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Girls Getaway to the Turks & Caicos

 

When I told fans I was going to the Turks & Caicos, the most frequent questions I received was, "What and where are the Turks & Caicos?"  The Turks & Caicos Islands consist of 40 islands and cays, eight of which are inhabited. The islands are located 550 miles southeast of Miami, just south of the Bahamas, east of Cuba and north of Haiti. Technically, the Turks & Caicos are located in the Atlantic Ocean, not the Caribbean Sea. 

 

The islands are home to about 30,000 full time residents, and welcome more than 200,000 tourists annually.  The islands are well known for their love of shellfish, particularly conch, which is available in abundance to this day, thanks to the work of the Caicos Conch farm, the only commercial conch farm in the world.

Turks & Caicos is a British Crown colony; however, it was not until the early 1980s when the islands started to become a viable tourist destination.  Since then, increasingly more development has taken shape, and the small, salt raking island country of Turks & Caicos has grown into what is quickly becoming recognized as one of the world's premier beach destinations. 

After a 75-minute plane ride from Miami, I arrived in Providenciales (or known as Provo) and was transported by van (thank you Tina) to Ocean Club West Resort (www.OceanClubResorts.com), which was just a 15 ride away.  Upon arriving at Ocean Club West, I checked in to my King One-Bedroom Suite complete with a lovely balcony overlooking the pool and ocean, full kitchen, dining room and comfortable living area.  I made my way down to the Seaside Café and ordered their award-winning Conch Burger, which was every bit as good as it sounds.  After re-fueling at the Café, it was time to check out the beautiful Grace Bay beach and get some R&R under one of the resort's signature pink umbrellas.

 

Dinner that night was at the resort's second property, Ocean Club, where they treated us like kings at their fine dining restaurant, Opus.  Everything on the menu sounded wonderful, from steaks to lamb to seafood, there was something for everyone.  I opted for the Whole Roasted Red Snapper with Lemon Caper Butter and got a lesson on how to eat a fish when it is served head, skin and all.

 

The next morning I was anxious to get a massage at Spa Tropique, which was just a few steps away from my room.  After a relaxing, 50-minute "Naughty but Nice" massage, I met the group for lunch where we were all very impressed by the resort's Beet Mojitos...yes, Beet Mojitos that tasted as good as they looked! 

We left the resort and were off to our snorkel and sunset cruise aboard the Atabeyra (

).  Many thanks to David (a fellow Rollins College alum) and Isabelle as they showed us the magnificent underwater world and beautiful islands that surround the Turks & Caicos.  We saw magnificent purple fish, hunted shells and sand dollars on deserted islands, and enjoyed snacking on lobster rolls and wine during the sail.  At the end of the sail, our one male traveler dove overboard to fetch his shoes...making this now a true "Girls Getaway."

That night, we spiced things up with a tapas-style, Moroccan dinner at Lemon Café (www.LemonCafe.tc).  Proprietor Mark Dillon's Moroccan mother-in-law inspired the great food and atmosphere found at Lemon.  Everything from the décor, utensils and chairs were imported and add a sophisticated flair to the restaurant.  Grace and I even tried our belly dancing skills on stage...we thought we were good, but that was probably due to the wine.

After breakfast the next day (it sounds like all we did was eat), a few girls walked across the street to do some shopping.  We found a fabulous boutique, Rumeurs, which has furniture, home décor, clothing, jewelry and more all imported from places like Paris and Bali.  We all left with shopping bags full of goodies, which is an indication of how great the store really is. 

Next, we headed to the Caicos Conch Farm, which is the only conch farm in the world.  Denver taught us all about the conch, how fast they grow, where they export to and how they grow the baby conchs in a nursery.  The highlight of the tour was meeting Sally and Jerry, two tame conchs that Denver used to show us how to tell the difference between female and male conchs.  It was all downhill from there with this group, and the "Conch Weenie" was born (stay tuned for more details).  We took a quick drive to Turtle Cove Marina, where many large boats and yachts are stored.  They also have good restaurants and shopping in this area.

Our last dinner was at Coco Bistro (www.CocoBistro.tc), which featured my favorite dish of the whole trip...Herb Ravioli of Conch and Flame Grilled Sweet Peppers with a White Wine Cream Sauce, Light Tomato Vinaigrette, Pan Grilled Artichoke Hearts, Pecan Basil Pesto and Fresh Shaved Parmesan...all with delightful cocktails.  It was amazing!  As we dined under the palms, we relived our adventures in the Turks & Caicos and realized we made several new friends for life. 

Many thanks to Julia Maximo and Ian McLeod with Ocean Club Resorts for their fantastic hospitality.  Also, thank you to Cheryl Andrews and Grace Salisbury with Cheryl Andrews Marketing Communications for organizing such a wonderful trip with great people.