Turks & Caicos Travel Guide

 

Hi, friends!! I am starting to get back into the groove of things after being on vacation, but it sure has been hard when I think back to where I was last week at this time – the beautiful Turks & Caicos!  My husband and I have traveled to quite a few tropical destinations over the years, and we agree that the Turks is our favorite spot…so much so that we have now been three times!  We usually go on vacation in August to celebrate our anniversary, so it is generally the off-season at most destinations.  That’s fine with us though, as we prefer fewer crowds and the rates are always better!  During our most recent trip, I received a few questions about where we stayed, what to do on the island, etc., so I thought it would be good to write a blog post to break it all down for you.  Warning, this is probably going to be long, but I wanted to be sure to give you a ton of information and details to help you if you are thinking about going to the Turks or if you have an upcoming trip planned!  Also, I plan to do a totally separate post to round up all the outfits that I wore while on vacation, so stay tuned for that!

How to Get There:

The Turks & Caicos is in the Caribbean, specifically between the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic, and is made up of several islands. The island that we always visit is Providenciales (aka “Provo”).  It is the most populated of all of the islands, and is home to the stunning Grace Bay beach, which has been voted one of the world’s most beautiful beaches several times over the years.  Provo is only 23 miles long and 4 miles wide, so it’s pretty small!  One thing we love about Provo is that it is relatively easy to get to from North Carolina, and it’s also super easy to navigate on your own.  We fly out of Raleigh-Durham, and usually have a connection either in Charlotte or Atlanta.  From there, the flight to Provo is no more than 2.5 hours, and once you land, all of the resorts are within 15 minutes of the airport.  We always rent a car and drive all over the island – I highly recommend this!  Provo is so beautiful and has so many amazing beaches and restaurants – definitely venture out from wherever you are staying and explore!  (Note:  they drive on the opposite side of the road in Provo, as well as the opposite side of the car, so that may take a little getting used to but it’s totally doable!)

Where to Stay:  

We have stayed at three totally different places on each visit, so I’m going to share the details on all of them. On our first visit to the island in 2012, we stayed at what is now the Blue Haven Resort (it was the Leeward Resort when we stayed there).  The rooms are very nice and have beautiful views (we stayed in the one bedroom ocean front suite), and compared to other properties on the island, the rates are reasonable.  The resort is located at the very end of the island, opposite the airport, and feels pretty far removed from everything.  It is also situated on a small, man-made beach that is just for the resort – so in other words, there is no other “beach” area around this property.  There were also no restaurants on the property at the time, but they do now have both a fine dining restaurant and a casual bar and grill onsite.  When we stayed there, it felt very deserted, but business may have picked up since that was several years ago, and the ownership has now changed and they have restaurants.  A car was included in our package, and we definitely needed it staying here!

On our second trip to the island two years ago, we rented a one bedroom house through TC Villas. It was AH-MAZING!  This is the exact one that we rented.  The house was located in the Turtle Cove area, which is at the end of Grace Bay, and it was right on the beach and came with our own private pool.  Smith’s Reef is right by the house, so it is perfect for snorkeling just footsteps away from where you are staying (the house came with snorkeling gear so that definitely came in handy).  We went snorkeling a couple of times on the reef and saw some pretty cool fish.  We stocked up on a few groceries when we first arrived – the grocery stores are easy to get to, but be prepared, groceries are very expensive there (actually, all food and drinks are expensive in the T&C!)!  There is a marina at Turtle Cove, and there are several restaurants located there so that was also convenient for lunch and/or dinners out.  The houses that TC Villas has available are perfect if you are looking for a private and peaceful getaway, and some of their larger villas are perfect for multiple couples and families traveling together.  They have villas all over the island.  This particular house/neighborhood was probably about a 10-minute drive from the more touristy Grace Bay area.

