Booking through website or travel agent??

Question

My family is looking at going to the "Beaches" resort in Turks and Caicos next year. On their website, you can book your reservation along w/ airfare. We are definitely NOT seasoned travelers, and was wondering if we would be better off going through an agent?? Would prices be higher/comparible?? Any info or advice you can share would be much appreciated..

~Also, has anyone been to this location or have heard any reviews??...thanks!!

Answer 1

My experience was that the travel agent came up with much better airline rates.  We loved that resort.  There was plenty to do and the accommodations were really comfortable and the water around the Turks and Caicos was gorgeous.  The customs line was long, however, going in and longer going out.  But the resort was great.

Enjoy!

Answer 2

Although it does take longer, personally, I prefer to book online, mainly to save $$.  If you go through an agent, they don't really have your best interest {your wallet} at heart.  I researched a flight out to Dominican Republic from New York for last summer, and it cost <$400 on AA.com {I figured this was a good price for the summer, so I put the tickets on hold}.  I wanted to see if a travel agency might give me a better deal, but when I went, the girl told me it would be >$550- including the agency's booking fee.  Needless to say, I ended up buying my tickets online.  But if you're not one to do this {booking} on your own, I guess you COULD pay an agent to do the same job YOU could do for free.

Answer 3

My advice to you is also check prices out with your local travel agency. They usually will match or do much better in price than the web. They do not charge for this service.We went to Cancun last year and our travel agent Liberty Travel was $400 dollars cheaper and we got a better room category than the website.

We had the pleasure to visit Turks and Caicos recently and Grace Bay Beach where Beaches is located blew us away. The beach is white sand that never gets hot and the water is aqua color and so clear.

Close to Beaches is a coral reef right off the beach that you can snorkel. You will see a variety of beautiful fish and turtles. Loved the turtles.

My friend, husband and two little girls went to Beaches in November and they absolutely loved the resort.

Here is a site with over 950 reviews about Beaches. There are also tourist candid photos of the resort.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserRevie...

Make sure you do a tour boat excursion, the views are all in the water. Awesome. Enjoy)

Answer 4

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-...

my favorite site for checking Holiday destinations.

I never use a travel agent and travel quite frequently.  In Canada I use

escapes.ca

Answer 5

according to my travel agent friend next door, it is cheaper to go to the web, although she uses the web to book her people, the agency adds on an extra $40 per ticket. If u feel safe doing it, do it.