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The British territory of Turks and Caicos Islands are made up of the Turks Islands and the Caicos Islands. There are close to 300 islands that comprise the country, but only eight of these are inhabited. Six of these belong to the Caicos Islands, and only two belong to the Turks Islands. On the two inhabited Turks islands, there is a population of only 5,000 people out of approximately 32,000 across all eight islands. Providenciales, which has almost 24,000 inhabitants, is a Turks Island and is the largest in population. It is also the most popular island for tourism, and the majority of visitors will fly into the Providenciales International Airport. Aside from the Providenciales International Airport, there are only five other ones that have paved runways (three others do not). The people in the Turks spoke fluent English so this was not an issue that we had to worry about. They also spoke their own language, Turks and Caicos Islands Creole, which is essentially a combination of language elements from the Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
We arrived in TCI around 4 PM on December 22nd. Diana was held up at work so she wasn’t able to arrive until a few days later. A driver from our resort was waiting at the airport to pick us up, saving us the need to rent a car. Once we got in the car and started driving, we realized that in TCI, cars are driven on the left side of the road even though they use standard American cars with the drivers side on the left and passenger side on the right. The islands fell under Spanish, French and British control starting from the 16th century, and they are currently ruled by the British. Though they are under British rule, their systems are mixed, going between American and British systems (as can be seen through the driving example). We spent the majority of our first day there relaxing and, given that we had just come from arctic-like weather conditions, being thankful for the incredible 80+ degree temperature. One of the trademarks of TCI is their unbeatable white sand beaches. The sand is also some of the softest and cleanest that I’ve ever seen, and along with the turquoise waters, the scene really looked like paradise.
Where to Stay
For accommodation, we typically choose to stay in all-inclusive resorts. We felt that it was easiest and more convenient not having to worry about where or when to eat. However, we booked our TCI resort a little last minute and most all-inclusive resorts were either sold out or out of our price range.
We ended up staying at the Alexandra Resort, one of a few non-all-inclusive options on the island. Though we’d previously always opted for all-inclusive resorts, we ended up enjoying our stay at the Alexandra more. They had one or two restaurants on site which were not ridiculously expensive, and we found that paying for each meal discouraged us from spending all our time at the restaurants, giving us more time for other fun activities.
Upon arriving at the resort, we were given complimentary drink tokens which we could use to redeem free, freshly made drinks at the resort bar. They also provided us with complimentary equipment usage for snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboarding, and more. We spent most of the day laying on the beach, soaking up the sunshine, and for me, finishing the fabulous book that I had started on the plane ride there. Once the sun set and evening came, we took out the complimentary bicycles to do a bit of exploring in downtown Providenciales.
Biking Around the Island
Biking in Providenciales is relatively safe. The only thing to be aware of is that sometimes the sidewalk ends, and the road rules there are different than what you might be used to. For example, there are many roundabouts in Providenciales that took us some time to learn how to navigate on a bicycle. Aside from traffic issues, biking in TCI is extremely safe. Even though we went out as the sun was setting, we never once felt unsafe being out after dark.
We headed out on the bikes and the ride downtown didn’t take more than 15 minutes. Unfortunately, most of the shops had already closed by the time we got downtown, so we rode around for a bit and then headed back. For dinner, we ate at one of the restaurants at Alexandria resort. Another perk about the resort is that they partner with a few other resorts, so if you ever want to try other restaurants, there are shuttles that bring you to the sister resorts’ restaurants.
TCI’s Connection to Canada
As a side note, we were not aware of this before going, but apparently, TCI receives a large number of Canadian tourists. in 2011, close to 12% of all visitors to the country were Canadian. To show how many visitors this is, the United States had only about two times more visitors and given the population differences between the two countries, this is a significant number. I was later told by locals that TCI has been considering joining Canada for a very long time, which could explain the high amount of tourism that occurs there. Upon doing more research, I found that the most recent conversation had by the two countries was the TCI premier and a Canadian Member of Parliament in 2014. There, they discussed whether TCI should join Canada as an 11th province, even though the premier had rejected the idea only one year prior.
