So even though we went to Kauai a few months ago, our planned vacation was to go to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos. A week is never enough when you bookend a vacation with travel days, so we decided on ten days. My parents and aunt joined us as they connected through Charlotte from D.C.

On the long right base leg to land to the west flying over North Caicos...



Now southeast of Provo getting ready to line up on the runway..the water colors are just astounding..



I spied the old Russian freighter La Famille Express in the waters off Provo. It broke free from its mooring during hurricane Frances in 2004 and landed on the reef and there it remains to this day. I was interested in seeing it because we planned later in our vacation to kayak out to the wreck to check it out...



On the ground - a pleasant 80 degrees or so...



We stayed at the very secluded Northwest Point Resort, which is about 15 minutes away from anything on the island. The bulk of visitors to the island stay on the beautiful strand of beach called Grace Bay, but we like the peace and quiet of being away from it all. The 3-bedroom condo was perfect..nicely furnished but not over-the-top.





The view from our room...





In an odd trick of atmospheric quirkiness, our trip to Provo was accompanied by fairly strong winds for the duration of our trip, as you can see from the palms bending in the wind. The wind was steady from the northwest around to the east southeast at about 15 to 20 for our whole trip except for the final day. I wish I had scared up some windsurfing gear...



The "lanai" (I don't know what you call it in Turks & Caicos) off our bedroom...







NWP Resort does suffer from an influx of turtle grass buildup on the beach during certain wind conditions. Each morning the staff diligently swept it up with their beach cleaning tractor and the sand was clean above the mid-tide line. To be honest, it never really bothered us, but some people get yucked out by it for some reason (we just walked through it if it was in the water..)





The pics aren't necessarily in chronological order due to them being taken from multiple different sources (a GoPro, Panasonic HDC-TM900, and a Pentax WG-III). Here is Dad doing some fly fishing for bonefish at Sapodilla Bay. Generally, with the strong winds, the beaches on the south side of the island were calm whereas the north beaches were a bit rougher (rough being relative since the Caribbean isn't like Hawaii)..



Some pale guy doing some fishing too...



Kai starting to use his snorkel mask at Sapodilla Bay...



I did a little snorkeling on the east side of Sapodilla Bay. There are a couple wrecks just at the point, one older and one newer. The older one has a lot of fish around it while the newer one (the one that is turned turtle) is just starting to get some fish around it (including a huge grouper I saw..)









Kai (now 4 years old) by the mangroves around Chalk Sound...



Chalk Sound is a combination of blinding white and turquoise..



I like the theme...



The courtyard for our "wing" of the resort...



The grounds of NWP Resort are beautiful and quiet...











Cont...

The restaurant is a beautiful oddity. Due to the fact that NWP is away from all the hustle and bustle, and is gated as well, their restaurant is usually empty. They are open for lunch and if you call before 4PM they will also do dinner. We only ate there once due to the fact that we pretty much ate most meals in our condo to save money, but the one meal we did have there was awesome. I had conch chowder that was simply incredible. Everyone seemed pretty happy with their food, but like everything on the island, it is expensive...





We packed really light for our vacation (I think I packed 3 bathing suits, 3 shorts, and about 4 shirts) and instead stuffed all our checked bags with food from the states. This was a great decision. Prices for food on the island are really, really high. Now, you can find deals on things, but a loaf of crusty bread was $10 at the grocery store for instance. We froze steaks and burgers at home, put them in coolers in our checked bags and they were still frozen upon arrival in Provo. Definitely a good move to bring as much food as you can. Legally, I think you are limited to $50 each..but there didn't seem to be much interest in enforcement for that...

Kai and Marisa stalking the sands on the way toward Northwest Point. The beach is very secluded - you might not see anyone on it. Despite the dire warnings from people about crime, we never once felt unsafe on the beaches around the resort. Just be aware of your surroundings and don't leave things on the beach or in your car. Leave the cars unlocked or you risk getting a window busted out. Basically, just take the same precautions you'd take visiting any city anywhere...





Beachcombing is awesome at NWP Resort and the surrounding beaches. There are barely any other people to find shells and stuff, plus all the crap that washes up on the shore can be pretty interesting. It is amazing how much stuff floats in from all the other islands in the Caribbean and points further...





Kai with a conch shell...



