Bohio vs Osprey: Grand Turk
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mikeycanuk
Contributor
The center of town is not what you think it is on Grand Turk!!! We spent a lot of afternoons at the Sandbar, that's why we are partial to staying "in/near town". The Bohio's cook is a Russian lady who is not only a great cook but a hoot! They had a great Christmas spread, pricy though. We met a LOT of locals/expats on NewYrs day over at Jack's Shack, much more fun than the evening prior.
There is a cruise ship presence on the island, November has very few non-cruise days. They didn't bother us much, sometimes they can be entertaining. Sometimes we felt like animals in a zoo. One day we had a SI sitting in Grand Turk divers, and there passed 3 cabs, 2 Safari Zebra themed buses and one "train" go buy. We refrained from any bad behavior...
OP
Great info on Bohio but what is the Osprey like, and which of the 2 resorts/dive operations (Bohio or Osprey) has the least interference from cruise ship passengers?
mikeycanuk
Contributor
Osprey is a hotel right across from GTD, not a dive resort per say. Bohio is the only true dive resort, they do cater to the cruise shippers for lunch, a high end one with overpriced drinks (went there once for lunch). On that short stretch of Duke St. There is Osprey, GTD, BWD (Blue Water Divers), Sandbar + Manta house, Secret Garden and Oasis divers. Every operator on Grand Turk takes a piece of the cruise ship $, can you blame them? We were there for 2 weeks and never really had any issues with the cruisers, they are around occasionally, but most of them stay at the port, the rest drive up Duke St, keep going, and go to the stretch of road where there are roadside stands selling the same junk you'll find in every port.
Both places definitely have their advantages depending on what you are looking for...
Bohio is nicely separated on the northern part of the island from a lot of the cruise ship noise. If you are looking for a place to really get away from everything and relax that might be your best bet. The restaurant/bar is good quality but slightly pricey (as are most restaurants in GT) but you are at least getting what you pay for at Bohio. It is a short walk (15-20 minutes) to Duke St. which has a few other restaurants (Sandbar, Salt Raker, Osprey, and various others near the trinket shops that the cruise ship guests visit). It's very easy to time your ventures out into town so that they don't coincide with the cruise ships though. Most of the ships are only in port for a day and probably 80% of the guests never leave the cruise ship terminal on the south end of the island. The rest will come up and down Duke St. on everything from buses to segways to ATVs for a "tour" and then return to their ship by 4 or 5 PM. If you are out diving during the day you would probably miss a lot of them and there are almost never cruise ship guests on the island by dinner time. The diving operation at Bohio is more intimate in that you will get to know everyone who is there diving with you. Everything is nearby since their boats leave from directly in front of the hotel so there is minimal schlupping of gear and they will definitely take care of you.
Staying at the Osprey puts you much more in the middle of things on Duke St. The hotel itself is older and the accommodations are not quite as nice (but still acceptable) and are cheaper than Bohio. I don't think the restaurant at the Osprey is anything special and the food is very overpriced. The pool/restaurant/beach area is very small compared to that at Bohio. Nearby you have Oasis Divers (who deal with the most cruise ship traffic), GT Diving Co., and Blue Water Divers. Having dove with all three, there is not really a significant difference between the operations. Oasis has a series of cheaper rooms right above Blue Water Divers called The Atrium which is where I usually stay. There are nice balconies which look over Duke St. and you can watch the parade of cruise ship guests come down the street in the morning. Personally I think it's one of my favorite parts of staying there purely for the entertainment value it provides. Of course I would never cheer when a tourist falls off their segway...
I live in the Turks and Caicos full time so feel free to ask if there are specifics details you want to know more about!
Bohio is nicely separated on the northern part of the island from a lot of the cruise ship noise. If you are looking for a place to really get away from everything and relax that might be your best bet. The restaurant/bar is good quality but slightly pricey (as are most restaurants in GT) but you are at least getting what you pay for at Bohio. It is a short walk (15-20 minutes) to Duke St. which has a few other restaurants (Sandbar, Salt Raker, Osprey, and various others near the trinket shops that the cruise ship guests visit). It's very easy to time your ventures out into town so that they don't coincide with the cruise ships though. Most of the ships are only in port for a day and probably 80% of the guests never leave the cruise ship terminal on the south end of the island. The rest will come up and down Duke St. on everything from buses to segways to ATVs for a "tour" and then return to their ship by 4 or 5 PM. If you are out diving during the day you would probably miss a lot of them and there are almost never cruise ship guests on the island by dinner time. The diving operation at Bohio is more intimate in that you will get to know everyone who is there diving with you. Everything is nearby since their boats leave from directly in front of the hotel so there is minimal schlupping of gear and they will definitely take care of you.
