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Turks Caicos Information

New Turks and Caicos Flights

This Month in Turks and Caicos (December, 2015)

Non-stop flights between Chicago and PLS (Providenciales)

United Airlines started nonstop Turks and Caicos flights this month! The flights depart from from Chicago (ORD) to Providenciales (PLS). These non-stop flights to Turks and Caicos continue throughout the busy winter and spring months, and end on April 30, 2016.

The new direct flights between snowy Chicago and sunny Turks and Cacios will operate on Saturdays. The flights come just in time for the chilly winter travel season.

The outbound Boeing 737-800 flight will depart from Chicago Saturdays at 10:40 a.m., arriving in Providenciales at 3:40 p.m., while the return flight will depart Providenciales at 1:49 p.m. and arrive in Chicago at 5:09 PM.

turks and caicos flights

Turks and Caicos flights: new air service to all major cays

In December Caicos Express Airways announced a new regional “island hopping” service. This service is between Providenciales and a number of smaller cays across Turks and Caicos.

Besides offering flights to exotic South Caicos and out-of-the-way North Caicos, the locally-based airline also offers flights to BahamasCubaJamaicaCayman IslandsHispaniola (Dominican Republic & Haiti), and Eastern Caribbean.

New InterCaribbean  air service also up and running

InterCaribbean Airways has also introduced new flights from their home base on Providenciales, connecting Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Antigua and Barbuda. Read more.

 

 

 

 

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Turks Caicos Information

Sports in Turks and Caicos: Where to Watch, Where to Participate

Sports in Turks and Caicos is approached seriously. This is a good thing, because for many of us sports is love that borders on being an obsession. While we all love taking a holiday in the wonderfully warm Caribbean, none of us can bear to break contact with our favorite sports teams.

Luckily the island of Providenciales offers a variety of opportunities to keep track of our favorite teams. There are several sports bars just a short distance away from the Sands resort. There are other opportunities to participate in sports if you want to.

Sports Bars

There are several sports bars in Providenciales. There is one, however, that towers above the rest.

Danny Buoy’s Irish Pub

Danny Buoy’s bills itself as “Provo’s premier live music and sports destination.” This laid-back sports bar serves pub-style lunch and dinner daily from 11:00am.

A photo posted by Danny (@dannybuoys) on

Danny Buoy’s is smoke free and air-conditioned, and offers up some of the best burgers and nachos in the Caribbean.

  A photo posted by Danny (@dannybuoys) on

Sharkbite Bar & Grill

Located in Turtle Cove, west of downtown Providenciales, the Sharkbite Bar & Grill is a great place to catch a game. If you get bored you can always enjoy a nice view of the marina.

Best of all, there is the promise of seeing of actual sharks swimming in the cove right in front of your eyes.

Jimmy’s Dive Bar

Jimmy’s Dive Bar is another popular sports pub. It’s the best place to grab a burger and watch a game on the big screen TV. The bar is open for lunch and dinner, with $5 mugs of beer. If there’s no game playing there’s an open-air patio. You can talk sports scores with the locals.

Turks and Caicos for Sports Lovers

But what sports do locals in the Turks and Caicos actually play?

Providenciales is just forty minutes by air from Miami. Still, it’s like another world. The British protectorate’s sports culture resembles that of other Commonwealth countries.

A Commonwealth vibe…

Sports in Turks and Caicos is connected to the Commonwealth
Sports in Turks and Caicos is connected to the Commonwealth

Football (soccer) and cricket are both popular in Turks and Caicos. Field hockey, another sport popular in Commonwealth countries around the world.

Turks and Caicos participated in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The success of that event has increased awareness and interest in amateur sport in Turks and Caicos.

Sporting life in Turks and Caicos is centered around the Graceway Sports Center. This is a large and shiny new sports complex located behind the popular Graceway IGA supermarket.

Team Sports in Turks and Caicos

Hockey

While you might think the strong “Canadian connection” to Turks and Caicos the word “hockey” would involve skating rinks, but this is not the case at all. Instead, the hockey league in Turks and Caicos involves turf, short sticks and an incredibly hard ball.

The sport is called “field hockey” and it’s a common game played in Commonwealth countries all over the world.

The Canadians didn’t give up, though. They started their own indoor hockey league in Providenciales. Instead of ice skates players strap on roller blades and glide over a smooth rink. They still have to don all the heavy gear and protection that ice hockey players must wear. It gets pretty hot, which shows how much they love their sport.

Football (aka “soccer)

The Turks and Caicos Islands national football team is the national team of the islands. The men’s team qualified for the 2002 World Cup, and is a member of FIFA, the international football assocation.

The team went without a victory in an official game from 2008 until June 2014, when they beat the British Virgin Islands during the 2014 Caribbean Cup qualification.