The next day, we decided to go downtown on the bikes again. This time, we went earlier in the day and were able to see more of the city. The streets are very typical of any tropical location, and the shops were mainly for souvenirs. Keep in mind though that most of these shops were quite pricey! Because we didn’t have an all-inclusive package, we also felt better getting dinner downtown because either way, we would’ve had to pay for our food. This way, we were able to have more flexibility in trying local foods.
My sister finally arrived on our third day at TCI around noontime. After she got settled in, we went to the beach and walked down Grace Bay. It was much longer than we’d expected and it didn’t appear to be ending anytime soon, so after almost 30 minutes of walking, we turned back.
FishFry
That night, we attended the weekly Thursday Night Fishfry. Our resort offered a convenient shuttle to the fish fry which we used to get there and back. The fish fry is built in a parking lot near the beach. There was a live band playing the entire time we were there, and at times, there was an emcee dancing on the stage and getting everyone excited by calling out their country names. At the fish fry, there was a huge variety of foods to choose from. The vendors were all local people who cooked authentic local cuisines, allowing us to get a taste of real TCI cuisine. There were also various souvenir stands with local crafts and collectibles.
Parasailing
On our final full day in TCI, we went parasailing! There were tons of companies with booths set up on the beach for activities such as parasailing, scuba diving, etc. We walked to one of the companies and within minutes, were on the boat and ready to go. The workers were all extremely friendly and embodied the island vibe perfectly. We asked them to snap a few pictures of us in the air which they were more than willing to do, and when I looked at my phone afterward, I had close to 100 new pictures (what more can a girl ask for in a photographer??). The actual parasailing ride was much more exciting than we had expected! We had previously parasailed in Mexico and experienced a very calm ride. It was relaxing to be able to look down at the views, but it would’ve been more fun if there had been a little more of a thrill factor. We definitely got that in our TCI parasail trip. The winds were especially strong that day, and the entire time we were either flying side to side or front to back. Halfway into our parasailing trip, the boat driver dipped us into the water, which was a laugh for everyone as we jokingly pretended to try escaping the water.
On the day we left, we had a relaxing lunch at our resort and headed out to the airport. We left quite a bit of time for travel which I wouldn’t necessarily recommend, mostly because the TCI airport is so small and we were sitting there waiting for most of the time. We would highly recommend the Turks and Caicos Islands to anyone looking for an affordable winter getaway.
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Turks and Caicos looks pretty epic! I’ve always wanted to try parasailing, how long do you get to go for? I wouldn’t have considered Turks & Caicos as an affordable vacation but now I’m going to have to look into it!! 🙂
I believe it was around 40 minutes in total including both parasailing and the boat ride there! I would highly recommend it – it can really be as affordable as you make it!
Hope,
This place looks like a dream! I can’t say that Turks and Caicos has ever really been of my list of places to go because I didn’t know much about it, but then I came across your post! Thanks for sharing your experience!
So glad that the post helped! It’s great to hear that it’s inspired you to go ?
That view from the plane is very promising. And it looked like the island lived up to the promise. Such gorgeous beaches! And I love that parasailing adventure – would love to try that someday!
It definitely went above and beyond our expectations! The beaches were literally the most beautiful we’d ever seen!
I’ve heard TCI is SOOO expensive. I am going next month. Any tips on where to cut costs?
TCI is as affordable as you make it – activities are usually more expensive but there are tons of fun things to do that are cheap or have no cost. For example, biking is a great way to explore the island and can come at very little cost! Have an awesome time, would love to hear about it after!!
The water looks amazing I am stunned! I have turks and caicos islands on my bucketlist and I am happy to read your post with all these infos thank you so much for sharing!
So glad to hear that you have it on your bucket list! The water was absolutely beautiful. I hope you get to make it there soon! Thanks for the comment!
TCI is by far my favorite island! I always discourage people from staying at all inclusive there because it’s definitely one of the top places for food that we have been to. So many amazing restaurants! We also took a boat to Middle Caicos, rented a car, and explored there. I highly recommend it if you ever go back!
I completely agree! There were some awesome local restaurants that we wouldn’t have necessarily tried if we had done all inclusive. That sounds so exciting! Looks like we’ll have to make another trip there! ?
