Ambergris Cay Private Island Resort, Turks & Caicos - All-Inclusive — Hotel in East Caicos

Best vacation ever!! Ok, it is pricey, so definitely not for everyone. But if you can do it.. DO IT. We traveled with our three adult children, ages 23, 21, and 19, and everyone had the best time! | | |Travel |The resort will arrange seamless transport for you, from the airport (PLS) to a private hangar, all arranged by the resort. We used one of the SkyPass services, and this expedited our arrival and departure. From the moment you arrive at the private hangar, you don't have to worry about a thing! After approximately an 18-minute flight (admittedly, I prayed the first 5 minutes, then settled down). You arrive at the lovely Ambergris Cay, where you will be greeted with champagne, and your luggage is whisked away and will be waiting for you in your bungalow or villa. | |Island guide |You will next meet your Island guide (ours was Victor). Victor is excellent!! I didn't have to worry about one detail, excursion, or adventure.. Victor took care of it all. He knew what we needed before we needed it! It rained for a short time one morning, and my husband and I left the villa with towels to dry off the golf cart seats… Nope.. Victor was already there drying them off. One night, I thought to myself that the windshield was covered with salt and needed cleaning. The next time I walked to the cart, it was spotless, with no signs of salt. I never asked, Victor had beat me to it. Our WiFi went out one night, so I texted Victor to let him know (so he could handle it in the morning). At 10:30 pm, tech support arrived at our villa and got the WiFi working. Victor handled every detail seamlessly, so we didn't have to. From activities to dinner reservations, spa appointments, and special food requests. EVERYTHING | |Travel around the island. |All done by golf cart. We were a party of 5 and were assigned two carts. Having more than one cart made things easier since we didn't all have to stick to the same schedule. Someone could easily run to the fitness center or beach club without needing a ride! Admittedly, you will get slightly dusty.. It's fine, you're washable, and it makes the most sense to travel around the island, and they encourage exploration! Ladies with very long hair: consider investing in a head scarf (if you don't want to look like wolves attacked you on your way to dinner) or braiding it! Still well worth it! It was an adventure to take the carts and explore different parts of the island. | |Safety |With three young adults, I knew they were going to want to have a good time and that they would be consuming alcohol. At NO time did I ever feel unsafe or worry about any of them. This island is secluded, and the only people on it are employees and guests. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. We all felt extremely safe at all times! And admittedly, I am a worrier. | |Activities |The Hangover bar was so much fun that we went twice (I didn't even drink alcohol and still had a blast)!! Do not miss this! Abby, the bartender, was excellent, and everyone had the best time! So good they wanted to do it a second time. |The e-bikes were incredibly fun, but it felt like we were riding them on the surface of the sun. I would give them a try! The beach is well equipped with kayaks, paddleboards, a Hobie Cat, and a trampoline. We did not take advantage of them, but they were available. |Pickleball and tennis courts are also available, and a free one-hour lesson with the pro is an option. My daughter and boys all had a spa service and loved it! No late-night bar... no problem! Everyone was exhausted by the end of the day. Some nights we played card games and board games in the villa (provided), and some nights right to bed. Everyone was so excited to get up the next morning, head to breakfast, and do it all again! | |Villas/bungalows |You can't go wrong with whatever you choose. We were a party of five and opted for a four-bedroom villa. The villa's location was a bit longer golf cart ride to the restaurants and beach club, but it didn't matter. We had great privacy, unbelievable views, the most beautiful pool you can imagine, and it was an adventure! Every bedroom had its own en-suite, and there was plenty of room for all of us. I spoke with many guests, including large parties in the villas and smaller groups in the bungalows, and I did not hear one negative thing. Everyone loved their accommodations. Nespresso machines for coffee, espresso, and cappuccino in your villa or bungalow to have while you watch the sun rise, amazing! And a refrigerator stocked with juices, wine, and soda. Whatever you requested on your preference sheet is all there. In addition to that, there are snacks of granola bars and chips that are all continually restocked, as is the refrigerator. | |Dining |Breakfast is fantastic and at your leisure, as is lunch. The lunch menu is impressive and broad; everyone loved it! There was always something for everyone. The dinners were excellent!!! The food is truly amazing, 5-star restaurant quality. The dinner menu is slightly limited, and my youngest, who doesn't eat fish, struggled with it a bit. The menu becomes redundant after a few days, and he eventually ran out of options. However, all we had to do was let Victor know in the morning that he wanted something different —chicken parmigiana and pepperoni pizza —no problem. If they have the items to make it, they make it for you! It is like having a personal chef; if you don't love what is on the menu, they will make you something you will love! We requested conch fritters one day as an appetizer, and they were the best I ever had! The chefs are as good or better than those at Ocean Prime, Morton's, Fleming's, and Capital Grill, state-side, as is the food quality. The restaurant service is also on par with the restaurants mentioned above. Miguel, Evelyn, Pedro, Luis, and Alejandro made our dining experience truly unforgettable! | |Relaxation |Ambergris Cay is the place for that! Very