To the Turks & Caicos you will go!!
An island visit October 5th to 10th 2006
by Michael Chisholm
401-236-9007
mchisholm@wimco.com

When I mentioned to my lady I'd be going on a familiarization trip to the TCI (Turks & Caicos Islands) she replied "The who? Where?".

This is a frequent reaction from many for this group of islands as despite a lot of recent mentions in the press and travel literature they are still not familiar words. Indeed many perceive the islands as Caribbean and for good reason as the archipelago sits close to the geographic boundary and is in the same general direction, i.e. south of Florida.

To be more precise though, the TCI islands are comprised of over 40 islands only 8 of which are inhabited. The islands are situated 575 miles southeast of Miami. This island chain covers a total of 193 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean.

The main entry point for Turks & Caicos is the island of Providenciales or Provo as it is affectionately known. This island covers some 38 square miles with wonderful beaches, resorts, villas and attractions to rival any prime Caribbean destination.

Typically the villa rentals on TCI run Saturday to Saturday, and so usually coincide with better flights. For access, there are numerous non-stops from key cities up and down the eastern seaboard. A quick call to Wimco will let you know what options there are from your city.

Our flight plan was Boston to Miami to Providenciales. My colleague Bill and I left Boston at 2pm and were on island by 8pm with a very easy change in Miami. Miami has WIFI connectivity starting at $4.95 for the first half hour then .25c for each additional minute. This was one I came across but suffice to say if you HAVE to be connected then you can be.

Our home away from home was Villa Paprika. This is a 5 bedroom, 5-bath property, which opens onto Turtle Cove. The villa has beach frontage at the end of the property line past the protected sand dunes, which fringe the island's beaches. The TCI government has protected the dunes since 1991 and it serves the island well.

Though I have traveled far and wide, this trip to the TCI was my first visit but I felt as though I knew them having sold the villas we represent on numerous occasion. It is like knowing the words in a book without actually reading them and finding the whole book on a coffee table with time on hand to read it thoroughly, truly a delightful experience and one I was more than ready for.

True first impressions came to me over the next several days as we crisscrossed the island from east to west and north to south, seeking out the villa and hotel locations to fulfill the primary objective of our visit. Our secondary objective of course to experience the island and taste its flavors, which we most certainly did our best to accomplish.

Overall the TCI are not pretty. The island is sparse with course brush everywhere. There are hardy plants which thrive in harsh conditions, and of course there is the cactus. Accordingly most of the villas are oriented to look out at picturesque beaches and turquoise colored bays as opposed to the landscape of the interior.

The Turks Head Cactus grows throughout the island. It is the cactus, which in part gives the chain their name, along with the fact that the islands perhaps have the appearance of a Turkish person wearing their traditional headwear. The cactus is on the TCI flag too, which shows the importance of the succulent to the islands as a whole.

The island's infrastructure is very good. The roads are in good shape and there is a 4-lane highway dissecting the major portion of the island, which allows easy access up and down. The water on island is safe to drink from the faucet and is plentiful. All the villas we visited have washer/driers, which is a refreshing change from many an island though usual water conservation of course makes sense.

From a produce standpoint, TCI imports just about everything, there are supermarkets as good as we have in the states but the prices are high. The IGA is a mainstay for the island, centrally located, clean and convenient; it has everything under one roof so rest assured you can find the cookies you want or a suitable alternative. It is an interesting place offering up an island flavor with locals, visitors and ex pats going about the business of stocking up with provisions. As I advice frequently, part of the island feel is to be found in the stores as there is produce which is strange to most on display raising the question of "what do you do with that?"

The jewel in the crown of Provo is Grace Bay. This is a sweeping crescent bay with soft sand beaches, a barrier reef protecting the shores and the protected dunes running the whole length. The development is still very much on going with some not even started yet so it will be some time before the building stops. In the mean time there is no excuse not to visit this gem of an island and experience it yourself.

From a water enthusiasts stand point there is everything, fishing, deep sea and sport and notably bone fishing, (shallow water fishing which the TCI have a lot of) world class diving with many excellent locations, and of course the usual beach sports available at key points up and down Grace Bay. All in all a very well rounded island vacation destination with good weather and usually little or no interruption from the usual June through November weather systems which mare many island jaunts.

So when you visit the TCI and Provo in particular where should you stay?

We have villas and hotels on this island and of course they were the primary reason for our visit.

All of the villas have WIFI as standard so connectivity is assured. It can sometimes be erratic especially if a storm system moves in but it is always there. Also, all the villas have washer driers on site which makes laundry for those who need to, very easy. Every villa has easy access, no steep driveways or blind approaches and each has ample parking for the property. On some you can moor a boat too, quite an enticement should you wish to try your hand on the sea. Additionally, almost all of the villas have full AC which is a delightful amenity especially on hot sultry days.

We visited almost 40 villas during our stay. In summary we felt the villas were well appointed and were generally very well suited for vacation rentals. The fact that so many of them were steps from the beach was a big plus. We stayed in Villa Paprika, which we both liked. In addition to our "home base" of Villa Paprika I'd like to put the spotlights on a few other interesting villas and hotels.

