Where to Stay in Turks and Caicos: Ocean Club East Hotel Review — A Mom Explores | Family Travel Tips, Destination Guides with Kids, Family Vacation Ideas, and more!

I took my husband to Turks and Caicos to celebrate his 40th birthday, and we fell in love with this beautiful island!

Turks and Caicos has one of the best beaches in the world, Grace Bay Beach, and the stunning location comes with a price tag! It’s hard to find budget-friendly accommodations on the island, especially along Grace Bay.

After lots of research, we ended up choosing Ocean Club East for our 3-night getaway, and we were very happy with our decision.

In this post I’ll share all the details of our stay at Ocean Club East, including the rooms, the pools, the food, and the activities.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

sunset view of palm trees ocean and outdoor restaurant

Getting There + Location

It all started when I found a cheap flight to Turks and Caicos from our home airport on Thrifty Traveler. Thrifty Traveler is a flight & hotel deal alert subscription service, NOT a booking site. So they send the flight or hotel deal to your inbox, then you go to the airline or hotel’s official website to book.

You can filter your deals departing from 250+ U.S. and Canadian cities, so I have deals for the 3 closest airports to me in my profile.

You can use my affiliate link for Thrifty Traveler for $20 off your first year of a premium subscription, or use the code AMOMEXPLORES to get that same discount.

The initial deal we found was for $276 flights from Milwaukee to Turks and Caicos, but with the additional fees at checkout it ended up being $460.73 per person.

The additional taxes would end up being a recurring theme on our entire Turks and Caicos trip, so just be prepared and go into your trip with eyes wide open about the final cost of flights, hotels, food, and activities when taxes are added.

We still felt like this was a great deal for flights to T&C since flights are normally over $700 from the midwest, and it’s a destination I’ve been wanted to visit for a while, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to escape the Wisconsin “spring” for turquoise waters, 80 degree weather, and one of the best beaches in the world.

Airport Transfers

Ocean Club East does not provide an airport shuttle, but it’s easy enough, and pretty affordable, to take a taxi to and from the airport.

When we arrived, there were signs and helpful airport employees who directed us to the taxi area. The “taxis” ended up being shared vans, and the drivers would drop everyone off at their respective resort.

The entire process didn’t take more than a half hour, and you can expect to pay around $20 per person plus tip in cash for your taxi.

Location

Ocean Club East is located on the eastern end of the Grace Bay Resort Strip, and it’s more quiet and secluded than many of the other hotels along Grace Bay Beach.

If you’re looking for rest and relaxation, this is the perfect hotel for you! If you’re looking to get off the resort and enjoy nightlife, shopping, and explore the island more, you may be better off at Ocean Club West or another resort on Grace Bay.

Check In Process

The timing was almost perfect for our arrival at Ocean Club East. Our flight landed at 2:00 pm., so by the time we arrived at the hotel our room was ready!

We entered the gorgeous lobby and sat down with one of the employees at the front desk. She walked us through the layout of the resort, our room keys (wristbands), how to reserve the tennis court or a spot at the fancier restaurant on property, and what time breakfast and coffee are served at the more casual beachfront restaurant.

peach colored ginger cocktail in Ocean Club Resorts cup

We also received a welcome drink (it was something with ginger, but I can’t remember exactly what) that you can have with alcohol or without. It was very refreshing, and we got to enjoy that while we waited for the bellhop to take us to our room with the golf cart.

It turned out that our building was the closest one to the lobby so we definitely didn’t need the golf cart, but it would be nice if you were in a building closer to the ocean!

The Room

I originally booked a Studio Deluxe Suite, but when we let them know we were celebrating my husband’s 40th birthday they upgraded us to a Junior Suite! It was a very pleasant surprise and a perfect upgrade.

The Studio Deluxe Suite a kitchenette, but the Junior Suite also has a fully stocked kitchen, a washer and dryer, and honestly just a lot of extra space.

The cost of the room for 3 nights was $1845. At $615/night that surprising falls on the more affordable end of the spectrum of Grace Bay hotels.

However, one you add the taxes and fees, the total cost of the stay was $2343.15. It told you - the taxes are a bit shocking and become a recurring theme throughout your Turks and Caicos trip!

hotel living room area with couch and coffee table

We loved the room. It had a separate bedroom, a living room area, a fully stocked kitchen, a huge bathroom, a washer and dryer, and a screened in porch.

We were on the first floor, and our screened-in porch opened up to one of the pools which was incredibly convenient.

The Pools + Beach

Ocean Club East has 2 pools. The larger pool is a freeform pool set among palm trees and a small garden and surrounded by beach chairs and umbrellas. We exclusively used this pool since it was right next to our room, and it was large enough that even if other people were in the pool, you never felt crowded.

pool with palm trees lounge chairs and a building behind it — Larger Pool - you can’t see it but the pool also wraps around the island at the back.