While the population of the Caribbean territory is just 17,000, the Turks and Caicos often gets expert help with its sports programs. This past summer Coventry United Football Club traveled from Britain to help foster an interest in football among the youth of Providenciales.

Athletics

The Gym Scene: Improving Personal Performance on Providenciales

Turks and Caicos is home to a small but vibrant gym scene. Like anywhere else, locals are into Crossfit and the “bulletproof” lifestyle. As you might expect, the Graceway Sports Centre has an impressive gym, and equally impressive regulars who are trying to do their very best to stay in shape.

Dec. Midnight Monday madness #situps #pushups #deadlift #dips #competition #gsc #sportscentre #turksandcaicos #fitness #gym @r.gardiner   A photo posted by Sports Centre (@gracewaysportscentre) on

 

Wrightfully Fit

The undisputed king of the local gym scene is former professional American football player John Wright.

After high school, John went on to play football at a junior college in Chicago before he was drafted to play the game professionally in Amsterdam. A neck and back injury cut his football career short, but health and fitness remained an integral part of John’s life.

After studying to become a sports trainer, John moved to Providenciales to start up his own gym, Wrightfully Fit, where he has been ever since. In fact, Wright operates two gyms in Providenciales – one in Turtle Cove and the other in Salt Mills.

Training the Next Generation of Turks and Caicos Athletes

John Wright is also helping support the next generation of athletes and high-performance individuals in Turks and Caicos.

He has been a supporter of the Miss Teen TCI Lifestyle and Fitness competition.

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Turks Caicos Information

USA Today Spotlights The Sands at Grace Bay

This past month USA Today’s Melanie Reffes visited The Sands at Grace Bay and wrote an incredible article highlighting her stay at our Turks & Caicos resort! Below is the Seaside Splendor article written by Melanie Reffes, accompanied by her beautiful photo tour of The Sands at Grace Bay which can be fully viewed on the USA Today website: Seaside Splendor.

Less than two hours by air from Miami, Providenciales is the biggest island in the Turks and Caicos and a sunny escape from the winter winds at home. Seven miles from the Providenciales International Airport, The Sands at Grace Bay fronts the baby-blue sea on Grace Bay Beach; the finest talc white sandy stretch on the island. The resort marries Caribbean chic with a casual vibe in 114 suites and studios in six three-story buildings that stand no higher than a palm tree. Each one to three bedroom suite features with ocean or garden views and all of them are spacious — up to 1,600 square feet — and have modern kitchens, dining rooms, washers and dryers and screened in furnished patios and balconies ideal for an afternoon siesta or a cocktail as the sun sets behind the beach. Studios with ocean or garden views are cozy comfy with pull-out couches for guests (or small kids). Wi-Fi is high-speed and complimentary throughout the resort.

 

For the active-minded, gratis bicycles are perfect for exploring the island, tennis and basketball court is lit for night play and the fitness center stays open until 11 p.m. The Sands at Grace Bay is also a short hop from the 18-hole Provo Golf Course and a pair of marinas for those wishing to explore the island by boat. Caicos Dream Tours arranges paddle boarding, kayaking, Hobie cat sails, spectacular snorkeling and diving in the healthy barrier reef and tours around the island. If you’re lucky, you may spot JoJo; the playful dolphin who has called this section of the sea home since 1980. If you’re just looking to wind down, find your own lazy hammock in the Coconut Grove Garden, revel in a calming soak in the open-air Jacuzzi, plant yourself on a sun lounger by one of three pools or snag a shady spot on the beach under a thatched palapa. For a regal rubdown; massages at Spa Tropique or en-suite are blissfully serene.

 

A culinary ode to Ernest Hemingway, who fished in the sea surrounding the island, Hemingway’s is beachside dining perfection from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Perched on the shore with servers so friendly you’ll swear you’ve met them before, a table on the dune deck is where to greet the morning with a spicy Blood Mary, stack of crazy good almond pancakes or a yummy ’Ernest’ omelette with a dab of the local hot sauce called ‘Ghost Story’. Big salads are divine for lunch and for dinner; locally-caught frittered conch and a buttery South Caicos lobster tail are the order of the day. Save room for a key lime pie martini and a deliciously shareable fried ice cream served in a sweet tortilla basket sprinkled with cinnamon powdered sugar and chocolate sauce.

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Tis the season to help others: win a Turks and Caicos Trip!

Enter for a chance to win a Turks and Caicos trip

Stan Hartling, CEO of The Hartling Group – the developers of three award- winning Turks & Caicos properties including The Sands at Grace Bay – is the Honorary Chairperson for this year’s Salvation Army Kettle Drive in Turks & Caicos.

