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Sightseeing in Grace Bay | Providenciales, Turks & Caicos

Anyone who has visited Turks and Caicos will tell you how turquoise the water color is, and well, when people would tell me in the past, I’d just listen, nod, and say, “oh really?”  I’d listen, but I didn’t quite believe it, I didn’t fully comprehend it.  I mean, I’ve been fortunate to have visited some beautiful islands myself and I already knew what turquoise water looked like, that is until I visited Turks and Caicos and I had a reality check.  To all of you who question does Turks and Caicos really have the most gorgeous turquoise water in the Caribbean?  YES! YES! YES.IT.DOES!  And no other island in the Caribbean even compares to it!  How do I know?  Well, I initiated conversation about the “Caribbean Islands” with a few locals and well traveled tourists I met on the island, and every single one of them confirmed that T+C does indeed boast the best water in the Caribbean.   

The water color is turquoise, in the shade of an aqua blue and sometimes shifts to a light green when it’s cloudy.  The water is so blue that I was able to see my feet while I stood in 3 feet deep water.  The water is so blue that we were able to see the coral reef right thru the water hundreds of feet above sea level.  The water is so blue that when our flight was taking off from Providenciales International Airport, I couldn’t tell where the water ended and where the sky began, it was seamless. 

Turks and Caicos appeals mostly to honeymooners and families with younger children, hence it typically isn’t thought of as a party island, nor does it appeal to singles.  Since I was on a Girlfriends Getaway and with a pregnant friend, the choice to vacation at Turks and Caicos seemed obvious and relaxing above all.  Gorgeous blue waters, a top notch resort, the ultimate relaxation on the beach sipping mojitos, quality time with friends, and great Caribbean food were just some of the many highlights of my trip.

And now the downside, unlike some other Caribbean islands, Turks and Caicos is not reasonable.  They will nickel and dime you for everything.  Most budget hotels will cost you about $150 to $200 USD a night, anything more luxurious will quickly drive up that cost.  Taxis are crazy expensive (taxi post coming soon).  Here at Turks, they don’t simply charge a group for where they are going, they charge each person for where they are going!  The good news is you can always hustle and get a lower rate, but you’ll still pay about $20 for a one way 5 minute cab ride for just 3 people, that’s $40 round-trip for a mere 10 minute cab ride.  Crazy!  In terms of restaurants, there are some reasonable restaurants on the island, however majority of the places are pricy.  Drinks are on average $9 to $12 at restauarnts, more at the hotels, fish/chicken entrees will run you between $25 to $45, and desserts are about $8 to $10.

You can listen to people talk about Turks and Caicos, you can read all about it in the books, you can see all the pictures on the internet, but no person, no book, no website can capture the beauty of the water on this romantic island.  You have to go to Turks and Caicos and see yourself, experience it, relish in it, and then believe it, believe that there is heaven on earth.
Turks and Caicos


Recommended Days:
at least 4 nights

My photo diary of a 5 day getaway with my friends, Jhiane and Marian…


Approaching the island of Turks and Caicos, I was so excited seeing all the aqua blue water, never seen anything like this.

Walking in to the most incredible view at the Gansevoort Turks + Caicos.  Breathtaking.

A complimentary wine and fruit platter waiting for us upon arrival at our hotel since we were celebrating so many milestones… a first pregnancy, an MBA graduation, and a milestone birthday. 

Heading to the beach.

Gateway to heaven.

White soft powdery sand.

Such clear water, I could actually see my feet.

The beautiful beach.  It wasn’t fun to see couples making out on a Girlfriend Getaway, but it’s T+C, a honeymoon destination.

Trying conch (pronounced konk) for the very first time, a Turks specialty, so yummy at Mr.Grouper’s Restaurant.

First night out, posing in our room.  I already got a little tan.

Our one and only night of clubbing at The Gansevoort Turks + Caicos – Friday nights.

My first breakfast at our hotel, loved the French Toast and Fingerling Potatoes.

Bliss.  I wore Essie’s Turquoise & Caicos to see if the nail polish color really matches the water color, oh yes it does.  I know, I’m such a dork.

Enjoying a Watermelon Mint Mojito in the afternoon, so refreshing and tasty, and then I passed out for 1 hour cause I drank it like water in 5 minutes.  Not smart!

The hotel staff was preparing for a wedding around sunset that we watched from our balcony. 

I love these flats that dress up any outfit… Archer DV by Dolce Vita.

These pelican birds are so vicious and are known to have amazing vision.  It would fly over the water searching for food, then dive into the water, and swallow a fish… eeeek!  They were scary and so annoying.  Jhiane and I would run out of the water each time they would show up, supposedly they don’t hurt humans, but you never know.

