Travel Recap // Turks & Caicos

Happy Friday to everyone!

Mike and I spent time this past week in Turks and Caicos. We went with another couple—our good friends Lauren and Jeremy, who we always have a lot of fun traveling with. Our trip was 5 days and 4 nights, and we rented a house that I covered in this post here.

We flew into Providenciales, which was a direct flight from Charlotte, only 2+ hours, and then rented a car when we arrived.

The first thing we did when we got on the island was go to the wine store and grocery store to stock the house—priorities! This wine store deserves a shout-out as this is not what you would expect to find on an island. It’s called The Wine Cellar, and is on Leeward Highway, which is the main drag, so it was easy to stop on the way in. They had an extensive selection (liquor and beer, too) and were well-priced compared to the grocery stores. We had done our research ahead of time and were not disappointed with The Wine Cellar!

Not that there was much travel stress, but this view when we arrived at the house pretty much erased anything left! Can you imagine waking up to this every day?! Our house was in a residential neighborhood called Turtle Tail, which was remote. It was great for privacy as we were the only people we could see on our beach for miles. We were a 15 minute drive to Grace Bay, which is where a lot of the popular resorts are.

Dinner on our first night was at a spot called Magnolia’s. The setting was awesome—it was overlooking the marina with lots of string lights for ambiance. I had the handmade tagliatelle with lobster, and my dinner was quite lovely, but the others in our group voted this the least exciting food experience of our 4 dinners.

After some beach time the next morning, we ventured out for lunch in Grace Bay at a beachfront bar called Hemingway’s which was at the Sands Resort. The food was what you would expect for a beach bar, but the setting literally could not have been better!

[ Below – Cover Up ]

For dinner the second night, we headed to Coco Bistro. It was our group’s favorite meal of our trip overall, the food and ambience were both so great. You dine under the coconut palms there, it’s like nothing else! This is definitely on the must-do list for anyone visiting, we had heard that from many, but now I’m preaching it, too!

Our third afternoon, we went to check out some of the beaches in Grace Bay—we first hit Chalk Sound and then Sapodilla Bay. The water in Turks is to die for, it was the most beautiful turquoise! We just found out that Grace Bay was voted the #1 beach in the world on Trip Advisor, which does not surprise me! It was stunning.

Sapodilla Bay Beach was a bit touristy, but it’s right by Chalk Sound and also the bar across the street below, called Las Brisas. It’s definitely worth checking out for the proximity to these other two great spots.

Later that evening, we headed to Seven, in the Seven Seas Resort for dinner.

It was our only meal not on the water, and felt so different to be inside, but was lovely! (I know these pictures are terrible, but that’s my really delicious whipped ricotta app with honey and fruit below.)

This was the pool at our house, but we hung out here most nights after dinner. As pretty as it was during the day, it was even better at night with all the stars in the black sky…

Our last full day we hit up Amanyara Resort. It was so gorgeous, I barely have any words to describe it! The only thing I’ll say is if anyone is considering staying there it is a LONG way down a very unpaved road to get there—long enough that I don’t think you’d want to leave much. (But look at this place, who would want to leave?!)

Our lunch by the ocean at Amanyara was a gorgeous meal. I would definitely recommend this!

That evening we were looking for something casual, and stumbled upon a local beach bar called Bugaloos. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but it ended up being another one of our recommendations! It was set right on the beach with live music and great food.

Before we headed out of town Monday, we stopped at another local beach spot called Bay Bistro for lunch (you know, since we hadn’t eaten enough while we were there!). Bay Bistro was in the Sibonné Hotel in Grace Bay and was really picturesque! The food also hit the spot!

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A recap of our must-visit spots in Providenciales!

The Wine Cellar

Largest selection of wine and liquor we found on the island, and better-priced than the grocery stores.

Coco Bistro

The most unique experience dining under the coconut palms! Great food, great ambiance, probably our all-around favorite pick for dinner.

Las Brisas and Chalk Sound

These are close to each other and easy to do together along with Sapodilla Bay. Chalk Sound is a really pretty spot to explore. Las Brisas has a waterfront bar with a great atmosphere, delicious drinks and snacks. I recommend for happy hour!

Seven

Seven is well-done fine dining in a beautiful resort. We all enjoyed our dinner here. Note, it is the only “indoors” spot on the list.

Amanyara

For any sort of meal. The food is amazing. Forewarning—it will set you back, but it is worth cost of entry for the stunning grounds tour!

Bugaloos

For a casual waterfront beach bar dinner with a fun vibe and fresh grilled lobster.

Bay Bistro

A picturesque lunch spot right on the ocean.

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Note – If you’re a planner like me, it’s frustrating to plan here because almost nowhere takes reservations online. It’s been so long that I’ve made a reservation on the phone that I immediately didn’t trust it, haha. But everything worked out fine!

We are already counting the days until we can visit Turks & Caicos again. If any of you have any great recommendations for next time, I would love to hear them!

xx — BB