Talk about a crystal blue ocean DREAM…you guys, it is hard to express just how beautiful this place was and is. While I am a little bummed that we didn’t get to stay longer this go around, we had a truly amazing time and will definitely be back ASAP. After this experience though, I think that a 4 or 5 day trip seems like the perfect length of time to stay unless, of course, you are honeymooning or wanting to just get away for a longer vacay!
We will get into the COVID policies later, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that the process of traveling to Turks was actually fairly simple. All international flights you book into Turks and Caicos will land at Providenciales International and, from there, most everything is relatively close. In our case, after going through a quick screening and customs process, we simply walked out of the baggage claim area, got a taxi and, after a quick 15-minute drive, we were at our hotel (the Shore Club)!
When to go?
When we went in January, I honestly feel like we couldn’t have asked for better weather and it also didn’t seem very crowded (although that was probably related to COVID). It felt like the perfect escape from colder weather, and, at the time, it was just what we needed. The negative for that time period is that it appears that prices are a little elevated, but I have heard April and May are great times to visit with less crowds at a lower cost. June-November is apparently the rainy season with a higher chance of potential hurricane-related weather, but, if you get lucky (like Breck and I have on other travel adventures), the weather could also be amazing despite the norms. As it is considered the off season, it would probably be the cheapest time to go, and, as I said, we have had some pretty good luck hitting up places during times that aren’t as popular. After all, travel is all what you make of it anyway!
Pre-Travel Process During COVID (Subject to Change, Of Course)
Turks and Caicos, as a whole, does a good job of being pretty upfront with their requirements.
1) You must obtain a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 5 days of arrival. This was a lot easier than the usual 72 hour requirement, and, with COVID tests getting back quicker these days, this really shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
2) “Health Insurance”-I would probably just suggest going ahead and buying the supplemental insurance they offer to you, because, at least in our case, Breck spent way too much time trying to get them to verify my health insurance info through my work. It seemed like way too much time to save a relatively small amount of money, but they did eventually approve us based on what we already had.
3) A completed online health screening questionnaire through their official tourism site.
4) At that point, you will submit your documents online and, upon verification, a certification will be issued. I don’t think, once everything was turned in, that the certification process took more than a few hours.
Where to Stay in Turks and Caicos??
Honestly guys, The Shore Club was a dream. You can definitely not go wrong there and I would honestly stay here again without question. I really enjoyed the property and it was laid out in a way that just made you feel relaxed and pampered from the moment we arrived (which you know I love). It was just such a nice place to stay and I can’t say enough about the facilities and the staff. The lobby was open air and the grounds were so aesthetically pleasing. Simply beautiful! I honestly think this hotel, although definitely not the cheapest, is the best bang for your buck on the island! They also have a wide range of different types of rooms from basic rooms all the way up to amazing villas. They have an awesome restaurant on property called Sui-Ren (combination of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine) and we had some unreal sushi and seafood dishes that were to die for! They also have an amazing breakfast buffet every morning that was included in the room rate. Their breakfast might have been one of my favorite parts!! They also have these cute Shore Club branded coconuts at the beach bar that are SO dang cute! Made me feel like I was back at the Four Seasons in Bora Bora 🙂 Rum and fresh coconut water…how could you go wrong?
Other places I have heard are amazing:
- Grace Bay Club-Grace Bay Beach is a stunning beach, so, if you don’t stay at this hotel, it is at the very least a must visit
- Amanyara-This property looks STUNNING. It, at least to me, looks very romantic with a very elegant and sexy vibe, yet with a Turks and Caicos laid back quality to keep it from being too stuffy.
- Como Parrot Cay– Luxury is the first word that comes to mind from all I have seen about it! Definitely an aesthetically pleasing hotel worth a look!
- The Palms Turks & Caicos
What to do?
- Horseback riding is a MUST!!! – We had the best time riding horses in the ocean!!! What a fun and memorable experience that even Breck loved 😉 We went through our hotel to book this for us, and I would recommend that just to ensure that you go through a reputable vendor.
- Beach Hopping– Grace Bay Beach, Long Bay Beach (where we stayed), and Taylor Bay Beach are all no brainers!
- Boat day with Caicos Catalyst Private Charters-After the amazing day we had, I would absolutely go with the same company again. They were great and professional from start to finish!! We actually didn’t snorkel, but I usually love snorkeling and I am sure it would have been awesome. We went to a few remote islands and WOW is all I have to say. I felt like every stop was something out of a magazine. Iguana Island, for one, was a must, and the amount of iguanas we encountered was such an unbelievably cool experience. Is it weird to say they were so cute? Anyway, the water was so freaking blue there and, if you can swing it to extend your time some, the view on the way back for sunset is worth every penny. The Contact for Caicos Catalyst Private Charters is caicoscatalyst@gmail.com in case you are interested.
- Other islands to hit up (you really can’t go wrong with any of them): Salt Cay (January-April you can go on whale watching tours and you can observe the humpback whales making their migration south), Parrott Cay, Pine Cay, Dellis Cay, Big Ambergris Cay & Little Ambergris Cay
Where to Eat?
- Infiniti Restaurant was amazing-We had dinner here one night and the food, setting, and environment were really just great. Highly recommend for a dinner spot!
- The Conch Shack-We actually didn’t make it here but it made me sad because I had like 10 people recommend this place!
- Other places I am adding to the list for next time
- Coco Bistro
- Bay Bistro
- Bugaloo’s
- Hemingway’s On the Beach
- The Cove
- Bella Luna
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