Kai and Nana playing patty cakes...



Kai and Marisa returning from a shell hunting expedition...



A fringe reef surrounds the north side of the island with a few exit points. The high winds had some swell hitting the outer reef...



The walk up to Northwest Point is nice..and after a bit you start to run into dozens of conch shells. Your footprints might well be the only ones there all day...







A sailboat met its unfortunate end on the beach...



Once you hit the point, the beach gives way to rocky ledges where the surf crashes on the iron shore...





Beyond Northwest Point there is a beautiful beach that has few visitors and some beautiful water offshore. We've heard this area has pretty good snorkeling if the winds and waves cooperate. Unfortunately the conditions weren't ideal for us, so we just rock hopped along the shore and poked around a bit...









Kai pointed out this little critter at the resort...





Toward mid week the winds moderated slightly and started to shift to the east, which put some of the beaches on the northeast side of the island into a bit more of a sheltered state. One of the kid friendly reefs is Bight Reef which has a buoy trail to follow to help novices around the formations (and protect the reef). Kai has put his head in the water a few times, but hasn't ever used his snorkel or fins yet, so this was a great place to give it a whirl. He took to it really quickly and I'll be the proud, beaming father and say he's a natural at it..







A squadron of Barracuda..







Cont..

Smith's Reef, over near Turtle Cove, is quite good but care must be taken to stay out of the boat channel because boats zip in and out of the cut at Turtle Cove at a pretty good clip...





Marisa and Kai near the channel that leads into Turtle Cove Marina...









A pair of Spotted Eagle rays working the sandy areas between the coral...





The east end of Smiths Reef is nice too - you can park in a different area. It was pretty windy the day we were there, with a light chop, but the snorkeling was still pretty good. We saw this boat multiple times throughout the week cruising back and forth outside the fringe reef. It has a sailboat and a speedboat on deck..but I can't figure out if that is a working transport ship or a private vessel (maybe Larry Elison owns a boat big enough to carry his other boats?)







Big Nassau grouper...



Horses (ponys?) on the beach near Smiths Reef...



The best beach on the island (in our opinion) is the occasionally maligned Malcolm's Road Beach on the west side of the island just south of Northwest Point. Ten years ago we went there and there was no development and the road was horrible, but now there is a high rent resort ($3000 a night?) and access to both the resort and the public beach areas is much improved. Still a crushed coral gravel road, but not nearly as rutted as it was a decade ago. The beach is pristine, the water is crystal clear, and the reef is pretty good. Yes, it's out there, and yes, you had better take all your stuff from the car and don't leave anything valuable on the beach. As we were leaving a whole gaggle (a couple dozen) of ex-pats from the island (it was on a Sunday) were arriving and having a big beach party. Americans, British, French, Canadian..they looked like a fun group. They had scuba tanks with them to shore dive and it looked like a fun evening ahead.







My aunt at Malcolm's Road beach looking north toward Northwest Point...









The sand at Malcolm's Beach is different (finer) than some of the other sand on other beaches on the island...



Marisa checking out something at Malcom's Beach...



Ah..three lobsters!



Kai loved Malcolm's Beach. He hunted for tiny shells (he called them "emeralds" for some reason) for hours. He also enjoyed lying in the surf and using his snorkel gear to hunt for shells in the kicked up sand..



We did drive through Grace Bay and did some shopping one day and also took a trip over to the eastern end of the island to the awesome Blue Haven marina near the Leeward Cut. The water looks unreal and the size of the megayachts is incredible. We talked with the people we were going to rent the kayaks from for the trip out to visit the Russian freighter and I already knew the winds were way too strong to paddle against.



After swinging by Blue Haven we drove by Long Bay where the kite surfers were having an epic week. I could see the stranded La Famille Express way out in the bay and wished we could have made the paddle out there. The kiters were having a blast though...







Cont..

