Categories
Turks Caicos Information

Laws Regarding The Exportation of Conch Shells From The Turks & Caicos Islands

We wanted to make our guests aware of the following conch exportation law here in the Turks & Caicos Islands:

“No person shall export conch during the period commencing on the fifteenth day of July and extending to and including the fifteenth day of October in each year.”

This means that tourists are not able to bring home conch shells either found or purchased here in the Turks & Caicos Islands during the conch closed season of July 15th through October 15th. However, free permits are granted for tourists to take up to 3 conch shells out of the country during conch open season (from October 16th through July 14th) and can be obtained from the Department of Environmental and Coastal Resources.

Please note that this law is being strictly enforced by our airport security and environmental protection agencies. The Turks & Caicos Islands is a member of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Treaty, which restricts the export of endangered species out of the country, including conch shells. This regulation is ultimately to prevent an overfishing of our conch and to help ensure this endangered species continues to thrive around our islands for many years to come.

Thank you for your understanding and for your support protecting our Caicos Conch during our current closed season!

For general information about bringing goods into or out of the Turks & Caicos Islands, visit:  http://www.visittci.com/getting-here/customs-allowances

 

Categories
Things To Do In The Caribbean

SUP on Grace Bay Beach at the Sands Resort

sup paddling providenciales

If you want to try out SUP paddling during your Turks and Caicos vacation, The Sands at Grace Bay has just the thing for you: two stand-up paddleboards right on Grace Bay Beach. Contact us to reserve an SUP on Grace Bay Beach.

What is SUP? It’s all about riding a surfboard-like paddleboard over the waves, using a long paddle for propulsion. The sport has taken off in recent years (there’s even SUP Yoga), and is popular with women. It turns out that women are more suited to paddleboarding than men, because women, being shorter, often with a more compact physique, have a lower center of balance.

It’s easier for women to paddle around while standing up.

If you’re concerned with getting or staying in shape, paddleboarding is good for the core muscles, and also can add muscle and toning to your back and shoulders.

If you only care about fun, SUP is a great way to check out the sights above the waves. Compared to kayaking, your field of vision is great, both when looking at the horizon and at the marine life below. And as we know Grace Bay Beach has some beautiful crystal-clear water, so it’s like going on your own glass-bottom boat tour.

And, unlike surfing, windsurfing or kiteboarding, SUP doesn’t need wind or waves to be enjoyed. You can do it on the calmest of days. What better way to explore the Turks and Caicos?

Categories
Beach Weddings Turks Caicos

The Perfect Turks & Caicos Grace Bay Beach Wedding

This June, The Sands had the absolute pleasure of hosting the beach wedding of Christina and Gary, a beautiful couple both on the inside and out! Gary & Christina first met five years ago while working in the New York City Police Department. After visiting The Sands a year ago, they knew that Turks & Caicos and The Sands was where they would plan their dream destination wedding.

They chose to have an intimate ceremony right on our beautiful stretch of Grace Bay Beach, that was followed by a tented wedding reception and lively beach BBQ dinner while guests enjoyed the sunset over the ocean. Their perfect evening ended with rum punch, island music and entertainment, limbo dancing, a beach bonfire and s’mores!

Here is an incredibly kind note from Christina and Gary, about their wedding experience at The Sands:

We love The Sands!!! We can’t wait to go back. This is our second trip and this time we got married!!! June 29, 2013 was an incredible day. The ceremony was done by The Sands on the beach. It was magical!! The only way to get married! We had 48 of our closest friends and family stay at the sands and every one of them loved it. As our guests arrived at the resort we met them at the front desk. They were so excited when they actually saw the resort and were greeted with rum punch. We told everyone as soon as they got there to check in and meet us at the beach. As they did they could not wait to get in the water. The staff at The Sands is so friendly and helpful. They made us feel like family. The atmosphere is incredibly calm, relaxing and beautiful. Hemingway’s food is fresh & delicious. The kitchen in the room is so handy. We went food shopping and filled the fridge. We made our own coffee every morning. All of our guests took advantage of the snorkel gear, hobies, paddleboards, kayaks and the bikes. The shopping area is a 2 minute bike ride from The Sands. The beach is like nothing we have ever seen before. When you are on the website for The Sands and wonder if the beach, grounds and rooms actually look like the pictures…the answer is YES! Clean rooms, beautiful gardens and so much more. If you are thinking about having a destination wedding or renewing your vows this is the place to do it. The prices are reasonable and the Resort is stunning. I was able to get a Mani Pedi at Spa Tropique. It was very relaxing. Everyone is still talking about the trip and the wedding! We were so lucky to have found such a beautiful resort and such wonderful people to take care of us while we were there. 

Thank you all at The Sands for making my husband and I feel so welcome. We can’t wait to see you all again. – Gary & Christina

 

Gary & Christina – Congratulations to you both! We sincerely hope you are able to come celebrate your anniversaries and future family vacations here with us ….your “home away from home” in tropical Turks & Caicos!

The gorgeous wedding photos below were taken by David and Andy from Brilliant by Tropical Imaging – Providenciales’ top-rated photography studio that now offers a special Photography Package offer inclusion for couples who book The Sands’ “Let’s Go For It” wedding package (http://thesandstc.flywheelstaging.com/weddings/).

For more beach wedding photos taken here at The Sands, visit our resort Pinterest page: http://pinterest.com/thesandstc/turks-caicos-weddings/

For information on wedding photography packages here in Providenciales, visit Brilliant by Tropical Imaging’s website: http://www.brilliant.tc