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Turks and Caicos Trip Report
Turks and Caicos Trip Report
Hi All---Much like PA Girl, I've been cheating on St. John too. We have a "gang of 10" that we have travelled with to St. John on three trips. While our friends have absolutely loved their trips to St. John, a few of them---quite surprisingly---thought they might not want to go to St. John on every trip for the rest of their life, and suggested we try something new, just to shake it up. So, the 10 of us ended up at a house together in the Turks and Caicos for a week from February 10 to 17. It wasn't St. John, but it was a fun trip.
Like most visitors to the T & C, we stayed on the main island of Providenciales (Provo). I had seen pictures of recent development in T & C and was a little worried---I expected the island to be a cross between Miami Beach and the Caribbean. Yes---there were some larger buildings in the heart of the Grace Bay tourist area, but there are still plenty of beautiful, natural places in the T & C. The fact that our house was on a dirt road(or more accurately, a chalky dusty road)might have helped give that impression.
We stayed on the north side of the island. There is a fringing coral reef on the entire north side of the island that usually makes everything inside the reef calm and beautiful. Here is a view from the deck at our house---you can barely see the reef in the distance. The color of the water is truly mesmerizing.
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kk ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_S ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
Our best day was a sailing trip to the small, mostly uninhabited islands east of Provo called the Caicos Cays. We chartered a boat called the Atabeyra---a 70 some foot boat that the owner had built himself. We sailed out to the north side of Pine Cay, which has a gorgeous 5 mile beach that was completely empty. There is a small (10 room) resort on Pine Cay---The Meridian Club---and about 30, low key homes set waaaay back from the beach to keep the island natural. If you want to try some real solitude, some of these homes are available to rent---personally, I need a little more activity, but the castaway setting is interesting to think about. The beach at Pine Cay may have been the prettiest I have ever seen (White Bay, Salomon Bay and Deadman's Bay are the others in the running). The sand is like talcum powder and the water is the color of windex. I won't say I didn't miss the view of other islands in the distance like you have at White Bay, but Pine Cay has a more stark natural beauty all its own.
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R4 ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx8U ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table><table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xF ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_O ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
We also sailed out to the fringing reef and snorkeled---excellent visibility and a lot of sea life. Its about 30 feet deep inside the reef and drops down sharply after that.
On other days, we mostly hung out at the beach. We found a new, casual beach cafe on Grace Bay that we really liked called "Somewhere on the Beach." We met the young owners from D.C. on our first visit and we came back about 5 times. Here is a picture of some rum punch from Somewhere, and one of their tables on the upper level (just opening as we were there):
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wJ ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_J ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and
Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dC ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_T ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
Unlike The Beach Bar, "Somewhere" was a polished beach cafe,with nice new teak furniture-- fitting for this mostly new island. But it had good food, great drinks and you could wear your flip-flops or go barefoot. And it was about 10 feet away from a gorgeous beach and about 75 feet away from the best beachside reef on Provo.
Another place we liked---located away from Grace Bay and in the local settlement of Blue Hills---was Da Conch Shack. They kept the conch in pens in the water, and would go fetch the periodically to make conch fritters, cracked conch, conch salad---just about anything you could think of (and a lot of things you've NEVER thought of) to make out of conch. We went to Da Conch Shack 3 times, including once for dinner when they had music and dancing in the sand----fun night.
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dA ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx8Q ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fg ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_G ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ya ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZ3k7 ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
We went to a couple of other beaches too---Taylor Bay, a big, shallow bay with a nice beach on the less developed south side of the island. Lots of private homes on this pretty beach. It was a cloudy day, so the water color was not as brilliant:
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/u9 ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx8P ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
We also went to the far west side of the island to a beach called Malcolm's Road Beach. It was a nice beach---although not as nice as Grace Bay. Its chief distinction was that it was really hard to get to. Bumpy does not even begin to describe the road going out here. No pictures--I forgot my camera that day---I hate when I do this.
For dinner, we mostly ate out, and most of the restaurants were expensive. Really expensive. One place we liked a lot, and that was not too badly priced---was Bay Bistro. Right on the water, which was nice. Delicious food. We ate at two "fancy" restaurants---Parallel 23 and O Soleil. Although I'm not sure there was a dress code, long pants were more the norm for men. The restaurants in Provo tended to be less casual, more "resorty" and more expensive than in St. John. But the food was great.
There was one big grocery store---the IGA---they had everything you could want, just be prepared to pay. A lot. Bag of Ruffles chips? $8.99. Case of Coors Light? $50.00 or so.
Our house---Villa Palmera--- was almost embarrassingly nice. When my kids saw it, they asked if we were going to stay with Oprah. But through the "villa math" of splitting it 5 ways, it was less expensive than, say, a harbor view unit at Gallows Point. We had a nice dock you could swim from--with a decent reef shortly offshore.