TCI looks amazing! I could lie in those perfect white sand beaches for ages. If inly it was a little easier to get to from Sydney I would be there in a heartbeat!
I know exactly how you feel – if Sydney was easier to get to from here I’d be there in a heartbeat too! I hope this post has encouraged you to make the difficult trek there though! ?
I’ll be honest, I knew nothing about Turks and Caicos before reading this. That’s really interesting that they considered joining Canada. The turquoise water and white sand couldn’t be less Canada if it tried (although I haven’t been there either so maybe it has a tropical side I dont know about!)
Parasailing looks really fun. The fact that I could do it with a friend might curb my fear of getting my face wet lol! Definitely looks like somewhere to put on the list for when I get to this part of the world!
I’m glad you learned more about it through the post! So true, it’s the opposite of Canada ? It’s a great experience to parasail with friends and family! Nothing quite like gazing upon beautiful scenery with a loved one ?
Sounds like such a fun holiday! I can’t believe how small the population is across all the islands. Parasailing looks like so much fun – I would have taken over 100 photos too!! The view from above must have been spectacular! It’s great that your hotel partnered with a few other resorts so you could try a range of restaurants. Looks like a beautiful trip!
It was extremely fun!! We loved parasailing in TCI, the view was absolutely amazing! Thanks for reading!
What a gorgeous hotel and stunning surroundings! Looks like a paradise. This has been added to the bucket list.
So glad to hear that!! It was amazing – would recommend it to anyone!
I’ve heard a lot about Turks and Caicos lately. I like a place that you can bike ride around. Having a car can sometimes hamper getting a real feel for a place. I’ve not yet stayed at an all-inclusive resort and I’m glad this non-inclusive resort worked out for you. A very nice feature that they have shuttle service to their sister resorts.
The biking was one of our favourite activities!! Both types definitely have their pros and cons, but I’d recommend giving both a try to see what the best fit for you is 🙂
Looks like a beautiful place to escape the cold winter! It’s cool that you also got to save some money too for some epic activities, the parasailing looked awesome!
There’s no better place to escape the cold than a warm paradise like TCI ?
As a Canadian I can only wish they would join, however, it’s only every been just talk and most residents have never really gotten their hopes up 🙂 It’s a dreamy destination, but extremely expensive to visit from Canada….we make it happen because we are obsessed with going to warmer destinations! We’ve never been, but it’s on our wish list, absolutely gorgeous!
I too would love if TCI joined Canada! What an awesome 11th province to vacation to in the wintertime ?
For someone who like the outdoors, nice Sunny weather, Beach and water-sports, Turks and Caicos sounds like a great vacation Spot. Beautiful Photos!
Exactly! Those are all things that TCI is a master in ? Thanks so much!
Turks and Caicos looks like paradise! I really hope to visit there one day. Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
I hope that you make it there some day!! Thanks for commenting!
Turks and Caicos looks like a true tropic paradise. I like the idea of sightseeing by complimentary bicycles, since one could have much fun exploring new places by bike.
I have never tried parasailing and you got me intrigued by it definitely!
The bicycles were such a great and cost-efficient way to see the city!! So glad that you are more intrigued by parasailing now!!
This looks so amazing! I haven’t really thought about travelling over here but after this post, I think I will really need to consider it!
I would definitely recommend it! It was a wonderful place to vacation to amidst a cold Toronto winter!!
The color of the ocean is just stunning! Looks like you had such an amazing time. I’d love to visit Turks and Caicos one day. Thanks for sharing 🙂
The ocean was one of the most beautiful parts! Thanks for stopping by!!
My husband and I visited the same hotel earlier in the year. What a treat. We loved the Alexandra Resort and their restaurant. Did you gals try their breakfast, too? It was so delicious. We missed the Thursday fish fry so that was a bummer. Looks very fun!
We did try it and also loved it! Looks like you’ll have to go back again ?
Amazing! It’s such a paradise. Never heard of TCI before so thanks to your blog. Will check it out more. I love your parasailing experience too.
Love that we were able to introduce it to you!! We hope you get the chance to go sometime!!