Onsite Review: Turks & Caicos—Barefoot Luxury

Recommend Standard Image TemplateTurks & Caicos—Barefoot LuxuryBy Regina BarabanI’m swimming in the crystal-clearwaters of Gibbs Cay, a small uninhabited island about a mile off the east coast of Grand Turk with a pristine white-sand beach. Watching graceful stingrays glide below me, I’m thinking that life doesn’t get much better than this. It’s one of many memorable moments during a trip to Turks & Caicos in October to attend the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) State of the Tourism Conference (SOTIC). Turks & Caicos is made up of 40 islands and cays, nine of which are inhabited. Advisors are familiar with the upscale resorts in Providenciales (Provo), the most developed of the islands. Meeting and staying at The Shore Club there, I thoroughly enjoyed the bespoke luxury for which Provo is known.
PRO TIP: I stayed with other media in one of The Shore Club’s gorgeous 8,800-sq.-ft. villas. With six bedrooms that can accommodate up to 14 guests, the villas are perfect, private homes for celebratory family groups. Provo’s tourism infrastructure is spot-on for seamless luxury experiences and delicious dining. SOTIC’s opening reception on the beach at Grace Bay Club was a fun gathering with yummy bites from a wide selection of local restaurants. On another evening, we had an amazing chef’s dinner featuring local lobster and Brazilian grilled steak at Kokomo Botanical Resort & Spa.
PRO TIP: Nestled in botanical gardens, Kokomo’s 38 two-bedroom luxury cottages, with free shuttles to nearby Grace Bay Beach, are about half of the price of beachfront resorts. And, for foodie clients, Ital Life is a hidden gem. Seating only around 14 people on a casual outdoor terrace at her home, Chef Lorraine cooks a different dinner each night, depending on what’s fresh that day.Recommend Standard Image Template-1698773494 Leaving Provo for off-the-beaten-path tours of other islands, we discovered laid-back lifestyles and local culture, from the weather-beaten landscape and resident donkeys of Salt Cay to the spectacular beaches of Middle Caicos to Isaac Farms on North Caicos, where we sampled cane juice and homemade jams. Our tours were a snapshot of what clients can explore and what the new tourism organization Experience Turks and Caicos is promoting. Speaking at SOTIC, the Hon. Josephine O. Connolly, minister of tourism, remarked that the new strategy is to build awareness about all the islands—the people, the history, and each island’s singular natural assets. What’s New New luxe resorts in Provo include the 46-room beachfront Rock House, part of the Grace Bay Resorts family. The Strand resort community is set to open by the end of this year; Andaz Turks & Caicos At Grace Bay, a luxury residential and resort community, is anticipated to open in late 2025 and The Loren at Turtle Cove is scheduled to open in 2026. Contact InformationTurks and Caicos Tourist Board: turksandcaicostourism.com/travel-agents

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