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Rs ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_R ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yC ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZyWI ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
Things I liked about Turks and Caicos? The water. The sand. Being able to get a rum punch or beer on the beach. Walking a long beach.
Things I missed from St. John? The Beach Bar. We usually stop there every night after dinner. There was no place to go in T & C after dinner. We also missed views of distant islands, and the hills, and the crazy, twisty roads of St. John. And we missed the town of Cruz Bay---there was no "town" in T & C. In general, T & C didn't have quite as much Caribbean character as St. John.
But the constant view of this water helped:
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y3 ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx8U ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
Like most visitors to the T & C, we stayed on the main island of Providenciales (Provo). I had seen pictures of recent development in T & C and was a little worried---I expected the island to be a cross between Miami Beach and the Caribbean. Yes---there were some larger buildings in the heart of the Grace Bay tourist area, but there are still plenty of beautiful, natural places in the T & C. The fact that our house was on a dirt road(or more accurately, a chalky dusty road)might have helped give that impression.
We stayed on the north side of the island. There is a fringing coral reef on the entire north side of the island that usually makes everything inside the reef calm and beautiful. Here is a view from the deck at our house---you can barely see the reef in the distance. The color of the water is truly mesmerizing.
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kk ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_S ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
Our best day was a sailing trip to the small, mostly uninhabited islands east of Provo called the Caicos Cays. We chartered a boat called the Atabeyra---a 70 some foot boat that the owner had built himself. We sailed out to the north side of Pine Cay, which has a gorgeous 5 mile beach that was completely empty. There is a small (10 room) resort on Pine Cay---The Meridian Club---and about 30, low key homes set waaaay back from the beach to keep the island natural. If you want to try some real solitude, some of these homes are available to rent---personally, I need a little more activity, but the castaway setting is interesting to think about. The beach at Pine Cay may have been the prettiest I have ever seen (White Bay, Salomon Bay and Deadman's Bay are the others in the running). The sand is like talcum powder and the water is the color of windex. I won't say I didn't miss the view of other islands in the distance like you have at White Bay, but Pine Cay has a more stark natural beauty all its own.
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R4 ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx8U ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table><table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xF ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_O ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
We also sailed out to the fringing reef and snorkeled---excellent visibility and a lot of sea life. Its about 30 feet deep inside the reef and drops down sharply after that.
On other days, we mostly hung out at the beach. We found a new, casual beach cafe on Grace Bay that we really liked called "Somewhere on the Beach." We met the young owners from D.C. on our first visit and we came back about 5 times. Here is a picture of some rum punch from Somewhere, and one of their tables on the upper level (just opening as we were there):
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wJ ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_J ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and
Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dC ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_T ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
Unlike The Beach Bar, "Somewhere" was a polished beach cafe,with nice new teak furniture-- fitting for this mostly new island. But it had good food, great drinks and you could wear your flip-flops or go barefoot. And it was about 10 feet away from a gorgeous beach and about 75 feet away from the best beachside reef on Provo.
Another place we liked---located away from Grace Bay and in the local settlement of Blue Hills---was Da Conch Shack. They kept the conch in pens in the water, and would go fetch the periodically to make conch fritters, cracked conch, conch salad---just about anything you could think of (and a lot of things you've NEVER thought of) to make out of conch. We went to Da Conch Shack 3 times, including once for dinner when they had music and dancing in the sand----fun night.
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dA ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx8Q ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fg ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_G ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ya ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZ3k7 ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
We went to a couple of other beaches too---Taylor Bay, a big, shallow bay with a nice beach on the less developed south side of the island. Lots of private homes on this pretty beach. It was a cloudy day, so the water color was not as brilliant:
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/u9 ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx8P ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
We also went to the far west side of the island to a beach called Malcolm's Road Beach. It was a nice beach---although not as nice as Grace Bay. Its chief distinction was that it was really hard to get to. Bumpy does not even begin to describe the road going out here. No pictures--I forgot my camera that day---I hate when I do this.
For dinner, we mostly ate out, and most of the restaurants were expensive. Really expensive. One place we liked a lot, and that was not too badly priced---was Bay Bistro. Right on the water, which was nice. Delicious food. We ate at two "fancy" restaurants---Parallel 23 and O Soleil. Although I'm not sure there was a dress code, long pants were more the norm for men. The restaurants in Provo tended to be less casual, more "resorty" and more expensive than in St. John. But the food was great.
There was one big grocery store---the IGA---they had everything you could want, just be prepared to pay. A lot. Bag of Ruffles chips? $8.99. Case of Coors Light? $50.00 or so.
