USVI-On-Line

We just returned from our second visit to Provodenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. It was a spur of the moment business trip so I had to forgo my usual insane trip planning and just wing it.

Going on such short noticed forced us to pay full fare from plane tickets (ouch!) and make a very quick decision on lodging.

Getting there/getting around

The ease of travel to Provo from Pennsylvania is great. We used our local airport and connected thru Charlotte, door-to-door in less than nine hours. Coming and going, the airport staff was efficient and professional.

Rental cars run about $50-$60 per day and most agencies will meet you at the airport and let you just leave the car in the airport lot upon departure. Gas was $5.65 per gallon.

Driving is on the left, same as St. John, but all the cars have steering wheels on the right. Back in 2004, long stretches of Leeward "Highway", as well as the secondary roads, were unpaved. Now it seems all of the public roads to the east of town are paved.

Lodging

We stayed at South Fleetwood, which is located one building lot back from Grace Bay Beach in the area of Mansions on Grace Bay. It is a very unique property. The owners built it themselves and one can tell a lot of love went into the place. We stayed in the free-standing cottage unit -



The Cottage unit has an open floor plan with a daybed, small kitchen area with full-size fridge, king size bed, small closet and a large bathroom (shower only) with two sinks. Outside under the covered patio, the unit is a table for four.

The Cottage worked well for our family of two adults and a toddler. We spent all our time outside by the pool or at the beach. This place was clean, clean, clean and I am very picky about such things. The place had a number of negatives (minor yet annoying) but I won't go into them unless someone has an interest in staying there and wants detailed information.

The property also has a first floor studio unit and a large, two-bedroom full size condo-style unit.

The gardens, pool, and common outside living areas were nice -





The property owners live on site and were very helpful when we needed island information. The gardener harvested fresh coconuts one afternoon, which delighted our son.

South Fleetwood was quirky and charming. It was such a change from home, which is desirable for us. For a quick trip, it was fine but for a longer stay I would likely return to http://www.aquamarinebeachhouses.com/ where we stayed in 2004.

The beach

Grace Bay Beach is several miles long and has recently sprouted multi-story condos as far as the eye can see. (I purposely framed my shot to exclude the buildings.)

There were no snorkeling spots in our general area. A good spot about a 15 minute walk was reported but since we didn't have our gear, we didn't check it out.

Apparently the past building restriction limiting height to 3 stories was lifted and the newer complexes seem to be seven or so stories. So different from St. John!

I will say it was nice to be able stroll for long distances. Walking on the beach to reach the restaurants was a treat.



The food

Grocery and booze prices - A six-pack of Heineken (or similar) is $13.00 at the IGA. Wine ran about 25% more than in PA. Gallon of milk - $5.25, dozen eggs $2.25, loaf of regular bread - $2.25, specialty bread - $6.50, chips $5 per bag, pint of ice cream $4.50.

Dinner entrees ran from $23 to $35. All restaurants were a la carte. Salads were around $9, appetizers $10 or so. Generally no bread or nibbles served. Wine by the glass started at $8 and ran up to $15 at the high-end. Mixed drinks were generally $8.

We ate out for every lunch and dinner. Our favorite was Da Conch Shack, shown below.



Conch is pulled straight from the water -



Cleaned on a wire spool, the kitchen is steps away to the left -



Sorry guys, you are lunch -



Yum! Fritters on the left (beats any and all on STJ) and conch salad on the right -



Hubs won't allow family pictures but I have great shots of our 2.5 year old eating cracked conch, conch fritters, and conch cerviche. He was a particularly adventurous eater this trip, more so than usual.

We liked our first lunch so much, we went back a second time. Customers seemed equally split between residents and tourists. The bartender took our son behind the bar to let him pick his own shell from a basket of kid-sized shells. Full size shells were free for the taking. If you are ever on the island, it is worth the drive.

