Trip report - Grand Turk, Bohio Resort

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diversmith

Contributor
Messages
122
Reaction score
51
Location
Henderson, Nevada
# of dives
500 - 999
Just want to add a trip report on our Grand Turk vacation in June 2018 at the Bohio Resort. My wife and I went to relax and dive, and it was our first real extended getaway (since Fiji) without any kids in 6 years (since our youngest was born)!! Needless to say, we were really looking forward to the peace & quiet, and a respite from all the craziness that comes along with raising 2 young boys!

We booked thru Caradonna since we had used them for our Fiji trip at Wananavu and the fact that whole package had turned out great and we were very pleased overall with the travel arrangements, resort, food and diving op.

Just to give a little perspective on us, I'm a fireman and my wife is a stay-at-home Mom. I'm a former PADI instructor with a good deal of experience in the Pacific, Caribbean & Middle East, and I taught my wife 11 years ago when we were engaged. She has been diving in Roatan, Coz & Fiji and has done very well building her experience level. We aren't "foodies" - we just want good quality food and drink for the money. We aren't 5 Star hotel types, nor are we "snobby". We can both roll with the "waves" on a vacation and are realistic that there will be minor cons with anyplace you stay and not all things will be absolutely perfect. But we do expect things to be "as advertised" and for people to do their jobs well and treat the guest well, especially when paying a good chunk of hard earned money on a vacation package.

Together, we have stayed at Anthony's Key (lots of bugs but a great vac we both loved), Coz at Park Royal (hated the PR so much we bailed after the first week and went to Occidental Grand which saved our vac and was an awesome experience for the second week), and Wananavu which was a fantastic 12 day vacation. We would happily return to any of those places in a heartbeat (except the Park Royal of course).

We booked 10 days/9 nights with a 10 dive package. We booked a corner king unit to get a better view, bigger bed and hopefully a quieter room. We also booked the "not-so-all-inclusive" package which included breakfast & beverages, lunch with no beverages, and no dinner/drinks included. No alcohol included either (we aren't big drinkers, maybe a couple of cocktails after diving is done or w/ dinner so no big deal for us).

For those wondering, we decided on GT over Provo due to the easier dive site access, on-site dive shop, and a less "touristy" and a more quiet, laid back feel. I had been looking at some very nice Provo resorts on Costco travel that were all inclusive on Grace Bay that were maybe $500-1,000 more than Bohio, but would have included dinner & non-alcoholic drinks for all meals (so pretty close to a wash). Obviously diving wouldn't have been included there so we had to factor in that cost.

I will list the pros:

Very quiet island and resort. The only time this changes is when the cruisers are brought to the resort, but they are kept out of the main part of the beach & the pool.
The beach seems deserted much of the time. This was great for us and we really enjoyed it.
Some of the food was really, really good. Some was just ok.
The dive spots were super close. I think the longest ride was 10 minutes max.
Mostly really, really good diving. The vis kind of tanked for a couple of days but that was the worst of it as far as conditions go. Most of the dive sites we did would be "go backs", especially Black Forest - some really nice black coral at only 80-90 feet.
The staff was mostly friendly and accommodating.
Security was on-site every night, so even though the dive shop isn't secured each night, everything was being watched. No issues as far as safety or theft was concerned.
Low number of divers on the boat, and no cruisers allowed on the Bohio boat.
The water in front of the resort was awesome! We spent a ton of time snorkeling there and saw numerous turtles, spotted eagle rays and tons of live conch shells. Not much reef structure out front but we really enjoyed it for the other things.
The boat trip to Gibbs Cay to freedive for conch and feed the stingrays was a great afternoon trip. 5 different size southern rays and even a little lemon shark up close was really fun to see. Ate a freshly made conch salad and enjoyed some cold rumpunch and beers. The wife loved it!
There was good wifi in the main part of the resort and Ginny provided us with a modem for the room so we could FaceTime with our boys and check in with the grandparents to see how things were with the kids.
My wife loved the friendly burros running around here and there.
Nate the DM/inst was awesome to deal with and a super nice guy.

Now for the cons...and there are quite a few of them!