Although I can’t swim for the life of me, I went in the water 4 feet deep and then I rode the waves.  Of course the waves aren’t rough so I can handle it.

Enjoying Chicken Nachos at Somewhere Café, I love greasy and delicious food after getting a workout in the ocean/pool. 

Watching the last sunset.

I surprised myself when I captured this incredibly beautiful picture of the sun.  So intense!turks and caicos 673

And another view.

I’ve never seen sunsets like this with such a wide array of colors.

I don’t know what the hell is in the water, sea salt + more, but my skin was glowing and all the little pimple bumps completely cleared up.  I’m gonna try washing my face with salt water at home and see if it has the same affect.

I’m so obsessed with this nail polish color.  Sorry!

Do you still need convincing?  It’s ridic!

See what I mean… it’s hard to tell where the water ends and where the sky begins.  Bye bye T+C, see you next year!



More coming on Lodging and Meals.  Stay tuned!

TELL ME: Have you been to Turks and Caicos?  Did you go sightseeing or just hang out at the hotel?  What water/air activities did you do while on the island? 



Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Khushboo says

    SO stunning, Nisha…both you and the color of the water! After reading yours & Parita's reviews, I think I have a honeymoon destination in mind for when my time comes ;)! And hey, honeymoons are one of the few times you can justify crazy prices right ;)!

    Reply

  2. Susan Tyson says

    Hi Nisha,

    We've been visiting TCI since 2004. It has an energy all to its own. Our best friends live here. We've been all over Provo, North Caicos, Middle Caicos, Salt Cay, Grand Turk and can highly recommend several spots you should not miss. As a matter of fact, I'm writing from TCI right now. We're staying in Turtle Cove. Here are some suggestions, not in any particular order.

    1. Las Brisas Restaurant/Neptune Villas. They have a pontoon boat that you can rent during the day or go for a sunset cruise and then have dinner, which is what we did Wednesday evening. http://neptunevillastci.com/wp/

    2. Beach Bars – Da Conch Shack https://daconchshack.com/ and Horse Eyed Jacks http://www.horseeyejacks.com

    3. Fine Dining – Coco Bistro – http://www.cocobistro.tc

    4. Take the high-speed ferry to Middle Caicos – Lunch or spend the night at Blue Horizon – http://bhresort.com

    I could go on but we're off snorkeling early this am to Coral Gardens and will probably have breakfast at St. Somewhere.

    By the by, love your nail polish!

    Reply

    • honeywhatscooking says

      Susan… thanks so much for all your recommendations. Hopefully in the coming years I'll start exploring other islands in Turks. I've heard great things about all the islands.
      Las Brisas was on my list too.. as was Da Conch Shack, Coco Bistro. So many great restaurants to choose from.

      Haha.. isn't the nail polish great? Glad you thought so.
      🙂

      Reply

  3. Deepti says

    Wow great post Nisha! I cant wait to plan my next trip there after reading your post, wonderful pictures too.
    P.S. missed many of your earlier posts as I had been to India, will catch up on them very soon!

    Reply

  5. Asha Shivakumar says

    You are one damn hot girl. Loved going through your pics and I cannot believe the shades of the sea has. We have a place near in California which is crazy blue but this one is just awesome. Enjoyed everything about this post, your skin, sandals, nail color, and everything around it..
    Glad you had fun.

    Reply

    • honeywhatscooking says

      Thanks Asha.. I don't know about that, but that's very sweet of you to say. So many shades of blue.. it's ridiculous. Where in Cali? Is it Catalina Island? I'd love to know. Haha.. glad you enjoyed the post… nail polish and all. 🙂

      Reply

  7. Ameena says

    I've been to T & C but we stayed at the all-inclusive resort Beaches. Which was great with a kid! But I didn't get to see too much. So I'll have to go again!

    Great pics – you look so relaxed and happy. Island life agrees with you.

    Reply

    • honeywhatscooking says

      Yeah.. Beaches is all inclusive, maybe I'll consider it someday if/when I have a kid. 🙂 Thanks.. island life most definitely agrees with me… great food, drinks, beach, and people. I love the Caribbean.

      Reply

  10. Anonymous says

    You did such a great job capturing the glorious moments in Turks and Caicos. This trip was much needed medicine for me. This vacay was so therapeutic, where I was in complete bliss. I felt so invigorated at Turks . JC

    Reply

    • honeywhatscooking says

      Haha.. YOu should Kiran.. it's a beautiful island, probably the prettiest water I've ever seen. I know the nailpolish color is ridic. Haha.. I learned that from the Kardashians! 🙂

      Reply

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