Feature

Providenciales is often overlooked by holidaymakers searching for the perfect beach destination, which is precisely why the island is an excellent choice for independent travellers seeking both tranquility and abundant creature comforts.

Provo, as insiders call it, is the most developed of eight inhabited islands in the 40-island Turks and Caicos archipelago. Less than an hour and a half by air from Miami, the islands stretch east-to-west 48 km/30 miles south of the Bahamas; just north of Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

The main attraction is Grace Bay Beach, a dazzling 19-km/12-mile stretch of soft white sand that spills gently into warm, crystal-clear waters. Although the Turks and Caicos are surrounded by the Atlantic on all sides, they are shielded by thriving coral reefs that temper the ocean and make coastal waters as tranquil and translucent as those in the Caribbean Sea.

Conch’d Out

Smith’s Reef, within wading distance of Grace Bay Beach, is teeming with an abundance of aquatic animals that are easily viewed through a face mask. Scuba divers often boat out 20 minutes to deeper water filled with groupers, barracudas, turtles, sharks and rays.

Locals dive for conch (konk), a marine animal so popular that its large pink-lipped shells decorate homes and businesses, its image adorns the Turks and Caicos’ flag, and every cook on the island knows a dozen delicious ways to prepare its meat.

Conch has been a major food source since the first humans, Tianos from South America, arrived about 1,300 years ago. It has been over harvested for almost as long. Today, conch is considered an endangered species throughout the world, and there are restrictions on harvesting it.

Provo visitors can see these endangered critters up close and uncooked at The Caicos Conch Farm, where the celebrated mollusks grow from egg to shelled adults in shallow water troughs and outdoor pools. The guided tour of a conch’s life is surprisingly interesting, but the highlight is meeting Jerry and Sally, the farm’s adult conch mascots and star entertainers.

On command, Jerry and Sally ooze from their shells, cast their bizarre long-stalk eyes at their audience, and allow the guide to point out the parts that distinguish the guy from the gal. This, after all, is the biological equipment that provides stock for the farm, which exports about a million conchs annually.

Jerry is particularly eager to show off his amazing appendage, called a verge, which is capable of extending up to a foot to reach and fertilize a female, who produces about 500,000 eggs each season. Not only is the verge an admirable organ, it is renewable. If the verge is injured or detached, the male simply grows another.

Conch Munch

To recognize the conch’s importance to islanders, both as a food source and the number one export, it is honoured with a conch-ebration each November. The Turks and Caicos Conch Festival is a boisterous seaside day of eating, dancing, sailing, conch-cracking and shell-blowing. Restaurants and local chefs compete in a conch-tasting contest judged by international food experts.

Island eateries serve conch in many ways, but the best choice for anyone new to the taste is an order of fritters, which are much like crab cakes; conch, onion and green pepper stirred into a batter and deep fried. Cracked conch is an acquired taste; pounded conch, battered, fried and served with tartar sauce.

A truly authentic way to enjoy conch is at one of the lean-to huts on Blue Hills Beach, just west of the town centre. Here, cooks take orders before they wade into the ocean to capture conch, then prepare it in assorted ways over an open fire pit. The super-fresh meat is particularly delicious sautéed in butter with a splash of rum.

Most visitors eventually end up at Da Conch Shack – Rum Bar, a casual waterfront restaurant, down the beach from the lean-to huts. At Da Shack, the slogan is: More protein than steak, way less fat, prettier shell too. Conch is the centre of attraction and served in several ways as an appetizer or main dish, but chicken and other seafood are also on the menu.

Other casual oceanfront restaurants to try include Horse-Eye Jack’s and Smokey’s on Da Bay (649-947-7852), both on Blue Hills Beach. A classier spot with chic ambiance is Anacaona, at Grace Bay Club, where diners may sit at the 27-meter/90-foot long infinity bar, which appears to stretch across the beach and merge into the ocean. The ever-changing menu usually offers some type of inventive conch dish, such as an appetizer of conch tacos.

Aqua Bar and Terrace won the cook-off at the Conch Festival two years in a row with their conch wontons. This is the place foodies, including chefs from other restaurants, come for a dependably good meal. The palm-shaded terrace overlooks mega-yachts parked at Turtle Cove Marina; the perfect backdrop for pecan-encrusted conch dinner.

Beautiful by Nature

License plates on island cars read Beautiful By Nature, the perfect slogan for an island protected by many national parks and nature reserves. The National Environment Center opened in 2007 and features a 3-D display of the Turks and Caicos Islands and exhibits about the local eco-systems. While the centre is an excellent way for visitors to orient themselves to the island, there is no substitute for leisurely exploration.  

Big Blue Unlimited and J&B Tours (649-946-5047) give guided eco-tours and arrange for fishing, scuba diving, sailing and motor-boat shuttles to other islands within the Turks and Caicos. The distinctive red Gecko Shuttle Bus runs an island tour, and taxis (649-946-5481) are readily available for private tours.

It’s also easy to rent a car on Provo. Traffic is light and driving is on the left side of the road, which may be an annoyance for North Americans, but pleases UK drivers. Although most remote roads have been paved or resurfaced recently, a four-wheel-drive vehicle is still best for venturing out to Provo’s western tip and along the south shore.

Froggies Ultimate Tours (649-231-0595) takes groups off road on all-terrain-vehicles to the northwest side of the island to explore caves at West Harbor Bluff. Along the way, riders may spot pelicans, the national bird, or eagles nesting on cliffs above the ocean. Provo Ponies (649-241-6350) organizes horseback rides down back roads and along the coast in the Long Bay Hills area, on the remote southeast end of the island.

Several operators run catamaran or sail boat trips out to nearby Little Water Cay, which is known as Iguana Island, the official protected home of the Turks & Caicos Rock Iguana. Once on the cay, trekkers follow a nature trail around the tiny island to view the friendly creatures, a species found nowhere else on earth.

Sleeping Inn Splendour

Most accommodations on Provo are luxurious and costly, but many offer off-season rates and special promotions. Among the top rated, the new Nikki Beach Resort at the far east end of the island across from Iguana Island, is a stunning multi-story complex with a marina, beach club, spa and private residences. A place for jet setters looking for total indulgence.

On Grace Bay, the recently-opened Tuscany Resort has 30 large privately-owned luxury apartments that can be rented by the night with one, two or three bedrooms. Best for upscale holidaymakers travelling with friends or family.

Nearby, the Ocean Club is a less-expensive cluster of condos nestled in a tropical garden opening onto Grace Bay Beach; each deluxe villa accommodates two to six. Located across the road from the Provo Golf Course, this resort is best for active travellers who enjoy a casual club-like atmosphere.

Out on the less populated northwest tip of the island, Northwest Point Resort faces the National Marine Park. Each suite has everything vacationers need for a self-catering holiday. Recommended for those seeking tranquility and rest.

Chalk Sound is on the south side of the island, only 15 minutes by car from the airport, but about as far away from daily life as a holidaymaker could wish. Here, ten self-contained Neptune Villas are scattered on seven acres facing Sopadilla Bay Beach. Perfect for travellers looking to spend most of their time napping in a hammock on their private balcony.

For more information, visit the Turks and Caicos Tourism website

Also see our Turks and Caicos Islands destination guide