This was our first time staying at the Osprey and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The hotel has a postcard-perfect location on a beautiful stretch of beach on the western (Caribbean) side of the island, so the weather is calmer and the sunsets are incredible.

There are a very limited number of lodging options on Grand Turk, and certainly no 4 or 5-star facilities, so if that is a requirement for you, this isn't it. However, if you prefer a relaxed island pace, with wonderful food and definitely some of the most friendly, warm, and gracious service staff in the region, then we highly recommend the Osprey Beach.

Now, in fairness, we feel it's important to provide a few comments explaining our lack of an "Excellent" rating. To us these are simply quirks, but other folks have different priorities. Grand Turk's charm is also its shortcoming; it's a tiny island of less than 7 sq. mi, with only about 4,000 residents, and a less than dependable infrastructure system, which during our visit meant that there were occasional internet outages and reasonably short periods when the water wasn't working. With so few workers and the very high costs for almost everything due to shipping, it's impossible to keep buildings maintained to U.S. standards. We think the Osprey does the best that can be done given the circumstances, but guys, it's not the Ritz-Carlton.

There also are limited areas along the hotel's beachfront where you can easily enter the water without having to negotiate a lot of rocks and coral heads right below the surface. Our recommendation is to use the beautiful beachfront at the hotel for sunning, but head south to Governor's Beach or north to Pillory Beach if you're looking to wade and swim near to shore.

We hate to even mention these drawbacks, because they certainly didn't lessen our enjoyment to a significant degree, but believe all conditions should be mentioned in reviews.

Strengths:
Location, location, location! The beach and sunset views cannot be beat. Dive boats (or snorkeling) pick up at the hotel, you can also snorkel from the beach - the further out you can go, the better reef conditions get, and the wall is within reach as well for stronger swimmers.

The Duke Street neighborhood offered access to several bars and restaurants, and walking distance to a bank (bring more cash!), grocery store, and pharmacy.

The staff are all friendly and helpful. We didn’t need to activate our phones for international plans because the office helped us call taxis as needed, and get a golf cart rental for 1 day to explore the island.

We liked our ground floor beach front room for the ease of access to walk in/out directly to the beach. If you prefer the view to access, ask for a room on the upper floor.

Note: The 5-star rating for the hotel does not imply that it is a luxury hotel - but you get solid value for the price of the room.

Some of the downsides: the beds squeaked a bit, there were biting bugs, and some local (friendly) dogs that roamed the area and would occasionally bark (day and night). But keep in mind that all of these downsides are just minor irritations for us compared to the strengths listed above.

Just returned from my first visit to Grand Turk Island and I slipped up on the perfect place to stay after a VRBO disaster. Lucky for us it had the perfect location for us divers directly across the street from the island's best dive operation, Blue Water Divers. Nicely appointed all beachfront rooms and a great Bar/Restaurant. The Owner Jenny, and her excellent staff were all very friendly, helpful, and accommodating.