Crabtree Apartments Guest Book
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Havelock, NC from Havelock, NC wrote on September 13, 2016 at 7:00 pm:
Spectacular!!!
28 entries.
Spent a week at Crabtree apartments. This place is fantastic. Great location on the beach, clean and fully stocked with everything you would need for a week of relaxing. The people are great. Grand Turk is a great place to relax and hang out on the beach. Dove with Grand Turk Diving while we were there. diving was great and so the GT Dving. We used Grace Bay car rental. I am glad we had a car for our stay. We made several trips to the store for Groceries. Although you could walk to town, we loved being able to explore different parts of the island. Sorry to say we did not get to checkout many restaurants. We cooked in most every night. Once we started happy hour on the beach, no felt like going out. We were perfectly happy hanging out on the beach watching the sunset. Potcakes were adorable. We had to buy a bag of dog food and feed them. I would definitely return to Crabtree on a future vacation. Thanks Jessalyn for making our stay fantastic.
Extremely comfortable, breathtakingly beautiful location, well appointed. Myself and two children 15, 11 loved our home away from home (NYC) at Crabtree apt just south of Cockburn Town, Grand Turk. The apartment was clean, comfortable and well appointed as to our needs. The island people were very welcoming and friendly and helped make our visit wonderful. We were accompanied by usually three "potcakes" ( island dogs) who helped us feel safe and welcome during our stay as well. We snorkeling on "our beach" and the fish ( including the resident barracuda) were extraodinary! Only to be topped by our trip with Oasis divers to swim with the rays and snorkel the coral and hunt for conch. We also loved riding horsed through the water and touring the island by bike. The cruise ships were not a bother and allowed my son some tourist shopping as most shops were only open when a ship was in. We rode one day to the cruise ship center but would not do that again when we come back. We were lucky to be a part of emancipation celebrations with a service, re- reading and local music. I also enjoyed the national museum to deepen my experience of Grand Turk. Stayed August 2013 with family
Perfect getaway on Grand Turk. My son and I stayed at Crabtree Apartments in June 2013 and loved it. The apartments are conveniently located on the central, west coast of GDT. 15 min walk to Osprey or 20 mins to Sand Bar for lunch or dinner (walk the beach to Osprey rather than the road). Even though they're on the airport/cruise port road, the apartments are quiet and feel secluded. The beach is peaceful and we rarely saw more than a couple other people (typically another Crabtree dweller). We often walked the beach, returning to see only our own footprints in the powdery sand.
The apartments are clean, well stocked and very comfortable. Open the kitchen windows a bit and swing the patio doors open and there's a wonderful cross-breeze to keep everyone cool. The bedrooms have A/C if you need to take the edge off. The wireless was reliable and very adequate for most email/FB type lurking.
It was really nice to have the bikes to ride to the store, to town, the lighthouse, or down to the cruise center to stare at the cruisers. (That would probably be my one complaint - the bikes need some love. They were semi-functional but in poor repair.)
Blue Water Divers (Mitch and Audrey) would pick us up right on the beach outside our room in the morning - diving couldn't get any easier than that. Snorkeling off of Crabtree, like most of GDT, is pretty meh. If you're patient you can see some tangs or jacks, or maybe some juvy fish in amongst the sand and dead coral. But the real show is out at the wall 200-300 yds away. Even if you're comfortable swimming that far it is probably not a great option due to possible boat traffic. Then again, just hanging out in 80+ degree gorgeous Caribbean-blue water is such a gift that we didn't really care.
A group of potcake dogs seems to have adopted the Crabtree. Whenever we'd head to town they'd be in tow, excited to have companionship and rallying all the dogs on the way to join us.
As others have pointed out, groceries are shockingly expensive (that's not uncommon in the Caribbean though). If you have the spare room in your check-in it's worth bringing a few things to avoid having to purchase them. Snacks, like m&m's. Coffee (ground for a #4 drip-style filter). Laundry detergent (none at the apts).
As you may have guessed, Grand Turk is not the place to come for Grand Cayman-style shopping, restaurants or luxury living. Bohio (Guanahani) on the northern end probably comes the closest to that in terms of hotel/restaurant. However, if you like quiet, laid-back, friendly and an authentic Caribbean experience, Grand Turk is a wonderful choice. The cruise port has changed things for sure, but in perhaps a win/win way for the island. Other than the funky bus, Segway and 4-wheeler tours that buzz through briefly on cruise days, the island is much the same as it was 20 years ago. In general, the cruise ships come and go pretty quickly, and most of the cruisers stay in the Margaritaville village. The beach there has some 3000 lounge chairs elbow to elbow. It's a true Wall-E spectacle of humanity when a ship is in port.
