I was a bit hesitant at first after reading some negative reviews on the Regent Palms on tripadvisor. There were a few travelers who ranted about the bad food, excessive flies buzzing around the breakfast buffet, loud kids and bad service. The management of the hotel actually responded to the travelers on the site and shared that they were in the midst of remeding the issues mentioned. 

So I kept an open mind and our reservations and I was very pleased with my choice to say the least.

This is going to be a lengthy review because I think it is necessary since there are very few positive ones floating around on this resort. I have a lot of pics here b/c the resort's website pics are lame. Regent Palms is expensive & gorgeous! Absolutely beautiful. Lush green grounds. Little geckos cruising all over. I traveled here with a good gal pal for a girls getaway and it was one of the best vacays ever. My gal pal and I have been friends for 16 years and never traveled for a week together so I was bit nervous on how the two of us were going to mesh for a week since we have different interests. This resort caters to both the lazy lounger/beach bum to the active explorer. I thought it was going to be unbearably hot but it was not bad - we rec'd summer rates so it was a great deal for the prices offered.

You are welcomed with a big smile and a refreshing mango juice upon check in. 

Our room was beautiful and large. Beautiful decor and a luxury garden view with a patio. Small kitchenette with wet bar sink and microwave and fridge. The tv was OK. We attempted to watch a dvd but our dvd player was not working and we were too lazy to call to seek assistance. They provide a large dvd library for guests but we did not get the oppty to check out of it was a good selection.

Twice daily housekeeping. On our first day - we left ten bucks and requested extra bottled water and we came back to the room to 4 bottles daily. The beds are incredible. Quiet, bright room and the a/c kicks ass. The water pressure was kinda lame so that was disappointing but the bathroom was beautiful. I was actually surprised to see the resort and room were much nicer in person than in the photos shown on their website. I'm sharing pics of an ocean front suite which was incredible. This suite has an amazing view of the ocean and it was bright, large and beautifully decorated. Wrap around patio with a daybed and patio tables. Kitchen with Viking stove and dining area. A great large flat screen,too. The suite bath was gorgeous and huge.This is the way to go with a larger group or if you just want to indulge in pure luxury for two. All the rooms here are beautiful and you can not go wrong with a pool or garden view.They provide their own bath products which were nice. The brunch was included with room rate and it was OK. Typical continental breaky. Cereal, pastries, fruit (not always fresh or ripe), coffee and juice. The banana bread and kiwi were my fav.You can order from a menu for other cooked items but will be charged. I did not observe an excessive amount of flies etc. All the food was was covered and contained. The muffins and breads were always served warm. So I did not see an issue here. Parallel 23 for dinner was good but not stellar. As expected, very expensive but we were not thrilled with the service or the food.  It was really about presentation here. I had the salmon special and always request no salt when dining out. When I made this request here, my server kinda looked at me very confused and of course my food was very salty. Oh well.

The shops were nice but very expensive. The 'Spice' shop which is the shop for toiletries and snacks - was not great. You had limited options. Candy and many many salty items and wine. We did not see healthy snacks. A small box of tampax will set you back 15 bucks and a postcard was 3.50 

They have a business center with two pcs - I did not use them but my gal pal was able to check her email daily and said the net was slow. There is free wifi poolside but it was really shotty. I had my iphone and had to check in w/ my folks on occasion via IM and it crashed a lot so that was kind of annoying. I had full bars there however I did not chat on the cell at all so not sure how good the cell service is there. The hotel room phone was down for a day and my gal pal had to call her hubby and the call cost $36 for a ten min call - expected. The infinity pool was fantastic with stunning views of the ocean. There are chaise lounges and four pool pods *** But the pool staff jots down the time you mark your pod and if you leave it unattended for an hour - you lose your pod. You don't want that. So needless to say, we were pod hoggers and when it rained we did not leave our pod. We snuggled up in towels and under the umbrella while everyone else bailed the pool when it down poured. No way we were giving up our pod. So, get up at the crack of dawn to snag your pod and keep checking in every 20 min or so to hold onto it. The chaise lounges went pretty quickly, too. It rained the last two days and it was the usual quick tropical shower.  FYI -The pool is very slippery when it rains - nothing really can be done about this but I did slip a few times and they were hard hits on the concrete so when it rains you gotta be extra careful walking on the concrete. It is extremely slippery. Resort had a lot of honeymooners and families. I believe there were two other girls on a girls only getaway. The children were very well behaved and guests were from all over and very friendly. The poolside menu was limited to two choices and changed daily so that was boring. The Plunge Pool bar was great since you did not have to get out of the pool to sip and mange but the menu was just OK. I loved their signature drink " Miami Vice" which is half pina colada and strawberry daiquiri. A froofy drink but it was yummy and 14 bux a pop! Every staff member greets you with a smile and is more than accomodating. Staff gives you pint size water bottles every hour, passes out fresh fruit kabobs, cold clothes and water spritzs you both pool and beach side.The water bottles are kept in a large cooler so you can grab as many as you want anytime. Nice perk!! We did not have to purchase one bottle of water on our entire stay. They recommend you do not drink the tap water in Turks.

