How many people have ever heard of Turks and Caicos? For divers and snorkelers, it is one of the most sought after destinations. For those enduring the freezing winter, it's also a place to thaw out.
For Vera and Shu, it's another search for the perfect beach, relaxation and rejuvenation.
We flew the red eye out of SFO and into JFK in New York, and took a short flight into Providenciales (Provo).
Day 1:
Coral Gardens consists of large suites that can be individually owned. When the suites are not used, they can be rented out to people to share the wonders of this little known island in the Caribbeans. In our case, we rented a bedroom, which contained its own TV, refrigerator, full bath, and a veranda. It was about the size of a hotel room (maybe a bit smaller). Though the room was small in comparison to the oceanfront suites, it certainly met the needs of two people to sleep, rejuvenate and watch TV.
After a long flight across the US and down to the Caribbeans, our first day was short. We had our dinner at the resort’s Beach Café, and watched the people lazily soak the sun and snorkel in the calm waters.
Day 2
Coral Gardens is well known for its great snorkeling site. Just steps from the resort's white sand beaches are two distinct areas:
The one to the right is a small circle of marine preserve where the fish and corals are protected from snorkelers. The fish swim freely in and out of the circle, whereas the snorkelers are prohibited from entering the circle. All around the preserve, especially on the farther, deeper end of the circle, are many corals with their exotic shapes and colors. Fish of many shapes and sizes roam within these waters. Whenever we floated motionless at the surface, the snappers would congregate around us.
The second is to the left, where turtle grass grows in abundance. Several turtles can be found eating the vegetation on the ocean floor and coming up for air. We came so close, we could have touched them.
Our dinner on this night was at the Anacaona. See the Comments section for thoughts about the restaurants that we tried.
Day 3:
How long does it take to walk from Coral Gardens down to Ocean Club East? Apparently about one hour, which is what it took Shu to walk down an endless stretch of white sand beach, crystal clear waters and the pleasantly hot Caribbean sun. Along the way, Shu saw Beaches, Grace Bay Club, Club Med, and a lot of new condos.
What quickly became very clear is that Provo is changing, perhaps not for the better. Right now, there are very few people on the beach: you can look out for a couple hundred yards before seeing another soul. But every so often as you look away from the waters, you'll see construction going on for the next ultra luxury condos. Luckily at Coral Gardens, we did not hear or see any construction from the beach (but there was construction just outside the resort), but for some of the other resorts, you not only saw from the beach giant gray structures being erected, but heard electrical saws pierce through the otherwise soothing ocean waves. For now, Turks and Caicos are still relatively unknown and you'll be able to enjoy the uncrowded beaches. Hopefully, this massive build out will not quickly expand to the other islands.
Meanwhile, Vera went diving. See the diving section for photos.
Our dinner was at Coyaba, the restaurant at Coral Gardens. For dessert, Shu had the Ultimate Chocolate Pot, which was a small pot of chocolate with gold leaves sprinkled on top.
