Turks and Caicos Trip Report:
We went Monday - Monday which was the perfect amount of time for us.
Monday: Flew AA from Indy → Charlotte (1.5 hours) → T&C (2.5 hours). We paid $75 a piece for a program called Fasttrack that basically gave us an expedited lane through customs. What probably would have taken an hour+ in a crowded airport took 5 minutes. Definitely worth it.
We rented a jeep from Island Life Jeeps that made the trip even better. I usually make fun of jeep life people, but it honestly elevated the trip from great to excellent. We had a 2004 yellow Jeep Wrangler that was in immaculate condition. Riding around with the top down on the Jeep made every trip enjoyable. It was only ~$400 more than renting a Toyota Yaris. Worth every penny. The owner Russ and his wife met us at the airport to deliver the keys. 10/10 would recommend.
We chose to go with an Airbnb instead of a resort for a couple reasons: 1. Didn’t want to just stay in the resort area for 7 days. 2. Privacy. 3. Private pool. 4. Cheaper by 3x.
It was a short drive or a long walk away to Grace Bay and came with chairs, a cooler, and umbrella. Place was brand new and in an up and coming residential / rental area. I would vote choosing an airbnb over one of the resorts every time. Plus night swimming naked with your SO every night leads to an excellent time.
We ended up at a place called Pelican Bay that had happy hour every night from 5-7. Good cheap (relative) drinks and appetizers.
Tuesday: Low key day hanging around Grace Bay beach. It’s pretty, but had too many people for my liking. There are better beaches on the Island that I will get to. Found a sushi place at one of the hotels along the beach that was pretty good. Went to the grocery store and spent way too much money on groceries for the week. My wife had grad school that night so I grabbed a whole fish to grill.
Wednesday: Booked a kayak mangrove tour through The Looking Glass. I think it was 2 hours for like $150 total for a clear bottom kayak tour through the protected mangroves of T&C. IT was really beautiful and you can tell the amount of time and money spent to keep the mangroves clean and protected. Our guide was cool and taught us a lot about the local ecosystem. There were tons of sea turtles, conch, and sharks in the area. The conch is one of the most populous shellfish of T&C and we had it many different ways (ceviche, fried whole, hush puppies). They were everywhere. Dinner at Coco Bistro. Food was mediocre for the price, but the atmosphere was great. Outside only spot surrounded by coconut trees.
Thursday: Woke up and drove to Smiths Reef for snorkeling. You could swim from the beach to giant reef system. We were able to see a ton of beautiful fish, swam with sea turtles, a giant 10 ft long stingray, and a variety of beautiful reefs. This was one of the best parts of the trip for me. There were probably 4-5 other people in the area. Felt private. After we drove to Hideaway Grill and had jerk chicken from some wonderful old lady in a hut. Incredible. After lunch we hit up Turks Head Brewery. We were the only tourists in here which felt cool. The locals were pounding the one stout they had on tap which was low key delicious and beat every expectation I had. They had 10 beers on tap and good vibes. Dinner at Cocovan. This was probably the best food we had on the trip. We originally had another fine dining place booked, but cancelled it, because I don’t think any high end place on the island is worth the price. The cocktails and tacos here we elite.
Friday: Best day of the trip and one of the coolest days of my life. We rented a half day jet ski tour with [https://fivecayswatersports.com](https://Five Cays Water Sports) It was just my wife and I and our tour guide. We rode all around the island seeing various sights. 1st was a cargo ship that abandoned during the hurricane years ago. It was a 20 minute ride through the most beautiful water you can imagine. I ended up climbing it and exploring a bit before jumping off. Next we rode to a tiki bar that they built during covid in the middle of the ocean. Had shots of rum and a beer before heading to see some other sights like Princes house and other beaches. I can’t describe how beautiful and fun this was. I’ll never forget it. We stopped at a place called Iguana Island that had thousands of iguanas that were once endangered, but they saved them by relocation them to various uninhibited islands. Had a couple beers, a sandwich, and walked around exploring the habitat of these god damn dinosaurs. Seriously - this was amazing. We had dinner at Omas Beach Hut since it was right by the drop off point.
Saturday: Loaded up the cooler and drove to Taylor Bay Beach. This was the best beach on the island. No vendors, very few people, turquoise blue shallow water as far as you can see, and a few wild dogs that loved to hang out.
Sunday: Went and checked out one of the other national parks on the island called The Chalk Sound. I know I said this numerous times but the water color here was something I had no idea existed on this planet. Unbelievable. Back to Taylor Bay Beach to relax.
Monday: Our flight wasn’t until 4 so we went to Da Conch Shack and had Rum Punch and lunch. Wasted a few hours on the beach here before closing out the trip.
If I had to compare this trip to anything it would be the feeling you get when you watch a movie that ends with a guy living his best life traveling around an island and you think, “I want to go there and do that”. It was exactly that. The island is fucking expensive, but the people were great. It’s a beautiful country that I am incredibly grateful to have experienced. Happy to answer any questions.
