Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

The Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) are made up of over forty islands. Only a few of the islands are inhabited, with Providenciales and Grand Turk having the majority of the islands’ population. We stayed on Providenciales for ten days in January 2020. (Click on any blue words below for a link to additional information.)

Where to Stay:

See my previous blog post called “How to Get There and Where to Stay” for some general travel tips. Start by researching resorts online. I like TripAdvisor and local tourism sites. Always ask friends for recommendations, especially those whose travel style is similar to yours. Google “blog” followed by the name of the place you’re going, such as “turks and caicos” to pull up blogs about the area, resort, etc. I found a lot of great ideas from other bloggers. Use social media to see photos and learn about the area, resorts and restaurants. On Instagram, follow hashtags like #turksandcaicos, #gracebaybeach, #providenciales, etc. 

Try to select several favorite resorts 9 – 12 months or more before your trip and sign up for their email lists. You will receive special offers that aren’t necessarily on their website. Note: The resort we stayed at had a HUGE Black Friday sale. 

TCI was pretty quiet in January, which we loved. Don’t let the high temp in the upper 70s fool you – it gets HOT! We walked on the beach early in the morning (7 – 8:30 AM) and we were a sweaty mess by the time we got back. However, the sun sets early in January (5:30) and even though it’s still in the 70s you’ll want a wrap or light jacket. 

We felt very safe on the island, but other than going out for dinner we didn’t roam around after dark. Just use common sense at night; stay in groups, don’t walk down a dark street and stay in the tourist areas. Tourism is TCIs main source of revenue and everyone we encountered was very friendly and welcoming. 

Grab a copy of the free “Where When How” magazine in a grocery store entry or tourist shop when you arrive (they probably have these at the airport as well.) They also print a nice Dining Guide if you haven’t made all of your dinner reservations in advance. 

We stayed at West Bay Club and really enjoyed the smaller boutique hotel experience. The ocean front luxury one bedroom suite was amazing (request a high floor so you can see over the palm trees) and the staff was wonderful. We were on a quieter section of Grace Bay Beach which we liked. And, there is a Kids Club if you’re traveling with children. See my Instagram account at cocktailsandgratitude for a video tour of our room. I also posted a lot of Turks and Caicos photos on my Instagram account in January 2020.

We aren’t a fan of all-inclusive resorts but if that’s your thing, there are many (check out Beaches – which is HUGE!) One of the reasons we don’t love all-inclusive resorts is we like to explore the area and a great way to check out other resorts is by booking a dinner reservation at their restaurant. Also, this has gotten us into many resorts where we couldn’t afford to stay, and this trip was no different. Amanyara is part of the exclusive Aman brand and is located on a very remote section of the island. I highly recommend making a reservation on Open Table for lunch as the several miles of bumpy, unmarked dirt road is very remote and there are no street lights. Also, you’re going to want to look around this incredible resort during the daytime. We were seated at The Restaurant at Amanyara – the more formal restaurant on the cliff. However, when you arrive, I would ask if you can eat at the more casual, beach-side restaurant. Note: there is a guard gate and you will NOT get into the resort without a reservation. 

What to Pack:

The island is very casual. During the day, a swimsuit and cover-up with flip flops will be appropriate pretty much everywhere. For dinner, a collared golf shirt with nice shorts for the guys and sundresses and sandals for the ladies are appropriate at even the fanciest restaurant. Bring a light sweater or jacket as the nights can get cool. We were lucky enough to have a washer and dryer in our suite, but I noticed several very nice public laundry mats if you need to wash clothes during your stay.

Sneakers – if you plan to go exploring, there are some remote rocky beaches where you’ll want to wear more than a sandal. 

Baggies / chip clips – if you like to have snacks in your room; the humidity is high and you need to keep food sealed up or it will get soggy.

Again, it’s an island so everything is more expensive on the island. Bring sunscreen (the island strongly recommends reef safe sunscreen – Sun Bum is a nice brand), sunglasses, a hat and bug spray. Luckily, we never had an issue with bug bites, but I read several blog posts suggesting bug spray and I heard other visitors complain about being bit. Several restaurants did have bug spray available at the hostess desk. 

Transportation:

Taxis are expensive (they charge per person) so if you’re not staying at an all-inclusive resort or right in the heart of Grace Bay where you can walk to several restaurants and shops, book a rental car. If you’re planning to explore the entire island, rent a SUV. We rented a hardtop Jeep Wrangler from Grace Bay Car Rentals. We felt confident on the bumpy, rutted dirt back roads and we also loved flipping back the top for a convertible feel. You do drive on the left side of the road; the road signs and maps aren’t the best and there are no stoplights (just traffic circles) so it’s best to get a feel for driving during the daytime before you tackle it at night. If you rent a car, definitely grab a copy of the “Where When How” magazine and tear out the fold-out map. The map from the rental car agency was useless.

Groceries: 

Graceway is the main island grocer. There are three locations. Graceway Gourmet near Seven Stars resort definitely caters to the tourists with a large prepared foods section. We ordered a pizza from here one rainy night so we could just watch a movie in our room, and it was really good. They also have a full liquor area but note there are no liquor sales on Sunday, so plan accordingly. Graceway IGA is a larger grocery store off of Leeward Highway in what appears to be a newer retail area with a Fed Ex, GNC, pharmacy, book store, etc. There will be both tourists and locals here. I’ve heard prices are a little better at this larger location; but you’re on an island so be prepared, everything is expensive. There are several other grocery stores and small markets on the island, especially when you get closer to the airport / downtown.

