Beaches – Friends Forever – Girls Getaway in Turks and Caicos
A great little tropical escape for brides. (Or male friends if you can pull off the Bosom Buddies thing.) And it’s short enough that they’re still friends at the end of the vacation.
The promise they make is that the weekend will be filled with fun, sun and the ultimate in girly bonding time for a getaway she’ll never forget – it’s all about hanging out with your besties and experiencing all that’s a part of Beaches. Resort vacations: from scuba diving to delicious dining and events created just for you. . . and so . . . you get the idea
My sister heard about this BFF getaway and thought it would be perfect to celebrate her birthday with a close friend. She ended up taking me instead of her. ha ha. We were scheduled to go in October, then Hurricane Ike hit and shut down the entire island, so we rescheduled the May getaway.
I was very excited about the trip. Judging by the photos on the Beaches website, this was a spotless resort, with impeccable service, perfect accommodations, perfect surroundings, and something I was a bit concerned about. . . PERFECT people, with their perfect children, small, spotless, smiling.
Photos of young, beautiful, flawless girls giggling over their island drinks made me wonder if I was going to stick out like a sore thumb in my Wal-Mart No Boundaries swimsuit. This caused me to start impulse buying suits on eBay for a while. When we arrived, I was relieved to see how normal the other girls were. I suspect they thought the same, because I could see the relief on everyone’s faces at the meet and greet, as their stiff and uncertain body language immediately loosened.
There was a wide variety of women at the getaway. From average young girls looking to have fun, to middle-aged professionals who needed an excuse for a long-overdue vacation, to stay-at-home moms who missed their kids, because it was the first time they were away from them. They were of ALL shapes and sizes and of all ages. And they all got along very well.
BFF Getaway Activities
You can fill your schedule with many activities that are on the itinerary, or skip all of them to just relax. We chose the things that seemed like fun to go to, but we ended up attending a few extra events just to hang out with some of the new friends we made. These were some of the events we had to choose from:
– Welcome cocktail with champagne and hors d’oeuvres
– Namaste yoga by the beach in the morning (every day)
– Water sports (every day)
– Island dance classes (every day)
– Yoga class for beginners (every day)
– Skincare lessons from Wilma Schumann (every day)
– Sunset catamaran cruise (highly recommended!)
– BFF Beach Party (this is basically the girls attending the Caribbean cookout)
– Dancing with the stars in Club Liquid
– Meditation class
– PJ party with bonfire on the beach (it was worth going to the various chocolate dessert tables!)
– Farewell dinner
This was just the itinerary for the girls getaway. There were also all the other resort-wide happenings you could possibly opt for. Some of the girls decided to have a hot tub party, while others were left alone and did not attend any of the events.
The BFF package was great. We stayed for 5 days and I honestly wanted to move out forever. I thought of making a rough shelter in a tree so that I could stay. The little extras we got with the bff offer were also a nice surprise.
– Catamaran Sunset Cruise (an $80.00 value)
– Spa credit of $200.00 per person
– A free 5×7 professional photo
– Welcome pack with little things like sunscreen, a hat, a CD, books and lip gloss in a Beaches tote bag.
The sunset catamaran cruise was my favorite activity! In fact, they hired some fun staff to enjoy the cruise with us, make sure everyone had a good time, and keep our drinks refilled. There was a DJ playing party music, open bar and snacks. They anchored in a spot so we could go under the water to swim or snorkel. Everyone had a great time, even if they were just sitting on the sidelines watching the party, while a photographer took pictures. Some of those photos were fuh-ney! The sunset was also beautiful there! It was the perfect backdrop for frame-worthy photos!
The spa experience
I used my spa credit on an 80 minute West Indian massage valued at $170.00. They credited the remaining $30.00 towards the internet that I purchased for the room, which was $38.00. The massage was very relaxing. The description was “Our signature West Indies massage takes you on a relaxing journey through the Caribbean combining a full body massage with island elements such as warm river stones, scented mists from the rainforest and a sensual exfoliation of white sand for your weary feet.”
Then my sister heard from a girl that involved swaddling, cuddling, and scratching, and she told me that I should switch to another massage because it sounded weird. They made fun of me, saying that the masseuse would rock and hug me, maybe she would climb on the table with me or lie on my back. Then there was the issue of scratching myself, since I was burned by the intense Caribbean sun. My curiosity made me keep the appointment because I thought it sounded too strange to be true, and it was. . . haha OH BOY! the story I would have to tell!
It was not as described. The only almost weird part was the part of the massage where she was pulling her hair, which felt right in a “This feels borderline kinky” kind of way. She really pulled my hair hard too! She caught me by surprise at that. Other than that, she was so relaxing. I walked out of there all elatedly disoriented, like, “Where am I? Where am I going?…Am I drooling?”
All in all, Beaches Friends Forever Girl’s Getaway is the perfect vacation if you want to get away with your girlfriends (or sister) for a fun and relaxing experience in luxury. We had a great time and made great memories that I will never forget. Especially the inappropriate laughter.