Turks & Caicos with kids
We took our first island trip with kids when our oldest daughters were only 10 months old. The four of us + 2 babies went to St John for a week and we had an absolute blast. St John has my heart, so I always just assumed that would be the first Caribbean island for the rest of our kids, too.
Then my cousin made the most brilliant decision in all the land and decided to get married in Turks & Caicos! We honeymooned in T&C in 2010, so we were ecstatic to go back and bring the kids with us this time.
Our kids are beach babies to the core, so we knew they’d love it here, but we had no idea how much. Our son has decided he wants to live in T&C and run a boat charter. The girls ask to go back at least weekly. There is truly no sight like that Caribbean water + white sand and I love that they love it as much as I do.
That said, visiting the islands with kids is a bit different than going without kids. Here’s what we’ve found works best!
Rent a fabulous VRBO
I know we’re a broken record at this point. Yes, we both have larger-ish families. At least in the sense that neither Chelsea’s family of 5 nor our family of 6 can always stay in your average 4-person hotel room. Obviously there are suite options in general, and in the resort world they even offer multiple bedrooms.
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I did extra research this time since we were traveling for the wedding and knew we’d be spending a lot of time with family. My cousin had a block of rooms reserved at The Villa Renaissance (which is absolutely gorgeous). We looked there, at the resort we stayed in during our honeymoon (Seven Stars), and at other options on Grace Bay. The rest of our family, including my sister’s family of 4 (aka the other kids we traveled with), stayed at the resort.
We, however, found the most incredible VRBO within walking distance of the resort and we absolutely LOVED it. We had more room (including an excellent kitchen and even better screened porch), a pool all to ourselves, and spent literally half the amount of money for more people and more nights. Plus this VRBO came with beach toys, a wagon, and all towels & linens.
Note that in many destinations like this, some resort rentals are possible through VRBO. We actually did that for our honeymoon vs booking directly through Seven Stars, and it worked out wonderfully! Definitely recommend price checking VRBO whether you’re looking for a room at a resort or a stand alone home.
But don’t you need a rental car if you have a VRBO?
Nope, we didn’t! We grabbed a cab from the airport to our house and then walked everywhere – the beach, resorts, grocery store, restaurants, coffee, ice cream, shopping, etc. The only time we took another cab was for wedding festivities, our day trip to Chalk Sound (see below) and then back to the airport. Super easy!
Explore Grace Bay
It’s super popular for a reason. Grace Bay is truly one of the most gorgeous beaches in the entire world. The color of the water feels impossible and like what all water should look like, all at the same time. The sand is amazing. Gorgeous, fine, doesn’t stick to you (?!) – it’s like magic sand.
We brought our own snorkel sets from home (which were Christmas gifts for the kids since we knew the trip was coming up!). We love this set for our bigger kids + adults. The travel bag makes it super easy to pack in the suitcase and carry with you to the beach, on the boat, etc. These are great for younger/smaller kids!
If you do choose to stay at a resort or have access to one, virgin piña coladas pool side is not something I’d turn down.
Dine & Shop around Grace Bay
Regent Village & Saltmills Plaza have plenty to offer in terms of coffee, food, treats, and shopping. For coffee we loved Beans & Leaves and Lemon 2Go. Smoothies were also a hit at either place or at the delicious Crest & Berry. We loved having some easy breakfast options on hand (thanks to Costco by way of our suitcases + the local IGA) and then walking over for coffee & extra treats.
Dinner wise we loved Skull Rock Cantina, Bella Luna Pizzeria, and Castaways Conch Bar & Island Grill (even the takeout was delicious). Coco Bistro & Coyaba are where I would’ve gone without kids.
Turkberry & Island Scoop are great ice cream options if your crew is as obsessed as ours.
Enjoy a boat charter
Our kids love a boat ride. Whether it’s with Papa at the lake, a ferry to Cape Lookout, or a boat charter wherever we happen to be no matter the weather – they’re in. I think this one still takes the cake as their favorite boat charter to date.
The captain & co-captain were absolutely incredible with the kids. They asked what they wanted to do, danced with them, let them drive, joked around with them and just made the whole experience super enjoyable.
We started by visiting our own “island” (aka private sandbar), which the kids thought was incredible. They then took us to Iguana Island (also known as Little Water Cay) to see – you guessed it – the iguanas. We also got to go out to the reef to snorkel, which was the best snorkeling the kids have ever had a chance to do! We saw lots of coral & fish and even got to see a shark swim directly under us. Our charter wrapped up with a stop by Noah’s Ark Beach Club, which wasn’t my favorite part, but the kids loved the water trampolines and getting to use the underwater scooters.
10/10 recommend. Would 100% do the whole thing again. Such a great way to see other parts of the islands, get out on the reef, and experience Turks & Caicos from the water!
Visit Chalk Sound & Las Brisas Restaurant
We took a cab from the Grace Bay area over to Taylor Bay Beach, which was absolutely gorgeous! From there you can walk to Chalk Sound and Las Brisas Restaurant. We had visited Chalk Sound on our honeymoon and knew we wanted the kids to see the insanely turquoise water and experience how far you can walk in the shallows.
This was our first time at Las Brisas, and it is an absolute must visit, in my opinion. They legitimately had the best coconut shrimp I have ever had in my entire (almost 40 years of) LIFE. And I try them everywhere that claims to have good coconut shrimp because they would 100% be my last meal of choice.
All of us (our family of 6 + my mom) loved our food & drinks (“best shirley temples” per our kids) and the view cannot be beat!
We’d happily go back to TCI in a heartbeat. Our kids are obsessed, the water is honestly the most beautiful I’ve seen, and the price tag doesn’t have to be as crazy as everyone says it does.
Check out some of our other favorite island / beach adventures with kids:
Cudjoe Key & the lower keys with kids