Things to Do:

We explored the entire island during our 10 days there and my favorite was the drive around Chalk Sound. The water color in the sound is hard to believe. Stop at LasBrisas for lunch. I loved the shrimp and avocado salad with Wasabi dressing. There are also kayak rentals and pontoon boat tours available at the shop by Las Brisas. 

Bambarra Rum – There are tastings of this local rum at FOTTCI (Flavors Of The Turks & Caicos Islands.) A cute market in the Grace Bay Regent Village area with a variety of gifts and goodies including fun napkins, candles, spices, coffee, tea, etc. (They are closed on Sundays.) We loved the Bambarra Black for our Dark and Stormy cocktails. You can also buy this rum at the Graceway grocery stores. 

Turks Head Brewery – I never tried the local island beer, but several restaurants serve it. You can take a tour and taste samples at the brewery. 

Parasailing – There are multiple companies and if you are staying on Grace Bay, they’ll pick you up on the beach right in front of your hotel. We went with Captain Marvin. 

Jet Ski Tour – We booked a two-hour jet ski tour with Caribbean Cruisin’. The shallow waters were beautiful and I would strongly consider kayaking in this area to get a better look at the water, sea turtles, etc. 

Boat Taxi / Ferry – Caribbean Cruisin’ also offers water taxis to some of the other islands. Check their website for details. Many people suggest if you take a water taxi to Middle Caicos that you rent a car for the day so you can explore the island and beaches.

Clear bottom kayak – Great for viewing turtles in the shallow mangrove areas.  

Whale watching – There are tour companies that offer an all-inclusive deal with a flight to Grand Turks and four hours of whale watching. Check www.wherewhenhow.com for current deals.

Provo Golf – This is the only golf course on Providenciales and it’s a David Faherty course. 

Provo Ponies – I’ve heard this is a fun experience. You ride on the beach and in the water the entire time. 

Potcake Place – This is a local canine rescue and if you want a puppy fix, you can walk one of the puppies available for adoption at 10 AM on Monday – Saturday. 

Thursday night Fish Fry at Bight Park – Everyone told us about this event, but when we got there the DJ was crazy loud and the lines for fried food were really long. After standing in line for over 20 minutes and barely moving, we bailed and went to dinner at the beachfront restaurant called Zest at the Wymara resort next to Bight Park. There was only one other couple at the restaurant, and we had delicious fish tacos and a cocktail. 

Spa services – Most of the larger resorts have full-service spas and are open to the public. Just be prepared to give a credit card number when booking if you are not staying at the resort. Most of the smaller resorts offer massages on the beach or in your room. 

Favorite restaurants:

First, we were blown away by how great the food was. Granted, it’s expensive – after all you are on an island (think Hawaii pricing and you won’t be shocked) but eat at any of these restaurants and at least you won’t be disappointed with the food.

I strongly suggest booking at least a few, if not all, restaurant reservations in advance. There are a lot of repeat visitors / timeshare owners on the island who are all making their reservations before they visit, so the popular restaurants do fill up.

Note: Most of the restaurants add a service charge to your bill. The percentage varies by restaurant so be sure to check your bill before tipping your standard amount. 

Coco Bistro is a top restaurant on the island and hard to get into, so make a reservation several weeks in advance. The outdoor areas are broken up into separate spaces, so you never feel like you are dining with a huge group of people. If you can’t get a dinner reservation here, there’s a great outdoor bar area and a food truck in an adjoining parking lot called CocoVan. We ate here our last night and based on recommendations we ordered the fish tacos, the Peking duck tacos, the poutine and the shrimp mac and cheese balls. Everything was great; and if you get there early, there is happy hour pricing on drinks from 5 – 6:30. 

Grace’s Cottage has great outdoor seating areas with little porticos over several spaces, just in case there’s a little rain. Check out the gorgeous tile mural behind the bar. John had the duck two ways and said this was his favorite dinner on the island. 

Infiniti Bar at Grace Bay Club has a gorgeous lounge and bar. The restaurant is in the huge Grace Bay Club resort. The food was good, but it felt a little cookie cutter since they’re cooking for hundreds of people each night. Definitely come here for drinks and sunset. The ambiance is amazing with tons of twinkle lights, really good live music and a fire breather on the beach. There is a more casual restaurant next door called The Grill (even though it’s casual, you still need to make a reservation.) Next time I would have drinks at the Infiniti Bar and try dinner at The Grill. 

Seven at Seven Stars Resort was our fanciest dinner with an amuse bouche, lemon sorbet between courses and an amazing sommelier (definitely take advantage of her expertise.) Even though all of the restaurants are island / resort casual; this is a fancy place, so wear your nicest outfits. 

Magnolia Restaurant and Wine Bar is located on a hill overlooking Turtle Cove. They are only open for dinner, but I’d highly recommend going early for a cocktail in their beautiful bar to check out the view before it gets dark. (The bar opens at 4:30, the restaurant opens at 5:30.)

Da Conch Shack is a casual beach side restaurant where you sit at tables on the sand while drinking rum punch by the pitcher. Fabulous! If you’re nervous about trying conch, order the conch fritters. There are several Potcakes (stray island dogs) that sleep on the beach and occasionally roam around looking for hand-outs, most of them are very polite. 

Drift Restaurant is on the beach at West Bay Club (this is where we stayed.) It’s a nice lunch spot. The gazpacho and fish wrap were really good. 

Somewhere Café is also on Grace Bay beach and a great casual lunch spot. They have really good tacos. There’s an upstairs deck area that’s adults only at night, but we were only there for lunch. 

There is not much night life in Turks and Caicos, which was fine by us. It gets really dark, really early so we found ourselves going to bed early and getting up early. It’s a great destination for a relaxing beach vacation. Feel free to contact me with questions and enjoy your vacation!