A couple of years ago, my daughter and I decided to escape the madness of the Christmas holiday season and jet off to somewhere tropical, serene and spectacular. This was a last minute decision that seemed to throw our travel agent into a tailspin. Where could go that would fulfill all our apparently unique expectations? She was focused on the usual run of the mill Mexican Rivera or Hawaiian holiday packages, none of which we were interested in simply because they implied the busy, touristy, panic-mania we were trying so hard to avoid! While these places may certainly have fulfilled the tropical or spectacular part of our quest, serenity was not in their description. Disillusioned and running out of time, we decided to do an independent search.
That's when we discovered the British West Indies and a fabulous group of eight Caribbean islands called Turks and Caicos. Covering some 193 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean and located 575 miles southeast of Miami in the Bahamas, these islands boast sugar white sandy beaches complimented by crystal clear waters, one of the longest coral reefs in the world and are renowned as one of the world's best diving destinations. We decided on the island of Providenciales, affectionately known by those who know, as “Provo”. Flying from Miami, we picked up a twin prop “puddle jumper” and in one short hour, arrived in paradise found.
Our first destination was the Beach Club, a family oriented establishment in various stages of apparent disrepair and teaming with squealing children on a mission. Maybe, if you're looking for a family vacation, this is perfectly adequate. We were relieved that our cottage was clean, insect, lizard and rodent free, and there was a decent family style beach front restaurant. But you would have to know Heather and I to understand why it just wasn't up to our expectations. I know that one shouldn't judge the quality of their vacation by their hotel room; you're not going to be there most of the time anyhow! But there's something just wrong about coming “home” to a less than charismatic vacation place, especially when it wasn't exactly inexpensive!
On the second morning of our Provo adventure, we had gone for a 2 mile run up the beach. We came upon a beautiful palm thatched beach front bar, and stopped in for something tall and cold. It turns out, the bar was attached to a luxury condominium resort called “Grace Bay Villas”. This was where things got interesting…
I have to admit, my daughter is a knockout. A 23 year old college student, blonde haired, blue eyed, long-legged, outspoken, and a part time model, she immediately attracted the attention of the attendant concierge, or as he liked to be called, the Real Estate Manager. He offered to take Heather on a guided tour of the facility, and of course, I tagged along for good measure. The first stop was the lobby, where we were immediately offered some rum punch as we browsed their brochure. Just then, the REM was summoned off to take care of a pressing business issue, so what the heck, would we have another glass of rum punch? Sure, OK! And yet one more glass of that delicious rum punch, a small measure of patience and 45 minutes later, we did get “le gran tour” and it was well worth the wait.
The villas at Grace Bay have a fabulous ocean front location and are well appointed and well maintained. Each villa is equipped with a full gourmet kitchen, cable TV, internet access, room service, daily cleaning and linen service and of course, the snap-of-your-fingers and anticipatory “whatever you think you may need or want” concierge service, which is part of the package as well. There are two beautiful pools, lush tropical gardens, tennis courts and beach front massage kiosks. While the villas are for sale and many of them are occupied by full time residents, there are others that can be rented on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. So you have to know what our next question was, right?? And as fate would have it, there just so happened to be one villa available, beach front and ocean level - I swear I wanted to sell my house back in the states and just buy it and never go home! More rum punch anyone? We moved in that afternoon having finally found an appropriate home away from home - for the next 8 days, anyhow.
The on-site restaurants are five stars, offering a complimentary full course breakfast bar each morning, pasta, sandwiches and salads at lunch, and an excellent selection of steak, seafood, specialty dishes and premium wines on the dinner menu. The bar is beach front and beautiful, and the bartenders are knowledgeable and friendly. There is live entertainment each evening and there was a fabulous New Years Eve party on our last night. Despite all this, it was NOT the best part of our stay at Grace Bay. The very best part was being absolutely spoiled rotten by the friendly and attentive staff, who greeted us by name on sight. There was no activity we could dream up that they couldn't accommodate. The drill was: think of something you want to do, call the front desk and tell them, come up to the lobby and have a glass of that famous rum punch while they bring the car around, and voile, they whisk you off to your destination in one of their new Lincoln town cars! They are actually insulted if you call a taxi! The clincher for me was the day we went on a conch diving trip, got off the boat wet and sandy and toting our conch shells, and there was a driver waiting to take us home, no shower necessary. Let all those other guys take the bus, right? Yeah!
Now that you know where to stay while on Provo, there are many activities on the island, ranging from the more adventurous hiking, snorkel or dive trips, an ecotour of the estuary, a boat trip to Iguana Island, horseback riding on the beach, beachside sailboat rentals or parasailing, and lots of shopping in the quaint local stores. Or, you can always venture over to the famous Palms Hotel for a day at their world class spa where, for $550.00 give or take a few, you can get an early morning yoga class, an amazing massage with a banana leaf wrap and a salt scrub plus a manicure, and a pedicure (believe it or not this takes most of the day). There are also many great local restaurants and pubs within walking distance of Grace Bay. The locals speak English, are friendly and helpful, and the crime rate is virtually non-existent. Then there is one of my personal pastime favorites, reading a book in a lounge chair, on your very own beach front veranda. The very thought of it brings a smile to my face.
Is there a downside to this secluded and amazing vacation spot? I guess that depends on your budget. Our villa was $1000.00 per night, but when you weigh that against the $5,000.00 tab for the same stay at The Beach Club, it doesn't seem so unreasonable. After all, how often do you go on vacation? And, oh yeah, if you're looking for a mega-mall, you may have to wait until you get back to Miami.
Bon Voyage!
