Travel
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
who has been to Turks and Caicos?
where did you stay? what did you do? if you have been to other islands, how does it compare? begining to explore this for a vacation in May and curious what the wise nesties think.
Re: who has been to Turks and Caicos?
We went in May 2007, so it's been several years. We stayed at Royal West Indies on Grace Bay. It's condos, so you have the option to have a kitchen if you don't want to eat every meal out. It's way more expensive than other Caribbean islands and Mexico. The water is gorgeous though (I think I still have some PIB).
We didn't do much, just laid around on the beach. We didn't even have a car. We took a cab into town one day for lunch. The resort had bikes you could borrow. There's a conch farm you can visit.
http://www.wherewhenhow.com/
We stayed at the Hotel Gansevoort in June 2010 and did not do much except relax on the beach or at the pool and have dinner and drinks out. The beach and ocean water were perfect and nicer than Nevis and a smidge nicer than Aruba. We loved the Conch Shack, we ate there 2 or 3 times.
Blog: Call Me Imelda
We went in January 2009 for a wedding. Neither of us had any time to spare so we didn't stay long (Friday through Monday) and a lot of time was taken up by wedding stuff, so I'm not too much help. I have a short blog post with some basic info and pictures.
As far as how it compares to other islands, it's incredibly flat and dry, so no dramatic mountains or jungles/rain forests. But the beaches and water are really stunning. It's also a relatively newly developed island, and they've done a good job not overdeveloping Grace Bay Beach. Local culture is not easily accessible, and food choices are generally limited to the restaurants at the hotel. If we were to go back we'd rent a car -- getting around didn't seem too tough and I didn't get the impression that it's particularly unsafe to explore on your own.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
Mark Twain
My Travel Blog
We just went to Turks and Caicos in December and had a great time. The island itself is nothing special (as others have said, very scrubby and flat). However, the beaches are absolutely stunning. We went with two 4 year olds, so our activities were a bit limited. We did go to Taylor Bay (amazing), did a half day snorkeling trip, and went out on the semi-submersible (which is a good way to see the reef for non-snorkelers/divers). The one thing I would have liked to have done but didn't due to the kiddos is take a day trip to North and Middle Caicos - they are supposed to be gorgeous. Most of the activities are going to be water related - there's little to do on the land besides eat, drink, and relax.
It's nice because, as others mentioned, it's not overdeveloped, so you're not going to fight for space on the beach. There are lots of high-end food choices, both in and out of the resorts. It is a very expensive island, generally. Which might contribute to the fact that it isn't a super crowded island. It has a very low-key, laid-back atmosphere.
We also stayed at the Veranda, which is a beautiful property. It's AI (which isn't "necessary" at all on T&C) - but we chose it because it was the same price or cheaper than other upscale properties - but included food and drink (and a kid's club, which was important to us). Although it's AI, it's very low-key (smallish, no planned activities) and there are plenty of opportunities to escape the resort.
Good luck with your plans.
Why does it not surprise me that the next island on my list of Turks and Caicos and you are considering going there too? I contacted a few people on tripadvisor who had some great advice on island and who had been to Anguilla as well to help me compare so you might want to check over there as well.
Have fun planning! I graduated in the fall and am not sure if we can swing vacation this year as I'm hoping to move to be closer to my new job in Montgomery County, but when we can I really want to stay on Grace Bay Beach.
We went in November 2010 for 4 nights to celebrate my husband's 30th birthday. It was our first time to an island and also our first pure relaxation vacation. We had a fantastic time. Grace Bay Beach is beautiful and we have so many good pictures from there. We basically just laid by the pool or on the beach most of the time. We did take bikes out from the resort one day and did shopping and had a few beers at an Irish Pub to watch some football. We also did a half day snorkeling trip with Caicos Dream Tours that I would highly recommend.
We also stayed at the Veranda. We loved it there. Super friendly staff and we liked that it was small. We talked with quite a few of the other guests and had a great time each night after dinner hanging out at the bar or by the firepits chatting with other people.
better than Anguilla? this is interesting as we spent our honeymoon there and ate some amazing dinners!
and of course i scroll down farther and there you are LINK!!!! BTW i am in Mo-Co! i didn't know you were local. the comparisons to Anguilla are what sparked my interest. We would love to go back to Anguilla BUT we also want to try some place new!
I feel the same way, we want to go back to Anguilla at some point but I also want to try new places. We did like Barbados but it wasn't as great as Anguilla and I heard great things about Grace Bay Beach. If you are looking at that area, this is what a poster on Trip Advisor wrote to me who has gone to both several times:
" I love Anguilla! Turks has prettier beaches, but I must say Anguilla has a more Caribbean vibe, Turks a more Americanized feel. I do feel you get more for your money at Turks, I find the resorts in Turks to be overall nicer than Anguilla. (proportionally to what you pay). Anguilla was my first Caribbean love, Turks is where I'll retire. You have picked excellent properties. My best comparison would be, Regent Palms maybe to Cuisinart, Somerset to Cap Jaluca (although they are right next door to each other). Grace Bay Club feels like a Four Seasons. Also don't discount Seven Stars(althgh might be to "big" for you, it's the tallest biggest property on island, but still gorgeous and luxurious). And West Bay Club, which an incredible deal the luxury you get for the money. WBC will be the quietest, followed by Somerset, followed by RG and GBC. there are some excellent restaurants on Provo, don't miss Coco Bistro, Bay Bistro, Seven, Coyaba. The settings of the restaurants in Turks are magical. Let me know how you compare when you return!"
Yes...better than Anguilla (which we loved as well...so much we are returning this summer....doing a split between CJ and Viceroy). I really loved Turks and Caicos, and as long as I could continue to split my time between Provo and Parrot Cay... I could return year after year, quite happily. But Anguilla does have a more Caribbean feel that Turks and Caicos...just...lacks. Looking forward to Veya and Picante again in Anguilla!