In terms of diving, the wall on GDT is IMO equivalent to diving on Little Cayman or Bonaire. We did not see any pelagics while diving on this trip but did see a pod of wild dolphins alongside the dive boat. A couple decades ago we would reliably see mantas cruising the wall but apparently, per the dive masters, not so much anymore. However, the corals and reef life on the wall are varied and in fantastic shape. Thanks in large part to the permanent moorings and good stewardship. We saw parrotfish, wrasses, garden eels, triggerfish, tangs, reef and arrow crabs, spotted drums, needlefish, trumpetfish - all the usual cast of familiar characters.
Even the stodgy, seen-it-all diver should consider the snorkel trip to Round and Gibbs Cays. A fun, semi-wild snorkel experience on Round Cay through Disneyesque elkhorn corals. Rum punch on Gibbs' perfect sugary beach with stingrays nudging your feet. I'd recommend using Blue Water if you do. Some of the other dive centers are taking conch and feeding the rays (of course, that's why they come around - but it's a dodgy practice from a habitat management perspective).
And, by the way, the island has a fantastic hospital up north by Bohio. We had a dive issue that required a Sunday night visit to the emergency room and their quality and level of care was excellent.
We would unhesitatingly recommend Crabtree Apartments, and we definitely plan to stay there again!
Room Tip: The two end units offer the most privacy but all three are excellent
We just recently stayed at the Crabtree Apartments while at our week long stay on Grand Turk. It was exactly what we wanted in a rental. We had the luxury of being able to cook and grill meals and just steps away from the beach it was a dream vacation. The snorkeling right out front is amazing and we were lucky enough to have very calm and clear days to go exploring. Also coordinating your trip is so so easy and the owners truly made it a painless process. I loved this part! We are already planning our return trip within the next year. We appreciated the middle unit and the verdana was perfect for a mid day nap or enjoying breakfast. The units also come with beach cruisers and a washer and dryer. This came in very helpful throughout the week. Can't wait to return!
Room Tip: Book early!
This place is exactly as advertised, clean and spacious but best of all right on a gorgeous beach. The crystal clear water with a nice sand bottom was beautiful for swimming. Easy walk to town and restaurants and the bikes were great for exploring the island and picking up groceries. The veranda was perfect for having morning coffee, pina coladas while watching amazing sunsets or reading a book. We could not get enough of the view and sound of the waves, didn't want to leave. If you are looking for a relaxing vacation in a location that isn't surrounded by huge resorts, this is the place to stay. The wi-fi works well and was a bonus. There are 2 adorable potcake dogs that like to visit so make sure to bring some dog treats.
We not only truly enjoyed our stay, we found the owners to be the most caring and concerned for you having a great trip over any other vrbo we've experienced. Jessalyn even made sure we had a taxi waiting for us at the airport; this was more like a travel agent than a vacation rental owner. Another exclusive these owners do is make sure you have a beginning meal for the morning by having eggs, milk, butter available in case you get in and the store is closed. This was very nice for us. Thank you Jessalyn for allowing us to stay. One of the things I appreciated was the extra sunscreen, bug spray, and many other things that were left by other renters that were not cleaned out. It was a benefit. We left some of our extra for the next guests, this is great if you forget something. We could not have asked for a better place to stay and recommended it to several other divers we met during chartered dives who apparently go yearly. I can only say, if you are going to Grand Turk, take it from someone who was there and looked around, you will not find a better place. Steve Recommended for: Age 55+, Adventure Seekers, Girls Getaway, Tourists without a Car, Sightseeing, Families with Teenagers, Families with Young Children
If you are looking for a peaceful, relaxing holiday on an idyllic island with lovely uncrowded beaches, clear turquoise water, great snorkelling (and diving) and friendly people than head for Grand Turk. If you are debating where to stay, put the Crabtree apartments at the top of your list. My husband and I just returned from our 3rd visit to Grand Turk and our first stay at the Crabtree and couldn't have been more pleased. Our unit was very clean, well equipped, private and steps from a lovely little beach. We have no doubt we will return for a 4th visit and another relaxing stay at the Crabtree. Highly recommended!
We just returned from a glorious 12 days at The Crabtree, and enjoyed what we judge as the most restful holiday of our 42 years of marriage. What comfort! What sea sounds! And what a wonderful beach. We cooked in all but 3 nights and had shopping adventures several times a week. (The island is still recovering from Hurricane Ike and several stops on our bicycles were needed to get all supplies, a real adventure.) The best restaurant on Grand Turk, Captain Zhangs, is 200 meters away, an easy walk. Tom took diving lessons at Blue Waters and Linda read 5 books, relaxing on the beach on Crabtree chase lounges. We also enjoyed Mitch Rolling's Rip Saw Band at The Osprey for the Sunday Barbeque. Those hoping to experience a night or two on Provo are encouraged to stay at The Sibonne on Grace Bay, a bargain as wonderful as The Crabtree though lacking kitchen facilities. We shall return!