We are taking a family vacation to Turks and Caicos in Nov. and were wondering about the drinking water. Is it safe to drink? We are staying at the Royal West Indies. If anyone has any other advise on T & C we would love to hear from you.

We've been to Provo twice. Our first visit included a stay at Ocean Club West, nice property did not care for staff. This year we chose The Sands and LOVED it! Friendly, accommodating staff. Better restaurant than OCW. We also preferred the beach location.
The water is drinkable but we only use it to brush our teeth and make ice.
We always keep bottled water in the fridge for quenching thirst and to avoid dehydration (can happen very quick with the sun and heat).
Provo has the most beautiful beach and the water is superb. The reef at Coral Gardens (a LONG walk from RWI) is excellent and suitable for even novice snorkelers.
Enjoy!

TG,
Thanks for your help. We are planning on snorkeling at Coral Gardens but it sounds like we'll need to drive to get there. Did you snorkel any where else or do any excursions? Thanks, Amy

I would suggest you rent a car for a couple of days for the Coral Garderns trip. The people at Coral Gardens are very nice. They will 'rent' you a chair and towel for their portion of the beach for $20.
On our first trip to Provo we took a 1/2 trip with J & B Tours - the snorkeling was not as good as the off shore reef at Coral Gardens but the island we went to was very pretty . There was only one other couple on the boat with us so it was like a private charter. The 'captain' was most accommodating and did a fine job.

We enjoyed the snorkeling from shore at Smith's Reef, which can be a bit difficult to find; and snorkeling from boats at the barrier reef.

Drinking water comes from a desalinization plant and is quite safe.

If you were thinking about renting a car for a day just to get to Coral Gardens, it would be cheaper to take a taxi. Some resorts will loan you a bicycle, which works pretty well because it's very flat (but watch out for those potholes!).

I'm nearly positive that I'll be spending a short vacation in Provo next June with my husband and his granddaughter. When I was calling around for hotel & condo info, I was informed that Coral Gardens did NOT rent out chairs to non-guests. Perhaps I spoke with someone who did not know the correct information. CG is out of our price range for this trip, but I had been hoping to be able to rent umbrella/chair there to leave our stuff while snorkeling off of the beach there. Your post leaves me hopeful. Was it $20 pp or per couple/group? And could the charge be applied against, say, a bar tab or lunch or was it strictly for the use of the chair?

Where on the island is Smith's Reef? How does the snorkeling there compare to CG? When you were snorkeling out along the barrier reef, how deep was the water on average? My granddaughter, while a competent swimmer, has never swum in open water before and I'd like to be able to give her as many facts ahead of time so she doesn't get nervous about it. Thank you.

EJ:
My family (5 of us) walked to Coral Gardens from The Sands (apprx. 2 miles). Upon arriving we had a cold drink at their beach side bar and they told us we could rent a chair for $20. It worked out very well as most of us were in the water the whole time anyway. The chair provided a secure place for our things, they also gave us a towel. The chair was under cover as well so it offered relief from the hot sun.
I have done a fair amount of snorkeling and IMHO this reef offers significant pleasure - it is teeming with fish, turtles and beautiful coral.

Another possible solution to the chair issue is to take a couple with you, if you're driving. There is public beach access immediately west of Coral Gardens. Shade is a problem, however.

Smith's Reef is a few miles west of CG, near Turtle Cove Marina. Ask for directions before you drive there, or have a taxi drop you off. We liked the snorkeling there a bit better than CG.

The water is deeper out at the barrier reef and the current can be strong, depending on how big the waves are. On relatively rough days it's probably not appropriate for anyone but strong swimmers. We were there at the tail end of a tropical storm and I was the only one on the boat who didn't complain (but I'm a fanatic).