The resort has a very "aged" feel to it and many things are not in good condition. The dive boats are pretty beat and the main one even went down the last couple of days. Went into the backup that always had 2-3 inches of water in it sloshing around on the deck. Rooms & bathrooms look much better in the pics. Bathrooms are like a Motel 6 from 1978.
Upgrading to the corner king was a waste of money. the only real difference was a little more room in the kitchenette and having a table in the entry. No other differences that I could tell from the other king rooms. The rooms were also very noisy. Lots of noise from other rooms.
The door on our room was extremely difficult to open. So bad that my wife is 5-0" and 105lbs could barely get it opened a few times. There is obviously not a lot of preventative maintenance going on at Bohio.
The pool water looked absolutely disgusting the first couple of days so we never did go in it the entire trip. We both didn't feel like taking a chance with that pool water and possibly getting sick on vacation!
Too many cruisers invade the resort! It seemed a little less bothersome on the days we did 2 tanks since they are usually starting to head out around 3pm and we only had to deal with them after getting back from diving. And they are mostly obnoxious, loud and I saw many of them acting like slobs and littering on the beach. I know Bohio loves getting them there because they make a killing on F&B and renting loungers out. I have a newfound disdain for cruisers (wife & I are not cruisers) after seeing so many of them in action up close & personal. Even witnessed a near brawl one day between an A-hole cruiser and Captain Meat of Bohio.
One of the biggest let-downs was the advertised SUP paddleboards. We really like SUPing and were really looking forward to using the 2 boards every day. We went to take them out the first day and found one of them was missing the fin and that both of them were really beat up and too small for most adult males (ie me!). No fin equals no go for one of us. The deck surfaces were really worn out and slick so they were basically complete junk! A real bummer to say the least. Don't advertise something if it doesn't work!!
If you think you are going to use the bicycles at the resort, don't count on it! Several were sitting there with flat tires and all of them were beat up and rusted out. I can't imagine the last time any maintenance was done on them. We managed to find one girls & one boys bike that were usable and ventured out one afternoon/evening. If you're a group of 3 or more, don't count on having enough bikes.
There is no system of signing a receipt for any food or drinks during your stay. They just ask for your room number when ordering. I recalled seeing a review somewhere that a person went to check out and noticed many more charges on his room tab than what he had done. I told my wife to keep a log of what we ordered for lunch, dinner & drinks during our stay. I'm going to have to dispute about 200.00 worth of F&B with my credit card because it just doesn't add up. We were already running late to leave for the airport (for reasons explained below) and they didn't want to prepare the final tab the night before leaving so I didn't have the time to try to go thru everything when checking out.

And last but definitely not least...we ran out of water in the rooms and all the public restrooms the last 2 mornings we were there! Let's just say my last shower there was not so enjoyable! Imagine trying to get ready to catch your flight out and you are left standing in the shower all soaped up and the only option is using cold bottled water to try to get rinsed off!! I wasn't real happy to say the least. And the worst part was the unconcerned attitude from Tom & Ginny when we reported it to them both times. Well, actually the worst part was trying to figure out where 2 of us were going to go to the potty!! Run that thru your head for a minute! They just passed the buck & blamed the gov-run desal plant. I'm sorry, for what we paid, making sure there is running water shouldn't be my problem. Totally unacceptable!!
 
I think I've covered all the highs and lows. I figured all this information can possibly assist someone in choosing which resort might "fit the bill" and you will have a better vacation because of it. I don't like to sling mud, but what really happened to us is what really happened to us and I want to pass it along to help others make an educated decision on what is important to them. If all you care about is the diving, then Bohio definitely fits the bill. If you're going with a spouse/SO and want some more than average facilities/amenities, you probably need to look elsewhere.

We did have a really nice American doctor staying at Bohio with his GF and he mentioned to me that he had stayed before at the Osprey and he thought the resort was a little nicer than Bohio. So take that for what it is worth and maybe that is a better option for nicer accommodations with still-convenient dive ops right next door.

Also, kudos to Caradonna. When we got back, I called our agent and explained everything that went on and they contacted Bohio about it. Apparently Bohio blew it off, so Caradonna offered a little refund and a future credit when booking another trip with them.

Feel free to ask any questions, I'll be more than happy to follow up.

Best regards and good diving to all!

Mr & Mrs diversmith
 
Thanks for the report. Been to Provo a couple times but never to GT. When I first learned of GT and Bohio, it seemed like it could make for a great trip. Sounded quiet, off the beaten track, kinda like a Little Cayman or Brac. Then I read about the cruise ship port and cruisers going to Bohio. It was a deal breaker. Your report confirms that Bohio would not fit with what we like.
 
It was like that years ago when I was there . Puts the Rust in Rustic , also had issues cashing out , I must of bought a few rounds for the house I did not know about . The more things change … the more they stay the same
 
Hope you enjoyed the drinks at The Sand Bar...assuming you ever left the confines of Bohio...
 
Appreciate the report. It's not a destination high on my hoped for to-do list, but it's on my 'maybe someday' list. Previous discussion of it has been positive, so the negatives surprised me, but it's not unusual to see different posters report different experience from the same place. I've even been one of 2 such posters at another site...and we went on the same trip!

I hope the negatives will be addressed.

I'm curious about this:

We booked 10 days/9 nights with a 10 dive package.

You booked a 10 day trip, and only 5 days worth of diving (IIRC, a 2-tank morning trip is pretty much what's on offer, right?), to a small island destination known for not having much topside except a really nice beach. Just seems like a lot of people would get bored without more diving, and pretty limited topside excursions, but you guys found things to do. Good to know.

Richard.
 