The 2nd pool is a smaller rectangular pool closer to the restaurant and steps away from the beach. I saw a lot of families with little kids using this pool, which made sense since you could go back and forth from the beach to the pool, or grab some food and drinks to enjoy poolside from the restaurant.

hotel pool with palm trees outdoor restaurant and ocean behind it — smaller beachfront pool

Ocean Club East is located on Grace Bay Beach, so you have easy beach access with beach chairs, umbrellas, and tables available for guests to use. There are also foot and body showers so you can wash the sand off when you enter back onto the hotel property.

You also receive 1 towel card per person when you check into the hotel, and you can exchange this card for 2 towels each. When you return your towels, they ask if you want fresh towels or your card back. You must return your card at check out or you will be charged.

The Food

There are 2 restaurants on property at Ocean Club East: Cabana Bar & Grill, and Opus Wine-Bar-Grill.

Cabana Bar and Grill was where we ate the entire time we were there. They serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks, including lattes (yes, they have flavored lattes!!!), and cocktails. This restaurant is outdoors, beachfront, and very casual.

Glass of water with ocean in the background

No matter where you eat in Turks and Caicos it’s going to be somewhat pricey, so we found the food prices at the Cabana Bar and Grill to be on par with other similar restaurants on the island.

Expect to pay $10 for your coffee and a minimum of $10 for a mixed drink. Again, not unheard of for a pricey destination, but not cheap either.

Most dishes start around $20 for a meal. We enjoyed the food we got here, and we loved that we had a kitchen so we could take leftovers back to our room to heat them up later!

We did not eat at Opus Wine-Bar-Grill because it’s a bit more upscale, and to be honest, we didn’t feel the need to get dressed up and make a reservation.

Finally, there is a convenience store on property with chips, cookies, water, soda, alcohol, and more. It’s not cheap, but if you want to stock up on snacks for your room without leaving the hotel, this is the place to go. I noticed on our last morning that they had coffee creamer in the small refrigerator when you enter the store on your right hand side in case you want to make coffee in your room instead of buying a $10 latte. I wish I had seen that on our first day!

Shuttle

Ocean Club East provides a free shuttle (about every 30 minutes or so) between the two Ocean Club Resorts. So if you’re staying at Ocean Club East, you can take the shuttle to Ocean Club West to make use of their pools and restaurants.

Another option is to take the shuttle to Ocean Club West to explore more shopping and restaurants in town. Ocean Club West is within walking distance of the plazas on Grace Bay Road: Ports of Call, Regent Village, and Saltmills. You’ll find souvenir shops, restaurants, coffee shops, art galleries, and boutiques.

We told our shuttle driver that our plan was to walk around the plazas, so instead of dropping us off at Ocean Club West, he dropped us off closer to the shopping centers, AND he made sure we knew how to get back to Ocean Club West to grab a shuttle back to East.

(Another reason to have cash on hand! The shuttle is free, but we love to be able to tip our shuttle drivers, especially when they provide great service like that!)

Activities

As I mentioned, our goal for this trip was rest and relaxation, so we did not make use of most of the activities on property, but there are several to choose from:

Fitness Center (I did use this on our last day since I wanted to stay on track with my lifting program. It’s a small fitness center but it had dumbbells, treadmills, bikes, elliptical machines, yoga mats and balls, and more.)
Adult Bikes and Helmets - if you want to ride bikes around the island, or use the bikes to get to Grace Bay Road shopping, these bikes are available to use for free!
Tennis and Pickleball - there’s a tennis court on property. We actually reserved a time to play tennis, but ended up canceling because we were too relaxed by the pool!
Water Sports - there are complimentary kayaks and stand up paddle boards to use! It was pretty windy during our trip, so we decided against it, but if you have a clear, calm day I think this would be a great way to enjoy the ocean!

Is It Kid-Friendly?

YES. We saw many families with young children there, and they seemed to be having a great time! There are so many condo-style room options with washers and dryers, separate bedrooms, and full kitchens that make sense for families.

There were sand toys to use on the beach, and the resort offers other kid-friendly amenities like board games and pool floats and toys. And if you have older kids like teens and tweens, they may really enjoy the complimentary water sports or the tennis courts.

There was also a kid’s menu available at the restaurant., so there’s always an option for picky eaters or kids with smaller appetites.

Summary

We loved our stay at Ocean Club East! Because our goal was rest and relaxation, this resort was the perfect fit.

I love that whether you are there for a kid-free trip or a family vacation, the resort just works! The vibe was laid back, unpretentious but somewhat upscale, tropical, and upbeat. It was restful without being boring.

You can choose to do activities and excursions all day, or take the shuttle into town, of you can choose to lay on the beach, swim in the pool, and nap in your room.

Every employee we interacted with was so kind and welcoming, and we immediately felt at home. We talked to a couple on the way back from the airport that has stayed at Ocean Club East like 5 or 6 times now, and they plan to keep coming back.

I would go back in a heartbeat, and when we FaceTimed the kids, my youngest told me she wanted to go to that exact resort for her birthday trip next year, so we’ll see!