We also ate at the Tiki Hut and Shark Bites (Turtle Cove Marina), Hemingway's on the Beach (at the Sands property), the Iguana (Salt Mills) and Coco Bistro. While all were good, the Tiki Hill (casual) and Coco Bistro (bit more upscale) were the stand outs for dinner.

Random

Because it was so last minute and we were forced to travel light, I didn't have time to plan and pack. I left behind the beer huggies and the Polar Bear. Never again! When I inquired about the availability of a cooler for the beach, the owner said they had plenty.

When it came time to use a cooler, he gave us what was probably the first flip-top igloo cooler ever made. The lid/handle was broken and wouldn't stay shut and this one was the pick of the litter. Thank goodness we had a bungee cord to keep it shut. At least all the effort made us appreciate the cold beer even more.

Provo is so different than STJ. Development has exploded. In 2004, we stayed on the beach in the Bight area of Grace Bay and it was so quiet with nothing in either direction. The area is now totally built up with condo complexes. While the properties look nice, it really isn't our thing and it made me sort of sad to see empty stretches of beaches visually polluted by development.

Ease of getting to the island is a positive. The availability of beachfront accommodations and good restaurants is another. While shopping isn't my favorite activity, there are plenty of upscale shops at the large condo complexes.

It is likely we will return for work/pleasure but for us, it doesn't hold a candle to the Virgin Islands. We would like to try some of the other TCI islands like Pine Cay and North Caicos.

This blog writer provides a good picture of the impact of development on the island - http://2gringos.blogspot.com/

I don't have many pictures from this trip but here are a few -

Sunset at Turtle Cove




Grace Bay from a new condo complex -



Beach looking towards Club Med -



Island Bar -

The water looks beautiful in your pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Not a bad spot to have to take a business trip to!

Thanks PA Girl---Appreciated the report. I've been thinking about Provo for years now and we're finally making the plunge next February. Your report didn't discourage me at all, as I did know it was quite a bit more developed than St. John. The water does look gorgeous. I had read about Da Conch Shack, and I now know that it is a "must-visit" for lunch---those conch fritters looked scrumptious. Coco Bistro was also on my list for dinner spots (I plan ahead:)) I want to head out to Malcoms Beach on the west end where Amanyara Resort is located----did you happen to get out that way? Also, I have been thinking about a boat trip to Pine Cay-----the beach there looks blissful. We're staying in a house on the north side of the island---waterfront but not on the beach---called Villa Palmera. Thanks again for taking the time to post!

Great report on Provo we went a few years back and it was nice but would not go back. Kinda like Florida with a really nice beach and flat as a Pancake. I think anyone who has been to St. John and gets it will be dissapointed in Provo. The snorkeling in front of Coral Gardens was good but that was it for snorkeling on Grace Bay unless ya went out on a boat.
Iowaguy you will like it and I'm sure you will have fun it's just not St. John. If I never had gone to St John I wouldn't have thought this. St John just raises the bar awfully high.

Iowa Guy - no, we didn't get out to Malcoms Beach. The day we were headed out, it poured absolute buckets and the roads were flooded. We decided on our 1st 3-hour lunch at the conch shack instead

Coco Bistro is wonderful. We were actually looking for a different restaurant and sort of got lost. We drove past Coco Bistro twice and could see the lights (it sits back from the road down a dark driveway) and decided to give it a try.

The setting is beautiful. The outside dining area is set amongst many palm trees with lots of up lighting and flowering bushes. The food alone made it our best meal on the island. Nice wine list. We talked to a born and raised island resident in the parking lot and he says it is the best restaurant on the island. Considering the crowds in June, I think reservations would be necessary in-season.

Villa Palmera looks wonderful! You are close to Turtle Cove Marina, which has a number of good places to eat and drink. The boats/yachts that were in the marina last week were amazing. Hubs measured one (while walking next to it) at 185 feet.

There are a number of public beach access points to Grace Bay Beach to the east of Turtle Cove with parking right off the beach.

I would love to stay on Pine Cay for part of our next trip but really, the water is amazing every where. Chalk Sound looks like it is glowing, it partically hurts your eyes.

