It’s freezing in the Northeast and a lot of people are cranky. My area could get another foot of snow this week. There’s no denying that this winter is brutal. One of my favorite posts was about “vacation moments” — or good times that make you feel better when you remember them. Now I have to take my own advice and think about my warm vacation in the Turks and Caicos. If you’d like, grab a hot mug of coffee or a margarita (whatever sets the mood), and let me take you on a tour.
We left for our trip amidst freezing and miserable weather, to spend five nights in Providenciales (or Provo). My cousins had been here previously and emphasized the beauty of the ocean and beach. Most of the top attractions in Turks are either Caribbean-facing beaches or small bays.
Before the trip, we rented a RAV 4 from “Scooter Bob’s“. Though we had some laughs because it didn’t seem like a “real” rental place, everything turned out well. It was convenient to have a car to get to the places we wanted to see, as you’ll read later. There was a supermarket nearby, where we went to grab some snacks and drinks on the first night. The prices there were at about Whole Foods/organic food prices for regular things. Regardless, the car served us well and we had enough cheese, crackers and fruit to last us through the week.
We stayed at Seven Stars Resort, which is located in Grace Bay along with most of the large hotels in Provo. My cousins definitely did not oversell the beaches. I was in love the first time my feet hit the sand! The water was extremely calm — practically still — for most of the week and so clear that I could see my toes. Even though the resort itself is a huge selling point, there were plenty of things to do in Provo.
What to do for six days in Provo
Our morning started with the free continental breakfast. We got up fairly early to an empty beach and spent the next five hours floating, tanning and reading. Many of the hotels and resorts in Turks and Caicos are not all-inclusive, in contrast to other vacation spots in the Caribbean.
The concierge helped us make reservations and many of the people working at Seven Stars gave us recommendations. We left the resort for lunch and dinner to visit the local establishments. Some were fancy places, others were… off-road experiences.
The menu at almost every restaurant featured seafood. Some of the fancier dinner options had steak, but I can’t say I was impressed. The fish on the other hand was always fresh and seasoned very well. Mr. Grouper was probably the closest to our hotel and we had a great lunch there, thanks to a tip from a staff member.
One of my favorite places was Bugaloos. Here you can have lunch right on the beach and watch someone catch conch (the island’s specialty), which could end up on your plate. We walked around and picked up a giant conch shell to take home. They sell polished shells but if you’re fine with a rougher looking one, there are a ton on the beach. After our lunch there we got directions for our road trip to Taylor Bay — a private beach with extremely shallow water. First, the waitress gave us her version of where to go, and then from a group of tourists who were “just there.”
Take a left onto the main road, they said, then another left and another left. Well, we ended up on a road that rivaled the moon in the amount of craters. Given that we were told the beach would be hard to find, we kept driving through these craters until we saw people. They weren’t any help, so we turned around and bounced through the craters again. We finally made it and spent some time amused by how far we could walk in the shallow bay. It was a great photo-op, but we didn’t stay for more than an hour.
We also visited Yoshis Sushi Bar for dinner twice. The sushi was as good as some of the expensive places in New York City and the menus were iPads. It was crowded on Friday night, but we never made reservations. We were told by a waiter that Friday’s are always busy in Provo, which is saying a lot. The stores and restaurants did not seem crowded at all during the week considering how many hotels were in our area.
For our second to last night in Provo we made plans to celebrate my cousin’s birthday at Mango Reef (at Alexandra hotel). It was also on the beach and our dinner was candlelit. We had a great time although the next day my husband got food poisoning. I have no idea what caused it so visit this place at your own discretion.
Tips & tricks in TCI
The first time we got lost in Providenciales trying to get from the airport to our car rental place, we drove the entire length of the island (Leeward Highway). That didn’t take all too long — the entire island is about 38 miles long. If you have international data on your phone, use your navigation! We started out using a paper map and missed several turns. Driving was generally fine, but keep in mind that you’ll be on the left side with the steering wheel on the right (unless you get an American car). If you’re from the U.S., it’s backwards. Also, I didn’t see anyone stopping at stop signs — not even a pause. Basically, be careful.
Another tip is to ask people at the hotel (bother visitors and staff) for recommendations on activities and food. We spent a lot of time at our hotel’s beach, and I imagine everyone else did too. We found that they provided beach toys for kids and floating lounge chairs for adults. There was supposedly a library, but I never saw any books in the lobby. We were told the hotel also rented out DVDs, bicycles and provided non-motorized water sports. I didn’t take advantage of those during our stay but it was good to know what was available for free.
At sunset, we’d walk on the beach, explore other hotels and collect seashells. It was a beautiful vacation and a nice break from winter. I’ll probably be thinking about it a lot while I’m huddled under layers of sweaters and blankets.
Wow. Maybe you should copy and paste this review onto yelp and other review sites. Hope your fancy heated blankets keep you warm through the rest of this ice age.
Haha, thanks. Maybe I will. You should get some hand/feet warmers for your long bus rides.