Ocean Club West, Turks & Caicos
PROVIDENCIALES -OCEAN CLUB WEST
June 2008
Paisa & Family (baby 11mos)
We stayed at OCW for 2 weeks with an infant and a toddler and had a decent time, though it wasn’t a memorable holiday by any stretch of the imagination.
The condo pretty much had everything that you would need to survive (i.e. washer/dryer, pots/pants, etc). However, it is nothing to write home about and it certainly showing its age. Unlike a proper hotel/resort, it appears that the condo owners at OCW have a pretty strong incentive to keep repairs to a minimum. For example, when we reported a faulty sofa-bed, rather than fixing it, staff just brought in a new bed. (Guaranteed that the next guest that uses the sofa bed will have the same complaint).
The pool is ok and kid-friendly (though it can be a bit dirty), but there were plenty of chairs/towels. There is bar/restaurant on-site, which is ok, but I think you are better off going next door to Grace Bay Club (just next door), for just a marginal increase in price. In terms of the beach, whilst the Grace Bay is certainly nice, it certainly isn’t one of the “most beautiful” beaches in the world, and it is packed with hotels/condos. I still don’t get what the fuss is all about.
Service is, at best, average. Whilst some of the staff are friendly and nice, the bulk of them are just going through the motions. If you go to Grace Bay Club you can see the massive difference in service levels. (I guess you get what you pay for). However, what is very sad is that this lack of interest, appears to be permeate throughout the island, particularly amongst the locals (aka The Belongers or, in my book, “The Grumpy Crowd”).
We did a fair amount of cooking and, as mentioned elsewhere, groceries at IGA (which seems to be about the only show in town) are relatively pricey for what they are. (If you are coming from the UK, as a point of reference, expect to get Tesco quality at Waitrose prices). On the plus side, however, they are pretty well stocked, particularly for babies (i.e. baby food, diapers, etc, etc).
If you are based in the US, I can see the attractions of Turks. However, if you are based in Europe, frankly I wonder why you would want to go to Turks when you could go to the Med or the Middle East. The only reason I can think of is that, in comparison, it isn’t as hot in June/July and with the dollar so weak, it might be cheaper holiday.
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