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Month: July 2018

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Turks Caicos Information

Use Travel Planning Tools For Your Caribbean Vacation

The Sands along TripAdvisor's 2018 World's Best Beach

Did you know that taking a break from it all actually benefits your health? Studies show that people who take vacations have lower stress, less risk of heart disease, a better outlook on life, and more motivation to achieve goals. However, just planning a Caribbean vacation can be a lot of work. As the fall and winter travel season approaches, we’ve gathered some useful travel tools to make your planning easier.

Useful Travel Media to Research Your Trip

Providenciales and the Turks and Caicos are on the map. Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian are visitors, and snowbirds from all over North America now come here to escape the winter chill.

Since so much is being written about Turks and Caicos, it can be difficult to find useful, relevant information. Here are a few niche publications to help plan your dream vacation.

Caribbean Journal

Caribbean Journal is one of the most popular publications covering the Caribbean. The site features reviews of Caribbean resorts, guides to different parts of the Caribbean and news about travel deals.

Uncommon Caribbean

Our own Da Conch Shack, one of the “Thousand Places to See Before You Die” and “one of the world’s sexiest beach bars”, is also reviewed by Uncommon Caribbean, the go-to resource for all things Caribbean. According to Steve, the creative driving force behind Uncommon Caribbean, devoted to a celebration of the undiscovered charms of the Antilles.

Steve and Patrick Bennett, two brothers from St. Croix, are changing the way people think about travel to the Caribbean by putting authentic aspects of island life and the region’s unique cultural heritage in the spotlight ahead of the glitzy, one-size fits all tourist trap image that has been popularized over the years.

Want a good map of the Caribbean? You’ll find it on Steve and Patrick’s website. Caribbean rum recipes? It’s all here.

Caribbean Escape Blog

The Caribbean Escape Blog, run by Rumshop Ryan, is also another useful resource for planning a Caribbean vacation. This recipe for conch salad, taken directly from Provo, should really hit the spot.

Travel Planning Apps and Tools

Of course, there is aso a wide variety of useful apps and tools to help you plan your trip. Here are just a few.

Google Trips

Google’s new travel app pulls hotel and flight data right from your Gmail account to automatically create trip portfolios in order to create instantly accessible destination-specific city guides.

Google’s app uses your consumer behavior history (if you receive invoices and receipts from online purchases in your Gmail account) to determine personal preferences, and then create custom-tailored travel recommendations for restaurants, local events, and activities.

Award Wallet

Award Wallet lets you track all your frequent flyer miles in one place.

Dealray

This airfare tracker app finds low-cost flight deals and sends notifications when it detects massive price drops, error fares, or flash sales.

PlanChat

PlanChat lets socially-connected travelers easily collaborate to create perfect group itineraries. Add restaurants, activities, and sightseeing ideas, plus keep track of expenses.

Streetography

Streetography is a map-based photo sharing app for iOS. The app lets you preview neighborhoods by viewing user-generated photos. You can take a look at a neighborhood before deciding to stay there.

Cool Cousin

Use Cool Cousin to get recommendations for unique things to do from savvy locals in 14 (so far) destinations. Their suggestions aren’t ones you will find in a typical guidebook, instead expect hip new spots in emerging neighborhoods.

Weather Channel

The Weather Channel app provides you with accurate forecasts, from local to international. Plan your day, your week or the next hours.

What’s Your Favorite Travel Tool?

Do you have a favorite travel app? Let us know in the comments!

Categories
Announcements Just For Fun Turks Caicos Information

The Sands at Grace Bay Launches 100% Hurricane Refund Policy

The Sandes at Grace Bay pool and beach

— Guests can book with confidence thanks to No-Hassle, 100% Refund Policy offered at The Sands at Grace Bay —

The Sands at Grace Bay today announced the launch of its newly created No-Hassle, 100% Refund Policy, in the event of a Hurricane. Developed to offer guests the ultimate “peace of mind” guarantee, the new policy states that if the threat of a hurricane prevents travel to Providenciales, or otherwise interferes with the guest’s vacation, the luxury hospitality group will offer a 100% refund of any unused portion of the resort stay, no questions asked.

More specifically, the policy states that if the NOAA National Hurricane Center says that Turks and Caicos Islands are under a Hurricane Watch or Warning and inside the “3- Day (72-hour) Zone of uncertainty, inside the white cone” for a Hurricane (code “H”) or Major Hurricane (code “M”), guests may elect to cancel their stay and receive a full refund. The policy is in effect for Hurricane only, not for lesser impacting Tropical Storms.

Confirmed guests who wish to cancel their reservation under this Hurricane Guarantee must contact the resort or the travel professional who booked their vacation package directly and specifically reference the Harling Group/The Sands at Grace Bay Hurricane Guarantee policy.