During our most recent trip, we chose to stay at the Grace Bay Club. During our last stay a couple of years ago, we had visited the Infiniti Bar, which is located at this resort, for pre-dinner drinks.  We were impressed with the property and it was in a great location right on Grace Bay, so we decided to stay there this time.  All of the big all-inclusive resorts are located on Grace Bay, so this area is definitely the most populated.  The Grace Bay Club is not an all-inclusive resort, although I believe they do offer a meal plan.  Breakfast is included in your stay, and that was one of my favorite parts – it is served at The Grill, their beachfront restaurant, and they have quite the spread of breakfast foods.  It was so nice to sit right by the beach every morning and have breakfast (clearly I did not practice my Intermittent Fasting while on vacation :))!  While the Grace Bay Club is not a small resort, it is smaller than some of the other resorts in the area, like Beaches and Seven Stars for example, which is one thing I really liked about it.  The staff was so friendly and we had our own personal concierge for the whole trip that helped us with anything that we needed, no matter how small the request.  On our anniversary, we came in from the beach to rose petals everywhere, a nice bottle of wine, and a yummy cheese platter.  It was so thoughtful!  We both agreed that we would stay at the Grace Bay Club again.  Technically you don’t need a car if you stay here, as all the shops and several restaurants are in walking distance.  If you want to go somewhere that is not within walking distance and you do not have a rental car, the resort staff would be happy to arrange transportation for you.

So how do you decide between renting a house versus staying at a resort? I guess it depends on what your preferences are as it relates to location, food and service.  If you want to be where all the tourists are, you don’t want to drive yourself around, you want to have restaurants right at your footsteps, and you want to have someone available to tend to all your needs, then a resort may be the better option, and I would definitely suggest picking one that is in the Grace Bay area.  If you are comfortable exploring and navigating on your own, and you want a private/secluded stay, OR you are traveling with other couples/families and want to be together, then I would definitely recommend looking into the TC Villas rentals!

Viewing the sunset on our first night at the Grace Bay Club:

The view from our room at the Grace Bay Club:

Grace Bay Beach:

Where to Eat:

Turks & Caicos is a seafood lover’s dream! While there is fresh seafood galore, there are plenty of non-seafood options, too.  Below are my top restaurant picks.

For a nice dinner:

• Coco Bistro – this was right across from the Grace Bay Club and is in walking distance of pretty much all the resorts on Grace Bay. We have dined here on all three trips to the Turks!  It is usually hard to get a reservation, so you may want to call a couple of weeks in advance of your trip to secure a timeslot!  The restaurant is beautiful – it is nestled in a grove of palm trees, and you literally dine under the swaying palms – it really is dreamy!  The food and service is top notch!  Note…they now have a food truck parked outside the main restaurant called “Cocovan” – we wanted to check this out but never had the chance!
• Magnolia’s – this is down in the Turtle Cove area that I mentioned earlier, so it is a bit of a drive if you are staying directly on Grace Bay, but it is definitely worth it. The restaurant sits up on a hillside and overlooks the Turtle Cove Marina and the ocean (I’ve included a couple of snapshots of the view below).  It has the most stunning view of the sunset and is a very romantic setting for a special dinner.  We dined here on the night of our 10-year anniversary, as well as during our most recent trip!
• Bay Bistro at the Sibonne Beach Hotel – you have to go through a small, boutique hotel to get to this restaurant, and it may seem a little sketchy at first, but once you get to the actual restaurant you will not be concerned! This place sits right on the beach, and after sunset, they light candles and tiki torches and have string lights set up – it’s such a nice ambience!  The food is decent, but the atmosphere is what makes it great.

View from Magnolia’s:

 

View of Sunset from Bay Bistro:

Our 12-year anniversary dinner at Bay Bistro:

 

Other options:

