You
love being by, on or in the sea? Then you’ll never be bored here in the Turks
& Caicos islands. Watersports enthusiasts especially will be in seventh, if
not eighth, heaven. On Providenciales you can spice the mixture with a little
retail therapy and the casino table – and insights into island history and
wildlife.
WHAT
TO SEE
Parrot
Cay
This
1,000-acre private island sanctuary between Providenciales and North Caicos is a setting dedicated to inactivity - where
few guests feel inclined to stray far from the pool or beach. ‘Sightseeing’
tends to be confined to scanning the wide blue horizons.
Providenciales
Island
The
location of The Palms Resort, relatively developed ‘Provo’ is ringed by
beautiful white-sand beaches. Best-known is the 12 miles-long Grace Bay,
location of the Princess Alexandra Marine Park
and Islands
Sea Center. To the south lies Chalk Sound, a
striking turquoise-coloured lake and an array of small cays. ‘The Hole’ at
Long
Bay is a deep limestone
chimney with a mysterious depth of salt water at the bottom. The two oldest
settlements are Bight and Blue Hills, both with a feeling of authentic
Caribbean villages. You can also visit sites of
historic cotton plantation houses built by Loyalists at Cheshire Hall and
Richmond Hill.
‘Provo’ is home
to the only conch farm in the world - definitely worth a visit to discover how
Caribbean Queen conchs are raised.
WHAT
TO DO
Parrot
Cay
Here
windsurfing and catamaran sailing will keep watersports aficionados happy, and deep-sea
fishing and scuba-diving is also available. There’s tennis on-site, and you can
walk or jog along trails snaking through the undeveloped back
country
(see At a Glance section for more
information on scuba-diving). The scenic crossing to and from nearby
Providenciales
takes you past Pine Cay and other tiny uninhabited cays, easily explored by
boat.
Providenciales
There’s
a wealth of island-hopping cruises, fishing and scuba-diving excursions to be
enjoyed from ‘Provo’. Visit
Little Water Cay Nature Reserve to view rare rock iguanas and ospreys - or North
or Middle Caicos, whose many birds include pink flamingos, ospreys, frigate
birds and pelicans. Or take a ‘glow worm cruise’ to watch the night sea light up
with the green flashes of glow worms. In the whale-watching season
(late-February – early-April) boat trips operate for viewing the many humpback
whales (said to be the entire Atlantic population of humpbacks) that pass close
by the shore. ‘Provo’ also boasts an 18-hole championship golf
course (see
At a Glance section for more
information on golf and scuba-diving).
If
shopping’s more your thing then there’s a range of boutiques at Turtle Cove, as
well as the temptations of Ports of Call shopping village. Locally made crafts
include strawbaskets, hats and bags, wood carvings, metalwork and polished conch
shells. Come sunset most visitors head for the popular American Casino at
Grace
Bay. Though nightlife here
is generally relatively quiet, many hotels feature entertainment - and there are
several atmospheric local venues with disco dancing and/or bands.