The Old Caribbean Returns at the Sands at Grace Bay

In light of today's economy, there has been a backlash against the overdeveloped 5-star resorts, which are quickly becoming unreachable for the American traveler. Instead, the Caribbean is returning to its original comfort and charm, as commented by Caribbean T+L columnist David Swanson in the April issue.

A perfect example of this is The Sands at Grace Bay in the Turks & Caicos. Fringed with five-star hotels and resorts, The Sands at Grace Bay has recently completed a $6 million renovation. Rather than focus on pushing luxury with infinity-edge pools, The Sands invested in creating a sense of comfort and style for its guests.

Among the renovations were reconfigured public spaces with free-form pools and lush tropical landscaping, upgraded suites with travertine and granite, and the debut of a new open-air lobby, which brings an air of laidback sophistication as it brings the tropics indoors. With these subtle changes, The Sands has managed to “improve, but not gouge the bottom dollar,” as Swanson says.

In fact, The Sands at Grace Bay continues to offer significant savings in relation to their competitors. While average room rates climb well over $300 per night, The Sands has made an effort with their Suite Deals offer, which provides an average room rate as low as $185 per night.