We had a wonderful two week vacation at Northwest Point. Not knowing what to expect, I was very pleasantly surprised by the size and general upkeep of the condo and the property. The condo was quite clean and the beds were very comfortable -- I spent many happy hours reading in bed and looking out at the ocean.
The kitchen was a decent size for a condo, had a full sized fridge, and it was well laid out. I cooked virtually every meal during our holiday and had all the essential items I needed. A couple of suggestions that would have been helpful in our kitchen: a salad spinner, and newer teflon pots as ours were peeling on the inside so I never used them (there were a couple of other pots, but without the teflon ones, I was often one pot short). I'd also recommend bringing one good sharp knife from home wrapped in a tea towel - I did this and both proved very useful, although the unit did have lots of cutlery, cloth and towel. Like many others, I was glad I brough along some non-perishables food in our luggage (dry soup mix; mac & cheese for kids; canned tuna/salmon; assorted spices; etc.) as most groceries in town were triple what we pay at home. Notably, some cuts of chicken, beef, and certain veggies such as zucchini and peppers were comparable to prices at home so no need to go too far overboard... The IGA in Providenciales was incredibly well stocked and had most everything I could think of. However, it did run out of staples like 1% milk a couple of times while we were there, so when you do your shopping, buy enough to last you for a while in case they run short when when you're next in town!
The beach at the resort was great! There was lots of sea grass that they typically had cleaned up by 8:30 in the morning. There was no need to reserve chairs with a towel, and you often had the beach and/or pool to yourself. I highly recommend walking the beach towards the point (to the left) during low-tide. If you time it right, the sea grass is mostly at the top of the beach so you're walking on clear sand by the water. Also, in that direction, we found many large (8" to 10") conch shells in the last few hundred metres of beach, and enjoyed watching the big osprey in their nest at the end of the beach.
The resort always had a nice breeze while we were there, so it was never painfully hot ... just comfortable. There were two days when the wind was very strong, so we mainly stayed by the pool. We drove to Grace Bay on one of these days and the wind was pretty much the same there (almost nobody was on the beach). Most of the hotels are on the Atlantic side of the island and comparably exposed, so I wouldn't stay away from Northwest Point for this reason alone. The pool was a bit cool for my liking, but the hot tub was great and was where we and the kids spent most of our water time.
Lastly, lots of people have complained about the drive in. Frankly, I kind of enjoyed it. If you've been to the South before, you've likely been on many worse roads than the one out to the resort. The potholes, if you hit them hard, probably could jar a filling loose in one of your teeth, but with a little care, you can also avoid them. Part of the charm of the Islands, I suppose.
I'd highly recommend Northwest Point Resort to people who want a quiet family vacation that's off the beaten path. It's not a really upscale resort, but it's also not priced like one. It exceded my expectation on most fronts and the staff were very friendly, approachable, and promptly resolved the few issues that we brought to their attention. Of the 15 or so vacations I've taken to various Caribbean islands, this was one of my favourites. I will return.
- Northwest Point Hotel
- Northwest Point Providenciales
