The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos — Hotel in Providenciales

We've been to TCI a few times over the past 10 years. The last time we even reserved a private villa for a week which was amazing. This time we wanted to use Bonvoy points and selected the Ritz TCI. I must admit that after reading many reviews here I had a moderate level of trepidation. I can assure you that after our trip, these fears are unfounded. I'll bullet-point the pros and "cons" below but first some important context. If you're booking the Ritz you need to shift your mindset a bit. I think some folks expect some boutique laid back island old world Caribbean- feeling resort. This is not that. Yes it's modern and perhaps a bit monolithic in design, yes it has many luxury accents, yes it is "corporate" feeling in some ways, but it's the Ritz! Of course that's what it's going to be! With that said, it is a great choice for TCI:||Pros:||- We were in touch with Kartik (reservations supervisor) ahead of our trip to let him know about a special family milestone that we were celebrating. He promptly responded and was there in the lobby to great us upon arrival. Nice touch.||- The Ritz totally nailed the check-in. Rose was awesome. We were upgraded without even having to ask. The welcome drinks were promptly brought to us, a delicious rum punch which hit the spot after a long flight. Our room wasn't quite ready (it was noon) so we went to lunch at Coralli while we waited. By the time lunch was over the room was ready. 10/10||- We were upgraded to a full Oceanview 2 bed. The views were spectacular and the room spotless and big 10/10||- The staff at the Ritz delivered thoughtful gifts in celebration of our special milestone. This is the type of "touch" that the Ritz is legendary for 10/10||- Nonna's and the Noori Sushi Bar were both AMAZING - I mean waaayyy above expectations. Super convenient and easy. Don't miss it 10/10||- The beach is what makes TCI so special. It's right on Grace Bay. Turquoise crystal clear water to nourish your soul. No issues whatsoever in securing beach chairs and contrary to prior reviews the beach service was totally on point 10/10||- We used the gym every single day and it has what you need to get a full workout. We didn't find it crowded at all. Maybe 50% occupied on average. We especially enjoyed full access to the locker rooms which were awesome. Steam room, sauna, jacuzzi. Post workout it was great. And you don't need a spa appointment to use the facilities 10/10||- Ritual Coffee onsite was good for a quick grab and go. That's typically what we did everyday. Room service was top notch. Super professional and on-time. 10/10||"Cons" (mostly nit-picky type stuff if you will)||- Coralli for lunch was good not great. We ended up having lunch here a couple of days. Everything is fresh, but no variation with the menu which we also found a bit limited. Service was good but laid back. The pizza option was solid for a grab and go 7/10||- The pool. They were fine, nothing special. The family pool was very basic. The adult pool a slightly more interested design. Both are surrounded by concrete. I would say that this is an area for upgrade especially compared to other resorts in the area. We're not pool people (we were on the beach the entire time) so for us wasn't such a big deal but I can see how this can be a negative for some folks.||- The boat dock in the middle of the beach is a nice accent however, the boat traffic during the day we found to be somewhat disruptive. A few boats came in blasting horrific music. Kind of took away from the "zen" of the beach. Also some diesel exhaust smell here and there from the bigger boats. (6/10 for the dock, 10/10 for the amazing beach) - as a side note we did the Lady Grace Catamaran sunset cruise - 10/10 not to be missed||- The guests. Nothing really having to do with the Ritz per se. The resort wasn't crowded during the week. By the weekend that changed. I would say for the most part the people were fine a mix of families, older folks and some younger couples. There were a few groups of people getting blind drunk in the adult pool. That's their prerogative. Some annoying people at the beach and some people where you wonder how they even could afford the ritz. Maybe a bit snobbish of an observation but just keeping it real. ||All in all I recommend the Ritz. If you are looking for a boutique experience this is not it. But if you are a Bonvoy member especially and are looking for top service and accommodations, you...

Edit: lowering to 1-star based on check-out experience.

Very sad to make this post. I have stayed in Marriott properties all over the Caribbean, but this is the first Ritz Carlton I’ve visited. All I can say is that the reviews you see about the bad service at this resort are absolutely TRUE. There is a definite management problem at this resort. The front desk and beach staff are not trained to act like Marriott staff, much less Ritz staff. The only members of the Turks and Caicos Ritz consistently providing excellent service are the housekeeping team. They are great. The facilities and rooms are spotless. They smile, acknowledge you, and wish you a good day when you walk past them in the hall.

The rest of the staff were disappointing.

1. The beach and pool service was consistently poor. We spent three days on the beach being mostly ignored. This morning, a new beach attendant was on duty that we had not seen before. He was awesome. The rest of the time the beach attendant hut guys seemed inconvenienced to give us towels and a beach setup. We tried to make conversation with the man who set up our beach chairs yesterday, but he literally spoke a single word to us during the entire experience. We mentioned that it seemed very quiet and uncrowded today. He said “yes”. We never saw another beach attendant the rest of that day. We were on the beach for over 6 hours. We didn’t realize there was beach food or beverage service, because no one ever came to offer any service after the initial setup. Apparently they use blue “flags” to let attendants know if you’d like to make an order. We did not receive a flag. Also, have never seen these at other Marriott Caribbean properties because the beach attendants actually come by about once and hour to check on you. They introduce themselves by name and work to built rapport with guests. Do NOT expect this kind of service at the TCI Ritz. Both beach “attendants” sat in the shade in their beach hut and were intently focused on their cell phones. All day long.

