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Ten Reasons Why Providenciales Was Prince’s Secret Hideaway

Recently the world discovered that Providenciales is home to a stunning Caribbean hideaway belonging to the late singer Prince. The mansion in Turks and Caicos is an oceanfront property, features 10 bedrooms and a purple driveway, and went on on sale for $12 million following the singer’s death in 2016.

And now, two years later, Prince’s Turks and Caicos estate is up for auction. Why did Prince and other celebrities choose Providenciales for their secret hideout? Let’s take a look.

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Prince’s mansion has captured the world’s imagination

Reason #1: Beautiful Beaches

The Sands - Grace Bay Beach

There is over 230 miles of beach, most of it softest white sands on Earth. Need we say more?

Grace Bay beach is frequently ranked the world’s best beach, thanks to its soft sand, clear waters and incredible turquoise hues. Prince’s mansion enjoys its own private stretch of shoreline, looking out over the azure sea.

Providenciales itself is also regularly named a top island destination in the world, mostly for its relative seclusion and pristine beauty.

Reason #2: We’re off the Beaten Track

south caicos
South Caicos, by Murray Blacomb.

We’re quite close to the mainland, yet still remain relatively undiscovered.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are located 575 miles southeast of Miami, Florida, just below the Bahamas chain and to the east of Cuba and the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti). Although they’re less than an hour by air from the mainland, Turks and Caicos are still located in a relatively quiet corner of the Caribbean — perfect for celebrities who want to remain out of sight.

And there are many opportunities to stay off the beaten track. The Turks and Caicos Islands consist of 40 islands and cays, and each one offers a chance for a celebrity to enjoy a private Caribbean vacation.

Reason 3: We’re Sublimely Beautiful

Chalk Sound
Chalk Sound. By Flickr user Tim Sackton. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

From beautiful beaches to truly turquoise seascapes, Turks and Caicos is unbelievably beautiful. Why wouldn’t Prince want to spend his vacation time here?

The natural beauty is not limited to Providenciales. From the majestic caves of North Caicos to isolated Dragon Cay on Middle Caicos, we’re located in an exceptionally beautiful part of the world.

Reason 4: We’re Close to the Mainland

Provo Airport (PLS)
By Flickr user Stefan Krasowski . (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Providenciales International Airport (PLS) is also centrally-located, and it takes typically less than 15 minutes to travel to any resort on the island, or any private residence.

Celebrities, like anyone else, want to spend less time in traffic and more time enjoying their vacation and the beach.

Reason 5:

sands grace bay guest comments

While Grace Bay Beach may be the jewel in the Turks and Caicos crown, many other spectacular beaches await you here on the island of Providenciales.

The Turks and Caicos Islands themselves are the tips of banks (basically coral atolls) that rise nearly 3000 meters above the ocean floor.

The bank on which our islands sit is made from the remains of ancient corals and shelled creatures. The chalky limestone has gradually eroded over time to give us the beautiful powdery sand that has made Grace Bay Beach a favorite location for so many people around the world.

All this means there are many secluded white-sand beaches to be explored by celebrity and regular visitors alike. Learn more about Turks and Caicos beaches.

Drone Footage of Prince’s Turks and Caicos Estate

Want to know more about Prince’s mansion? Watch this great video that includes a ton of overhead footage shot by drone!

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Just For Fun Turks Caicos Information

How to Avoid Constant Screen Time on Summer Vacation

Mom and Dad are taking a break, too.

Summer vacation is just around the corner. For children it typically means freedom from the day-to-day routine of school. However, for parents the words “summer vacation” tend to conjure up a dilemma: how to make sure devices and screens don’t fill every waking minute of every day for two months.

Too much screen time has indeed been linked to sensory overload, lack of sleep, diminished ability to recognize emotions and even genuine addiction. On top of that, by keeping themselves glued to their screens, your kids may be missing out on many of the summer pastimes that have marked childhood since time began, from going to the beach, exploring the neighborhood with their friends to simply dealing with being bored.

In limiting screen time for kids, you are working to create a healthy “play diet” that balances many types of play. You can keep screen time as part of this play diet, while also ensuring your kids get in some social, physical, unstructured, and creative play.

But how to achieve this balance?

Here are some tips for limiting screen time while helping your kids enjoy a fun and memorable summer. And remember: success comes when parents enforce the family rules while demonstrating by by example.

Tips for Limiting Screen Time in Summer

Kids these days use their devices for everything: research for school projects, texting with friends, letting us know they’re safe when they’re out, as well as for gaming and consuming media. Yet kids need to spend time outdoors or reading books, or simply just thinking.

However, it can be difficult to set and then reliably and consistently enforcing rules. As with most everything else in life, developing a game plan can help pave the way for success.

summer screen time with kids

Tip 1: Be Realistic

“Forbidden fruit is the tastiest,” says Lucy Jo Palladino, a clinical psychologist and author of Parenting in the Age of Attention Snatchers. Completely banning screen time may simply double the desire of your kids to get online.

Instead, be realistic: devices are a part of everyday life for kids. Accept that fact, and create a flexible plan that manages screen time.

Tip 2: Start With an Endpoint

Negotiate the length and amount of screentime with your kids ahead of time. Either set firm time limits, or limit screentime to the duration of a specific program. That way, one show won’t flow into the other, and you can avoid commercials.

Because most games don’t have built-in endings (and are, in fact, designed to make kids play as long as possible), set a timer or some other cue that says “time to stop.”

Tip 3: Help Kids Balance Their Day

Kids need guidance from you on a daily plan that includes a little bit of time for everything. Kids whose parents make an effort to limit media use spend less time with media than their peers do, according to a study. As parents, it can be easy to nag kids to try to get them to do things, but this will not necessarily work with limiting screen time.

Instead, it’s best to work on a concrete plan that structures activities throughout the day. This gives kids a sense of predictability, and also lets them know what your expectations are. They can also more easily refrain from turning to devices when bored by focusing on some other activity.

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ worksheets to create a family media plan that can help you and your kids balance their day.

Tip 4: Walk the Talk 

If you want to make sure your kids reduce screen time this summer, it’s important to model behavior. It’s tempting for adults to keep reaching for your phone to check email, texts, Facebook, or the news. But your kids will be the first to call you out for not “walking the talk.” Plus, they’ll pick up habits from you.

Model the media behavior, and enjoy your summer, too!

Why Not Take a Family Vacation in Turks and Caicos?

If you want to make sure your kids have plenty of things to do besides stare at a screen, why not plan a family vacation in Turks and Caicos? Check out our blog post 5 Fun Activities In Turks and Caicos to get some ideas about what to do while you’re here.