chester
Guest
Here are excerpts from a trip report I wrote for trip advisor... thought I would post it here as well.
I just returned from my third trip to Provo. This was my second stay at the Alex (stayed at the RWI the first trip).
What a great, relaxing trip. I already cannot wait for my fourth trip (either in Nov/Dec 2009 or May 2010).
I flew down on Delta from Atlanta and it was extremely quick and easy... left Atlanta around 9:00 am and was at the Alex around 2:00 pm. Got settled in and took a cab over to the IGA to stock up on provisions. Everything was fairly reasonably priced... only things I thought were expensive were beer ($40/case) and a big pack of lunch meat ($18).. in retrospect, the lunch meat wasn't that bad - there was a ton of turkey and ham in that package. In total, I spent about $300 on groceries... ate lunch in the room every day and most dinners as well. Actually, I only ate out a total of four times during the entire trip (details below).
I stayed in a studio room in the Marilyn building on the 4th floor. I like the set-up of the studios.. having the small kitchenette is great but I will never understand why they didn't put a bigger freezer in the units.. that thing just gives you about two inches of space. And the buildings don't have ice machines so you have to get ice from the restaurant... also, the air condition in this unit wasn't quite as dependable or consistent as the one I had last time (in the Prima Donna building).... those are my only real complaints about the resort.. everything else was great! The units are equipped with a microwave and washer dryer.
Overall, I still really enjoyed the Alex - I think it's a great bargain for Grace Bay (only paid $150/night)... the beach there seemed much less crowded than most other resorts. We never had a problem getting an umbrella on the front row (since they are all front row) no matter what time we went down to the beach.
I really didn't do that much during the trip except dive and spend time on the beach... I dove three days with Caicos Adventures (third time with them) and one day with Dive Provo just to give them a try. I love Caicos Adventures boat.. the Caicos Cat is one of the best dive boats anywhere. It is set-up perfectly for a dive boat. Since it is a catamaran, the ride over to West Caicos or French Cay (best dive spot in my opinion) was always smooth. They also set up and change your gear for you between dives. And because there are so many different areas of the boat, it never seems overly crowded. Saw plenty of rays, turtles and sharks.... TCI is still one of my favorite dive destinations. However, for whatever reason(s), the reefs didn't seem quite as healthy as they were a few years ago.. I think much of the reason is the damage they suffered during recent storms/hurricanes.
I also dove one day with Dive Provo... this was my first time with them and the people were pretty nice but I doubt personally that I would go out with them again. They just aren't as well equipped as Caicos Adventures... and since the boat is much smaller, it seemed alot more crowded... the dive spot we visited that day was northwest point. Glad I got to dive over there.. the reef and wall was nice and saw quite a bit or different micro stuff that I hadn't seen elsewhere but no big guys.
For meals out, I ate at:
Coco Bistro - still a great restaurant and one of my favorites on Provo. Split meals of the soft shelled crab and the ribeye. The meals were good but their caesar salad was quite fantastic.
Coyoba: Very good as always.. split the lamb (thought I would give it a try) and a pasta dish. Best thing I had there was the appetizer of ribs and haitian slaw.. YUMMY.
Hemingways - simple lunch (quesadilla).. was ok - but it wasn't a dinner so it wasn't that pricey.
O'Soleil...It was really great. I had the scallops appetizers and to say they were fantastic is the biggest understatement I have ever made in regards to food. Oh my gosh.... I also split entrees of the sea bass and the steak. The sea bass was good but to be honest, after the appetizer of scallops, I was a little disappointed with the sea bass.
I love Provo.. Grace Bay beach is one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the entire world. It is amazing to me how clear the water is. I will be returning again (and again and again, etc).
I just returned from my third trip to Provo. This was my second stay at the Alex (stayed at the RWI the first trip).
What a great, relaxing trip. I already cannot wait for my fourth trip (either in Nov/Dec 2009 or May 2010).
I flew down on Delta from Atlanta and it was extremely quick and easy... left Atlanta around 9:00 am and was at the Alex around 2:00 pm. Got settled in and took a cab over to the IGA to stock up on provisions. Everything was fairly reasonably priced... only things I thought were expensive were beer ($40/case) and a big pack of lunch meat ($18).. in retrospect, the lunch meat wasn't that bad - there was a ton of turkey and ham in that package. In total, I spent about $300 on groceries... ate lunch in the room every day and most dinners as well. Actually, I only ate out a total of four times during the entire trip (details below).
I stayed in a studio room in the Marilyn building on the 4th floor. I like the set-up of the studios.. having the small kitchenette is great but I will never understand why they didn't put a bigger freezer in the units.. that thing just gives you about two inches of space. And the buildings don't have ice machines so you have to get ice from the restaurant... also, the air condition in this unit wasn't quite as dependable or consistent as the one I had last time (in the Prima Donna building).... those are my only real complaints about the resort.. everything else was great! The units are equipped with a microwave and washer dryer.
Overall, I still really enjoyed the Alex - I think it's a great bargain for Grace Bay (only paid $150/night)... the beach there seemed much less crowded than most other resorts. We never had a problem getting an umbrella on the front row (since they are all front row) no matter what time we went down to the beach.
I really didn't do that much during the trip except dive and spend time on the beach... I dove three days with Caicos Adventures (third time with them) and one day with Dive Provo just to give them a try. I love Caicos Adventures boat.. the Caicos Cat is one of the best dive boats anywhere. It is set-up perfectly for a dive boat. Since it is a catamaran, the ride over to West Caicos or French Cay (best dive spot in my opinion) was always smooth. They also set up and change your gear for you between dives. And because there are so many different areas of the boat, it never seems overly crowded. Saw plenty of rays, turtles and sharks.... TCI is still one of my favorite dive destinations. However, for whatever reason(s), the reefs didn't seem quite as healthy as they were a few years ago.. I think much of the reason is the damage they suffered during recent storms/hurricanes.
I also dove one day with Dive Provo... this was my first time with them and the people were pretty nice but I doubt personally that I would go out with them again. They just aren't as well equipped as Caicos Adventures... and since the boat is much smaller, it seemed alot more crowded... the dive spot we visited that day was northwest point. Glad I got to dive over there.. the reef and wall was nice and saw quite a bit or different micro stuff that I hadn't seen elsewhere but no big guys.
For meals out, I ate at:
Coco Bistro - still a great restaurant and one of my favorites on Provo. Split meals of the soft shelled crab and the ribeye. The meals were good but their caesar salad was quite fantastic.
Coyoba: Very good as always.. split the lamb (thought I would give it a try) and a pasta dish. Best thing I had there was the appetizer of ribs and haitian slaw.. YUMMY.
Hemingways - simple lunch (quesadilla).. was ok - but it wasn't a dinner so it wasn't that pricey.
O'Soleil...It was really great. I had the scallops appetizers and to say they were fantastic is the biggest understatement I have ever made in regards to food. Oh my gosh.... I also split entrees of the sea bass and the steak. The sea bass was good but to be honest, after the appetizer of scallops, I was a little disappointed with the sea bass.
I love Provo.. Grace Bay beach is one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the entire world. It is amazing to me how clear the water is. I will be returning again (and again and again, etc).
