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Published: February 22nd 2023
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Expectations were high, but Turks and Caicos was as advertised - the water, sand and temperatures were all perfect.
All that and its proximity to the U.S. means it’s not exactly a budget island, but luckily it wasn’t that kind of trip. At the same time, it’s the main thing anyone who doesn’t have unlimited money should keep in mind when planning a visit.
Products that locals use (milk, apples, bananas, etc.) are only about double what they cost in the U.S., but tourist needs are exorbitant. Examples: $13 for a cylinder of Quaker Oats, $21 for a 6-pack of Kind bars, $3 for an orange, all not including the 12% tax. The theme here is to bring whatever you’re allowed by customs, like cereal, coffee, and snacks.
As for restaurants, the going price for a whole fish is $40; a glass of cheap wine is $12. Buying wine by the bottle is a bargain comparatively and isn’t much more than buying it at a grocery. According to the customs rules, you can enter the country with one bottle of liquor or two bottles of wine.
The tipping culture is confusing. Most restaurants include a 10% service
fee but then another 10% server tip is also expected. But they still seem disappointed with that since a lot of tourists have seemingly bottomless pockets.
The tap water is only marginally safe and purportedly tastes pretty gross. A gallon of still water costs $3-5.
Turks Head beer, the only brewery on the island, is excellent. Even ‘imports’ like Coors Light are more expensive.
The Grace Bay area has plenty of restaurants, bars, and tourist shops, so a car was unnecessary and we walked everywhere.
Grace Bay Beach
With fine white sand that doesn’t burn your feet even in the afternoon sun, fairly calm waters with tiny waves, a flat and firm shore ideal for running, no jellies or biting flies, and perfectly clear water, Grace Bay is absolutely one of the best beaches I’ve been to.
The best part of the beach is from the access point near the Ritz-Carlton to the northeast toward Mangrove Cay. The parking lot there seems to be free.
About a km west of the Ritz-Carlton there is a Sargassum seaweed bloom about 50 meters out, which breaks off and ends up in the swimming area and on
the beach. Some sections of the beach are just a few meters wide as well but are at least canopied by pines and palms. You can see this all on Google Maps.
The widest section of the beach is near the Royal West Indies Resort, but there are also hundreds of lounge chairs there. This is the also the part of the bay most protected by the winds, so the water is even calmer. When you get to the points at either terminus of the 7 miles, the water is choppier and the sand is grittier.
There are plenty of excursions easily available like parasailing, tubing, and snorkeling, but we weren’t bored spending 4 days lounging on the beach during the day and going for runs and walks in the mornings and evenings.
There are more photos below.
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