Turks & Caicos ... beta needed

[huckbucket]

Going in April with wife and two teenage daughters. Need some inside info.

Beaches ... check
Snorkeling ... check
Eat seafood ... check

Whatcha got?

[BmillsSkier]

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...rks+and+caicos

Been back once since I started this thread. Stayed at the Gansevoort which is absolutely tits and a smaller property just down the beach which was called the Turks and Caicos Club now it's called Beach House Turks and Caicos - fantastic little 21 room boutique that felt like you had the entire place to yourself, including the beach - gigantic rooms.

Get ready to pay $50 a case for the cheapest beer possible and cab rides start at $20. You get used to it. I quite like Provo and the islands as a whole some really unique diving/snorkeling/exploring.

[huckbucket]

^^

Second post in that thread. I laffed.

(thanks for the link)

[BmillsSkier]

That's hilarious.

Can't recall the snorkel outfit we went with on our second day down but they all seem to be the same - the hotel concierge set it up. Did 4-5 really different locations from out on the edge of the reef wall (giant, scary fucking sharks) to in on the tidal shallows where bonefish hang and sharks breed.

As someone pointed out in the old thread, not a ton of culture on the island but it's great for white sand, turquoise water, and if you're not near the mega hotels pretty damned empty beaches.

[WTF is dat]

There have been several threads on this subject.

The beaches are beautiful but really there isn't much else going on besides that on the islands.

As stated above beer is super expensive - I bought a handle of rum at the grocery store instead since it was much more economical. Turks head beer isn't bad though !

I stayed at the Alexandria resort. Would recommend.


We did a snorkeling trip one day that took us to Iguana island. Beautiful and worth the trip. They caught us fresh conch from the sea and we had conch salad for lunch with all you can drink on the boat. That was a highlight of the trip and I would suggest doing it.

We saw some HUDGE sharks out on the reef.


Overall the island is beautiful but really not much to do. Have fun !

[Peruvian]

We stayed at the Neptune Villas between Chalk Sound and Sapodilla Bay. Great quiet spot, but you will need a car. The weekly Island Fish Fry kicks ass and mixes locals with tourists at an outdoor cookout with live entertainment.

The blues of Provo are unbelievable.

[WTF is dat]

Second the fish fry !!! Do it and get drunk !!!

[ThreeRidges]

Perhaps dated beta but:

Take a cab to Scooter Bob's and rent a scooter. Great way to get around, cars on road can be hairy. T local ex-pats assumed all drivers on the road after dark were hammered.

The Conch Shack. You order, they wade out and grab one, whack it and cook it. Does not get any fresher. Great beach dive.

[BmillsSkier]

Oooh, I forgot. You can bring a puppy home with you. They're called potcakes - after the pancake like scraps that the locals would feed to the growing stray population from their kitchens.

Careful with the kids, some of the charity groups are pretty good at charming your womens and childrens with a cute puppy while your back is turned in the hopes of a "donation" and sending it home to the US with you.

My wife nearly fell victim as I was gorging myself on $10 beers and seasnails at Da Conch Shack.

Pretty sure it wasn't even their puppy.

[huckbucket]

You guys are great. Hold up ... just taking a few notes here ... let's see ...

Snokel trip to iguana island where fresh puppies are harvested from the ocean. CHECK!
Share cheap beer with the hudge sharks. CHECK!
Rent scooters for late night demo derby with the local drunks. CHECK!

Got it!

I'm not especially turned off by the lack of action. In fact, I want this trip to have us all reconnect. All my daughters do these days is go to school and come home and do homework. 90% of our conversations are about scheduling, driving, etc. Two years til my oldest goes to college. Time is getting short. We need a week to think about nothing but beach, water and food.

[WTF is dat]

The name of the company we used was Caicos dream tours... really touristy but what do you expect.... they take you out to the reef to snorkel and then catch you some fresh conch and you get an hour or 2 at half moon bay (iguana island)

Half moon bay is very beautiful and we enjoyed the boat tour even though it was a little touristy

[WTF is dat]

And don't miss the fish fry !!!!


Stay on grace bay if at all possible so you have direct access to the best beach


Everything is super expensive !