The Sands at Grace Bay is delighted to join The Hartling Group properties in this year’s goal of raising $50,000 for the Salvation Army, to support families in need this holiday season.

Wait…there’s another way the Hartling Group is spreading holiday cheer: for ALL those who donate at least $25 towards this cause, you will be entered for a chance to win a one-week Turks & Caicos vacation at our sister property – The Palms Turks & Caicos! The Palms Turks & Caicos luxury resort is a 72-suite resort also situated on world-famous Grace Bay beach in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos and this one-week vacation giveaway is valued at over $7,000. The more that you donate, the more that you will be entered to win The Palms vacation prize:

  • Donate $25 and receive 1 prize entry
  • Donate $50 and receive 3 prize entries
  • Donate $100 and receive 8 prize entries
  • Donate $250 and receive 25 prize entries

To donate towards this great cause online and for contest details, please visit www.TCIKettle.com. Resort guests who wish to donate may also simply contact the Front Desk and one of our guest service representatives will be pleased to apply the donation you wish to make to your account. The prize winner will be drawn on December 23, 2015.

Please join in our mission of helping others and giving back this holiday season. Every donation, no matter how large or small, will be gratefully received!

Help make the Holidays Happier for those in need.

 

win a turks and caicos tripScreen Shot 2015-12-08 at 8.21.15 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Turks Caicos Information

The Food and Cuisine of Turks and Caicos

The Turks and Caicos Islands lie in the Atlantic Ocean to the east of the Bahamas, and about forty minutes by plane from Miami and the North American mainland.

The climate is warm and dry for most of the year, and this climate has influenced the kinds of foods people enjoy in the Turks and Caicos.

Being surrounded by ocean, the main focus of Turks and Caicos Islands food culture is seafood. The country’s status as a crossroads between the Caribbean and Europe far to the northeast has also contributed to the national cuisine.

More recently the Turks and Caicos’ relatively prosperous economy has attracted people from all over the Caribbean who have also brought their food culture with them.

The History of the Turks and Caicos

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The Turks and Caicos Islands have been inhabited for almost a thousand years.

The first inhabitants were the Lucayan, the original inhabitants of the Bahamas, and related other indigenous people who inhabited other parts of the Caribbean.

While the Lucayan are longer present in the islands, a glimpse of their way of life be found in the famous caves found on Middle Caicos.

Maize, Sweet Potato and Salt

Besides fishing, the Lucayan people of Turks and Caicos subsisted on many foods traditionally associated with the New World including beans and sweet potato, as well as manioc and cassava.

The Lucayan’s presence can still be seen by the presence of salt pans around the islands. Salt has always been an important commodity since ancient times. It is used not only for seasoning, but also for preserving food such as fish for long periods of time.

The Lucayan, like of the Caribbean’s other original inhabitants preserved salt, and some of the locations of these salt pans still exist today.

The Europeans Arrive

Columbus first reached the Caribbean in 1492, reaching what is now San Salvador in the Bahamas, to the northwest of the Turks and Caicos.

Following Columbus began five hundred years of change in the Caribbean. Europeans arrived to grow sugar and other crops, and to establish outputs in competition with other European nations.

They also brought the practice of slavery with them, including thousands of people from Africa whose ancestors still live in the Caribbean today.

In the Turks and Caicos various European occupiers such as the French and later the British focused on producing salt.

Salt production was so closely associated with it was once featured on the flag of the territory:

 

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While the Turks and Caicos is known for Bambarra Rum today, distilling rum, the tipple that is characteristic of the Caribbean has never really been practiced on the islands.

Rum Punch

This is because the islands are generally too dry to grow sugar cane, the chief ingredient when making rum.

Cuisine of Turks and Caicos Today

If you travel to the Turks and Caicos today you’ll be able to choose from almost every cuisine on earth.

This is because, as the islands have become more popular as a tourist destination people have been attracted from all over the world to live and work here.

The island of Providenciales in particular offers everything from sushi and high-end fusion cuisine to Indian and Chinese food.

Of course, everyone who travels to the Turks and Caicos will want to eat seafood, which includes local delicacies such as mahi mahi, tuna, rock lobster and the ever-present conch.

Drought-resistant maize (a kind of corn) does well in the semi-arid conditions of the Turks and Caicos. As a result, hominy grits are a popular part of traditional local cuisine.

The Unique Food Culture of Turks and Caicos

Photo courtesy of the ecoseaswim.com
Photo courtesy of the ecoseaswim.com

While the Turks and Caicos is a modern international crossroads of cultures, the islands are also a melting pot of Caribbean culture.

For example, many people travel back and forth between the Turks and Caicos and the neighbouring country of Bahamas for work or to visit family.

