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Tl;dr–A highly anticipated property in Turks and Caicos, South Bank Resort recently opened its doors. Early reviews are favorable, though I had different expectations for this property.
South Bank, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World (SLH) property, opened on November 1, 2024, and the early reviews from the first visitors are in. Presently, South Bank boasts 4.9 stars on Google and five on TripAdvisor. Bookable through Hilton, via the partnership Hilton inked with SLH last year, there was a lot of buzz about another high-end property coming to the Turks and Caicos market. In 2023, I enjoyed my stay at Point Grace (review forthcoming), another property from the same ownership group, Grace Bay Resorts, located in Providenciales on Grace Bay Beach. So naturally, I was excited about this newest venture from the group. After reviewing some reviews and examining the photos, I overlooked how much this property was geared toward bigger groups or families. It looks a good deal like a high-end vacation home, not unlike an offering you’d find on Airbnb or VRBO.
South Bank, an SLH Hotel
Located in the Long Bay area of Turks and Caicos, South Bank offers various accommodations. There are ocean villas, lagoon villas, and boathouses. The ocean villas and lagoon villas, at their smallest, are three-bedroom layouts, and while the boathouses do offer one bedroom, as their name suggests, they’re located right on marine, optimized for guests who are boating in.
Arc, a development with 17 sky villas, looks like it might be an offering catered towards single travelers, couples, or smaller families, but rooms aren’t available for booking yet.
While the property looks inviting, the man-made lagoon features prominently, and it would have been great to see these villas on the natural beach side of the property, in a place with water as gorgeous as Turks and Caicos. That said, from aerial views, I can see easy-enough access to a part of Long Bay Beach from the one corner of the resort.
Regarding service and food – guests had very good things to say. You can expect plenty of fun and sun activities – boating, SUP, kayaking, snorkeling, and more. If there’s one sticking point – it could be the location. A few guests mentioned the resort is set apart from other points of interest, so it’s a hike to go out to a restaurant or stroll through a nearby town if you’re looking for a change of pace. Of course, if you intend to get away from it all – that probably doesn’t matter to you.
Conclusion
South Bank Resort in Turks and Caicos opened in November 2024. Early reviews are positive, though the resort seems optimized for larger groups and/or bigger families. It remains to be seen if more accommodations are coming online geared towards couples or smaller parties. I’d love to know if you plan on checking this property out in the comments!