Staying at the Osprey puts you much more in the middle of things on Duke St. The hotel itself is older and the accommodations are not quite as nice (but still acceptable) and are cheaper than Bohio. I don't think the restaurant at the Osprey is anything special and the food is very overpriced. The pool/restaurant/beach area is very small compared to that at Bohio. Nearby you have Oasis Divers (who deal with the most cruise ship traffic), GT Diving Co., and Blue Water Divers. Having dove with all three, there is not really a significant difference between the operations. Oasis has a series of cheaper rooms right above Blue Water Divers called The Atrium which is where I usually stay. There are nice balconies which look over Duke St. and you can watch the parade of cruise ship guests come down the street in the morning. Personally I think it's one of my favorite parts of staying there purely for the entertainment value it provides. Of course I would never cheer when a tourist falls off their segway...
I live in the Turks and Caicos full time so feel free to ask if there are specifics details you want to know more about!
SandyUT
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HI Kitty_Kat,
I really liked your opinions and all that you shared. very helpful in looking at these two options comparatively. Bohio is going to be the place on this trip. We really want it to be easy, relaxing and the nicer beach looks very inviting for evening strolls. As with many islands - town is ok, but I would just as soon walk to it than be in it. We dove the T&C Aggressor a few years ago and it was one of the most amazing trips. the only time we could get this trip booked was early Nov. Hopefully the weather wont be too wet? Do you have an idea on the water temps at that time of year?
thanks!
---------- Post added August 4th, 2014 at 08:48 AM ----------
I have another question for ya. We normally use one gear bag (50 lb), a roller carry on and a backpack for each of us. The second roller bag is going to be costly on the interisland flight to GT. There is no way around that besides packing light is there?
Are the liquor stores on GT cheaper than the bars?
I really liked your opinions and all that you shared. very helpful in looking at these two options comparatively. Bohio is going to be the place on this trip. We really want it to be easy, relaxing and the nicer beach looks very inviting for evening strolls. As with many islands - town is ok, but I would just as soon walk to it than be in it. We dove the T&C Aggressor a few years ago and it was one of the most amazing trips. the only time we could get this trip booked was early Nov. Hopefully the weather wont be too wet? Do you have an idea on the water temps at that time of year?
thanks!
---------- Post added August 4th, 2014 at 08:48 AM ----------
I have another question for ya. We normally use one gear bag (50 lb), a roller carry on and a backpack for each of us. The second roller bag is going to be costly on the interisland flight to GT. There is no way around that besides packing light is there?
Are the liquor stores on GT cheaper than the bars?
SandyUT not a problem at all!
You should be missing the worst of the wet season in November. We tend to get most of our rain in Dec - May and then during the summer when hurricanes or storms come through. We just got a bunch of rain yesterday when tropical storm Bertha came right over us, but before that it hadn't rained in a while. Even when it does rain here, it usually only lasts a few minutes and then blows over. Constant rain for an hour or more is extremely rare.
Water temp was almost exactly 80 degrees (at a depth of ~100 ft) in November last year. I'm right across the channel from Grand Turk on South so we have nearly identical conditions... but the coldest I've seen in Grand Turk was ~78 at depth in January. I'm usually very comfortable doing multiple dives in a full 3 mm in the winter but I have a few coworkers who wear a hooded vest in addition to that. We occasionally have people wearing a full 5 mm in the spring but most of them seem to think that it's overkill.
