Turtle Cay Resort

The location is convenient, right across from the beach and within walking distance of restaurants and bars. The pool looked good too, though it’s fairly small. But that’s about where the positives end for us. We paid around $900 for two nights and got a dated, dusty room we hadn’t booked. I had reserved a studio and had a receipt, but on arrival they said none were available. They’d made an error and put us in a one-bedroom suite instead. Studios have two queen beds, while the one-bedrooms have one main bed and a sofa bed. We’re two friends, not a couple, so one of us had to sleep on a gross, uncomfortable sofa bed all weekend. The front desk person just said there was nothing he could do. They’d also texted ahead to say staffing was short and our room would be ready an hour late, but there was no discount for that. The room smelled musty and possibly moldy, the carpet felt dirty, furniture and pictures were dusty, and the towels looked like they’d been in use for over ten years. The shower soap dispensers were empty. The balconies were all closed for “renovation.” There was old-looking scaffolding, no work happening while we were there, and we couldn’t use the balconies. It looked like a cheap way to avoid actually fixing them. I thought the pool photos looked good, and the pool itself was nice, but you can find one elsewhere without dealing with a dirty room and an owner who seems incompetent. For that much money, I’d expect better. Maybe some of it could go toward paying staff enough to stay and do a good job. I would never come back.

I liked the hotel overall, especially the fast WiFi that was easy to connect on several devices, and the nice pool for kids and hot tub. The location is lovely too, right across the street from the beach. Still, cleanliness varied by room. My studio smelled bad, the curtains were dirty, the view wasn’t nice, and I even found a bug on the bed. I asked to switch rooms and upgrade to a one-bedroom with a washer and dryer from the first hour, but no one helped until the next morning. Ms. Ping at the front desk finally took care of it and gave me a discount because I wasn’t happy.

The staff were friendly and kept up with the pool readings and safety rules. The pool is beautiful and great for kids, and the location is excellent. But the scaffolding around the balconies took away from the look of the place. The pool was closed one morning for “safety reasons,” though it reopened fairly quickly. The closed balconies were a major letdown. We stayed six days and left a day early. We weren’t told when booking that they’d be shut until at least mid-2025. At check-in they said the notice was on the website, but we couldn’t find it. My elderly mother loves sitting outside and watching the scene, and the closure was a big inconvenience for her. My husband and I also had nowhere to retreat after our kids went to bed, since our parents were in the adjoining units. The unit needed a lot of work. There was no comforter, just a blanket too small for the bed, and the kitchen had very few utensils. It was missing basics like a spatula and scissors, so we bought our own. What was there was falling apart. There was no bathroom trash can, the fan chain broke when touched, and the uncovered box spring was too large for its frame and looked unfinished. The washer didn’t wash and the dryer didn’t dry. After trying for three hours to dry towels, my parents had to ask the desk for more. Street noise was very loud, especially on the weekend, and even our sound machine couldn’t drown it out. The AC was loud too. On our last day the elevator smelled strongly of pee while we were loading the car. We might have put up with some of the smaller issues if the balconies had been open. It felt like they were squeezing every last penny out of guests before closing for a total overhaul, and they should have been honest about the property’s condition. If you find an amazing deal, maybe go for it. Otherwise I’d recommend somewhere else.

The rooms have a compact layout, though the space is arranged oddly: tiny TVs, a very large bathroom, and a tiny kitchen, with plenty of space seeming to go to waste. They’re remodeling now, so perhaps the new layouts will be better. For the moment, the rooms are just okay. Still, it’s a good value given how close it is to the beach and Atlantic Ave. Parking is straightforward, and the pools are clean and great.