We did take the opportunity to visit Da Conch Shack - a widely heralded beach bar restaurant that has a cool "toes in the sand" vibe and a gorgeous setting. The food is typically island expensive and ranges from blah to fantastic. I had the conch chowder and while it was good, the chowder at Northwest Point Resort was much, much better. My wife had the jerk chicken tacos and they were flat out ordinary. They had almost no seasoning, and the chicken was a bit rubbery. Note to self - if you don't see a single live chicken on a Caribbean island, something is wrong with that picture. The conch fritters, however, were awesome, awesome, awesome. If I had to do it over again, I'd order three orders of the fritters and spend the rest of the money on beer. The service was also sort of symbolic of much of the islanders (Belongers) attitudes toward visitors - a bit uninterested and sort of barely tolerant (with exceptions of course - the NWP Resort people were outstanding). Plates were delivered with not so much as a smile, and after they were delivered we weren't checked on for the remainder of our meal until someone finally noticed we were getting restless for our check.





Love the vibrant colors in the Blue Hills area. It's a shame that the area doesn't have more local type development but I suspect that the seemingly concerted effort to steer everyone toward Grace Bay has resulted in a lot of areas withering on the vine..



Fishing was fun, but the winds and current really prevented me from spending a whole lot of time out in the waters by our resort. Most of our fishing was done over at Taylor Bay, which has fantastic flats just a foot deep or so where you can easily spot bonefish. There seemed to be some resident bonefish and my Dad hooked into one and stalked a few others. We used flyrods and spinning gear depending on what we were fishing for. Bottom fishing on the reef was pretty good, but I didn't spend a lot of time doing it. A professional could put you on big fish reliably, but the cost of guides on the island were beyond our finances. Taylor Bay has a nice flat and also has a deeper channel (only about 6' deep) carved out of the east side of the bay to give boating access to the multi-million dollar homes that front the bay. While snorkeling we saw some bigger fish in the dock areas including some barracuda and larger jacks. Get to Taylor Bay early and you can have the entire thing to yourself..





I didn't hook into any bonefish, but I did catch one of those toothy needle fish on a fly..haha..not the targeted species..







Dad stalking some bonefish...





Kai towing Mommy around Taylor Bay...



Snorkeling overall wasn't very good at Taylor Bay at either end. It is good for beginners though because of the shallow and calm water...





Be careful in the boat channel though because there are some jellyfish embedded in the sandy bottom that will pop out if stirred up. As they come off the bottom them seem to detach streamers of stingers that become free floating and they will zap you a bit. Over the course of 20 years of windsurfing I've been stung a million times by jellyfish such that I don't even feel them usually, but these definitely had a little zing to them...





Kai building sandcastles at Taylor Bay...





A stingray moving across the flats at Taylor Bay...



Fishing from the resort kayaks was a lot of fun and they are big, stable, and paddle nicely. They are also great for snorkeling from since they are easy to jump off and board. The resort needs to buy some new paddles though since the two that were there were both held together with duct tape (yeah)...









Some various pics of Northwest Point Resort area and the resident pelicans...







Oh..to have that energy...







Cont...

A very relaxing pace up there at Northwest Point...















$4 per bottle..I couldn't afford to be an alcoholic in Turks & Caicos..



A bit has been written about the hassle of getting to Northwest Point Resort..but the type of person that wants to stay at NWP doesn't mind the fifteen to twenty minute drive out there. The target audience for the resort isn't the people who want to be steps from the nearest Starbucks (if there even is one on the island). The road is in perfect condition. The first two days we were there the road crews were just finishing up putting new crushed coral down on the part nearest to the pavement. You can drive the entire non-paved section out to the resort at 55-75 kph..there were zero potholes, and the drive from the gate of NWP Resort to the paved section takes precisely four minutes and thirty seconds and any rental car is capable of it..it isn't like a jungle safari. The road to NWP is actually much, much better than the paved roads in Costa Rica if you like a comparison..



Regarding security being so far out. We were concerned initially at reports in the weeks prior to our arrival on the island about some home invasion type break ins and assaults on tourists. It was a bit disconcerting, but then I read our local newspaper and realized the same things were happening in our town here in the U.S. Things happen. They actually caught the perpetrators the week before we got there. Petty crime remains a problem. We ran into one couple on the road to our resort that had been at the National Park at NWP who had left stuff in their car and some guys in a black 4-Runner broke into the car and took their stuff. Bummer for them, but the warnings are everywhere - don't leave stuff in your car. We never once felt uneasy on any of the remote beaches. Don't just ensconce yourself in Grace Bay and live in fear..get out there and explore!







Sand thpurs..(private joke).. Nature's hedgehog...



