Turks and Caicos
We had talked about taking a warm weather trip during the brutal Midwest winter for years, and we finally did it in 2021. 10/10 recommend. It also happened to be our first international trip since before the pandemic, and it was so good for the soul.
We used Marriott points to stay at the newly opened Ritz Carlton on Grace Bay Beach (woohoo, Bonvoy!). The property is beautiful, with a modern island vibe. To our understanding, all the rooms have ocean views, and we took full advantage, enjoying many cups of coffee and flutes of champagne on the stunning balcony.
The Ritz has several restaurant concepts on property. A couple mornings, we walked down to the colorful beachside restaurant Coralli, which serves breakfast and lunch. We ordered breakfast items off the menu, but there’s also a buffet!
Coralli is not only a restaurant, but also a fun, beachy bar during daylight hours. Then it turns into an Italian concept, Casa Nonna, in the evening. They also serve the Coralli lunch menu on the beach, and we ordered several snacky items during our afternoons spent with toes in the sand.
We enjoyed one dinner at the open-air Lobby Bar, which has a yummy sushi menu!
The Ritz also has a small casino near the front entrance with slots, roulette and more. I’m not much of a gambler, but it was fun to stop in for a game or two after dinner each evening!
The Ritz features two pools; one is adults only, the other family-friendly. There’s direct beach access with food and beverage service right to your chair (peep that Pina Colada!).
A little teal van on the boardwalk to the beach serves up mojitos in the afternoons…and bonus: it’s oh-so insta-worthy!
The Ritz also offers free beach activities, from kayaks to snorkeling gear. Bret took the kayaks out…while I spent most of my time reading on the beach. He did get my off my butt to go on several walks up and down Grace Bay Beach. Overall though, it was just so nice to have virtually nothing on the schedule.
One of the highlights of the trip was our evening sail on the Lady Grace catamaran! The Ritz runs the excursions, but you don’t have to be staying there to book a ride. The evening cruise provided drinks, ample food and beautiful sunset views. We ended up chatting with several other couples who had been to Turks before and gave us all their best recommendations. We also saw some dolphins on our cruise!
There’s great walkability from the Ritz, with restaurants and shops in both directions. This stretch of Providenciales has many hotels at various prices points, and we loved being in the Grace Bay area.
Staying at Ritz properties is something we don’t normally do. We happened to be able to stay at some lovely Marriott properties this past year, with Bonvoy points. That being said, it is entirely possible to travel to Turks and Caicos without the luxury pricetag.
The Graceway Gourmet Grocery store is just across the street. The prices are definitely higher than what you’d see in your hometown grocery store, but it still allowed us to stock up on snacks and lunchey items and spend less than we would going out to restaurants for every meal.
And some of our favorite meals were at casual, modest priced spots.
Turks Kebab is walking distance from the Ritz. They serve up delicious kebabs, hummus and more.
Island Scoop has creamy, unique ice cream flavors right on Grace Bay Road in Providenciales.
Right above Island Scoop is Pizza Pizza, a lowkey, open-air pizza spot.
And, if you’re a beer drinker, Turks Head Brewery is a local spot and its beer is available in almost every spot we went to. Our favorite was the light beer, I-Soon Reach, described on to the brewery’s site like this:
“Island time is taken pretty seriously here in the Turks and Caicos. While the rest of the world rushes from one thing to another we have learned the value of taking the scenic route. It often takes a bit longer but that's usually just the start of a good story. So next time someone tells you they "Soon Reach", they could be right around the corner or just setting sail from salt cay en route to Grand Turk. Be prepared for a tale when they finally get there”.
That pretty much sums up our trip - nowhere to be fast. Those island vibes were exactly what we were looking for on this winter getaway, and needless to say, we’d love to go back!