• Las Brisas – this restaurant is a part of the Neptune Villas resort that sits on Chalk Sound. It’s on the same side of the island as the airport which is the opposite side of the island from Grace Bay, so you will have to arrange transportation, but I highly, highly recommend coming here for lunch.  The original restaurant was ruined last year during Hurricane Irma and is currently being rebuilt, but hey have a makeshift restaurant set up right down from the original location so you still get to dine overlooking the sound.  The water in Chalk Sound is literally indescribable.  You HAVE to see it with your own eyes!  There is more below in the “Things to Do” section about how you can make a day trip out of this – it’s my number one recommendation for what you have to do if you ever go to the Turks & Caicos!
• Da Conch Shack – For fresh conch and fruity drinks in a true “island vibes” kind of place, I would definitely recommend Da Conch Shack! It’s a cool atmosphere and is a great spot for lunch or casual dinner.  You can watch the staff literally go into the ocean and get fresh conch while you’re waiting.  It’s a bit of a drive to get to (it’s on the other side of Turtle Cove) – but definitely worth it.
• Somewhere Café – this is on Grace Bay beach and is a cool spot for lunch or casual dinner. You can’t beat the beautiful views of Grace Bay!  It’s near all of the big resorts, so if you stay on Grace Bay, it is within walking distance.
• The Grill at the the Grace Bay Club – we ate lunch here twice during our stay. They had the best kale salad – and if salads aren’t your thing, especially on vacation :), they had a great burger and fries!  They also have dinner here every night, and while we did not eat dinner here, we walked by at dinnertime several nights and it was always such a beautiful set-up.
• The Infiniti Bar – the bar is a really cool place to visit for drinks even if you are not staying at the Grace Bay Club. They have entertainment on most nights, and the setting is very romantic.  We did not eat at the adjoining restaurant, but they had a good-looking menu.

 

Snapshot from Breakfast at The Grace Bay Club:

A view of the cool lighting at the Infiniti Bar at Grace Bay Club:

You can see the Infiniti Restaurant in the background of this photo:

What to Do:

• My #1 must do!!  Plan a day to kayak Chalk Sound in the morning, have lunch at Las Brisas, then go across the street and spend the afternoon at Sapodilla Bay.  The photo at the top of this post of me on the kayak was taken on Chalk Sound.  You can rent kayaks from the Las Brisas restaurant – the landing is right beside the restaurant.  I think the single kayaks are $25 per hour and the double-person kayaks are $35.  After you kayak and have lunch, you can go across the street and spend the day at Sapodilla Bay.  You can’t miss the entry to Sapodilla Bay and you can park right on the side of the road (if you don’t have a rental car, you can probably have your resort arrange this for you).  When you get on the beach, there are vendors there where you can rent beach chairs and umbrellas, as well as do water sports like jet skis and paddleboards.  The water here is beautiful – it may even be prettier than Grace Bay – and you can wade pretty far out without it going over your head.  The water is also not rough at all.  We’ve done this “day trip” on our past two trips to the Turks and it has been my favorite day both times!

 

• Snorkeling and Conch Diving Excursion – We did this excursion on our first trip to the Turks – they took us snorkeling first, then we went conch diving.  After the conch diving, they took us to Iguana Island, which is basically a sandbar full of iguanas.  We hung out at the sandbar for a while where they gave us rum punch, and made us fresh conch salad from the conch we had caught earlier.  It was so much fun!  If you are staying on Grace Bay, you will see boats leaving every morning and afternoon taking folks out on this excursion, so you shouldn’t have a hard time finding one.

 

• If you stay at the Grace Bay Club, you will have access to watersports on Grace Bay for free. This includes stand-up paddle boarding, which we did one day during our stay, kayaks, and small catamaran sailboats.  I think most of the resorts on Grace Bay offer these activities.

 

• Shopping at the Salt Mills and Regent Village – The Salt Mills and Regent Village are in the Grace Bay area and is where all the shopping is located. I wouldn’t say there is a ton of great shopping in Provo, but you could plan to come here for a couple of hours to grab some mementos from your time on the island.  There are souvenir shops located here, as well as a few stores that have work by local artisans that are really cool.  I recommend visiting Anna’s Art Gallery – she has the best paintings of the Turks & Caicos seascapes – I have bought one from each of our past visits and I cherish every piece!

Chalk Sound:

 

Lunch at Las Brisas:

Sapodilla Bay:

Sapodilla Bay – That water!!!  Isn’t it so pretty!?

Whew!  I told you that was going to be long!  I hope all of this was helpful – if you have any specific questions or if there was something I did not cover, don’t hesitate to reach out!  I am happy to answer any questions and help you out as you plan your trip to the Turks!  Whatever you do when you visit the Turks and Caicos, enjoy yourself, explore the island, and relax! I have never heard of anyone visiting Provo that did not love it.  It’s the epitome of what you want a tropical vacation to be, and I’m sure you will love it!

Note:  This is NOT a sponsored post.  We truly love the Turks & Caicos and hope you get to experience it for yourselves!