When the busy pace of modern life gets too much, it’s good to step off the treadmill. Taking time to pause and reflect, allowing the well to fill up, keeps us from becoming slaves to our ambition, careers, families – whatever.
The trouble is, it’s getting harder these days to find places in the world where tranquillity and peace can be guaranteed. Places become popular, everybody flocks there, and they become over crowded, losing all their original charm in the process.
Many people judge a beach holiday in a tropical island paradise as their ideal for unwinding and de-compressing. But is there anywhere left in the world where we can indulge ourselves in an oasis of calm and peaceful solitude?
A good place to start is by finding a beach that regularly gets voted on to best beach lists. One name that keeps cropping up is Grace Bay Beach in the Turks and Caicos islands. Whether it’s Conde Nast, The Sunday Times or Trip Advisor singing its praises, Grace Bay Beach has many admirers around the world. And it’s easy to understand why…
Grace Bay Beach rolls out along twelve miles of pristine, sandy coastline on the island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos. If you want somewhere with the feel of a tropical island paradise then this is the place to come. Situated south east of Miami, this chain of islands and cays in the Atlantic offers all the ingredients for the perfect holiday.
Providenciales and Grace Bay in particular is where most of the accommodation options are found in Turks and Caicos. Hotels and resorts providing all inclusive packages are widely available, but for independent travellers and those with families or friends in tow where flexibility is desired, vacation rentals make more sense. If you are specifically looking for vacation rentals Turks and Caicos Islands is well served. Low rise condominiums overlooking the turquoise waters mean that you can go snorkelling and exploring the coral reefs without the need of a boat trip to get you there. Whenever you feel like checking out the marine life (and there’s a lot of it!), simply wade into the warm, clear waters with your mask and snorkel… hawksbill and green turtles, barracudas, parrot fish, octopus, moray eels and more can be viewed on the reef in the sea right outside your rental accommodation. Snorkelling in these waters can be such an absorbing activity so remember to always wear a T shirt to protect you from the sun’s rays.
For vacation rentals Turks and Caicos Islands works really well, especially in Grace Bay where there are many amenities. For starters, there is a well stocked supermarket to fill up your fridge and cupboards with tasty holiday food. The Graceway supermarket sells everything you could possibly want including fresh pastries, rotisserie chickens, beer, wine and that all important T&C favourite, rum. Also in Grace Bay you’ll find shopping outlets such as Saltmills and the Grace Bay Centre as well as the usual standard amenities such as cash machine and pharmacy.
Much of the activity in Grace Bay is focused around the sea and activities related to it. Water sports are big crowd pleasers and as well as a wealth of fabulous snorkelling sites including nearby Smiths Reef, you can try fishing, paddle boarding and windsurfing. Because Grace Bay Beach is part of the Princess Alexander National Park and as such is a protected nature reserve, noisy water sports such as water skiing and Jetski riding are not permitted – resulting in a peaceful, undisturbed environment.
It won’t take long for the relaxed pace of life on Turks and Caicos to work its magic on you. If you feel like exploring, there’s plenty to see and do away from Grace Bay. The lighthouse on Grand Turk is a sight worth seeing, as are Conch Bar Caves on Middle Caicos. A family outing to The Conch Farm is good fun to see where these huge shellfish are bred and raised in the island’s hatchery. They even have a couple of tame, trained conch that they bring out to show visitors!
As a British Overseas Territory Turks and Caicos follow British laws and speak English. The currency, however, is the US dollar. Peak season is December to May and low season is from June to November which also is considered the hurricane season.
So if you are working on an escape plan to get yourself the perfect holiday in paradise, put Turks and Caicos islands top of the list. You will not be disappointed…
