We returned last night from 2 weeks in the Turks and Caicos Islands and we had a wonderful trip. We had last visited Provo almost 20 years ago and it is hard to believe to believe how much the island has changed! The biggest change is the paved roads, it was really hard to get around back then. There are many new hotels and restaurants and a new casino but the island is still small and quiet compared to Nassau and Grand Cayman - and we like that!
We spent the first week at the Royal West Indies and the resort was terrific. We had an oceanfront one-bedroom suite and it was lovely, large and clean, and the staff were very gracious. It was so convenient to have a washer and dryer in our suite.
All over the island we found the locals to be friendly and welcoming. Provo is very expensive so we cooked some of our meals but we also enjoyed various restaurants including Opus (our favorite!), Seven, Sharkbite, Da Conch Shack, Tiki Hut, Local Bites, Top of the Cove, and others.
We spent the first week relaxing and enjoying the beach and exploring the island. My husband tried parasailing and we went to the casino one night. It is a gorgeous island and Grace Bay is incredibly beautiful. The color of the water is breath-taking.
The second week we were on the Turks and Caicos Aggressor and Captain James and the entire crew were fantastic. The diving was great but the visibility wasn't as good as we had hoped. I think the best we got was 75 ft and the worst was 30 ft but the diving was still fantastic and the water was very warm in the 80s. I don't remember ever seeing so many sharks so close! Lots of reef sharks and nurse sharks. We saw sharks on almost every dive; plus lots of turtles, eels, groupers, stingrays, lobsters, and much more. The walls were beautiful, especially off French Cay, G-Spot was my favorite site. We weren't able to do all the dives because my husband was battling a headcold and ear problems but it was still a great trip.
The airport is a total zoo on Saturday and if we return I will try to arrange to fly during mid-week to avoid the airport mayhem.
I can't say enough good things about Grace Bay Car Rentals, they were so accomodating. I tried 3 other rental agencies before GB but was the only one that agreed to let us pick up a car at the airport on arrival and leave it at Turtle Cove Marina a week later when we boarded the Aggressor. Then they left another car for us at the marina the following Friday when we got back into port to be returned to the airport upon our departure on Saturday (yesterday). We had a flat tire on a Sunday and they came right out and fixed it and wouldn't take a tip. Very nice people!
It was a great trip and I want to thank all the nice folks at the Scuba Board that gave valuable advice and helped us plan a fantastic vacation!
We spent the first week at the Royal West Indies and the resort was terrific. We had an oceanfront one-bedroom suite and it was lovely, large and clean, and the staff were very gracious. It was so convenient to have a washer and dryer in our suite.
All over the island we found the locals to be friendly and welcoming. Provo is very expensive so we cooked some of our meals but we also enjoyed various restaurants including Opus (our favorite!), Seven, Sharkbite, Da Conch Shack, Tiki Hut, Local Bites, Top of the Cove, and others.
We spent the first week relaxing and enjoying the beach and exploring the island. My husband tried parasailing and we went to the casino one night. It is a gorgeous island and Grace Bay is incredibly beautiful. The color of the water is breath-taking.
The second week we were on the Turks and Caicos Aggressor and Captain James and the entire crew were fantastic. The diving was great but the visibility wasn't as good as we had hoped. I think the best we got was 75 ft and the worst was 30 ft but the diving was still fantastic and the water was very warm in the 80s. I don't remember ever seeing so many sharks so close! Lots of reef sharks and nurse sharks. We saw sharks on almost every dive; plus lots of turtles, eels, groupers, stingrays, lobsters, and much more. The walls were beautiful, especially off French Cay, G-Spot was my favorite site. We weren't able to do all the dives because my husband was battling a headcold and ear problems but it was still a great trip.
The airport is a total zoo on Saturday and if we return I will try to arrange to fly during mid-week to avoid the airport mayhem.
I can't say enough good things about Grace Bay Car Rentals, they were so accomodating. I tried 3 other rental agencies before GB but was the only one that agreed to let us pick up a car at the airport on arrival and leave it at Turtle Cove Marina a week later when we boarded the Aggressor. Then they left another car for us at the marina the following Friday when we got back into port to be returned to the airport upon our departure on Saturday (yesterday). We had a flat tire on a Sunday and they came right out and fixed it and wouldn't take a tip. Very nice people!
It was a great trip and I want to thank all the nice folks at the Scuba Board that gave valuable advice and helped us plan a fantastic vacation!
