Review: Ambergris Cay, Turks and Caicos
The All-Inclusive I Was Ready to Ignore: Ambergris Cay, Turks and Caicos review
I first heard about Ambergris Cay from a client who asked me about it. It's not usual that a property gets past us, but when one does, it usually misses the mark. Meaning it's not as luxurious as our clients expect, and we politely ignore it and move on with our lives. This one was also all-inclusive, and I was sure that settled it. In my world, "all-inclusive" usually means a plastic wristband, a buffet with a sneeze guard, and someone with a microphone trying to get you into a pool volleyball game you never agreed to.
Still, I was curious. We booked a call with the sales team at Ambergris Cay to see if we could come down and check it out for ourselves. They graciously agreed, and the next week I was on a plane to Turks and Caicos, landing in Providenciales, this time with my wife, Kelly.
Getting there
We got out of the airport and our driver was already waiting for us, set up by the hotel, in a big, comfortable SUV. He took us on the roughly 10-minute drive to the private terminal, where we would take another plane.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: Ambergris Cay is a totally private island. It's a 20-minute flight from Providenciales, and it's the only hotel on the island. So no, you cannot "just pop over to the place next door for dinner." There is no place next door. Luckily, all-inclusive means all-inclusive, and the flight is included in the rate. They don't make you wait long in the private terminal, and we were soon on our plane. They have both single-engine and twin-engine planes, in case flying on one engine isn't your idea of relaxing.
First impressions
When we touched down, our butler took us straight to our villa. We were staying in the four-bedroom Olympus villa, and every one of the multi-bedroom villas is different. During my stay I got to check out all of the room types, which I'll get to. The island was beautiful, and we were given a private golf cart to get around. Our butler gave us quick directions, clear and easy, and told us where everything was. Then we were introduced to our private chef.
Most guests just eat at the hotel restaurants. For us, being fully kosher, they provided a private chef to cook in our villa, and they sourced all the kosher ingredients. Again, included in the rate. The best part was that we could ask him for anything we wanted: smoothies, chicken, meat, dessert. He was amazing, and the food was really delicious. I have to say, having a chef take your smoothie order on a private island is a hard habit to break when you get home and realize the blender doesn't take requests.
Our four-bedroom villa sat right on the ocean and was up to par with real luxury standards. I'm not going to tell you this is ultra-luxury like Aman. It's not. But it is definitely on par with classic luxury hotels. Think a nice Waldorf or Ritz-Carlton, and honestly a step above.
After lunch we spent the day exploring the island. There were iguanas everywhere. They are the true residents here; we're just visiting.
The rooms
The next day I went to see the other rooms on the island. The base category is the beach bungalow, and it feels very secluded. When we were there, there was literally no one on the beach. You get a private hammock, beach chairs, a plunge pool, and a direct view of the ocean. If someone wants a luxurious all-inclusive stay with that hidden-away feel, this is a great option.
The beach bungalows only come as one-bedroom, and there's also a two-bedroom option on the lagoon side. Then you get into the bigger villas, three, four, and five bedrooms, some waterfront and some not. Those become great value, because for a family, having everything included in the rate is a big deal. And it goes all the way up to a 10-bedroom mega villa on the ocean that they call the Dream Estates.
What's included
We also had a sunset cruise included with our rate, even though it's considered a premium activity. The included non-motorized activities are snorkeling, pickleball, and tennis. Anything with a motor is extra.
In Conclusion
Overall it was a really relaxing, nice trip, and surprisingly up to par luxury-wise. I've sent many clients since, and they've really enjoyed it too. I think it is a great option for the right person. Turns out the only crowd you'll deal with on this all-inclusive is the iguanas.
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