Here are additional guidelines for every possible scenario:

Tropical Storm Warning: If the Turks and Caicos Islands are under a “Tropical Storm” warning and this impacts guest’s ability to travel to the island, they can elect to receive a credit for a return stay of the same value, valid for one year. There will be no refunds issued for Tropical Storms.

Pre-arrival Cancellations: Guests who choose to cancel the entire duration of the trip due to Hurricane conditions (based on terms and conditions outlined) will be fully refunded with no cancellation penalties.

In-House Guests Departing Early: Guests who choose to depart early from Turks and Caicos will be credited for the “unused nights” and fully refunded.

Missed Flights and/or Delayed Arrivals: If hurricane conditions cause guests to miss a flight, and/or otherwise arrive one or more days late to the resort, guests will receive a full refund for any such days, or you may have the option of extending your vacation to the original planned time, based on availability. Airline ticket holders are subject to the airlines’ policies and guidelines.

Evacuation Orders: In the event that the Turks and Caicos government issues a mandatory evacuation order, guests will receive a full refund of any days for which they are unable to use the resort resulting from the evacuation order. Guests who are unable to depart due to airport closures will be offered a distressed rate, IF the hurricane makes landfall resulting in a disruption of services at the resort.

Post-Hurricane Damage: If the resort is damaged by a hurricane and is temporarily uninhabitable while repairs are being performed, guests will receive a full refund of those days booked.

Confirmed guests who wish to cancel their reservation under this Hurricane Guarantee must contact the hotel or the travel professional who booked their vacation package directly and specifically reference the Hartling Group/The Sands at Grace Bay Hurricane Guarantee policy.

Categories
Just For Fun Turks Caicos Information

This Family Vacation, Get Your Kids Outside and Keep Them Safe From The Sun

family vacation in turks and caicos

Tips for avoiding sunburns while remaining active on your summer family vacation

family vacation in turks and caicos

It’s summer, so it’s family vacation season. After months of winter weather, it’s time to go outside and enjoy the sun, whether it be at the beach or on the grass in your local park.

Children need to spend time out in the sun — sunlight boosts the body’s production of vitamin D, which is critical for building strong bones and healthy teeth.

However, as any parent knows, spending time out in the strong summer sun can be potentially dangerous for children. A sunburn is both painful and can lead to future problems, such as skin cancer. It’s also easy for children to overheat, as their bodies are not yet able to regulate body temperature as effectively as adults.

Here are a few tips to help prevent these problems, and allow your family to safely spend time out in the sun this vacation.

caribbean family vacation

Tip 1: Cover Up

Children’s skin is thinner and more sensitive than adults’ skin, and is thus more vulnerable to sunlight. This can result in sunburns. Every sunburn a child experiences increases the risk of getting skin cancer in later life, so it’s important to cover up.

A hat and a long-sleeved top made from a cool, easy-to-dry material (such as cotton or sun-resistant polyester) is great for preventing burns.

For kids, the best kind of hat will have a wide brim and a flap that covers the ears and neck.

Tip 2: Know When to Stay Out of the Sun

The sun’s rays are strongest during midday hours. When on vacation, try to make sure your kids spend time outside before 10 a.m. or after 3 p.m.

Once again, always put sunscreen on your child — even your newborn — before heading out, paying special attention to their cheeks and the top of their hands and feet.

caribbean family vacation

Tip 3: Choose the Right Sunscreen

Adults should use a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15. SPF refers to the length of time a person can remain in the sun before turning red. The higher the SPF, the longer a person can stay out, but the amount of time is also influenced by skin type.

For example, if you have a medium complexion, you would multiply an SPF of 15 by a “sun factor” of 10, meaning you could stay out in the sun for about 150 minutes before burning. The sun factor will be lower if you have fairer skin, so even using the same SPF, a fair-skinned person can’t stay in the sun for as long as someone with darker skin.

Sunscreens made for children usually come in higher SPFs — ranging from 30 to 50 — because kids need more protection.

Tip 4: Apply Sunscreen Multiple Times a Day

In order for your sunscreen to work, you need to apply it 30 minutes before going out into the sun. Reapply when you first arrive at the beach, park, or pool.

Reapply sunscreen after swimming and toweling off, even if the sunscreen is waterproof.

caribbean family vacation

Tip 5: Make Time for Shade

Make sure your child’s play area has a shady spot, or bring along a sun umbrella or beach canopy.

Why Not Take a Family Vacation in Turks and Caicos?

If you want to make sure your kids have plenty of things to do on vacation besides stare at a screen, why not plan your family vacation in Turks and Caicos?

Check out our blog post How to Avoid Screen Time This Summer Vacation to get some ideas about what to do while you’re here.