This post has been sitting in my drafts since I came back from vacation. Yes, I’ve been that busy since returning. From packing, to moving, to trying to unpack, and getting mini me adjusted to her new routine, I’ve had no time to write on either of my blogs. I feel bad about it, but I’m back to give you a little recap of my vacation.
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| Fitting that there’s an Essie polish dispenser in the terminal where you can purchase Turquoise & Caicos (one of my favorite shades). |
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| Benefit Beauty vending machine |
When we arrived at the airport we stood in line behind a couple that had tags on their bags with the letters ‘PLS’. Being the investigator that I am, I googled “PLS airport codes”, and guess what popped up? Providenciales International Airport! Of course my husband denied that that was where we were headed, but I knew. Even the clerk at check-in tried to dupe me, but it didn’t work; however, I was excited anyway. I’ve wanted to visit Turks & Caicos for the longest, as I’ve only been to Grand Turk. Thank God for husbands who make your wishes come true, right?
We flew Jetblue, which has the only direct flight leaving from New York going to Providenciales. Three hours later, and a one hour wait in line for customs, we took a 15 minute shuttle ride to our hotel, The Sands at Grace Bay. We had a one bedroom suite that included a full bath, living room area, and a kitchenette (microwave, mini fridge, sink, and they provided china and flatware. Pics to come in full review of the hotel.
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| Courtyard at The Sands at Grace Bay |
The Sands at Grace Bay, is described as a luxury, all-suite oceanfront resort, situated on one of the world’s best beaches, Grace Bay Beach Turks & Caicos. Grace Bay has more than 12 miles of white powdered sand and the most pristine turquoise waters. The beach and water are the most appealing parts of Turks & Caicos, which is why after visiting Grand Turk, I’ve always wanted to vacation in Providenciales AKA Provo.
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| Grace Bay Beach from The Sands |
While there, we ate, and ate a lot! We ventured to some of the top-rated eateries listed on my favorite travel site, TripAdvisor. Our favorites of the ones we visited are:
Shay Café – We ate here for breakfast. The hubby loved their crepes, but I preferred their coffee along with a bagel with cream cheese and lox. To top it off, the owner, Herb and his staff are welcoming and friendly. Check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shay-Café-Lounge/
Big Al’s Island Burger – The décor seems like a knock-off Johnny Rockets except, the
burgers are better. There were no frozen patties here. The burgers were fresh, cooked to our liking, and tasted great. They also serve my favorite, sweet potato fries! These too were cooked nice and crispy; I hate soggy fries. This place was so good; my husband ate here
several times, and even got a burger right before our departing flight. Check out their website: http://bigalsislandgrill.com/
Mr. Grouper – This was in walking distance from our hotel. They’re known for their grouper, of course, but we got a conch salad to share, my husband got… hmmm… I think a fish sandwich that could have been grouper (I can’t remember), and I got a fried lobster sandwich. We both got a side of sweet plantains, and a Turks Head Ale (local beer). The food was good, but not good enough for us to run back to again. My favorite food items were the conch salad and plantains. Check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MrGroupersRestaurant
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| Dinner at Mango Reef |
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| Dinner at Mango Reef |
Mango Reef– This is a restaurant located at the Alexandra Resort. It was some of the best
food we tasted on the island. In fact, we ate here twice; once for dinner, and another time for lunch, which is when we met Mike Misick, former Premiere. View their menu here: http://mangoreef.com/
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| Mike Misick in the gray shirt |
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| Thai Tuna Salad (foreground) & Tuna Carpaccio from Mango Reef |
For dinner, my husband had the Open Ravioli of Scallop & Shrimps, and I had Thai tuna salad. For lunch, I had their Tuna Carpaccio.
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| The little Suzuki we rented |
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| Turtle Tail across from Prince’s house |
One afternoon, we rented a car from AVIS for the day since the island is only 38 miles long, we figured we could tour it from end to end. We drove to visit the singer, Prince’s gigantic house on the water in Turtle Tail, and then headed to Bugaloo’s Conch Crawl to get some Conch Salad. A storm was brewing while we ate at the oceanfront restaurant, which impacted our plans to visit Taylor beach, so we headed back to Grace Bay. I guess during our next visit we’ll have to visit Taylor beach.
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| Singer, Prince’s House in Turtle Tail |
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| Hubby at Bugaloo’s & our Conch Salads |
For the most part, we ate, chilled on the beach, slept, relaxed, ate some more, and relaxed some more. It was definitely the time, and pace we needed to recharge. You know how one of my 30 before 30 goals was to go on a honeymoon? I think this vacation was just that, so it’s safe for me to cross it off of my list… I think. We can’t wait to go back to Providenciales Turks and Caicos, and take mini me since she asked, “Mommy, why didn’t you take me with you?”
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