• E-mail to a Friend
  • Print Print
  • RSS RSS
  • AddThis

When to Go and Where to Stay

Return to main article

Safety Concerns

Despite the April 2006 robbery of two American citizens at the resort, the Turks & Caicos has one of the lowest crime rates in the Caribbean and such incidents are rare. Arrests and charges in the case were made within 48 hours, according the Chief Minister of Turks & Caicos.

When to Go

As with the neighboring Bahamas, high season runs from December through May, when daytime temperatures average 75 to 80 degrees. Summer and fall bring hotter and more humid weather, especially in September and October.

Getting There

Providenciales (a.k.a. Provo) lies on the western edge of the Turks and Caicos archipelago, just beyond the Bahamas and about 575 miles southeast of Miami, a 11/2-hour flight. Almost all visitors to the Turks and Caicos arrive at the recently improved international airport on Provo (airport code: PLS). During high season there are frequent nonstops from most major U.S. cities. From the airport it's a 10-minute ride to Grace Bay, where the majority of resorts and commercial developments are clustered, or a 25-minute drive to Northwest Point and Amanyara. Boats to nearby islands—including Parrot Cay and Pine Cay—leave from Leeward Marina, on Provo's northeast coast.

Where to Stay

Amanyara
Northwest Point, Providenciales; 65/6887-3337; www.amanresorts.com; guest pavilions from $1,350.
Note: Amanyara's spa is scheduled for completion in 2007.

Parrot Cay
On a private 1,000-acre island, 30 minutes from Provo by boat, Parrot Cay is Amanyara's only true rival for location, polish, and sheer glamour, though the two differ in tone and design. Here it's all about the scene (Bruce Willis is among the house owners), and there's a palpable charge in the air in the evenings, when the pool deck morphs into a catwalk. The main hotel is a cluster of Mediterranean-style follies located on a verdant hillside well back from the beach; rooms in these buildings have balconies but no genuine privacy. Infinitely better are the freestanding beach houses and eight beach villas, nestled right off the sand.
877/754-0726 or 649/946-7788; www.parrotcay.como.bz; doubles from $620.

The Palms
The spirit of Oliver "Mr. Mustique" Messel defines this Grace Bay Beach neo-Palladian newcomer, an indulgence of coral-stone, marble, and mahogany that cost $95 million to build and flaunts every cent of it. Rooms are enormous and exceedingly comfortable, set inside five-story towers that feel like apartment blocks. Outside, the vast serpentine pool, complete with a swim-up bar and throbbing dance beats, creates a high-energy vibe. (This is not the place for quiet reflection.)
Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales; 649/946-8666; www.thepalmstc.com; doubles from $575.

Meridian Club
The antithesis of the Palms, and an entirely singular place. Like Parrot Cay, it's on a private island, just a short hop from Provo by plane or boat; unlike Parrot Cay, it's defiantly unpretentious and old-fashioned. Guests stay in 13 tropical-themed rooms in a single-story block beside the beach; each unit has a screened porch (creaky door and all), an outdoor shower, and paddle ceiling fans—there's no air-conditioning, no television, and no phone. There's not much of anything, in fact, besides the endless beach, the adjacent 500-acre nature reserve, and a small fleet of catamarans and Sunfish to explore with.
Pine Cay (6 miles northeast of Providenciales); 866/746-3229 or 770/500-1134; www.meridianclub.com; doubles from $650, including all meals.

Grace Bay Club
Grace Bay's original luxury property, this intimate Mediterranean-style resort consists of a 21-suite hotel and 38 newly constructed villas. Rooms are adorned with decorative pottery, Spanish tiles, and colorful textiles; all rooms have oceanfront views. Dine on chef Eric Brunel's Caribbean-inspired dishes in the Anacaona's candlelit beach palapas.
Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales; 800/946-5757 or 649/946-5050; www.gracebayclub.com; junior suites from $555.

Point Grace
At this British colonial-inspired resort complex, the smallest one-bedroom suite comes replete with an Italian granite kitchen and separate dining and living rooms—and measures more than 1,000 square feet. The 32 apartments all have spacious terraces and are housed in whitewashed buildings set around a central pool. Frette linens, fresh flowers, and complimentary cocktails lead the impressive amenity list. Traditional European thalassotherapy spa treatments take place in oceanside cabanas.
Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales; 866/924-7223 or 649/946-5096; www.pointgrace.com; doubles from $595.

Copyright © 2008, American Express Publishing. All rights reserved.