Other people from countries around the Caribbean will also travel to the Turks and Caicos for work, and all bring their food culture with them.

Traditional Foods… Brought From Somewhere Else

Since the arrival of Europeans and people from Africa, local food has been based on the sea and on maize.

Two traditional dishes, grits and johnnycake, are distinctive Turks and Caicos specialties. As the travel blog Caribya notes:

Islanders love “boil fish and grits” for breakfast, and “boil fish and johnnycake” for lunch. For supper, fresh seafood alongside peas and hominy is a staple. In fact, once upon a time, when an island wife was asked what she was serving for dinner, her typical response would be “peas and hominy and penn on.” “Penn on,” was slang for “Depends on,” meaning that dinner would be peas and hominy, and the meat would depend upon whatever fish or game her husband had caught that day.

These days such traditional foods are harder to find in Providenciales, the tourist hub of the Turks and Caicos.

However, should you venture to Middle Caicos you’ll have the chance to encounter an older way of life, and this included food.

Other traditional dishes include conch and hominy, cod fish cakes and corn bread. Steamed conch, stewed conch, and stewed fish and grits.

Crab and rice, which features the blue crab common to the islands, is also a local comfort food.

These foods are a real taste of the Caribbean, so it is worth seeking them out.

If you want to get an in-depth look at the cuisine of Turks of Caicos, be sure to check out the @TCIFoodandCulture Instagram feed. The photos are mouth-watering and verge on “food porn.”

Conch Fritters and Deep Fried Fish

While conch fritters are said to be the characteristic food of the Turks and Caicos, this dish is said to be a relatively new arrival to the islands.

The Caribbean Queen conch is the native mollusk and number one export for the Turks & Caicos Islands. It’s said that each of the islands in Turks and Caicos produces its own unique flavour of conch meat.

Conch Fritters

Conch can be served in a variety of ways, including fresh conch salad and conch fritters.

conch fritters

Fritters are a relatively new addition to the cuisine of the Turks and Caicos because in the past in the past, cooking oil was very hard to come by.

So pan frying, poaching, stewing or roasting was typically how people prepared this delicious Turks and Caicos treat.

Festivals and Events: the Best Way to Experience the Cuisine of Turks and Caicos

The best way to encounter the traditional cooking styles of Turks and Caicos is to visit one of the many festivals that are held throughout the year. It’s a way to meet new friends and create long-lasting memories.

Thursday Night Fish Fry

Fried fish is also a new addition to the cuisine of Turks and Caicos, but it has grown to become a cornerstone of community life in Providenciales.

Every week Provo hosts the Thursday Night Fish Fry near the Bight Park.

It’s a great way to taste local cuisine and also meet the local residents of Providenciales. Conch Festival The Conch Festival is held on the last weekend of November every year in Turks and Caicos.

A photo posted by Conch Festival (@conchfestival) on

This event kicks off the Christmas season on Providenciales. It’s a lot of great food and fun for the whole family.

Traditional Caribbean Restaurants on Providenciales

Da Conch Shack

Da Conch Shack is local legend in Turks and Caicos.

da conch shack
Image courtesy da Conch Shack Facebook page

This traditional Caribbean beach bar serves up delicious local foods, including curried conch, cracked conch, fried conch, conch fritters and conch creole. That’s a lot of conch!

The restaurant is also located across the road from a beautiful beach.

Bugaloos

Bugaloos is another local favorite on the island of Providenciales.

Located south of Five Cays Settlement, about twenty minutes by car from Grace Bay Beach, Bugaloos serves comfort food, with a beautiful view of the ocean added for free.

Bugaloos is also located next to a wholesale fish market, so the seafood will always be fresh.

Experience Turks and Caicos Cuisines at Hemingway’s

For more restaurants, the Ottawa Citizen has a “restaurant critic’s guide” to fine dining in Turks and Caicos.

However if you’re a guest at the Sands and you want to experience authentic local cuisine, you just have to head over to Hemingway’s, right on beautiful Grace Bay Beach.

The local Caribbean Queen conch is served in many Turks & Caicos restaurants including our very own Hemingway’s beachside restaurant at The Sands at Grace Bay.

The “Conch Served The Way You Like It” menu option offered at Hemingway’s is a great way to experience the taste of our Caicos conch in a variety of ways, as you can choose amongst conch fritters, conch fingers or a fresh conch salad.

These are all delicious and refreshing after a full day of fun under the sun. Another restaurant specialty is the chef’s conch chowder, which is a traditional spicy island recipe that is also made with fresh local conch.

What’s Your Favorite Food When You Visit Us?

Do you have a favorite food or place to eat when you visit Turks and Caicos? If you do, let us know in the comments!