Families that play together, stay together...

So we just returned from our fall family vacation to Beaches in Turks and Caicos. I really thought it would be hard to top the Disney cruise we went on last November but this made for tough competition. We couldn't have asked for a better all inclusive place to take the kids. It definitely makes the "return to very soon" list. Be forewarned, I had a hard time picking some of my favorite photos from over 400. It's a long post...

As we were flying in it was very evident why this place is known for having some of the best beaches in the world. Never have I seen so many different shades of blue water. It is crystal clear which is why this place ranks high for snorkeling and diving. Thankfully the weather cooperated perfectly which is always one of my biggest fears when planning our trips.



We stayed in the Italian Village which had just opened this past January. We had a great view over the pool and out to the ocean. Thankfully the kids had their own room with bunk beds, flat screen and xbox system. The bunk beds even had a trundle for Sage which she loved.



Here are just a few of the many, many highlights of this trip:

The resort sits on this long 12 mile stretch of beach on Grace Bay. We could EASILY make this our home. You can snorkel right off the beach at some of the many reefs, do some of the water sports, or just relax.






There's plenty to do on the grounds. We took advantage of all the slides, surf simulator, lazy river, pools, and swim up bars. On a couple occasions we couldn't find Connor but low and behold he'd be chilling out in the jacuzzi. Granted it was in the mid 80's but Connor loved the hot tub!





Jack and I both love to explore when we are on vacation so we decided to rent a car for a day with the kids to check out some beaches and good snorkeling spots I had read about. The island itself is pretty blah but the beaches and water are AMAZING! We didn't have time to cover all the places we wanted to so we are now determined to return hopefully sooner rather than later...






We booked a fabulous half day snorkel trip with a tour company that came highly recommended. They definitely delivered and what an amazing trip it was. We put Sage in kids camp and took the boys on this adventure of snorkeling, diving for conch, chasing iguanas, and relaxing on a remote beach. Our two guides were awesome! We were able to see a shark, several barracudas, and many many fish on the reef out in the middle of the ocean that they took us out to.





The last stop of the tour was at Horseshoe bay where we chased iguanas and relaxed on the beach while they taught us how to get the conch out of it's shell and prepare a salad with it. The boys loved learning about this. I was pretty grossed out though when they asked for volunteers to try the conch "pistol". This is some clear tube type thing that is known as the "caribbean viagra". Nice. Just what we need a couple 7 year olds downing. No one in the group was excited or willing to try it...with the exception of our boys. According to Tyler and Connor, it tasted like a salty gummy worm. YUCK!



The boys made it clear that they'd rather be with us than in a kids camp. We were ok with that since we love taking them snorkeling and exploring with us. We were able to talk them into going once so Jack and I could enjoy a couples massage (this was a first for Jack) but that was it. I guess it's a good thing that our kids enjoy being with us. Perhaps I should have been more worried if they were anxious to abandon us. Sage spent a few hours for several days at camp Sesame and really enjoyed it. Although she'd say beforehand I don't want to go to camp because she'd hear her brothers say that, once she arrived, she had lots of fun. She especially enjoyed when the Sesame Street characters would drop in. Judging from Ty's response when we picked him up and Connor up that one time, I think they had a good time. It's just the idea of "camp" that I think scared them.



Whether it be an evening parade or show, or lounging at the pool, the characters of Sesame street were regularly making appearances. Sage loved meeting Zoe and Abby. Even Tyler and Connor were smitten by Elmo and the characters.



The evening shows were quite a hit with the kids. Sage would always be clapping, singing, and dancing along. During one of the shows there was the "dragon man" who would blow fire out of his mouth. During the show he asked for a couple volunteers and before I knew it the girl sitting next to me was dragging me up on stage to join her. Next thing I knew I was putting a flaming torch on this guys heal and inside his mouth.





The food here was amazing. With 16 restaurants to choose from, there was quite the selection. It was rare to find Sage and I without some sort of daiquiri in our hands...





Evening fun:



Finally, a view from down under. Here are some of the photos I took while snorkeling out in front of our resort and on our snorkel tour.