Recommendations for Dive Operators and Resorts on Turks and Caicos
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baitballer
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Best dive operator if you like small groups is Flamingo Divers. If you prefer Larger boats and groups Caicos Adventures. Places to stay depends on you budget and it can get pricy! There is also a 'tourist tax' now which add to the cost of all activities.
We were in Provo and TCI for 2 weeks in 2013 and we stayed in a one bedroom apartment at the Royal West Indies during the first week and it was great. Fully air-conditioned, full kitchen, washer and dryer in the unit; lovely grounds and beach.
We loved Provo but it is very expensive; we are used to the Caymans and yet we still thought Provo was expensive. I strongly recommend getting a kitchenette or apartment so that you can cook some meals because eating out 3 times a day is costly. Although there are some really great restaurants that you should try on Provo. Do you like Conch? My husband loves it and we have never seen it on the menus of so many restaurants elsewhere. Lots of great dining options (even if you don't like Conch!)
Grace Bay is the most beautiful beach and water that I have ever seen, Chalk Sound is stunningly beautiful and Provo is lovely. It has (some) paved roads and restaurants and hotels and shopping but it's not as developed or popular as Cozumel or Grand Cayman so you still get a feeling for what it was like before it attracted so many tourists. Provo is not a cruise ship port so that helps it retain its island charm IMO.
They have had some outbreaks of Norovirus gastroenteritis on the island so bottled drinking water is recommended. The US dollar is the official currency but they drive on the left side of the road.
I can't recommend any dive ops because we spent the first week doing beach and other topside activities and the second week on the T&C Aggressor liveaboard, and the boat and the diving were fantastic. It is all-inclusive so you get many dives on the best reefs and it includes your food and lodging. The overall cost per dive is actually pretty good.
The T&C Explorer is another liveaboard out of Provo that is also highly rated. We did a previous trip to TCI a number of years ago and we dived with a liveaboard then too. There are long rides from Provo to the best diving spots like French Cay and West Caicos so that gives a liveaboard an advantage IMO.
The diving off French Cay and West Caicos was spectacular, breathtaking walls, lots of life and big animals, many turtles and eagle ray and we saw sharks on just about every dive. It ranks among the top diving in the Caribbean with Little Cayman's Bloody Bay Wall IMO.
During our first week we rented a car from Grace Bay Car Rental and they were very accommodating and gave great service. We had a flat on a Sunday and they sent a guy out quickly to change it at no charge. And they were the only car rental that was willing to let us drop the car off at the marina before we boarded the Aggressor; and they had a car waiting for us the following Friday when we got back in port that could be left at the airport on our way out. I highly recommend them.
Buying liquor in TCI is very expensive. If you enjoy a few drinks on vacation then you may want to pick up a duty-free bottle or two at the airport, after clearing security, before you leave the US and carry it with you. We found that the local Bambarra rum was very good and quite a bargain.
If you can avoid flying in or out of Provo on Saturday then do it. It was the worst airport experience I've ever had. The facility is just too small for the Saturday traffic; but they were doing some construction when we were there so maybe it is better now.
The first time we went to Provo we stayed at the Comfort Suites which is now the Ports of Call hotel. We stayed there again in 2013 for a night after we got off the Aggressor. (We could have stayed on the boat Friday night but we wanted to make the most of our last night of vacation.) It is a clean, nice hotel and our room was large and comfy but the hotel it is not on the water. However, it is in a nice area and within close walking distance to restaurants and shops and pubs; so if you don't want to do any cooking or rent a car then it is a good option.
The Beaches resort is all-inclusive and very popular. I have not stayed there so I can't comment on it. We stayed at one big all-inclusive one time (a Club Med, not on Provo) and we didn't care for it because of the crowds and lots of children and the dive boats were cattle boats packed with inept divers and rigid divemasters. It turned us off on mega AI resorts, but again, I've never been to Beaches so you might want to ask others about it.
The TripAdvisor travel forum for TCI is very active and you can get lots of info about hotels and land activities on that site but Scuba Board is the best place to get advice about diving and dive operations.
There are beautiful, luxury resorts like Seven on Grace Bay if your budget can handle it. Have fun, Provo and TCI are a great place to visit! I haven't visited Grand Turk or Salt Cay so I can't comment on them. Grand Turk has a cruise ship terminal.
We loved Provo but it is very expensive; we are used to the Caymans and yet we still thought Provo was expensive. I strongly recommend getting a kitchenette or apartment so that you can cook some meals because eating out 3 times a day is costly. Although there are some really great restaurants that you should try on Provo. Do you like Conch? My husband loves it and we have never seen it on the menus of so many restaurants elsewhere. Lots of great dining options (even if you don't like Conch!)
