Quite simply, there are so many answers to the question of what makes the Turks and Caicos Islands such an attractive holiday destination, that the amount of answers itself is reason enough to book a holiday there.
Turks and Caicos is comprised of forty small Caribbean islands and cays that together form part of the Lucayanarchipelago. Located in the Atlantic ocean, southeast of the Bahamas and less that 650 mile east-southeast from Miami, Turks and Caicos is a veritable treasure trove of history, culture, coral reef and beaches. As such, TCI (as it is often referred to by locals and its many regular visitors) is a paradise of both natural and manmade wonder. What’s more, enjoying year-round sun and an economy built today largely upon the tourist trade, travellers to Turks and Caicos are met with warm weather, warm welcomes and astounding beauty.
The Seaside
Of its natural wonders, one gem TCI is proud to share with its visitors is Grace Bay Beach. Previously voted The World’s Best Beach two years in a row, according to Trip Advisor’s Travel Awards, Grace Bay Beach spans over 11km along the Providenciales shoreline. The beach itself is consequently favoured by holiday makers and locals alike, with thousands of people visiting it annually to sunbathe, swim and dive there.
Aside from its pristine white sands and warm, turquoise waters, Grace Bay Beach is also home to the world’s third largest barrier reef system and some of the ocean’s most colourful and astounding sealife. Hence, it is a popular spot for scuba divers who travel from far and wide to enjoy its 2134m deep wall. Luke Santo, a member of the team at Reef Peepers, who operate snorkelling, diving, sailing and ‘glass bottom’ boat tours in the area, says that divers to can hope to large stingray, barracuda, sharks, sea turtles, snapper, dolphins, whales and lobster ‘out there on the wall’.
If diving into the water isn’t your thing though, there’s also a plethora of things to do on the water surrounding Grace Bay Beach and TCI more generally. Being made up of so many small islands and cays, TCI has so much shore about it, that the sports taking place in its waters seem almost innumerable. From water-skiing, fishing paddle-boarding, surfing and kayaking to taking to sky and parasailing along the coast.
The Sea Aside
On land, TCI has an equally exciting, colourful and vibrant mix of things to do, see and places to go. In fact, the things to do while in TCI are so innumerable, it is perhaps better to take a look yourself by visiting the Attractions section of the Official Turks and Caicos Tourist Board website, to get a full idea of what TCI has to offer.
That said, no talk of what makes TCI so attractive as a holiday destination would be complete without mentioning some of TCI’s many more esoteric and characterful sights because TCI is brimful of them – from Little Water Cay (A.K.A Iguana Island) to the awing Conch Bar Caves located on Middle Caicos to the historic island of Grand Turk which remains TCI’s ‘political centre’, and is home to the country’s capital, Cockburn Town. Of the wealth of truly unique attractions TCI is home to though, perhaps one of the loveliest and most unique is the Caicos Conch Farm, and gift shop.
The conch has long been the recognised and celebrated symbol of TCI, much as the maple leaf that adorns the Canadian flag is synonymous with Canada. Conchs, as such, are more than just fascinating creatures or a matter of the shell in which they live. At Caicos Conch farm, which is the only conch farm in the world, visitors can get up close to these enigmatic sea creatures and, what’s more, get to see, understand and share in the history and significance they play in the lives of the TCI people.
Resorts and Accommodation
For first time visitors or those hoping to pack in as much adventuring as possible, booking in at the likes of The Beach House TCI, is a good idea. Located in Grace Bay, The Beach House TCI resort is literally situated slap-bang in the middle of just about everything Turks and Caicos has to offer. What’s more, of the resorts occupying the Grace Bay area, The Beach House TCI is unique in the accommodation it offers.
As the name implies, The Beach House TCI provides private beach house suite accommodation suitable for pretty much every type of travelling group, couple or lone adventurer. The beauty of occupying your own beach house suite (should it need spelling out) is that guests, while benefitting from all the mod cons and luxuries of its neighbouring resorts and hotels, at the Beach House TCI further enjoy a level of privacy that enables them to enjoy a level of intimacy and connect with the spirit of TCI in a wholly unique way – making for equally unique and unforgettable holiday memories.
