Categories
Turks Caicos Information

Vote For Grace Bay Beach: The Best Beach In The Caribbean

Turks & Caicos’ Grace Bay Beach has been hailed as the “#1 Beach & Sun Destination in the world” by TripAdvisor’s ‘Traveler’s Choice Awards’ as well as recently named the “Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination” by the 2012 World Travel Awards.

Help us to earn an additional award for our stunning Grace Bay Beach location, by casting your vote in the About.com 2013 Readers’ Choice Awards for the Best Caribbean Beach at the following link: http://gocaribbean.about.com/b/2013/02/19/vote-for-your-favorite-caribbean-beach-2.htm

You can submit one vote per day, now through March 19th, 2013. We appreciate your help, and hope to see you soon…soaking up the sun and sand and sipping on a refreshing rum punch on our beautiful stretch of Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales!

Categories
Turks Caicos Information

Turks and Caicos Events, Spring 2013

Providenciales childrens playground

 

Here are some Turks and Caicos events taking place this spring on our beautiful island of Provo.

Island Fish Fry

Every Thursday from 5:30 to 9:30 at the Children’s Park at the Bight (quite close to the Sands at Grace Bay), over a dozen local food vendors, entertainers and cultural acts come together for Island Fish Fry to create an evening that showcases island life on Provo. Foods include fresh local fish frying lobster, conch salad, crab ‘n rice, lobster and local island corn. Sit on park benches under starry skies – food is prepared by local restaurants come from all corners of Provo, with different musical acts each week.

Learn more here.

“Race for the Conch” Eco-Sea Swim

This is the highlight of the spring season on Provo. This organized open water charity swim race happens right here in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos. With world-class swimmers in attendance, this annual race is held to raise awareness of the valuable ocean and reef systems surrounding the islands and funds support local ocean and reef protection charities. The race consists of both a one-mile and a 2.4 mile race along the world-renowned Grace Bay Beach, and is open to all competitive and recreational swimmers.

For more information about the race including a course map, schedule, pricing and for registration, visit www.ecoseaswim.com.

TCI Top Model Competition

This modeling competition gives young people residing in the Turks and Caicos Islands interested in careers in the fashion and creative industry an opportunity and the platform to debut, and showcase their talent – it’s a great chance at a springboard to a career locally or abroad.

Learn more here.

Categories
Turks Caicos Information

Cool Off With Caribbean Cocktail Recipes

While staying at The Sands at Grace Bay and vacationing in tropical Turks & Caicos, there’s nothing better than cooling off after a fun day in the sun with a refreshingly cool cocktail or our signature Rum Punch! We have created a new “Cool Caribbean Cocktail” board on our resort Pinterest page, to share some delicious Caribbean cocktail photos and recipes that we love: http://pinterest.com/thesandstc/cool-caribbean-cocktails/

Here’s one incredibly easy yet delicious recipes that we are sharing with our Pinterest followers, called “Watermelon Mint Cooler”

Ingredients: 4 cups of seedless watermelon chunks, 1.5 cups of fresh lemonade, ½ cup of fresh mint leaves, ½ cup vodka.

Directions: In a blender, puree the watermelon with the lemonade. Stir in the fresh mint leaves, vodka and serve over ice.

This recipe will be sure to quench your thirst after a long day of soaking up the sun along Grace Bay Beach here in tropical Turks & Caicos!

*photo is courtesy Yunhee Kim and the cocktail recipe is from RealSimple.com

Categories
Turks Caicos Information

3 Blogs to Follow to Learn About Turks and Caicos

 

turks and caicos bloggers

Our corner of Grace Bay Beach is hard to  leave – it’s been recognized as one of the top 10 beaches in the world for several years. As well, sometimes accurate, up-to-date Turks and Caicos information – what to do and where to go on Providenciales – can be hard to find, even on the official tourist websites.

Where to go, what to do, and when to do it – these are all things that people want to know before making plans to explore the island.

The best thing to do, sometimes, when visiting a new place, is to read about what the locals are doing. Luckily, there are some bloggers here in the Turks and Caicos (TCI)

Island Insight Blog

Run by Turks and Caicos Tourism, this blog offers regular updates about things to do on Provo, including festivals events, most recently Maskanoo, an event that is a little like Mardi Gras in early January. The Island Insights blog also provides information about other islands in TCI besides Provo, including North and South  Caicos, Middle Caicos (with its amazing limestone caves), as well as Grand Turk, across the Caicos Channel.