Thank you for the trip report and the photos.

I can't agree more with what you are saying. We went to Provo and Grand Turk 2006 and I felt the same about Provo. Really nice beaches and water, but too much built up and very expensive. But Grand Turk was very different. Much more laid back.

Iowaguy - we went on a trip to Pine Cay which was very nice. We also visited Malcolms beach, but it was too windy to swim. It was very remote and took a while to get to. I have some pictures from both of those places on my photoside (link below).

There are except for Coral Gardens also nice snorkeling outside Smiths reef near Turtle Cove. You can walk there. We saw eagle rays and there is also an underwater snorkeling trail.

Anyway - one visit was enough. The only reason I would go back, would be for diving. I had my very first diving experinces from there and it was truly wonderful. Grand Turk was also kind of interesting.

Maggie - Did you stay on Grand Turk? During our first trip in 2004, our hosts encouraged us to fly down to Grand Turk for the day but we didn't make the time.

I wish we would have. I saw in the local newspaper that the cruise ships have moved in, complete with a Margaritaville restaurant with a pool!

Yes, PA Girl, we actually stayed 5 nights at Bohio Dive Resort.

It was a bit like travelling back in time. The only thing that was modern, was the cruise ship dock. But the ship was only in for a couple of days of the week. So you should avoid going on an excursion on those days, but otherwise you hardly noticed them. Might have changed now, since we were there.

Grand Turk is very slow, and is a divers paradise. I don't think it's for everyone. There were several restaurants with good food, only expensive. We rented a scooter and drove around the island. Also took a trip to Gibbs Cay to see the sting rays. It was nice.

It was hard finding groceries in the shops. Almost nothing to buy, so we had to eat out all the time (except for breakfast where we managed to fix something in the room.).

I don't know if I would go back, but it was interesting in a way. Not as flat as Provo.

Maggy----Those photos of Pine Cay are gorgeous! Thanks. I've looked at a number of houses for rent on Pine Cay, and its intriguing to me, but I'm not sure I can handle that much solitude for a week. I can see it was really windy at Malcom's Beach ---I've seen some other photos where that looks stunning also---I'm sure it depends on weather.

We are traveling with several other couples to T & C and I think some of them prefer a little more development, so that will be fine for this trip. Its funny---I'm really looking forward to visiting T & C now that I've also set aside FF tickets for a trip to St. John a month after the T & C trip. That way, I won't be thinking I'm missing out on a St. John trip by going to T & C. Unfortunately, both trips are 7 or 8 months away and until then I just need to work.

iowaguy wrote: Its funny---I'm really looking forward to visiting T & C now that I've also set aside FF tickets for a trip to St. John a month after the T & C trip. That way, I won't be thinking I'm missing out on a St. John trip by going to T & C.

Great attitude!

From how you briefly described your friends, I am sure everyone will enjoy themselves.

The wife half of our STJ travelling friends would LOVE Provo. She happily comes along on our VI trips but also makes sure to get to Murtle Beach, Hilton Head, etc. each summer so she can get her condo/shopping fix. Provo would be the best of both worlds for her.

I enjoyed the report. It sure is a lot more built up since 1999. We were at that island bar.
The water is beautiful there.

Thanks for sharing PA Girl....

I always appreciate hearing about Islands I haven't been to before...I thought the T&C looked cool from my Jet while flying over to Aruba...
Cheers-

We actually "discovered" T & C while flying to the DR. Hubs looked out the window and said "I don't know the name of that (Provo) island but that is where we are going next."

A quick peak at the map in back of the airline magazine and we were there the following year.

Thank you for the report. I didn't know so much about the place before, but the beach looks wonderful and the sunset picture was just great.

Linne

Great pictures! I stayed on T&C years ago -- January 1990 -- at the Club Med. At the time, the baggage claim at the airport was a card table and there was very little else on the island, but a few places were being built nearby. I've been curious about what it's like now, so it's great to see your pictures.

Looks like the beaches are water are still gorgeous. I'd love to go back.