We've seen many Caribbean islands over the years
and many beaches, but I would say if Providenciales, (main island
of the Turks and Caicos) could be summed up in two words it would
be "flawless beach". As with many of these coral formed
islands, the beaches are spectacular but the rest lacks a bit.
The landscape is very dry and as a result not very beautiful.
Providenciales (Provo) is the only island that we saw on this
trip, and it is the most developed of all of the Turks and Caicos
islands. It still has a long way to reaching the cult
tourism heights of places like Nassau, Bahamas, but in time they
will be there....for better or worse. This is still the type
of place that you can rent a 4x4, drive over dirt roads and find a
flawless beach and be the only one on it. Can't ask for
better than that!
The People
We were very surprised at the
kindness of the people on Provo. Truthfully we were
expecting the worst. After our many bad experiences with
service in other parts of the Caribbean we were expecting the
same jaded and bitter attitude, but found quite the opposite.
Now if you are expecting the fast, eager and perfect service of
say the US, then look elsewhere, this is still the Caribbean and
it is all easy going.
Things to Know
The US dollar is the only
currency accepted. There are bank machines in the downtown
and perhaps at the bigger resorts, but none at the airport so
come prepared.
Transport on the island is very
limited. Rental cars are the best way to get around, but
they are expensive. We rented from Scooter Bob's at Turtle
Cove Marina. There rates seems more reasonable than the
larger rental companies. There are local jitneys (small
vans) that the locals use to get around, but they are not
frequent and the routes are necessarily where the average
tourist wants to go. There is also a tourist shuttle
called the Gecko bus. There is a designated tourist route,
but the rates are expensive at $4 US per ride. As well the
wait times are long, they are suppose to be hourly, but Kris
found himself waiting about 11/2 hours for one. The larger
hotels do have shuttles that can transport guests to designated
areas and restaurants.
Conch (pronounced - konk) is the
island specialty and they serve it raw in Conch salad, battered
in Conch fritters and fried in Cracked Conch. It must be
tried!! The best place we found to get conch was a local
seaside place called Boogaloos.
Where to Stay
We stayed at the
Turtle Cove Inn at
the Turtle Cove Marina. This place is definitely one the
best bargains on the island. The hotel rates in Provo are
very high and the majority of the hotels are top notch. At
the Turtle Cove we paid $100 US per night + 20% tax for a room
with a pool view. The room was basic and clean and
did have nice balcony and a bar fridge. It's location was
perfect for dining, as there were about 6 marina side
restaurants that were all reasonably priced for breakfast, lunch
and dinner. We met quite a few people that were being
shuttled in from the resorts to these restaurants at night.
Now if you just need
to be on the beach then the next best place to stay if on a
budget is The Sibonne.
It is owned by the same people as the Turtle Cove Inn and is
right on Grace Bay (one of the main beach areas on the island
and one of the nicest beaches I've ever seen). The Sibonne
does have rooms in the $100 US price range but they go fast.
We tried to book 4 months in advance and those rooms were
already taken. But the rooms at this hotel go up to $360
US where as most of the other hotels on Grace Bay start at that
rate.
Where to Eat
Most of our dining experiences were near the Turtle Cove Marina,
but I would say that the food was top notch and at some very
reasonable Caribbean prices.
Tiki Hut - The Tiki hut has a great atmosphere and the
service was always good. I had the Tropical Chicken salad
2 nights in a row it was so tasty. Prices range from
$20-40 US per person for dinner.
Aqua - this restaurant was right in our hotel, so we had
some great breakfasts there and again the service was
consistently good. I believe this is one of the few
restaurants in the area that serves breakfast. The bar was
very lively and there always seemed to be a few dark leather
skinned sailors telling boat stories, so an interesting place to
sit and eavesdrop. Breakfast - $10 US per person. Lunch -
$15 US per person
SharkBite - This place is a more of a sports bar than a
restaurant but they do have a great deck at the back that is
partitioned off from the bar, so you can have a romantic dinner
if you choose. We went to this place twice and had the
same thing both times. Kris had the best Grouper burger he
was ever had and I had the Pasta Gorgonzola which was very very
good. The service was not as friendly here, but they did the job
and the food more than made up for it. Dinner $20 US per
person.
Boogaloos - This was the one local type restaurant (on
Blue Hill Rd.) that we went to. Very simple place, but the
service was good and the conch exceptional. A must while
you are in Provo. $10 US per person.
Grace Bay Bistro - This was the one place that we had a
meal at on Grace Bay and is the patio restaurant for The Sibonne
Hotel. The food was good, service excellent and the view,
spectacular!!! Lunch - $15 US per person.
Things to See and Do
We didn't even
scratch the surface when it comes to things to do in Provo.
We rented a car for
one day and did a drive throughout the island. We drove to
the west coast of the island and and found Marshall Beach.
This is a breathtaking beach and we had it all to ourselves
which was spectacular.
Towards the south of
the island there is an area near Silly Creek which is full of
beautiful mansions. Well worth the drive to sneak a peek
at how the rich and famous live.
We did one organized
trip which was a 3 hour sail and snorkel with
Sail Provo. The
trip was just enough to scratch the sailing itch and still have
a happy 7 month old baby. Our sail was on the Arielle which is a
42 ft. catamaran. The crew and Captain Dave were very
professional and a lot of fun. They provide lots of rum punch
and pop and serve snacks. There were three stops; the
first for snorkeling, the second on an island full of
Iguanas ($5 for the tour that we were told was not worthwhile)
and the third at a deserted island. For $58 US per person
it was fantastic and definitely a must do.
Although we didn't
dive on this trip, we have heard that the diving around Provo
and more so around the other nearby islands is superb and very
popular.
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