A blog post about checking out TCI beyond Provo is worth reading if you are planning a trip.

 My Sea Story Blog

This blog is a classic expat blog about some folks who have decided to make their life on the island of Providenciales. The blog features some fantastic photos of Grace Bay Beach, plus their Vimeo channel is pretty amazing:

Follow the leader… me, grouper, turtle and shark…. from joana vaz-pinto on Vimeo

Their recent blog post on new Turks and Caicos restaurants is well-worth reading if you’re planning an upcoming trip.

2 Gringos in the Caribbean

This excellent blog features excellent photography taken around Providenciales and the beautiful, shallow Caicos Bight to the south, with shipwrecks, dive spots, and plenty of local color.  Their story:

Tired of the rat race and cold weather in the northeastern United States, we decided to chuck the life and try something new. We pulled up roots, sold the house, took only the most prized possessions and with child and Jack Russell Terrier headed to the Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies in September, 2005. This is our story…… so far.

So far, so good. If you’re looking for an alternative to Da Conch Shack, check out their blog post on Bugaloos.

Categories
Turks Caicos Information

A Few Top Spots in Providenciales!

There are so many incredible things to do and sights to see on our breathtaking Turks & Caicos island of Providenciales, while vacationing here at The Sands at Grace Bay. Here are a just few of our favorite island spots, that our guests love to visit during their island stays:

1. Princess Alexandra National Park – With over 6500 acres of protected wildlife and uninhabited beach areas, this park is the perfect place to go to enjoy nature and view iguanas, ospreys, mangroves and the magnificent coral reefs and marine life that are located just offshore and considered one of the Caribbean’s best snorkeling spots. Our guests love kayaking through the mangroves and walking along the tranquil beaches in this protected wildlife reserve.

2. Provo Golf Club – this top-ranked course offers breathtaking views and earns consistent “top ten” course ratings in the Caribbean. The manicured greens, lush fairways, extensive lakes on both the front and back nine holes, PGA pro’s on hand and full service clubhouse make this a golfer’s paradise!

3.  Da Conch Shack – You haven’t truly experienced our island’s favorite food from the sea – Conch – until you’ve visited this open-air Conch Shack restaurant and bar, which serves conch in nearly every way imaginable! You’ll enjoy fresh seafood alongside the ocean at this colorful Turks & Caicos landmark – where you can eat barefoot on the beach and sip rum punch while enjoying the ocean breezes.

4. Cheshire Hall Plantation – This is one of the island’s most historic attractions, a 200 year-old former cotton plantation that offers spectacular views of the island, overlooking much of Western Providenciales. The building ruins have been carefully preserved by the National Trust, which also leads weekday guided tours of Cheshire Hall from 8:30am – 4pm for $5 per person.

To view some photos of our favorite “Top Spots in Providenciales”, we’ve created a new resort Pinterest board where we will regularly post our favorite things to do and sights to see around our island: http://pinterest.com/thesandstc/top-spots-in-providenciales/

Categories
Turks Caicos Information

“Surf & Turf” Scuba Dive Vacation

A “Surf & Turf” Scuba Dive Vacation Package Deal Combines On Land & Undersea Adventures With Spring Savings At A Top Turks & Caicos Resort

The Sands at Grace Bay has partnered with Ocean Vibes LTD – a leading PADI dive and snorkel facility in Providenciales – to offer a weeklong scuba dive vacation deal for travel beginning this spring 2013. This “Surf & Turf” themed travel package highlights Turks & Caicos’ adventures and beauty both on-land and undersea – featuring a discounted luxury resort stay and daily scuba dive excursions to explore some of the world’s most breathtaking underwater sites.

The “Surf & Turf” vacation package deal boasts more than $450 in per couple savings. Package rates start from $1,130 per person for a six-night stay, and from $1,338 per person for a seven-night stay (based on double occupancy) and include:

  • Studio Courtyard accommodations at The Sands at Grace Bay resort (room upgrades are available for an additional charge)
  • Resort taxes & fees
  • Two-tank scuba dive excursions for “two” offered through Ocean Vibes: The 6-night package includes 5 days of diving and the 7-night package includes 6 days of diving.

To book this offer, call the resort’s toll-free reservations line from the U.S. (877) 777-2637; or from Canada (800) 567-5327 and request the “SCUBA DIVE” travel package. For more information about this resort or package, visit www.thesandstc.flywheelstaging.com or the OceanVibes website.

More Package Details