentary Rum Punch Party on Monday evenings, when the restaurant also serves a barbeque-themed dinner. The Gecko Grille, led by Chef Nicola Giordano, serves up an eclectic blend of steak, seafood and pasta dishes. I loved the escargot appetizer and the vodka and olive bar, which served 65 types of vodka. The outdoor terrace features live music on Sunday and Wednesday evenings.
Only a few short steps separate you from the turquoise waters of the beach. The sugary-slick quality of the sand is truly unique. Beach amenities include umbrellas and lounge chairs; watersports and private diving excursions can be arranged. You can literally walk for miles up Grace Bay Beach from the resort, including to sister resort Ocean Club West, about a mile away.