Grace Bay is the most beautiful beach and water that I have ever seen, Chalk Sound is stunningly beautiful and Provo is lovely. It has (some) paved roads and restaurants and hotels and shopping but it's not as developed or popular as Cozumel or Grand Cayman so you still get a feeling for what it was like before it attracted so many tourists. Provo is not a cruise ship port so that helps it retain its island charm IMO.
They have had some outbreaks of Norovirus gastroenteritis on the island so bottled drinking water is recommended. The US dollar is the official currency but they drive on the left side of the road.
I can't recommend any dive ops because we spent the first week doing beach and other topside activities and the second week on the T&C Aggressor liveaboard, and the boat and the diving were fantastic. It is all-inclusive so you get many dives on the best reefs and it includes your food and lodging. The overall cost per dive is actually pretty good.
The T&C Explorer is another liveaboard out of Provo that is also highly rated. We did a previous trip to TCI a number of years ago and we dived with a liveaboard then too. There are long rides from Provo to the best diving spots like French Cay and West Caicos so that gives a liveaboard an advantage IMO.
The diving off French Cay and West Caicos was spectacular, breathtaking walls, lots of life and big animals, many turtles and eagle ray and we saw sharks on just about every dive. It ranks among the top diving in the Caribbean with Little Cayman's Bloody Bay Wall IMO.
During our first week we rented a car from Grace Bay Car Rental and they were very accommodating and gave great service. We had a flat on a Sunday and they sent a guy out quickly to change it at no charge. And they were the only car rental that was willing to let us drop the car off at the marina before we boarded the Aggressor; and they had a car waiting for us the following Friday when we got back in port that could be left at the airport on our way out. I highly recommend them.
Buying liquor in TCI is very expensive. If you enjoy a few drinks on vacation then you may want to pick up a duty-free bottle or two at the airport, after clearing security, before you leave the US and carry it with you. We found that the local Bambarra rum was very good and quite a bargain.
If you can avoid flying in or out of Provo on Saturday then do it. It was the worst airport experience I've ever had. The facility is just too small for the Saturday traffic; but they were doing some construction when we were there so maybe it is better now.
The first time we went to Provo we stayed at the Comfort Suites which is now the Ports of Call hotel. We stayed there again in 2013 for a night after we got off the Aggressor. (We could have stayed on the boat Friday night but we wanted to make the most of our last night of vacation.) It is a clean, nice hotel and our room was large and comfy but the hotel it is not on the water. However, it is in a nice area and within close walking distance to restaurants and shops and pubs; so if you don't want to do any cooking or rent a car then it is a good option.
The Beaches resort is all-inclusive and very popular. I have not stayed there so I can't comment on it. We stayed at one big all-inclusive one time (a Club Med, not on Provo) and we didn't care for it because of the crowds and lots of children and the dive boats were cattle boats packed with inept divers and rigid divemasters. It turned us off on mega AI resorts, but again, I've never been to Beaches so you might want to ask others about it.
The TripAdvisor travel forum for TCI is very active and you can get lots of info about hotels and land activities on that site but Scuba Board is the best place to get advice about diving and dive operations.
There are beautiful, luxury resorts like Seven on Grace Bay if your budget can handle it. Have fun, Provo and TCI are a great place to visit! I haven't visited Grand Turk or Salt Cay so I can't comment on them. Grand Turk has a cruise ship terminal.
Last edited:
mikeycanuk
Contributor
We stated at a 3bedroom villa right behind Ports Of Call. A 3 minute walk to the "Whole Foods" IGA and 2 minutes to Dive Provo. A cheap but delicious meal was had at the IGA where we bought a cooked chicken, some salad and some awesome strawberry cheesecakes for a fraction of eating out. We only ate out only on our last day, degassing before our flight. A West Caicos or French Cay day of diving usually gets you back to your hotel around 3:30-4:30pm. So we would clean our gear, cook some food (we were starving) and drink some beers. One hour later we were stuffed and buzzed and weren't in any need of going anywhere. Unless we ran out of cheesecake...!
We had spent the previous week in Salt Cay, so we stood in the IGA in awe of the lights and selection. We had a blast in SC.
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We had spent the previous week in Salt Cay, so we stood in the IGA in awe of the lights and selection. We had a blast in SC.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
What was salt cay like; where did you stay and how was the diving and dive op?
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