Blogs from Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, Central America Caribbean

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 ... read more

Lazy Sunday Much like our Sundays at home, we didn't do much and just hung out at the beach enjoying the pretty waters. A and I both tried in desperation to see a turtle in the coral gardens before we had to leave the following day. The coral gardens is actually known as Bight Reef in Princess Alexandra State Park. Neither of us was successful snorkeling that morning. But Mr B was having the time of his life. He still was giving out "hamburgers" but now I was also getting "apple cheese." I don't know what apple cheese is but it sounded good to him I guess. He is also going to turn into a french fry, which seems to be his diet of late. Today he did ask to go eat, which is a first ... read more

Early Start Mr B was up and ready to go "water, please" at 7 am. We convinced him to wait a little while longer although I think we hit the beach before 9. Started cloudy but still quite warm. The hotel does have very nice umbrellas and seats to sit around and so we got the ones closest to the water. I think Mr B took 50 million trips back and forth picking up sand then dumping it in the water then doing it all over again. He seems to enjoy it. Uh-Oh A decided to go snorkeling first on the reef. He gets all his stuff ready and is all excited to try his new prescription mask. Now as he heads in I think to myself, surely he knows that those buoys are set up ... read more

Turks and Caicos “Getting to Know You” We did a lot of walking after the dives. We found the market and made our dinners from the salad bar. We wandered through a few souvenir shops and I took photos of some of the pirates that lurked at one of the small malls, reminding us of the lurid past of these islands. We learned that the people who honked at us when passing us on the road were actually hiring their vehicles, so Michael did raise his hand and get us a ride, once or twice, at really reasonable rates. Of course we agreed upon the price before leaving for our destination. We spent a lot of time deciding where we wanted to go next. We really wanted to go to Grand Turk and tour the capital ... read more

Turks and Caicos is one of those spots that not many people have heard of. When I went, back in 2008, I told my friends about it, and they all looked at me like I had three heads. "Turks and What?!" I had to say it was a weird name and I didn't know much about it, but I was excited. After only about a four hour plane ride, we (my family) arrived and fell in love instantly. As soon as we walked onto our resort- Beaches Turks and Caicos- we were greeted by a woman with fresh pineapple juice for us. Wahooo! Every morning in the lobby there was a newsletter listing the weather expected for that day, and all of the events taking place and at what location. There were nightly shows, aimed at ... read more