...I'm curious about this:

You booked a 10 day trip, and only 5 days worth of diving (IIRC, a 2-tank morning trip is pretty much what's on offer, right?), to a small island destination known for not having much topside except a really nice beach. Just seems like a lot of people would get bored without more diving, and pretty limited topside excursions, but you guys found things to do. Good to know. Richard.

I was curious about that too so I looked at their website, see link below. In a week, you get 5 days of 2-tank morning dives, 3 free afternoon dives, and free shore diving - but no night shore diving, see below.

I didn't remember that shore diving was available at Bohio so that's interesting.

Regarding the issue of "limited topside excursions" since they have a cruise ship terminal they must have some attractions to give cruisers the chance to spend their money; but I don't know if you need to rent a car to visit the cruise ship terminal, restaurants, and shops.

I've never been to Grand Turk but I know from trips to Provo that the T&Cs can be very expensive.

The price of their Fall Savings Package at Bohio doesn't sound bad (Beachfront Standard, Double Occupancy, Diver = $1,783 per person) because it includes air transfers from Provo, accommodations, diving, breakfast and lunch, and taxes; but it doesn't include the dinner meals so that's an added expense.

However, if the resort is poorly maintained then it doesn't seem like much of a bargain - especially if they have a habit of overcharging for services. Grand Turk was hit hard by hurricanes last year, perhaps some of the issues that the OP encountered are due to damage?

@diversmith, thank you for the report. I have a question for you, what is the quality of the drinking water on GT? I see that bottled water is included in the package price. When we were on Provo the last time about 5 years ago, we had to drink bottled water due to Norovirus, I was wondering if that is also an issue on GT? But I don't know if it is still a problem on Provo.

https://bohioresort.com/fall-savings-special/

Fall into Savings at Bohio Dive Resort

Whether you want to dive with our on-site dive operation, snorkel or just want relax on our beautiful beach, Bohio’s Packages make for affordable and hassle-free vacations.

This special includes: (Beachfront Standard, Double Occupancy, Diver = $1,783 per person)

  • 7 nights accommodation

  • 10 morning dives / 5 days diving

  • included 3 free afternoon dives (value of $240.00!)

  • breakfast & lunch

  • inter-island flights from PLS (purchased by us) airport transfers

  • welcome drink upon arrival

  • free bottled drinking water in rooms and on dive boat

  • free use of paddle boards, kayaks, hobie cat and snorkel equipment, reef boards and beach cozys

  • free shore diving

  • *no night shore diving*

    For bookings confirmed before September 1st, 2018.
    Valid for travel dates now until December 15th, 2018.
 
Last edited:
I'm curious about this:


We booked 10 days/9 nights with a 10 dive package.
Click to expand...
You booked a 10 day trip, and only 5 days worth of diving (IIRC, a 2-tank morning trip is pretty much what's on offer, right?), to a small island destination known for not having much topside except a really nice beach. Just seems like a lot of people would get bored without more diving, and pretty limited topside excursions, but you guys found things to do. Good to know.

Richard.

Howdy Richard,

Yes we booked 10 days/9 nights with the standard 10 dive package. We took a red-eye to get there and arrived in GT about 2pm local time the first day. That day was toast and so were we. We just hung out and got unpacked, had a few cocktails and ate dinner. Went to bed early and slept in the next morning to play catch-up. We weren't planning on diving the second day. We wanted to SUP a lot that day but you read how that turned out with the craptastic SUP boards. We took all our gear to the dive shop to set it up and do paperwork with the DM. Just chilled on the beach and then went snorkeling. I ended up doing an 11th dive plus did a night dive with just the American Dr. and Nate the DM (no wifey). We only made the first dive on our last full day to give us a full 24 hrs to fly. One day on the weekend we took off due to the bad vis and the other day we only did a single dive. A couple of "foreigners" showed up so the boat got 6 people on it and it was the back-up boat that had all the water, coupled with the foreigners who were kind of boat hogs. We had just kind of had enough of it so we just did the first dive of the day and then did our own thing to get away from it. It was nice to have the extra days so we didn't feel rushed to squeeze in the dives.
 
KathyV...

We only drank bottled water on the island. No word about any viruses in the tap water but I'm only drinking bottled in a place like that just to be on the safe side.

The afternoon dives must be a new promotion...it was not an option for our trip. Maybe word is getting around about the condition, issues, etc. and they are hurting for business?? It was unlimited shore diving and one night dive per week from what we saw on the website.

I see they are still advertising the paddleboards! lol

And BTW, they still seem to be saying sat TV is getting fixed any day now! hahaha

Using the hurricanes as an excuse this long after they were hit seems like a cop out at this point.
 
Somehow from prior threads I was under the impression shore diving off Grand Turk either wasn't a 'thing,' or the swim-outs were prohibitively long. Now I'm curious whether either impression is accurate. Can someone who's shore dove off Grand Turk comment?

Always glad to hear about another good shore diving destination. Is Grand Turk such?

Richard.
 

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