First and foremost, it was worth every cent! All-inclusive Beaches resorts are a hotspot for families to vacation at because of their secure settings and the unbelievable opportunities offered. There are three Beaches resorts: Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Negril, Jamaica; and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. I have vacationed at Turks and Caicos Beaches resort with my family (nine of us)! My family includes my mother, two sisters, one brother-in-law, three nieces, one nephew and myself. Each of us thought we were truly living in paradise!

So, if you are debating what resort to pick, here is what you can expect while at Turks and Caicos. The resort is split into four villages: Caribbean, Italian, French and Key West; each has its own unique layout and selection of restaurants. There is a choice of 20 international restaurants spread throughout the resort ranging from oriental, to Italian, to seafood. My favorite restaurants were Arizona’s, Kimonos and Barefoot, with dessert every night at Café de Paris.

There are many activities that are a must-do while staying in Turks and Caicos. First, go scuba diving! Scuba diving along the reef has a visibility of 100+ feet. They have many dive locations surrounding the island, so if one side of the island to too rough to dive at then they will drive the boat to the other side of the island. I had the opportunity to see lemon and reef sharks, sea turtles and a lion fish. Then my family and I were able to do a night dive, when the water world comes to life with glow worms, octopus, lobster, crab and eel. It was a crazy experience as I had never night dived before!

(All photos by Katie Gibson)

If you are not up for scuba diving, then I highly recommend at least snorkeling a couple of days. You take a boat out to the reef, and have approximately an hour to snorkel up and down the reef. Two of my nieces were 7 years old and my nephew was 6 years old, and they loved every moment of our snorkeling adventure. If you own your own mask and snorkel, I would bring them on your vacation as you can see rainbow parrot fish and stingrays in the swimming area.

If you don’t love the salt water then you can bask in the sun near one of the six pools that each has a swim-up bar. They also have many private whirlpools you can reserve for your group/family. Otherwise you can play croquet, law chess, basketball, volleyball or read a book in a hammock.

The only things we paid extra for was parasailing and souvenir gifts. Locals run the parasailing, and it is a beautiful view 100 feet above the water where you can see all the way to the other side of the island. A few locals on the pier sell items to the resort guests, like turtle shell bracelets and necklaces. The evenings are full of dance-offs, comedians, concerts and dessert bars. Could it get any better…yes, the resort provides free day-care so if the adults are needing a few hours away from the kids, they can drop them off at a the day-care center where the kids play in the water park, eat pizza and Dip’n Dots, or chill indoors in the Xbox room.

This was a vacation I will never forget, and I hope you have the same amazing experience. Here are three things you should do on you trip to Turks and Caicos.

1, Take advantage of the diving experiences each day! (Get scuba certified before arriving to save time and money.)

2. Spend your evenings enjoying the live entertainment on the stage!

3. Enjoy a day in a hammock!