Our house---Villa Palmera--- was almost embarrassingly nice. When my kids saw it, they asked if we were going to stay with Oprah. But through the "villa math" of splitting it 5 ways, it was less expensive than, say, a harbor view unit at Gallows Point. We had a nice dock you could swim from--with a decent reef shortly offshore.
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Rs ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx_R ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yC ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZyWI ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
Things I liked about Turks and Caicos? The water. The sand. Being able to get a rum punch or beer on the beach. Walking a long beach.
Things I missed from St. John? The Beach Bar. We usually stop there every night after dinner. There was no place to go in T & C after dinner. We also missed views of distant islands, and the hills, and the crazy, twisty roads of St. John. And we missed the town of Cruz Bay---there was no "town" in T & C. In general, T & C didn't have quite as much Caribbean character as St. John.
But the constant view of this water helped:
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y3 ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_A0oQuIrxUFk/SZx8U ... r><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iowaguy57/T ... ite">Turks and Caicos</a></td></tr></table>
---Jim
-
nothintolose
- Posts: 1960
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
- Location: New Orleans, LA
Thanks iowaguy for the report and the wonderful pictures. We were in TCI 2006, and I do agree about everything you write in the report. The pictures doesn't lie, it's really this beautiful. The colors are amazing, almost unreal! Pine Cay was stunning.
But I also missed the Caribbean feeling and the lush hills. I also missed more money
!
But I also missed the Caribbean feeling and the lush hills. I also missed more money
!Where we stayed in 2004, there was a reef right off our beach and several other spots within walking distance.
I also saw a number of man-made objects sunk in the water to attract coral and sea life. They looked like big concrete wiffle balls.
They appeared to be serving the intended purpose and all were nearly covered with corals and full of all sorts of fish and creatures darting in and out.
My one and only eel sighting was at one of these balls.
I also saw a number of man-made objects sunk in the water to attract coral and sea life. They looked like big concrete wiffle balls.
They appeared to be serving the intended purpose and all were nearly covered with corals and full of all sorts of fish and creatures darting in and out.
My one and only eel sighting was at one of these balls.
Thanks all. Jorge--I like your slogan---funny.
PA Girl---I remember your TR from T & C last year---its what got us interested in Da Conch Shack.
Nothintolose---There is pretty good snorkeling beachside---just not much variety. There are basically two snorkeling locations along Grace Bay--The Bight and Smith's Reef. It was good---great visibility---I saw a sea turtle, a big stingray and lots of large fish (I'm no Liamsaunt when it comes to identifying fish----I'm a flatlander so we don't see many fish
). There was also snorkeling at Malcolm's Road Beach, but it was too choppy the day we were there (unusual we were told). Thats about it. Otherwise, you needed to get out to the reef, about a mile offshore.
PA Girl---I remember your TR from T & C last year---its what got us interested in Da Conch Shack.
Nothintolose---There is pretty good snorkeling beachside---just not much variety. There are basically two snorkeling locations along Grace Bay--The Bight and Smith's Reef. It was good---great visibility---I saw a sea turtle, a big stingray and lots of large fish (I'm no Liamsaunt when it comes to identifying fish----I'm a flatlander so we don't see many fish
). There was also snorkeling at Malcolm's Road Beach, but it was too choppy the day we were there (unusual we were told). Thats about it. Otherwise, you needed to get out to the reef, about a mile offshore.---Jim
I glad you liked Da Conch Shack as much as we did. There is always a danger of hyping something too much, as we all know.
Just thinking about the cracked conch is making my tummy growl.
The setting aside, what really stands out in my memory from our visit there was the owners/employees. We spent so much time talking to them each visit.
They were so happy and seemed to enjoy telling us us all about the conch, life on the island, etc.
Just thinking about the cracked conch is making my tummy growl.
The setting aside, what really stands out in my memory from our visit there was the owners/employees. We spent so much time talking to them each visit.
They were so happy and seemed to enjoy telling us us all about the conch, life on the island, etc.
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Kathyzhere
- Posts: 527
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:04 pm
- Location: Cape Cod & SW FL
iowaguy, thanks for the report with fabulous pictures.
You know, one of these days, I have to cheat on St. John too. As much as I love St. John, I DO miss visiting other places in the world. Reading TRs on the VI forum makes me want to keep returning to St. John – and TRs like yours here on this side of the forum encourages me to explore other places. Ahh, my heart is split in half!
I'm telling myself "one of these days... one of these days..."
You know, one of these days, I have to cheat on St. John too. As much as I love St. John, I DO miss visiting other places in the world. Reading TRs on the VI forum makes me want to keep returning to St. John – and TRs like yours here on this side of the forum encourages me to explore other places. Ahh, my heart is split in half!
I'm telling myself "one of these days... one of these days..."
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martini girl
- Posts: 329
- Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:29 pm
- Location: Pennsylvania