A Black Girl's Guide to Turks and Caicos
From one black girl to another black girl, you need to go to Turks & Caicos! There’s something about the Caribbean and Caribbean culture that sits so familiar with my soul. From the food, to the music, to the energy and people…I truly love it! Over the past couple of years, the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) has risen to the top of my favorite destinations lists, and not just in the Caribbean. The locals are friendly, the vibes are immaculate, and the water is the best and clearest water I’ve ever experienced, no exaggeration! I have an amazing time, every time I go, so much so, that I’ve been back multiple times since first going in 2022. There’s a reason why the TCI tag line is “beautiful by nature”.
Good to Know
Turks & Caicos Islands are located in the Caribbean, south of the Bahamas and east of Haiti. It is a British territory, but because of their proximity to the U.S., they have adopted the USD as their national currency. Let’s get this out of the way now…IT’S EXPENSIVE! Google grocery prices and you will see for yourself. The weather year round it quite literally perfect! The island has not faced major destruction from hurricanes in the past, unlike its’ neighbors. High season starts from November and stretches to about July, so keep that in mind when booking your trip.
Most people will travel to and stay on the island of Providenciales (Provo) when visiting TCI. Provo is the main and most populated island in TCI, then there is Grand Turk, where cruise ships often dock, and other islands such as North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos and Salt Cay. The other 100 or so small island of TCI are uninhabitable. This blog post will mostly cover Provo, as I’ve only traveled to this part of the island. Provo is small enough to drive easily from end to end, and is filled with food, fun activities, and serene vibes. In case you find yourself wanting to visit TCI in the future, here’s some travel tips from your friendly neighborhood Travel Jawn.
Stay Here
Turks is a country of both simple pleasures and over-the-top luxury, in the best of ways. When it comes to space, price and convenience, Airbnb is my top recommendation for staying in Turks, specifically on Provo. There are a good amount of options from condos to mansions, with pools, beach front or canal front, suitable for most group travel sizes and price points. For first timers, I recommend staying in or around Grace Bay, as most shops, the beach, and restaurants will all be within walking distance.
Areas to stay in:
Grace Bay
Bight Settlement
Long Bay
Venetian Road
Juba Sound
Chalk Sound
Beaches Resort: a family friendly resort in Grace Bay
The Ritz Carlton: classic, reliable luxury hotel brand in Grace Bay
The Oasis at Grace Bay: a great apartment style hotel, which is preferable to getting the best of both worlds. I stayed here my first trip to TCI and it was in a great location, with free golf cart shuttle to and from Grace Bay Beach.
Amanyara: top of the line, luxury resort from the Aman group
Eat Here
Coco Bistro
Infiniti at Grace Bay Club
Bugaloos
Mr. Grouper’s: very popular, celebrity favorite
Infiniti
Hemingway’s Restaurant: great breakfast options
Mudjin Bar & Grill
Mango Reef: open restaurant at marina waterfront
Da Conch Shack: tourist spot, overrated to me, beach front, very close to the airport
Pelican Bay Restaurant: on the Grace Bay Club resort but you can order to Grace Bay beach
Crackpot Kitchen: good Caribbean food, food truck off Leeward Highway, a little awkward eating outside on the side of the highway but the food was good.
Somewhere restaurant
Omar’s Beach Hut
Chalkie’s @Sapodilla Bay Beach
Conchy Conchy @Sapodilla Bay Beach
Rock House
There’s food at home: I love indulging on vacay but you will run up a hefty tab in TCI if you eat out every meal. For balance, make some meals at home such as breakfast. I’ll warn you now, grocery prices on average are exuberant because most things are imported.
Fast Food
Pork Shack: wings, fries, burgers…open late
Graceway Gourmet Supermarket: ready made food, really good and quick
Buns Burgers: the best fried chicken sandwich ever!
There are no food franchises on the island, so no late night McDonald’s run
Catch a Vibe Here
Captain Oak’s Tiki Bar: on a sandbar in the ocean, get there by boat ($20 round trip) or jet skis. It is shallow water for the non-swimmers, I’m 5’3 (allegedly) and I can stand comfortably with the water up to my waist.
Noah’s Ark on Sundays: fun fact, I visited during the grand opening weekend and since then, it has blown up and is the place to be on Sunday’s. Day party vibes all day until about 7pm. It’s located on a sandbar and you get there by boat or jet skis. It’s shallow water so please do not jump or dive in the water. It gets PACKED, so get there no later than 3pm, even if you have a section. You can catch a boat taxi at Blue Haven Marina for $30 or pull up on your own boat.
If you want to catch celebrities, athletes, influencers are more on the island, they’ll definitely be here! I’ve seen Drake, Drewski, athletes, influencers personally and know Rod Wave and Lil Durk frequent here.
Shisha Hookah Lounge: it’s a chill indoor/outdoor lounge, with sections available.
Fish Fry: Thursday nights are for the island fish fry which is filled with performances from local artists and TCI’s very own Junkanoo band, food and vendors.
Aziza Restaurant and Lounge: on Fridays, this is where you want to be!
809 Club
Versace Lounge
Premier Lounge
Grace Bay Area: Karaoke Bars, etc.
Conchy Conchy Bar at Sapodilla Bay Beach
Beach Here
Sapodilla Bay Beach
Grace Bay Beach
North Caicos
Leeward Beach
Longbay Beach
Governor's Beach
*Not an exhaustive list because there’s so many beautiful beaches and coast line that make up TCI
Do This
Rent a boat
Boat cruise
Parasailing/Kite surfing/Paddle boarding
Iguana island
Visit a sandbar
Jet skis/cars
La Famille shipwreck
Horseback riding
Fishing/Conch fishing
Junkanoo band history
Visit other islands outside of Provo
Island tour
Wade Green’s plantation
Island fish fry (Thursday evenings, until 9:30pm)
Travel Jawn Tips
Drive > private transportation > taxis: taxis are expensive and few, and private transportation is even more expensive. It’s pretty easy to drive in Provo, just pay attention and give way to cars when approaching roundabouts. Even though they drive on the right side (same as the U.K.), cars with the steering wheel is on either side, you’ll be fine. Obviously, don’t drink and drive.
TCI ferry marina: likely you’ll find what you need here in terms of water transportation. You can find companies to book jet skis, there are ferries to north Caicos and Grand Turk.
100 islands: So contrary to popular belief, meaning my own belief, there are more than 100 islands that make up Turks & Caicos Islands and not just “Turks” and “Caicos”.
Be friendly: kindness will get you far, always and on this island it helps to be friendly to people and they will help you out 10x over. From helping you find boats/water taxis to tiki bars, jet ski bookings, where to eat, and so on.
Be prepared to spend some money: If you’re accustomed to savvy budget traveling, then I’m sure you’ve already worked the numbers but for those who are not, just know that Turks & Caicos on average is an expensive destination.
