The Sands at Grace Bay

We stayed in a 2 bed ocean view suite in block one on the second floor. I initially completed the Guest comment card but did not submit it as not sure it has any impact. In all categories I gave the score of 5 out of 5. Swimming Pool, beach, etc. So why no 5 overall. 1. The rooms I suspect are owned by independent people with sands acting as agents. Our room was well appointed, spotlessly clean and received excellent room service everyday. The appliances however needed some maintenance. Safe broken, fridge leaked, dishwasher top shelf broken, and hair drier did not work. In accordance with consumer advice these were pointed out both verbally and in writing within 24 hours. The reception said it would be referred but without saying to whom. I could tell by the manner of the two receptionists that this was not going to happen. Rather than fester over these issues we just got on and lived with the broken items. Now we accept that nothing is perfect ( accept my money!) Any commercial public service would normally carry out a quality assurance inspection on the items listed prior to the arrival of new customers. sadly I think Sands may pass responsibility onto the owner. 2. On arrival a charge is made against your credit card of $100 per day. In our case this was $1400. This was for incidentals charged to the room. My advice would be to pay as you go with your credit card as the accounting processes within the establishment can be erratic at times as witnessed by other reviews. Restaurant staff have a bizarre method of not showing you the itemised bill before they take your card. When you request to see the bill you are treated to a strange onslaught of verbal waffle which is difficult to decipher. The Money held on day 1 is refunded after 5 to 10 days which is common banking practice. However guests might of liked to be informed prior to arrival of this. If you do not use this facility you card has debit on it which may by the time we receive the money back be up to 24 days. If the duty manager reads this and comments that the issues raised will be passed onto the relevant team members. do I think it is just words? To finish on a positive note. If you come to Sands I am sure you will enjoy your holiday. The beach sells the place and I would like to praise the Hospitality lounge which is available for late departures after check out. Well done for that amenity. Read less

Our family of five visited for a four night stay in mid July, 2024. We stayed in a two bedroom suite. The main bedroom was nice with full patio doors and an en-suite bathroom, closet with safe, tv and dresser. The patio doors led out to a screened in patio where there were a couple lounge chairs and a table with chairs, along with a nice view of the ocean. The second bedroom had two twin beds, a door to the main bathroom, a nice size closet and upright dresser. There was a small kitchen with the basics in it, a small washer/dryer, and the living area with a pull out couch. All rooms felt clean and comfortable, though the main bedroom bed was a bit uncomfortable (of course, that is always a matter of opinion). We were greeted in the entry area with a choice of drinks that were quite good! The three pools and the grounds were well cared for each day. One morning we did notice an odor from the sprinklers-I think they 'recycle' some of their waste water. It would be better if they turned those off a little earlier in the morning. The walk to the beach was quick and easy and the beach was well cared for. They had water toys you could borrow, along with some kayaks, small sail type boats and I think some snorkel stuff. They had towels by the beach and near the pools. There is a restaurant on the way to the beach. We never ate there so I can't speak for the food, but it was busy. They have a pickleball court and some bikes you can borrow. We didn't borrow the bikes as we had rented a car, but I saw several others using them. I have never stayed at a resort before, so I don't have a lot to compare it to. But, there were a few things I felt they could have improved upon. Honestly, I felt for the price, that none of these were major flaws, but I wanted to mention them so other readers could see why I only gave it 4 stars. If you are staying at a resort looking for out of the ballpark customer service, this is not the place for you.First, a few of the people in our group got cold the first night, so we requested some blankets from the front desk early the next morning (thinking earlier was better since housekeeping would be out and about at that time) It ended up taking at least three calls to the front desk and finally a visit there before we finally got those blankets before bed that night. The next day we requested bedding for the pull out couch and it took several calls before we received that also. I realize this seems minor, but it is frustrating to have to try to keep remembering to ask about it, and not realize it hasn't been delivered until everyone is in their 'comfy' clothes and someone has to change to go down to the front desk. Next, we had read in their book that they would clean conch shells if one was found. We got a couple and took them to the front desk. They told us that the restaurant did the cleaning. When we went to the restaurant, they said we would have to talk to the people at the towel area the next morning. We ended up realizing that we wouldn't be able to take them home with us anyway because of the season, so we never went to the towel area, but, again, just a lack of 'true' customer service. Another example is that someone in our group asked if there was a good place to get pizza nearby and neither of the two people at the front desk could give her an answer. Even at cheap hotels we can usually get an answer about a decent place to eat nearby! Overall, Turks & Caicos is a beautiful place to visit, and especially the Grace Bay Area. The beach is absolutely gorgeous! This resort has some really great amenities, but they really need to work on their customer service some to really become known as THE place to go on Grace Bay! Read less

