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-   -   Turks & Caicos: North Caicos, Grand Turk, or Salt Cay for two nights? (https://www.fodors.com/community/caribbean-islands/turks-and-caicos-north-caicos-grand-turk-or-salt-cay-for-two-nights-865254/)

Tim_Sackton Nov 2nd, 2010 12:17 PM

Turks & Caicos: North Caicos, Grand Turk, or Salt Cay for two nights?
 
We (me, wife, 9 month old son, and my parents) are going to Turks & Caicos for 5 nights in February 2011. We found a villa that looks great to us on the west end of Grace Bay (towards Turtle Cove), but we are now considering whether it would be worthwhile to stay for an extra couple of nights (haven't booked plane fare yet, but need to soon) and go to one of the other islands, either North Caicos, Middle Caicos, Grand Turk, or Salt Cay.

We are mostly into snorkeling and sitting on the beach -- don't particularly care for nightlife or shopping or gambling (and certainly not on this trip with the baby), so we're not worried about the other islands being too quiet. Also, the thought of staying somewhere on a deserted beach definitely appeals to us (we picked the villa we rented at least in part because it is a bit away from the main resort stretch). However, we are a bit concerned about the logistics, especially with a baby, of getting to the other islands, and also of getting around/finding food in such an isolated place (esp. because my wife is a vegetarian). Has anyone spent time on the non-Provo islands and can comment on good places to stay, the hassle of inter-island travel, and whether it is worth the effort? We would also be trying to keep costs down in order to make it feasible to extend our trip by a few days, so ideally we'd be looking for a place under $400/night (for four adults plus 1 infant).

Any help is greatly appreciated!

blamona Nov 2nd, 2010 01:13 PM

First consideration is most villas require a weekly rental, very hard to find one for 5 days.

Those outer islands also have min night requirements. Grand Turk usually has 3, North Caicos you'll be hard pressed for anything below 6.

All flights fly into Provo first. To get to North Caicos requires a ferry, then rental car. The beaches are isolated, but most have huge boulders, so not very child friendly. Middle Caicos has a stunning beach, but again, not child friendly (crashing waves on rocks.) Grand Turk has decent beaches, but requires an additional flight. Also most of the snorkeling, while only 5 minutes away, still requires boats to get to. Salt Cay has the most beautiful beach, but again, requires a flight, that's really hard to coordinate. (1 flight daily 7AM, meaning with 2 nights you only get 1 day out of it.)

My best advice? For first trip, stick to Provo. There are plenty of secluded beaches, and the beaches of Sapadilla Bay and Taylor Bay are extremely kid friendly. Knee high calm water for hundreds of yards--you can place a 9 month old with a float with legs, and don't have to hold them the whole time. There's also nice off the beach snorkeling at Coral Gardens and Smith's Reef. As for Vegetarian, much better luck on Provo, every chef can make something if not on menu. The other islands, you'll be hard pressed, most have limited menus, limited hours, even the supermarkets can be hard pressed (especially for milk for a 9 month old0 whereas Provo has everything. It's also not crowded like you would expect other islands to be--so I think Provo meets all of your criteria.

when your 9 month old gets older, you can return to Provo-and either split it up or take day trips.

Caryn_Hersh Nov 3rd, 2010 05:08 AM

Tim,
having just come back from Salt Cay, I highly recommend it. The snorkeling is unbelievable, depending where on the island you are the beaches are all different. North Beach has some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen! I don't think you'll have any problem finding a place for a short stay. Contact Debbie at Salt Cay Divers or Haidee at Island Thyme, either one can coordinate a place to stay and your flight from Provo. They both have restaurants (with amazing food) and I am sure they could prepare anything you want. I really don't think the vegetarian thing is a problem at all.


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