relaxing while never being boring. You could participate in as many or as few activities as you like. I bring my Mac on every trip and usually check work emails, etc. I put it in the safe when we arrived and never opened it once! | |Tipping etiquette |While you will NEVER be asked for a gratuity anywhere, be a good person and tip well! Every dinner we had (for five people) would have equated to $500 (sans alcohol) at a Minimum!!! So tip accordingly. Assigning tips can all be done at checkout time, and you do not have to give it a thought throughout your stay. If you request to tip, they will provide you with envelopes for cash, and you assign a staff member to it, or you can add it onto your card and again assign names and amounts. Cash discreetly given also works. | |I have never experienced a better trip. The five-star service far surpasses any Ritz or Four Seasons anywhere in the world. We will be back. We met some lovely people! We also saw some guests being less than respectful to some of the truly amazing staff. The way you treat service staff is a direct reflection of your character. | |If you can visit this truly one-of-a-kind place, do...

We spent a fantastic week at Ambergris Cay at the end of May. The check in and flight process was smooth and were greeted with cold towels, a glass of fizz and our butler, Clemente.||AC is a truly stunning island that was much bigger than we anticipated. You definitely need the golf buggy’s that are assigned to each bungalow especially to explore the Atlantic side of the island and to reach the fitness pavilion which is high on a ridge with fantastic views.||Look out for the iguanas when driving as they can come out of the side of the track pretty quickly, they also will just lie in the middle of the tracks. There are also a lot of chickens wandering around one of whom tried to wander into our bungalow.||The bungalows are large open spaces with fabulous views out onto the beach. The pool was a little warm for us on arrival and Clemente quickly arranged for the temperature to be lowered so it was a bit more refreshing during the day.||The area around the bungalow was kept pretty spotless by Claude who also makes sure the umbrellas on the patio and beach are put up first thing in the morning and the pool was cleaned daily in the mornings. It was always nice to see him every morning!||The facilities in the bungalow were great with a kettle (earl grey tea when requested was provided very quickly by Clemente), Nespresso machine and a bar with sodas, beer, wine, Prosecco and lots and lots of cold water - very important! All guests are also given flasks so you can carry water with you.||The all inclusive a la carte provides a good variety for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the wines that were included were lovely pairings. There are two restaurants with breakfast and dinner at Calico and lunch at the Clubhouse.||Breakfast at Calico provided good coffee, fresh juices and the usual eggs, bacon etc. while lunch was at the Club house - a short drive away - and had a good variety of dishes including a red Thai curry and a Grouper burger that were repeat orders. The breakfast menu changes twice a week and lunch weekly.||Dinner back at Calico (except on Fridays where it is a themed dinner at the Clubhouse) was relaxed with again, good food and a varied menu that changed daily - though could be relied on to have steak, chicken and fish dishes most evenings. Overall, the quality of the food and service was exceptional.||A highlight was the Tiki boat which is moored off Little AC (not actually that little!) and is reached by a 15 minute speedboat ride. This place was really magical. The hotel limits the number of people who can go so it doesn’t feel crowded and if the tide is low enough little sandbanks appear that you can relax on while sipping cocktails. Two hours is more than enough time in one day to enjoy it and sandwiches, fruit are provided to help soak up the booze. They’ll also make you conch ceviche if you pick one up from the sea bed. We saw a nurse shark and a lemon shark while there and a few sting rays but they didn’t get too close for comfort. This is also the place you might socialise with other guests if you choose to. Sunscreen is also available on board which I thought was an excellent addition.||The staff were all lovely and only too happy to help. Particular mention should go to Clemente (who completed every request within minutes) and Claude (see above) but also Abhi for all the drinks on Tiki, and the service provided by Evelyn, Joslyn and Vish at meal times and Diana and GK behind the bar!||This is billed as a five star, all inclusive, resort that is obviously very expensive so a few minor niggles.||I had a 60 minute massage that was over $40 more than on the price list in the room. Although when I later checked the website this is in the small print, the price list in the room does not mention they add on service and govt taxes - not very transparent and a little irritating especially as I didn’t think the massage was that great - more sports than relaxing which was what I’d requested and the room we were in was very cold which didn’t help me to relax. If we were to return I wouldn’t bother rebooking the spa.||Really, really small point but the sunbeds only have two levels you can set them at, flat and 45^ - I like to be more upright than that but solved the issue with extra towels.||Finally if you are considering going to AC I’d strongly recommend going now. They are expanding slightly by building some over the water bungalows and adding a new restaurant. This in turn could make the island more crowded and adding people to this magnificent place might mean it loses a little bit of its magic and serenity. However, having said this, the island is big enough to find many secluded areas. We went for days without seeing anyone expect at meal times. Towards the end of the week the island was slightly more busy than early/mid week. A magical place and a genuine once in a...

