Welcome to: Where I Spent My Week Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"
So, what do you do in the industry?
I’m a chef. [And commercial kitchen consultant for several popular restaurants worldwide].
And you have how many weeks off a year, generally?
Total? About 5 or 6.
What made you choose the Turks & Caicos for this vacation?
I’ve been hearing nice things about it for a while now. A good friend of mine has been there several times already, and I trust her judgment when it comes to stuff like this, because her tastes are similar to mine.
And where did you stay?
Amanyara. I love Aman hotels. If there’s an Aman wherever I’m traveling, I’m there.
How was the ambience/service/amenities etc?
Excellent as always. That’s why I always choose Aman whenever possible.
Any major glitches and/or disappointments?
Well, funny enough— my friend, who’s also stayed at Amanyara before, tried to warn me about the "glassed up windows." Apparently, the bungalows used to have "windows" that were merely screens with adjustable louvers to block out the sun/wind if necessary. She was very disappointed to find on her last visit that they had closed up the louvers by replacing the screen with glass, apparently because of a "sand fly" problem; the tiny little flies were passing through the screens. This, in effect, makes it impossible to open the bungalow up to any fresh air at all; if you leave the sliding doors open, then of course you allow mosquitoes and other flying insects inside. My friend had tried to warn me about this prior to my booking the arrangements, but, as a person who’s partial to air conditioning anyway, I didn’t think it would be a problem. Well, it turns out my wife hated not being able to open the windows; she loves the sound of the surf at night while she’s sleeping. Plus, she would have preferred fresh air to AC, and I would have gladly given up the AC to make her happy. In this case, we didn’t have any choice.
I also don’t know why there seems to be such a noticeable fly problem at their smaller, casual restaurant near the beach. Obviously outdoors, a few flies can’t be helped. But an overabundance of flies is generally not a good sign; it usually indicates uncleanliness somewhere.
Any great standout experiences?
I did think this specific Aman hotel was particularly beautiful. And the beach was quite extraordinary.
How much did you blow all week?
For everything? About $12 grand.
Tags: CARIBBEAN, HOTELS, MY DAY OFF, MY WEEK OFF, PHOTOS, RESORTS, TRAVEL SERIES
= "personne extraordinaire"
January 6th, 2010 at 3:50 PM
omg how much more of this!?! some of us had to stay here and work in the freezing cold ya know. this shit is making me sick!!
:P
January 6th, 2010 at 5:01 PM
Hang in there, it’s almost over! :D
January 7th, 2010 at 12:59 PM
This is actually one of the best features you guys have ever done. Already planned my trip next month based on the info here. So thanks for that kiddos.
January 7th, 2010 at 2:52 PM
Looking at all these gorgeous places makes me feel like I’m gonna die if I don’t get out of this cold sometime before the winter is over. :(
January 8th, 2010 at 3:08 PM
oooh milfweed, which one did you pick? they all look so great! :D :)
January 9th, 2010 at 1:04 PM
Hey WA. Well originally my husband and I were planning on going to Turks and Caicos for a few days because it’s so close. I definitely agree with what this person said about Aman. We stayed at Amankila in Bali once and it was amazing.
http://www.amanresorts.com/amankila/home.aspx
It’s definitely true that once you experience an Aman not many other places can compare. But now we changed our minds because of the windows. The thing is it’s so expensive that you just can’t afford to be disappointed at all. Since my husband mainly wants to go and dive we decided to try DR instead. We also looked at the website and it sounds great.
http://www.puntacana.com/accommodations/tortuga-bay
And since it’s also about 1/2 the price it’s a no-brainer. If this was a special occasion like an anniversary then we’d probably go to T&C. But just for a few nights getaway Tortuga seems like a better idea.