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This review of Ambergris Cay Private Island in Turks and Caicos is from our recent site inspection trip. See all of our Turks & Caicos posts, and become a TravelSort Client to enjoy special perks at Ambergris Cay.
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Getting to Ambergris Cay
Ambergris has its own air strip, so it's possible to fly private directly to Ambergris Cay. Alternatively, fly to Providenciales (PLS) or South Caicos (XCS), and the round trip flights to Ambergris Cay are complimentary, already included in your stay cost. The flight from PLS takes only ~20 minutes.
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Beachfront Bungalow
For a couple, the best bet is a Beachfront Bungalow with Private Pool. These are 1600 square feet, with a king bed, double shower, outdoor shower, private pool, and direct beach access. It accommodates a maximum of two, so even small families would need to reserve a larger accommodation, such as a Two Bedroom Bungalow. Although the Beachfront Bungalow is the smallest accommodation available at Ambergris, it was my favorite, due to its enviable beach position.
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Dining at Ambergris Cay
Ambergris Cay is a luxury all-inclusive, so a la carte breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks are included throughout each day, as well as beer, house wine, soft drinks, fresh-pressed juices, espresso coffee drinks, and premium spirits such as Grey Goose, Johnny Walker Black, and Patron.
We arrived in the morning, in time for breakfast, which is served at Calico Restaurant, near the main swimming pool and Spa.
Here's the breakfast menu we were given:
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Breakfast pastries were brought for the entire table. To be honest, and especially with a French General Manager, I expected better quality. I was hoping for some true pain au chocolat and pain aux raisins. This wasn't what I expected assuming there's a true pastry chef on staff.
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Similarly, the jam was quite disappointing: Dickinson's, instead of a higher quality artisanal jam or homemade jam.
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Instead of juice, I ordered an Acai smoothie bowl, but I should have stuck with fresh-squeezed juice. It was soupy, not the frozen mixture I expected. Not recommended.
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The Truffle Brie Omelet was good, although I'd have preferred more brie cheese in the omelet, no hash brown patty, and riper tomatoes in the salad.
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Fortunately lunch at Dream Estate was far better. I'll add more photos later, but among other things it featured a delicious pineapple mocktail, Tuna Carpaccio over beetroot, and Crusted Grouper Roulade. It must have been a completely different culinary team.
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Ambergris Cay Perks for TravelSort Clients
- Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
- Daily breakfast for up to two guests per bedroom, served in the restaurant and via in-room dining (already included in property rates)
- $100 USD equivalent Resort or Hotel credit to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
- Complimentary Sunset Cruise for two guests, once during stay
- Early check-in / Late check-out, subject to availability
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
The Verdict
Ambergris Cay boasts some beautiful multi-bedroom, multi-pool villas, such as the 10-bedroom Dream Estate, and for couples the Beachfront Bungalows with Private Pool are lovely, set on a wide expanse of beach with a choice of a dip in the private pool or in the ocean, or lounging on a day bed or hammock. It has an excellent hard product, but I felt the soft product could be enhanced. For example, the breakfast menu is entirely a la carte, there's no continental buffet with fresh fruit, cheeses, yogurts, cereals, and pastries as at COMO Parrot Cay. That would be fine if the a la carte selections were fantastic, but I didn't think they were. The truffle brie omelet was good, but there could have been more brie. The Acai smoothie bowl wasn't nearly as nice as at COMO Parrot Cay, nor were the pastries as good. The jams were Dickinsons instead of a higher quality brand or homemade. The teas in the Bungalow were Twinings, instead of a better brand such as TWG or Mighty Leaf. On the other hand, our lunch at the Dream Estate was much better quality, almost as though it was prepared by the A Team, and we'd somehow gotten the B Team for breakfast. Pacing was off, with lengthy waits between some courses, however.
The breakfast table for our group was originally set in full sun, even though all other guests (wisely) were seated in the shade; it seemed strange that the team hadn't had the foresight to place our table in the shade as well, and was in reactive mode, waiting for us to request a move.
In short, Ambergris Cay has good bones, and could be a good bet if you get the kitchen's A Team for your meals, and aren't too fussed about less than intuitive service. But at this price point I expected better, and would choose COMO Parrot Cay (in a Beach House, Villa, or Residence) based on my personal experience at both resorts.
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