The best word to describe our trip was PHENOMENAL. We were looking for a family vacation which revolved around R&R and a quiet, unhurried, calm location. Our amazing travel agent suggested Ambergris Cay. The minute we saw it as an option, we knew it would be perfect for our family of 4 (husband/wife and twin 19-year old girls). ||We booked the Sea Breeze bungalow (not even realizing it is very new!), which is a 2-bedroom, beautifully appointed bungalow with a private pool, surround sound, views of the gorgeous water and an easy walk to the bigger pool and dinner restaurant. We were in awe as soon as we arrived. ||Let's talk about the arrival for a moment. We were picked up at our hotel in Provo and whisked to the private airport terminal where we waited in quiet luxury for the plane to take us to the island. Once loaded, the awesome pilot told us it would be about a 22 minute flight. It was very comfy and the views for the flight were stunning. As a side note, we did not touch our luggage from the hotel until we go to our bungalow on Ambergris Cay. ||We arrived to a concierge with cold towels and a glass of prosecco. We were promptly greeted by our butler, Clay. I'll talk about Clay later. Clay showed us to our golf cart and gave us a short tour before delivering us to the club for a delicious lunch where we met Evelyn, who made our trip so much more incredible. More about her later. Talk about a great first impression. The club house was serenity at it's finest. After lunch, Clay took us to our bungalow and we were in awe of the beauty all around us. ||When we were booking, our travel agent was worried that our girls would be "bored", as there is not a ton of stuff there. However, we had the complete opposite experience. As a family, we did a morning activity daily. E-bikes (SO awesome), the gym (the most gorgeous I've ever seen), yoga and more. Then we did breakfast, which was always lovely. We spent a couple of afternoons at the hangover boat, which was great and made better by the awesome bartender, Abbi. He rocks! ||Every day, we pool hopped and spent time by the beach. We did a sunset cruise which was a highlight as it was magnificent. One of the biggest highlights was the private chef's dinner. I could cry as I type this! It was so lovely. Chef, and Evelyn, took such good care of us. We had a lovely wine tasting, a 5-course meal complete with an incredible tomahawk steak and the best experience ever. ||I could go ON and ON about the staff at this amazing place. They were so friendly, lovely, kind and caring. They really go to know our family and it made such a difference to us all. We were blessed to be able to spend 10 days on the island, so it was really nice to get to know the staff and to be greeted by them with kindness. ||Let's talk about our butler, Clay. Clay was the BEST! We have been on trips where our butler has made our vacation not so great. Clay made our vacation the GREATEST! He was always looking out for our best interest. He was not intrusive at all. He cared about us and how we were and he cared to make sure that our needs were handled. ||Let's talk about Evelyn. Well, we would have taken her home with us if we could. She is so special. We actually felt like she was a part of our family. She was so wonderful. Kind, caring, thoughtful and hard working. She knew our orders and our preferences for our meals. She loved on us and made us feel extra special. ||The entire staff was amazing and not just those two, but they are the two who made the biggest impact on our family. ||Getting around the island was super fun and easy on the golf carts. We loved exploring and found it to be so fun. I cried when we left this island, as I left a piece of my heart there. We will definitely be going back. ||As far as the teens, they LOVED it too. I am not sure I would bring little kids, just a personal preference. |Oh, I forgot to mention the iguanas. They are everywhere! It was something to get used to, but we made games of counting how many we saw each day and that was fun (and funny). ||This trip was worth the money we spent and we can't wait to go back someday in the future. Feel free to reach out to me...