God Showed Off When He Made Turks and Caicos!
Turks & Caicos has been on my list of islands to visit because of it’s beautiful beaches, but I wasn’t initially planning on visiting this year. My travel plans are often planned the year before as I think about what I want to experience, and this year K and I had very different plans, but plans don’t always work out the way we think and our original plans for travel didn’t happen, so there we were with nothing planned. We also had busy summers and separate commitments, so traveling together this summer didn’t seem possible. He had family obligations and a busy work schedule and I had summer classes and tons of studying to do.
However, one day after a tedious chemistry lecture, I decided to fly my ass out of the country on the semi-one week break I had between semesters and before I return to teaching after my summer break. My chemistry final was on August 16th and on August 20th I took the GRE, so I decided to hop on an early morning flight Saturday August 21st and rest my body, mind, and soul for a week even if that meant missing my first day of class for both of my fall semester classes. I needed this after a year of teaching remotely with my kids at home and one of my son’s in bilateral casts for 6 weeks! Plus I decided to go back to school for another Masters degree, so needless to say, I was drained!
I booked a solo trip because Kenny had a work commitment that he couldn’t get out of and since I was going to travel alone for the first time ever I considered many different things: I didn’t want a long flight because I’m an extremely anxious flyer. I wanted to feel safe in this country alone, and honestly I didn’t want a busy place with too much to do because I just wanted and needed to relax… so… BEACH vacation! And since the vacation’s focus was relaxing at the beach, I thought who has the best beaches near by and that’s how I ended up in Turks! Let me tell you, it does not disappoint! EVERY SINGLE BEACH is spectacular, the bays are just as beautiful. It NEVER rained. It was an everyday paradise. It was just what my body and spirit needed.
(Note: Kenny ended up canceling his work commitment and joining me on the trip, which made it that much better! <3)
Let’s start with the essential information. First, TCI (Turks and Caicos Islands) has a thorough check in process to visit the islands due to COVID. You have to be cleared or your airline will not let you board your flight.
The requirements include:
Getting travel medical insurance for the duration of your stay (even if you have health/medical insurance, which I do, you must still get travel medical insurance).
You must get tested for Covid AT LEAST 3 days before your scheduled flight. They accept rapid and PCR. I did both because I like to be safe. You do you. I do me.
You must upload your documents on the TCI assured website and you must complete the online form. They will process and email your approval to you, which is what your airline will ask you before you board your flight.
(Note: Starting in September all visitors must be vaccinated to visit the island and show proof of vaccination to be approved. I’m already vaccinated, but since this begins in September, they didn’t ask for my vaccination status.)
Also, you will need to be tested for Covid before you leave the island and return to the states. Many resorts offer COVID tests. Pharmacies and medical offices offer them as well. We got tested in a small medical office near us for $50.00 each.
Where did we stay?
Again, I thought I would be traveling alone and I wanted peace and relaxation, so I didn’t want a big resort with a lot of people around me. I looked on many of the popular travel websites (ie. Expedia), but I also checked out Airbnb. There I found a super cute and new boutique hotel that I really liked, so I booked it. I liked the modern look, the fact that it only had 20 rooms, and that it was still close to the strip where everything is. The property wasn’t on the beach, but close enough to walk to it and the hotel offered shuttle service to the beach in a golf cart. They drive you there and set you up with lounge chairs and umbrella at their area of the beach, which is on Grace Bay. It was perfect!
The hotel was amazing. The staff was helpful and so sweet. There weren’t a lot of people there, so most times we had the outdoor deck and pool area to ourselves, but the street itself was raw. There weren’t many other establishments on that street, only a corner store and a few houses, so I don’t think I would’ve felt very comfortable alone. I was glad Kenny was with me and it made me consider how I plan any future solo trips.
What did we do?
Beaches
Grace Bay Beach (Perfection!)
Long Bay Beach ( A more private beach. No restaurants near by and lots of kiteboarding. There aren’t any chairs to rent, so you either have to sit on a towel or bring your own. It wasn’t my favorite because there was some seaweed on the sand and so there were flies around you. I hate flies.)
Sapodilla Bay Beach (Super shallow water. Perfect for kids. They can walk out for a mile and be ok! Lol)
Seriously every beach is gorgeous!!! Turquoise blue crystal clear waters! We like to adventure out and find new beaches, but we quickly realized that they were all equally beautiful. We didn’t have to keep searching because Grace Bay beach was JUST as or more beautiful and we can walk there!
Restaurants
Bay Bistro (OMG! Delicious! My personal favorite. The conch wontons are everything! The grouper and the lamb was superb!)
Da Conch Shack
Hemingway’s
Mango Reef (This place was a disappointment.)
Coco Bistro (Make a reservation in ADVANCE!)
Danny Buoy’s (Bar food. Didn’t love it here. We went there after our sunset boat ride for wings and drinks! LOL)
Shay Cafe (Delicious breakfast! I could go here everyday!)
Patty Palace (Delicious veggie and chicken Jamaican patties and ice cream!)
Sweet T’s (Fried chicken and fries. We tried it for a quick snack after we landed, but we didn’t love this place.
Coffee Shops
I’ll start by saying that Kenny and I love good coffee. That’s our thing: we like to discover small and independent coffee shops that serve delicious coffee. Coffee is not the best in Turks and Caicos based on our experience. We usually ended up at Shay Cafe for breakfast and their coffee was ok, but we tried to find real coffee shops and found the following:
Lemon 2 Go (I did not like my coffee here at all. I didn’t even finish it.)
Beans and Leaves (AMAZING!! A real coffee shop!)
Activities
Once again, this trip was about relaxing, so we didn’t do much. We only wanted to lounge by the beach and eat good food. However, the island is pretty chill overall. There seemed to be a crowd at Danny Buoy’s (They’re known for their karaoke nights). Shisha lounge (hookah bar) was recommended to us.
On the beach you can jet ski, parasail, do some kiteboarding, you name it, you can do it. Some things you can book right on the beach, other excursions your hotel could book for you.
We booked a sunset cruise through Island Vibes Tours (They have an office on the main strip, but you can also google their number and call them.) We also scheduled a couple’s massage at Drift Spa located in the Windsong Resort.
Tips
Bring cash (They use the American dollar.)
Bring a collapsable cooler (Stop by IGA (local market) and Wine Cellar (liquor store) to pick up water, fruits, snacks, beer, liquor and bring your own drinks and snacks to the beach). Everything is pretty expensive on the island, so bringing your own drinks and snacks for the beach is a great way to go.
Rent a Car if you’re planning on exploring the island because cabs are expensive. However, they drive on the opposite side of the road and the steering wheel is on the passenger’s side, so it does take some getting used to.
HAVE FUN! You’re in paradise!
