Grace Bay Resorts may have just opened Rock House roughly two years ago, but the property is already in expansion mode.
Franck Chantoiseau
The resort’s second phase, known as The Reserve Villas at Rock House, is close to completion, comprising 10 two- to five-bedroom accommodations. The additions will bring the property’s total room count to 56.
The expansion effort comes amid a period of high demand. During my visit, the property was close to fully booked, according to general manager Franck Chantoiseau.
“For many, in Turks and Caicos, the expectation is to be on Grace Bay Beach,” Chantoiseau said during a tour of the resort. “But [our location away from Grace Bay] became our strength.
“Having a small, secluded, private beach with a jetty that’s very stylish and sophisticated became a big hit. We are overperforming compared to the other properties in Turks and Caicos.”
An outdoor seating area at the resort. Photo Credit: Christina Jelski
That small beach is also on track to grow, thanks to underwater marine-engineering efforts that work to gradually, and relatively naturally, encourage sand to collect and extend the beach, with minimal impact to the ocean’s flora and fauna.
Eventually the beach is projected to stretch somewhere around 800 feet, according to Nikheel Advani, Grace Bay Resorts co-founder, COO and principal.
Even without that more expansive beachfront in play, however, Advani said Rock House has already built some buzz.
“Everybody’s talking about it,” he said. “When you’re on a plane, everybody’s talking about, ‘Who’s going to Rock House?’ and ‘Have you had dinner there?’ It’s really a fun departure from anything else.”