Paprika - 5 bed 5 bath w pool
Set back from the beach this 3 story villa will not disappoint you, like its sister Tamarind all amenities are in this "Manor House" as the villa book says. The ground floor has 1 ensuite bedroom and with access from the living room, is ideal for elderly or infirm. Upstairs on the second floor, 3 ensuite bedrooms all with king beds and 2 of these have 2 kings in each so the rooms have plenty of space. Continue to the 3rd floor and the 5th ensuite bedroom king bed of course and quite dramatic views too.

The ground floor also has the great room, dining area and spacious kitchen, I for 1 could not find anything missing, there is even AC here too.

With great space inside and out, accommodations for 12 this villa is sure to please a family or group of friends, 2 ornamental cannons, which quirkily fit this villa nicely, guard the outside entry.

Palmera - 6 bed 6 bath w pool
Built on 2 main levels there is also a fully equipped gym and nanny/staff apartment below the pool area.

Entry to this villa is as dramatic as I have come across in all my travels checking out villas. Through the front door the property opens up with floor to ceiling windows showing off the cathedral ceilings in this very well laid out villa.

The great room is the focal point opening out to the deck and pool area with all the toys you come to expect from this modern villa. The gourmet kitchen to the left is set back from the dining area but open to the space for easy access and convenience. On this level there are 2 king bedroom suite and each of these ground floor rooms have an indoor/outdoor shower.

Taking a stairway on the left or the right in the great room brings you to the 2nd floor and here there are 4 equal ensuite king bedrooms, all open onto a terrace and at each end there is a turret with seats for taking in the view. With the elevation this villa has you have wonderful vistas left and right. All the bedrooms have all the amenities, a theme which flows throughout the villa.

Back downstairs and the outside pool area is quite different, the pool has multiple depths for enjoyment with shallow areas for children and progressively deeper steps to a point where you need to swim, a novel approach which I had not come across before. Additionally, the lights in the pool can be set to play to different beats, which would be quite interesting. All round a very good villa, spacious and equal, ideal for 6 couples, or a family with children.

For beach access there is a plan to make steps to the water but this is not a beachfront property.

Wauwinet Too - 5 bed 5 bath w pool
Built on 3 levels with piers out to the water and boat access this villa has 2 bedrooms on the main level with the kitchen living great room, 1 bedroom above this level and 2 additional bedrooms in an outside lower level, ideal for the teens in the party. While not as glitzy as some this is a good family spot and like all on this peninsular, it takes full advantage of the views.

Hotels visited:

Being my first visit I did not know quite what to expect from the hotel offerings on TCI, after site visits to the hotels we represent I have confidence in each one for its own style and character. My favorite was the Palms.

The Palms
A new property opened in Feb 05. This property opted to open early to take advantage of the peak season. Most hotels opt for a “soft opening” to iron out kinks and for example make sure all the pipes are connected. The hotel suffered through some initial criticsm in its early days, but has recovered from that and now offers the service and grace, which was lacking in the early days. Built in a 1920’s British Colonial style, The Palms offers world-class accommodations and dining options. The property is comprised of 5 buildings in a U shape fronting of course Grace Bay and boasting the only Ballroom on the island. This feature alone gives this property the edge over its competitors as it can offer facilities the others currently do not. Ballroom Dancing being one obvious one.

An added attraction for this property is the exquisite spa matching the best on any property and boasting the same architect as many Barbados villas, it is a modern facility offering all the best treatments.

Island Dining

Here is a brief synopsis of our dining experiences, overall quite good with enough variety for a 2-week stay.

• Thursday:
  Dinner, we arrived on island at 8pm
  Sharkbites in the Turtle Cove Marina
• Friday:
  IGA shopping, sandwich lunch, and a snack selection for dinner, bread, assorted cheeses, Italian sausage, fruit and assorted chips, this after a safari to the Amanyara resort at the extreme western end of the island.
• Saturday:
  Lunch: conch expertly prepared by Boogaloo across from 3 Queens far and away the best dining experience of the trip. Nothing compares to just caught and prepared food and the conch served this day under the tropical sun was exquisite. I had a traditional Conch salad while Bill had his grilled.
  
  Dinner: Iguanas at Grace Bay in the Salt Mills complex. This area offers a variety of dining and shopping options and is also still under construction, a frequent feature on the island but without the brain numbing jack hammers which are and often heard intrusion on other islands.
• Sunday:
  Lunch: provided by Point Grace
  Dinner: Aqua Restaurant in the Turtle Cove Marina
• Monday:
  Lunch: provided by The Palms
  Dinner: Tiki Hut in the Turtle Cove Marina
• Tuesday:
  back home to RI via Miami & Boston, airport dining needs no comment.

All in all a very good trip, refreshing to visit a new destination and one which was long overdue, thank you Bill as always for your help assistance and camaraderie, where are we going next?

Thank you all for your time reading my thoughts and I look forward to sharing more with you,

Michael Chisholm
10/13/2006