Another wonderful visit in the books. We always have a great time at the Sands. The grounds are beautiful and Grace Bay is breathtaking. Our one bedroom suite was well appointed. The full kitchen and washer and dryer are very convenient. The room was clean and spacious. We will be back again next year. I need to shout out Oral. He is amazing. He is super helpful and just a nice guy. Read less

From the minute we arrived (in the rain) we were welcomed by Tracy at the front desk. Everything was promptly ready for us at check in and I was so excited with our room selection!! We were in room 3301 and when I say breathtaking from the moment we opened our door still doesn’t provide the description deserved! I’m not sure what room could even be better than this Oceanfront suite. It’s on a corner and we had views sprawling from one end to the other! This was a trip I booked last year for our 30th wedding anniversary and my birthday. I can say this was the most beautiful suite we have ever stayed in. (I am a travel agent) and this stay well exceeded all my expectations. I want to mention that I have read and heard some chatter around the staff not showing a great deal of “thankfulness” and some went as far as to say they were rude. THIS IS NOT A FAIR OR ACCURATE STATEMENT. We never came across one staff member that fit that description. We did on the other hand witness some guests being extremely rude and felt entitled enough to treat the staff rudely. We aren’t typically huge pool people because we love the beach so much, but we absolutely loved the pools. They never felt crowded we could always finds chairs and it was the perfect place to meet our many new friends! Now the BEACH! I cant even describe how absolutely stunning the beach and water are on Grace Bay! The staff on the beach were always so helpful. John always went out of the way to assure we had the perfect spot on the beach. He provided top notch service all the way around every day! I wish I could remember the name of our housekeeper. She took such excellent care of our suite during our stay. Hopefully you can look up her name the week we were there from July 14 - July 21. I read so many reviews about how expensive taxis were there. We met a few drivers that actually picked us up from the airport and referrals from other guests. We were able to go anywhere for no more than 10 dollars total. We went to grocery store to purchase our staple items including water, bread, milk , bacon, turkey for sandwiches, condiments and much more for under 100.00. Lasted our entire week and made several meal’s. We hope to return to Paradise soon! Thank you to all the staff at the Sands for an amazing celebration! Read less

This resort recently went through renovations. I'm not sure what it looked like before, but the rooms are beautiful and very spacious now. The balconies are huge and they are all screened in. Fully stocked kitchen. Most rooms include a washer and dryer. The pools were clean and plenty of chairs. The beach is amazing. It is very wide and has lots of chairs with umbrellas. The staff patrolled the beach and pool for drink and food orders. Hemingway's is the only restaurant/bar on the property. It was very good. You can walk to several other restaurants and shops (10 minute walk). They have a gym, spa, non-motorized water sports, tennis, pickleball and basketball. They also have bicycles (with baskets). My sister and I took the bikes to the store and purchased some food/snacks & drinks. There is also a small convenient/souvenir store onsite. The resort partners with Caicos Dream Tours for excursions and they are on property at the pool each day. Very quiet resort during the day and at night. They have 2 sister properties: The Shore Club and The Palms. The shuttle to The Shore Club is complimentary, but guests @ The Sands (and The Palms) can only utilize the restaurants there, no other amenities. The staff was very friendly! I will definitely be back to visit The Sands. Read less