You will probably fly interCarribean Airways (Air TCI) from Provo to GT (There is one other smaller carrier that only does a few flights, but I have never used them). With interCarribean Air, for each passenger, you get your first 50 lbs of checked baggage for free, regardless of whether it is in one bag or two. For each pound over 50, it's $0.50 per pound. You are technically also allowed two carry ons, but the plane is very small, so a standard overhead sized suitcase usually has to be checked. A backpack or a couple small bags on your lap is allowed. Depending on how full the plane is, I occasionally get away with carrying on my medium duffel bag too. They do require you to check in at least 45 minutes in advance or they won't let you on the flight. They are quite strict about that... Other then that interCarribean Airways is quite good! They sometimes run behind schedule in the morning, but are usually right on schedule by lunch and are very easy to use. The check-in/security in Provo is separate from that for the international flights, making it even easier after you have come through customs.
Finding a liquor store in GT is somewhat of an adventure... There is one that is fairly consistently open that I know of, but it's quite a walk from Bohio. Many of the stores in GT operate on a "when they feel like it" schedule. Almost nothing (except the hotel bars) will be open on Sunday. But yes, if you can find the liquor store, it will be much cheaper then the bars. Expect to pay ~$5 per bottled beer at a bar and more for mixed drinks or wine (Bohio is on the more expensive end). Your best bet might be duty free actually... You are allowed 1 liter of spirits or 2 liters of wine per person through customs with no duty...
You should be missing the worst of the wet season in November. We tend to get most of our rain in Dec - May and then during the summer when hurricanes or storms come through. We just got a bunch of rain yesterday when tropical storm Bertha came right over us, but before that it hadn't rained in a while. Even when it does rain here, it usually only lasts a few minutes and then blows over. Constant rain for an hour or more is extremely rare.
Water temp was almost exactly 80 degrees (at a depth of ~100 ft) in November last year. I'm right across the channel from Grand Turk on South so we have nearly identical conditions... but the coldest I've seen in Grand Turk was ~78 at depth in January. I'm usually very comfortable doing multiple dives in a full 3 mm in the winter but I have a few coworkers who wear a hooded vest in addition to that. We occasionally have people wearing a full 5 mm in the spring but most of them seem to think that it's overkill.
You will probably fly interCarribean Airways (Air TCI) from Provo to GT (There is one other smaller carrier that only does a few flights, but I have never used them). With interCarribean Air, for each passenger, you get your first 50 lbs of checked baggage for free, regardless of whether it is in one bag or two. For each pound over 50, it's $0.50 per pound. You are technically also allowed two carry ons, but the plane is very small, so a standard overhead sized suitcase usually has to be checked. A backpack or a couple small bags on your lap is allowed. Depending on how full the plane is, I occasionally get away with carrying on my medium duffel bag too. They do require you to check in at least 45 minutes in advance or they won't let you on the flight. They are quite strict about that... Other then that interCarribean Airways is quite good! They sometimes run behind schedule in the morning, but are usually right on schedule by lunch and are very easy to use. The check-in/security in Provo is separate from that for the international flights, making it even easier after you have come through customs.
Finding a liquor store in GT is somewhat of an adventure... There is one that is fairly consistently open that I know of, but it's quite a walk from Bohio. Many of the stores in GT operate on a "when they feel like it" schedule. Almost nothing (except the hotel bars) will be open on Sunday. But yes, if you can find the liquor store, it will be much cheaper then the bars. Expect to pay ~$5 per bottled beer at a bar and more for mixed drinks or wine (Bohio is on the more expensive end). Your best bet might be duty free actually... You are allowed 1 liter of spirits or 2 liters of wine per person through customs with no duty...
mikeycanuk
Contributor
Bohio is a rip-off for drinks. Beers were $7-8, including Turks Head the cheaper local brew!! (case of 24 should run $42-$44 at the stores) I got a shot of Bamarra for $8, a bottle of the reserve can be had for $22!!!! I would get a cab to the main store, off Pond St I believe.
Make sure to wind away a few afternoons at the Sandbar, the rum punches are so good!!! We learned to sip the 1st one until our food arrived, empty stomach + nitrogen = weeeee then zzzzzz.
We use Caicos Express, smaller planes but we've used them twice and no issues. They are cheaper as well. We even got our excess luggage fee reduced when she realized it was 2014 (jan2) and the new rates were lower! Other people we met at PLS weren't so lucky, a couple we dived with many times during our stay had a bag not show up at PLS, they used AirT&C (the national carrier btw).
Town in GT....you'll get what I mean when you see it lol.
