The Regent Palms

This place was pretty swell before Regent took ownership, but after a few tweaks here and there, it's damned near perfect now. Proof: During a recent shoulder season, the surrounding resorts had more than a few darkened windows while the Palms was lit up like a Christmas tree, nearly full to capacity and smoking-hot.

This $85-million boutique resort, which opened in early 2005, is one of Grace Bay's classiest resorts, with some of the most handsomely appointed rooms on the island. But don't let its cool good looks intimidate you. Yes, it has a chichi South Beach-style pool scene, and the neo-Palladian centerpiece of the resort is referred to as "the Mansion" (fashioned after the classic Caribbean estates designed by Oliver Messel, the late British theatrical decorator who also created Princess Margaret's "cottage" in Mustique) -- but beneath that elegant facade is a casual, congenial Turks & Caicos vibe and a level of service that few resorts on the island can match. It even has kid-friendly amenities, such as the Conch Kritters Club, a daily activities program for kids 4 to 12. While the kids are off flying kites or hunting for lizards, you can relax in the gorgeous 2,323-sq.-m (25,000-sq.-ft.) Spa at the Palms. It features 17 treatment rooms, many in white tented cabanas lined by a reflecting pool.

The so-called Mansion is home to the clubby wood-paneled Bar and the resort's main restaurant, Parallel23, which serves tropical-fusion cuisine from an open kitchen with a wood-burning oven; the restaurant's outdoor terrace fronts Palm Place, with shops on either side of a palm-lined courtyard. Plunge, the happening pool bar and lunch spot, has a sunken dining terrace and a swim-up bar -- as you lie around the serpentine infinity pool, you can check your e-mail with the complimentary Wi-Fi, and drink a toast to another tough day at the beach.

Facilities: 2 restaurants; conventional bar; pool bar; infinity pool; 18-hole golf course (5 min. away); Plexipave tennis courts; fitness center (personal trainers available on request); full-service spa; Jacuzzi; sauna; yoga/Pilates/meditation studio; croquet pitch; nonmotorized watersports equipment and kids' beach toys; business center; Wi-Fi; notary; 6 shops; salon (men's barbershop in the works); room service (6am-midnight); babysitting/nanny service; valet pressing/dry cleaning; Conch Kritters Club (cost extra).

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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