The resort offers free non motorized water sports. Catamarans, snorkel gear and kayaks. My highlight was the kayaking. The ocean is soooo turqouise and like bath water. It is gorgeous and clear. There are other  water activities available. The beach was not crowded and you have plenty of lounge chairs for sun and shade. Grace Bay beach was one of the most beautiful I have seen. I believe it is about 12 miles long - we walked it for hours multiple times a day.There are locals that hound and push you for boat rides, parasailing etc and there was one guy who harrassed us a few days which made us both feel a little uncomfortable. He lingered and asked a lot of questions asking who we were with etc which was odd.I have been to many islands and I have been hounded by the locals to buy stuff etc and they are usually harmless but this particular one was a bit aggressive. For the gals -  I would rec avoiding them if walking alone on the beach. We did mention it to the concierge and management. The hotel is not affiliated with the boat/parasails services etc along the beach. The spa was tranquil, beautiful and I exp'd the best massage I have ever had in my life. I tried to book her again( her name is Ni ) for the weekend but she was not available. Treatments are in little brick huts and you are surrounded by cascading waterfalls and fountains. Oh and the massage tables are water filled cushions - like you are on a waterbed. Amazing. They provide tea, water and fruit. There are outside showers and the steam and sauna are outside as well. There is a beautiful tennis court - pilates and yoga studio. 

Many good restaurants to try in town and your best guy to talk to in concierge is Max. Our fav was Coyaba and be sure to get the banana dessert. It is banana cheesecake wrapped in a tortilla DEEP-FRIED in peanut oil than rolled in cinnamon and sugar. YUMMY! My suggestion when ordering this - DON'T share :) Our overall impression of the food on the island was just OK.

Grab a bike or scooter and cruise into town. Salt Mills is supposed to be a nice shopping area but we missed out on this. Most shops in town are closed on Sundays. You drive on the left side. The hotel arranges for a cab for airport and bills it directly to your room - which I found convenient. By far, one of the best vacays I have had. The staff was super friendly, helpful and very attentive. If I ever have an opportunity to return to The Turks, I would stay here again. I already miss the pool pod ;)  I definitely recommend this resort for couples and families.  

Date of stay: May 2008
Purpose of stay: Leisure (With Friends/Group)

Prettiest resort I've ever been to!  The Regent Palm in Turks and Caicos is by far the most asthetically pleasing resort I've ever ever been to. My friend found the resort, I told her I wanted HOT and relaxing and it is exactly what I got. We were able to book a package deal through my travel agent. Got a pretty good deal. Attention to detail , clean as a whistle--everywhere you look, you are surrounded by beauty.  It was a girls getaway trip--two of us--and we were escorted to our garden room--which is their standard room with a garden view and I was blown away by the decor, the view, spaciousness and cleanliness. We took a ton of photos and I am sharing some of the ones that really represent the resort, the beach and good times. May they inspire you to visit Turks. This is a hotel that actually is better in person than in the photos. The infinity pool is unbelievably beautiful and aside from the standard lounge chairs, they offer pods poolside which are round beds with plush pillows and umbrellas if so desired. You just have to stake your claim very early as these pods are in very high demand.  I am ashamed to admit that my friend and I were pod hogs.  We snagged one during the entire course of our stay.  They offer pool toys such as noodles and tubes--not nearly enough however as the adults had a hard time giving up the sparce supply(2) to the children at the resort.  Service was great poolside as attendants spoiled us rotten with bottled water, sprayed us with cool water, and offered cool lavendar infused clothes.  The pool bar/restaurant provided great service as well but we were very disappointed with the menu(EXTREMELY limited) and not very good product.  Not to mention ridiculously overpriced both food and drink.  Best thing offered on the the menu were the sweet potato fries. You can swim up to the bar which was fun.Had dinner at the very pretty Paralell 23--very expensive--not great food and the server was pleasant enough but really lacked the finesse required to work in such a place. We had room service one evening and dined out the other few nights. Most restaurants are buggy and offer bug repellent. The complimentary breakfast buffet  daily was pretty disappointing(canned fruit ?????on a tropical island???????)  Unripe fruit?????  I was really surprised.  One thing that I really appreciated was how the staff would personally escort you to wherever you needed to go on the resort if you were confused .  Cheerfully.  The beach offers watersports and between the powder white sand and turqoise water--you just  want to pinch yourself--is this real or a dream??? Shops although beautiful, absolutely not affordable.  That kind of took the wind out of my sails.  Bathing suits ranging from $2oo-$500. Oh well--I just wore my boring old two for the whole trip.Their food market was very lame--no healthy options to stock up on.  Again limited.  The spa is AWESOME.  Small gym but just so darn pretty and relaxing.  I had the best massage I have ever had in my life. The crowd that was at Regent Palms was couples and families--children were the most well behaved I have ever encountered.  Would highly recommend this resort. I planned this to get away from my everyday routine and was in much need of some R&R. I really checked out and it was bliss.  Concierge was very helpful and professional( ask for Max).  I also like to recommend a taxi driver who was great and went above and beyond to assist us. I wish we met up with him sooner. He was very helpful and very friendly.  (Toussiant Capron  # 649-241-5403) Taxi's charge per person here so if you are traveling in a large group, it can be pricey. Overall impression--SPECTACULAR. One of the best vacations ever.

Date of stay: May 2008
Purpose of stay: Leisure (With Friends/Group)