As I’m sure you’ve seen from my prior posts, we are not the type of people to go on vacation and leave the kids at home. However, our 20th wedding anniversary seemed like a pretty big deal and something worth celebrating child free. So, this year we took off and headed to Turks and Caicos without the kids! Turks and Caicos has been on our list of places to travel to sometime but, it doesn’t have many all-inclusive resort options which is usually a requirement for us when traveling as a family. However, since this trip was just my husband and I, having an all-inclusive property wasn’t a priority and we were able to budget a smaller hotel and multiple meals out in nice restaurants.
I had always heard how Turks and Cacios have the most beautiful beaches in the world but I didn’t really believe they could be THAT much better than all the other beautiful Caribbean islands we’ve been to. However, as soon as the plane got close I knew these beaches were definitely different! The view from above was amazing! Beautiful swirls of various shades of turquoise and white could be seen below, it was as if an artist had swirled the colors on a canvas. Landing in Turks and Caicos was by far the most beautiful landing I’ve ever experienced!
Providenciales (also referred to as Provo) has a smaller airport and you board and disembark the plane via stairs on the runway – which I absolutely love! There’s just something about stepping off a plane into the sunlight and feeling the heat hit your skin. Getting through the airport was quick and it took no time to find the prearranged hotel transfer. A quick fifteen minute drive and we arrived at the Sands at Grace Bay Resort. The grounds were beautiful with various brightly colored flowers and interconnecting pools all around the property. I’m not one to spend a lot of money on a hotel room since we’re hardly in it but, even the lowest level rooms here are impressive. We had a large bathroom, mini “kitchen” area complete with an assortment of dishes and utensils, a sitting area and a huge screened in porch overlooking the gardens and pools.
We knew we’d need breakfast the next day so our first adventure was to jump on the hotel’s free bicycles (which many Provo hotels include) and head to the supermarket to pick up a few supplies. Besides being located on Grace Bay, the world’s best beach, The Sands is also just a few minutes away from downtown, various restaurants and the supermarket! We quickly got what we needed and finally made our way onto the beach. Grace Bay is by far the most beautiful beach I have ever seen! The water is crystal clear, a gorgeous shade of turquoise and the sand so white and soft – even the seaweed was white (not that we saw much of it)! I definitely understand why Grace Bay has been awarded World Travel Awards’ World’s Leading Beach Destination and 2nd place in Trip Advisor’s World’s Best Beaches! In the previous decade, Grace Bay has actually taken first or second place in these two competitions 19 times! Hunger finally forced us off the beach and after a quick shower, a stroll down the beach led us to the Bay Bistro for one of the most delicious dinners we had all vacation – bonus that it was under the stars with a beachview.
When we travel we like to explore and really see the location we’re visiting so day two was all about exploring some of the smaller islands. A quick ferry ride from Provo led us to North Caicos where our prearranged rental jeep was waiting for us. With the top down and wind in our hair we took off on our adventure. Mudjin Harbor, a three mile long section of beach and coastline to the north of Middle Caicos was the first stop. The visit started with a walk along the historical Crossing Place Trail. The hiking path spans across the hills, beaches and cliffs of the area and was once part of the link that connected the Caicos Islands. Along the way we encountered beautiful views and a really cool rock staircase down to a cave and gorgeous beach. We even took the opportunity to climb down some rocks and spend some time on our very own private beach. The path starts and ends at Dragon Cay Resort where we stopped for a delicious lunch of conch fritters and conch curry on a deck overlooking the gorgeous Bay. The walk was a little difficult as it wasn’t marked well and terrain was a bit rough but it was definitely worth the stop! From there we headed to Conch Bar Caves on Middle Caicos. The caves can only be explored with a guide and costs $20 per person. There aren’t any developed paths, stairs or lighting (flashlights are provided) like other tourist attraction caves have, so visiting was a bit more of an adventure. We went pretty deep into the caves and saw multiple bats and crabs along the way. The guide was very informative and we spent about an hour there. Last stop of the day was beautiful Bambarra Beach, one of the calmer and nicer beaches on Middle Caicos. The water was warm and shallow for what seemed like miles! It was so relaxing to walk out and lay in the warm gorgeous waters. By late afternoon it was time to make our way back to the ferry port. The ferry was full of people yet it seemed as though we had the islands to ourselves for most of the day. Since we were out all day we decided to dine at our hotel’s onsite restaurant, Hemingways. It was definitely one of the most delicious dinners we had all vacation! We had a wonderful day full of adventure and creating new memories.
The remainder of our days in Providenciales were spent enjoying delicious food including lots of fresh seafood and basking in the sun, enjoying the gorgeous ocean Turks and Caicos is so well known for. The company was amazing, the sun and ocean was warm and the sand was as white and soft as baby powder. In all our travels we have never seen water as gorgeous as that in Turks and Caicos. It was an incredibly relaxing vacation and a perfect destination to celebrate our 20 years of marriage. Turks and Caicos is a place I highly recommend visiting.
Take vacations, go as many places as you can. You can always make money, you can’t always make memories.
