Turks and Caicos - anyone traveled here?

[enfuego23]

DH and I are looking for a beach vacation for late March/Early April.

Will anyone give me some recommendations for Turks and Caicos? Hotels, Restaurants, things to do...

[kellsbelles]

My husband and I went last January and it is by far the most beautiful island I have been to in the Caribbean. We stayed at the Gansevoort hotel and I have some pics on my blog: www.kellysreality.com/2014/01/turks-caicos.html and www.kellysreality.com/search?q=turks The hotel was very swanky and had a nice restaurant and spa on site. But mostly we just went off site to try local restaurants and loved exploring. Must goes are Coco Bistro, da Conch Shack and Somewhere those were our favorites. We didnt do any tours and literally just laid on the beach all week it was glorious. The only problem is the airport is way too small and crowded and its like sardines in a can on the way out with not enough seats and no a/c. That alone would make me not want to go back-but they are working on it and Im not sure if it has been improved in the past year.

[mrsd2006]

We stayed here, it was great. Right on the beach, condos so you could have a small kitchen so you don't have to eat every meal out, as its very expensive there. The restaurant on site at the tiem was really good too. We also ate at Coco Bistro, it was great. Didn't make it to da Conch Shack but we really wanted to get there. We didn't do tours or anything, just laid on the beach and rode the resort's bikes around.

www.royalwestindies.com/

[wanderlustfoodie]

We went last summer and stayed in a pool villa at Parrot Cay, so other than one day when we chartered a boat to take us snorkeling we hung out at the resort. H and I are not people who usually enjoy that type of vacation but the resort was very nice so we enjoyed being "forced" to spend so much time in our villa. We were only there for 3 nights, though. I think I would've gotten a little stir crazy for more than 4 nights.

[mdgirl]

We went for a friend's wedding several years ago. We were only there for few days but the water and beaches were beautiful. If we had stayed any longer I would have wanted to rent a car. Cabs were expensive and the island is safe to explore on your own, and it's not like there's a ton to do otherwise.

We stayed at Ocean Club West because that's where they blocked rooms for guests. It wasn't a super fancy resort but the rooms were fine and the staff was good.

[osumelissa]

I went in November 2010 for my husband's (at the time) 30th birthday. We stayed four nights. We are not normally relaxing, lay on the beach type vacation people, but we loved it. It was gorgeous. We stayed at the place next to Beaches, but I think a few years ago Beaches took it over which is a shame. We took the resort's bikes out one day and rode around, shopped, and found the pub to watch some American football and have a few beers. We also did a half day trip with Caicos Dream Tours to snorkel. It was the highlight of our trip.

[mrsilovekeith]

My husband and I went in 2012 to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary and loved it! We stayed in a 2 bedroom condo- Prova Dacha- www.provodacha.com/location.html. Which was right behind the Grace Bay Club. We rented a car and pretty much just enjoyed beach hopping.
Restaurants we enjoyed: The Patty Place(lunch), Coco Bistro(anniversary dinner), Caicos Cafe, Flamingo Cafe, Danny Buoys(Irish pub), Tiki Hut Island Eatery (Wednesday night is Rib and Chicken night), Somewhere Cafe and Lounge, Da Conch Shack, Sharkbite, Lemon Cafe(we really enjoyed this on our last night).
Highlights: Private skiff rental through Abuv-It-All Water Sports, Conch Farm, finding "The Hole", visiting Potcake Place( we also ended up being a courier to a puppy back to the states), scuba diving with sharks, day trip to North and Middle Caicos, Provo Ponies, and lots of different beaches.

If you need more info, or photos, pm me We spent 2 weeks there so we had lots of time!

[nikki25]

Jan 7, 2015 14:43:10 GMT -5 mrsd2006 said:

We stayed here, it was great. Right on the beach, condos so you could have a small kitchen so you don't have to eat every meal out, as its very expensive there. The restaurant on site at the tiem was really good too. We also ate at Coco Bistro, it was great. Didn't make it to da Conch Shack but we really wanted to get there. We didn't do tours or anything, just laid on the beach and rode the resort's bikes around.

www.royalwestindies.com/

We have been to Turks 3 times and are going back again in April. It is by FAR our favorite place in the Caribbean. Grace Bay is gorgeous, the people are friendly, the island is small so can drive around the entire island in 2 hours and the food is divine. We have stayed at Royal West Indies, the Sands and Ocean Club West. Almost all of the hotels are condos and the properties are small which I really like. IMO, I would not stay at an all-inclusive as there are so many amazing restaurants and think you will be missing out.

Our favorite lunch spot is Hemmingway's @ the Sands. Mango Reef, Coyaba, Coco Bistro ( not on the water but amazing food), Bay Bistro, Opus and Da Conch Shack for conch and cheap rum punches are all off the top of my head. There are a lot of amazing hidden beaches throughout the island as well. Our favorite hidden beach is Taylor Bay. When we were first there about 8 years ago a local told us about it but clearly as the years have gone by it is not so hidden anymore. It basically is a secluded  beach off the beaten path where you can walk out at least 200 yards and the water only comes up to your thigh it is perfect for kids.

If you want to do a water tour do the snorkeling trip with Mr. Pringles. He picks you up at the hotel in the boat. You snorkel and dive for conch which is made into your lunch. You go to a private island where literally no one is at; it is pretty specular.

I would rent a car through Grace Bay car rentals, do not take cabs. There is a main grocery store on the main road and a smaller gourmet grocery store right off Grace Bay. It is expensive. It is a British island where everything has to be imported so expect to spend 50 bucks on a case of Bud Light, lol.

The island is our haven and we have traveled quite a bit in the Caribbean. You will have a great time!

[Deleted]

I'm not sure if you have your heart set on T&C but I went one year in March and it wasn't very warm. It was too cold to even go in the ocean like a high of 70. That time of year I'd go further south in the Caribbean.

[love1999]

We stayed at the Gansevoort and loved it. We did excursions with Provo Ponies and Island Vibes, which were both great. Wonderful snorkeling! We loved our meal at Coco Bistro and also had good meals at The Deck at Seven Stars and Somewhere.

[wanderlustmom]

We were there in October and loved it! Grace bay is beautiful and we stayed at ocean club west. Loved eating at hemingways and the sands

[wanderlustmom]

The conch shack and seven stars were wonderful too

[kirstinb]

Been to Parrot Cay twice and Grace Bay Club twice. Both are wonderful. I loved restaurants the first trip and the second trip on main island we decided to try all new and none were good. Average would be a compliment. But all Parrot Cay food is amazing. Never ate at Conch shack but went to Bugaloos and while it was tasty…we both were ill afterward. Ruined an entire day. Favorite meal was at the infinity bar at GBC…..just appetizers though.

[aak0517]

We stayed at Parrot Cay for our honeymoon in May and it was the best week of our lives. It's on a small private Island (Parrot Cay) that you take a boat to from Providenciales. Amazing food, service, so remote, private and quiet. Would HIGHLY recommend. Our room was so dreamy with it's own big livingroom and a huge deck that overlooked the ocean and part of the resort. The staff and service is the best we've experienced as well. By day one, everyone knew our names and greeted us personally, it was so nice.

It's smaller resort, it's pricey but we didn't want a loud party scene or a huge commercial feel for our honeymoon. It was perfect for what we were looking for.

One thing we did was take the boat over to middle caicos and rented a car to explore and found the most amazing beaches and caves.