We used a 7mm in Dec/Jan. Made the mistake the year before in Salt Cay with a 2.5mm Thermoprene, I new the second I hit the water for the first dive I made a HUGE mistake. Used that suit under a rental 3mm and still BRRRR. We do get cold easy.
Have fun!
Tip- If you are stuck in PLS for 90+ mins, do not eat at the airport! Make the effort to go outside and find a cab that will take you to Hole in the Wall (just ask a driver.) It's not far (2-3min drive) but too far to walk. Ok the view isn't great (better that the airport restaurant) but the jerk is so GOOD and an Amber Turk's Head Beer..... Always a great way to start a T&C trip. Give the sweet old dog a pet for me.
Make sure to wind away a few afternoons at the Sandbar, the rum punches are so good!!! We learned to sip the 1st one until our food arrived, empty stomach + nitrogen = weeeee then zzzzzz.
We use Caicos Express, smaller planes but we've used them twice and no issues. They are cheaper as well. We even got our excess luggage fee reduced when she realized it was 2014 (jan2) and the new rates were lower! Other people we met at PLS weren't so lucky, a couple we dived with many times during our stay had a bag not show up at PLS, they used AirT&C (the national carrier btw).
Town in GT....you'll get what I mean when you see it lol.
We used a 7mm in Dec/Jan. Made the mistake the year before in Salt Cay with a 2.5mm Thermoprene, I new the second I hit the water for the first dive I made a HUGE mistake. Used that suit under a rental 3mm and still BRRRR. We do get cold easy.
Have fun!
Tip- If you are stuck in PLS for 90+ mins, do not eat at the airport! Make the effort to go outside and find a cab that will take you to Hole in the Wall (just ask a driver.) It's not far (2-3min drive) but too far to walk. Ok the view isn't great (better that the airport restaurant) but the jerk is so GOOD and an Amber Turk's Head Beer..... Always a great way to start a T&C trip. Give the sweet old dog a pet for me.
Ray and Pam
Contributor
Kitty Kat,
Thanks for the water temps in November, so we'll be expecting 81-82 in early October. With my 5 mil I'll be nice and compfy.
We're arriving about 3pm in Provo depending on whether AA changes it again or not so we're using the larger Air TCI since they have a later flight I believe about 5:30pm. Hopefully we've end up at the SaltShaker in Grand Turk that evening rather than missing the last flight and having to wait until the next day to get to the RackShaker.
Thanks for the tips on the booze situation, that can definitly cut deep into the budget if spirits are not brought in Duty Free or if chasers (beer) are not bought in bulk locally. Sounds like we will have to dip into the till for the awesome Rum Punch at Sandbars (Pams favorite hydration).
Haven't decided on dive op yet, GT diving seems to have the best package rate, free equipment rental incase we want to leave something home and 1/2 price bike rentals, but think Oasis is right next to us although it doesn't seem like a couple hundred yards between the two.
We'll be there for 2 weeks so think our days off after a week of diving we would try Salt Caye for a day of snorkling and visiting the island incase we want to stay sometime as others have mentioned preferring it over Grand Turk.
\
Ray
oi
Thanks for the water temps in November, so we'll be expecting 81-82 in early October. With my 5 mil I'll be nice and compfy.
We're arriving about 3pm in Provo depending on whether AA changes it again or not so we're using the larger Air TCI since they have a later flight I believe about 5:30pm. Hopefully we've end up at the SaltShaker in Grand Turk that evening rather than missing the last flight and having to wait until the next day to get to the RackShaker.
Thanks for the tips on the booze situation, that can definitly cut deep into the budget if spirits are not brought in Duty Free or if chasers (beer) are not bought in bulk locally. Sounds like we will have to dip into the till for the awesome Rum Punch at Sandbars (Pams favorite hydration).
Haven't decided on dive op yet, GT diving seems to have the best package rate, free equipment rental incase we want to leave something home and 1/2 price bike rentals, but think Oasis is right next to us although it doesn't seem like a couple hundred yards between the two.
We'll be there for 2 weeks so think our days off after a week of diving we would try Salt Caye for a day of snorkling and visiting the island incase we want to stay sometime as others have mentioned preferring it over Grand Turk.
\
Ray
oi
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