I have spent time at the Marriott Beach Resort in Grand Cayman. It was a far superior experience compared to the TCI Ritz.

We have stayed at the Marriott Westin in Grand Cayman. They were awesome. We’ve stayed at the Marriott in Aruba. The beach service was exceptional.

The TCI Ritz provides beach chairs, without the service. Be prepared to have to go find someone to beg for service. You may or may not receive it.

The front desk is just as bad. This resort does not provide the most basic Marriott experience, and is not in the same universe as an expected Ritz Carlton experience. Be prepared to sit around and wait if you want to talk to someone at the front desk. Then be prepared for them to act bored and inconvenienced by your presence.

There is more negative stories from our trip that I do not have space to share here. I will not return to TCI because it is:

1). Unsafe. Uniformed security guards everywhere. Violent crime is increasing. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/24538071/turks-and-caicos-gang-violence-killers/

2. Unfriendly. Compared to other Caribbean islands, I have felt the least welcomed on TCI. Whether at a resort or in the local supermarket…tourists are frowned at.

3. EXPENSIVE: Car rentals-plan to spend $1500-2000 for a week for a basic car that will get destroyed on the pothole-strewn roads. If you want a Jeep or full size SUV, be ready to spend $2500-3000 per week. Be prepared for everything to cost 3X what you would expect anywhere else in the Caribbean. Be prepared for $50/plate everywhere all the time (minimum). Most nice restaurants near the beach are $100/plate. Groceries are ridiculously expensive, so you do not save much cooking yourself.

4. DIRTY: there is trash strewn along most roads on the island. When you walk the beaches, even Grace Bay Beach, the plastic and trash pollution is so disheartening. They allow plastic beach cups and plastic straws on the island, and every beach is polluted with them. The reefs around the island are dead or dying. Very...

We just returned from a 4 night stay and overall, had a positive experience. We were given a slight upgrade to a higher floor upon check in. I am a mid tier, marriott platinum and they did acknowledge status and also checked us in early and let us check out late - worth noting that this was the low season. The room was clean and relatively modern. The view was spectacular. In pictures, the whole property somehow seemed bigger to me than it really is, in reality everything is very walkable. I'm including below some commentary on specifics concerns I've seen raised by other guests:

Service: overall, I'd give it a B+/A-. Most staff were friendly, proactive and accommodating. We did not have any trouble getting service at the pool and spent nearly all of our time there. Housekeeping staff was truly above and beyond. Was is the best service I've received in my life? No, it was not but I don't expect that from a RC, regardless of the price. It's not even Marriott's top tier brand anymore.

Laundry: we also couldn't get a bag to send laundry but they did give us a plastic bag. They explained that they use a third party and don't have service every day. Once I understood that, I just washed a few things in the sink. Personally, I don't decide where to vacation based on their ability to do my laundry and what kind of receptacle they give me. The only reason why I even inquired about it is because we'd already been traveling a week when we got to TCI. I imagine most people who stay there come for a week or less and pack such that they'd only need to have something cleaned in an emergency. In other words, this should not be a thing.

Casino: yes, it's small. But totally serviceable. TBH, I only noticed they had a casino they day before we arrived. We love to play slots and spent several happy hours doing just that when we'd had enough sun. Except the peak of Saturday night, the cocktail servers approached us promptly upon sitting down and kept the drinks coming. Which were strong! If you want a vegas style, comprehensive casino experience, I'm confused as to why you chose to come to a Carribean island.

Prices: It's an island? In the Carribean? Of course things are expensive. I'm always a bit baffled by feedback saying a place like this is expensive. In its peer set, both the room rates and prices for food, etc are comparable.

Security: I never had a moment's thought about this and I am baffled as to how seeing Security guards made another reviewer feel less safe?! TBH, I think this is coded for the person's reaction to what was perhaps a more diverse group of locals and other guests than he expected. Like much of the Carribean, the island is perfectly safe if you take normal and reasonable precautions as you would anywhere.

Luxury vibe/RC standards: if you want top of the top in the Marriott program, go to a St. Regis and make it somewhere in Asia or the middle East. Or check out a Ritz Carlton Reserve property. If you come to this property with the right expectations, you'll be fine. If you read the franchise book, I can all but guarantee they're following the brand standards: staff is uniformed, English speaking, friendly, rooms and public areas are clean, housekeeping is thorough...they even have the RC chocolate cake on the menu. I say all this while also acknowledging good customer service contemplates much more sublety than what can be written in a brand book. But they are doing fine at this property IMO. If you want over the top luxury on TCI, private cater a villa or check out Amanyara. But be warned because if you think the Ritz is pricey, these other options will make your eyes water.

I like TCI a lot, enjoyed the beautiful beaches and would definitely return to this hotel. To me, and RC is about predictable and consistent luxury and I mean that in a positive way: I know what I'm getting and it's within an acceptable range of service levels. I'm not expecting to be dazzled or bowled over, just taken care of and shown a hospitable good time. This RC delivers on that...