A month after the onset of Chicago’s fierce winter, we started pining for sun and sea. The Caribbean, a four hour direct flight away was an obvious choice. And as our first time in these parts, we weren’t quite prepared for some of the island’s interesting intricacies. We share our finds and setbacks here for a better informed and more prepared journey for you.
GRACE BAY & WHERE TO STAY
Not wasting time, we headed for the famed Grace Bay beach on our first day. Indeed, it’s as beautiful as your minds eye of a quintessential Caribbean paradise. Except, enjoying it wasn’t quite as simple as we had imagined.
Herein was our first mistake in securing accommodation – getting an Airbnb rental a 5-minute drive away, instead of a hotel with a pool directly on Grace Bay Beach. Why? A few reasons:
1) Big, all-inclusive hotels dominate the scene. This means that you won’t find independent cafes, beach bars or restaurants set-up with sunbeds as we are used to in Greece. So no hotel privileges mean no beach conveniences. If you’re lucky enough, however, you may stumble onto the odd hawker along the beach touting beds and umbrella rentals for USD 30 a set.
2) Beach access in general is difficult on the island, which can be disappointing if you are into exploring different scenery. While beaches are theoretically public, access to many have been blocked off by private houses or hotel developments.
3) With unpredictable weather and seas at the time we went, you want to be able to peer out from your hotel room to check ideal times to swim, and seize the moment when it arrives. Or use the hotel pool.
Such was our situation, where we were unlucky with the weather and waters. Even though the hurricane season (June to November) was over, choppy Atlantic waters made swimming difficult with a toddler. Perhaps later would have been better. In search of calmer seas, we headed to Long Bay and Sapodilla Bay.
THE SEARCH FOR CALM
Long Bay was interesting to get to, the area looking more like a luxe residential enclave. After driving past house after house displaying “private property – no beach access” signs, we finally found a pathway at the far left end of The Shore Club Hotel (the only hotel on this coast for now). Park near the boardwalk and you’re there. Quiet, shallow and calm, we finally found possible swimming for baby. Our only complaint was a new hotel being constructed behind, distracting from the experience of getting lost in nature.
Sapodilla Bay beach was easy enough to reach and also has the advantage of being near to a few restaurants in the area – La Brisas and Bugaloos. You’ll read lots of good reviews about both restaurants online. We weren’t blown away by either, but also not entirely disappointed.
BURGERS, SANDWICHES & CONCH
Food was difficult for us on the island. We found the same limited menus of burgers, sandwiches, and fried or grilled seafood repeat from restaurant to restaurant, whether high end or beach shack. Standing out was The Deck with a seafront view and chicken masala curry to excite my burger tired taste buds. For more international variety, Lupo Lupo had proper Italian and Thai Orchid opposite, proper Thai. Both are located at The Regent Village.
Even mediocre food came with a hefty price. You may have heard by now that The Caribbean is expensive. Be prepared to pay USD 9 for bottled Evian when you dine. The average bill for 2 adults ranged between USD 100 – 200 per meal.
Our mornings found us going to Lemon2Go or its neighbouring The Shay cafe for coffee and muffins. A good bakery with more variety was also hard to find on the island. Right opposite is the island’s shopping haunt – The Saltmills – for a pleasant stroll amongst boutiques and a frozen yoghurt stop (Turkberry) for cool sweet relief.
For snacking supplies, Graceway (Graceway Gourmet in particular which carries familiar brands like the Waitrose line) is the supermarket of choice for tourists. Fresh bread from the island’s Crust bakery is also available here.
BIGHT BAY SNORKELING
Our undersea adventures were limited to snorkeling this trip. This was delightfully fuss free at the section of Bight Reef in front of Coral Gardens hotel where an easy-to-access reef is alive with turtles, stingrays and fishes purple and yellow.
Park on the left hand side of Coral Gardens hotel and look for Somewhere Tex Mex restaurant and bar. The reef is directly in front, and a few meters into the water.
Convenient if you didn’t bring gear is a pop-up table renting masks and fins for USD 20 nearby. We thoroughly enjoyed this spot, which became our daily hangout.
OFFROAD ADVENTURES
If you’re planning to venture west to Malcolm’s Road beach, make sure you have a four-wheel drive. The road for the public was rocky and prohibitive to us. At the risk of getting stuck with a two year old and no reception, we didn’t make it to the beach. Better to be a guest at Amanyara hotel where celebrities hide away in its exclusive solitude to enjoy these parts.
Perhaps it’s because our bellies weren’t sufficiently satisfied, or because finding our way to beach happiness was more difficult than usual, but we didn’t find ourselves excited about the idea returning. Nonetheless, if you have thousands to throw, don’t mind spending long leisurely days in a fabulous hotel, and are in this part of the world, the Turks and Caicos does boast amazing beaches to enjoy.