The sun rose over Provo on our last day to reveal something unusual for our stay: calm winds! I immediately went out trolling for fish (no hits) and then returned to pick up Marisa for our mission. I had left a sand anchor offshore on one of the first days of the vacation so that I could tie up and fish from the resort kayaks. In the heavy winds it had drug across the sand and wedged under a ledge about 12 feet down. I couldn't dive on it to retrieve it alone since the tension on the line wouldn't allow me to dislodge it. Nor could I release the kayak to release the tension on the line or else it would have blown away while I was underwater. So I had to wait for conditions to be calm enough to take Marisa out with me so she could tend the kayak while I was retrieving the sand anchor.



The calm conditions showed what we had been missing the whole nine previous days due to the winds and current...the best snorkeling on the entire island right off the beach at Northwest Point Resort...



The formations were awesome. Ranging from a couple feet deep to about 15' max, the coral was healthy, the fans and stalks were massive, and the fish were everywhere. We were amazed and a bit frustrated that this area didn't open up to us until our last few hours on the island...







Did I mention the colors?







Cont...

We were quite a ways out from the resort. Care should be taken because a lot of the water that crosses into the inside of the barrier reef eventually makes its way out to sea just to the east of Northwest Point. So the prevailing current is right to left if you are standing on the beach. When snorkeling from a tethered kayak, check all the kayak tie offs for the anchor, secure the paddle well, and after hopping in, keep ahold of the anchor rode until you determine the current velocity and make sure you are capable of outswimming the current. It's usually a good idea to start out going upcurrent away from the kayak so you can always drift down onto it...

Yes - composite photo..













We roamed pretty far upcurrent from the kayak in a wide arc checking out all the formations. Each one seemed more impressive than the last and it was really a great time. We could have spent hours out there easily...









The Dirk Diggler coral...





This looks like Elk Horn coral but it didn't appear healthy. I'm more used to seeing these on outer reefs that take a bashing, so I was surprised to see it on the inside...



But the rest of the reef appeared to be doing well..the size of the fans was particularly astounding..



Did I say..the size of the fans?





After a bit of snorkeling around, I hopped back in the kayak (freed the anchor with no problem) and paddled back in while Marisa snorkeled her way back...





Marisa took Kai out for one last snorkel and then it was time for us to pack up and head for the airport. A note about the Turks and Caicos airport - the reports that the airport is a horrible experience are partially correct. It's a bit of a first world problem to complain about having the luxury of even getting on an airplane at all (I agree with you Louis CK - flight is a miracle!) but the Provo airport really could use a major, major update. My Dad summed it up by saying he was more comfortable at the airport in Vietnam back in 1968 than he was at the Provo airport. It's oppressively hot, there aren't enough seats, and the vendors are selling things at absolutely insane prices. I mean, prices on the island for everything are very high, but the airport just doesn't even seem to be trying. (A little hemp bracelet that costs $1 in a trinket store costs $8 at the airport). Someone probably needs to pull the airport vendor managers aside and show them the chart where volume of sales can sometimes make up for price reductions. There is a point of diminishing returns on overpricing stuff, and the Provo airport has taken it to a pretty incredible level.



A great vacation with great family. We hope these trips are starting to get into Kai's permanent memories and we are really enjoying watching him see the world with us through new eyes.

BeachAV8R

Outstanding pictures.Thank you !


Paul

Compliments on a beautiful family!

Nice pics. What did you use for the underwater pictures?

Nice pictures there fulla...looked like a cracking holiday!

Regards

Mailman

That was pretty darn amazing Beach!

Now that's what I call a vacation AAR! I need to check out those islands some day.

That was a most enjoyable read!

Wow, nice! How could you ever leave?

Spectacular images! I want to go there.

Intitially I thought this thread was about the recently televised Beeb drama starring Bill Nighy. :-)

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

great sets of shots, Kai is going to have so many fond memories.

My life is an empty shell of work, video games and crying children. I think we'll all go out and get mullets.


Good on you though... good on you. :P

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing the pics!

Geez, when are you gonna stop being so skimpy on the pics and actually SHOW US something?

Nothing but a couple of pics of soup, a tractor, and a natural satellite (which looks the same planet-wide!).

Try showing us some of the FUN things! GEEZ!




The Jedi Master