Turks & Caicos - beach quality - Viktor Ohotin's photo
1. The dazzlingly white, very fine sand in front of the hotels at Taylor Bay, Long Bay (kite paradise) and Grace Bay on Providenciales Island (significant plus: sandflies are being systematically eradicated)
2. Beaches are well-kept, seagrass leaves are always removed
3. The beach bars offer tasty meals, snacks
4. The well-reconstructed center of Cockburn Town has sophisticated shops and all kinds of fine dining restaurants
5. We visited several small islands with a rented motorboat
6. The caves close to Conch Bar on Middle Caicos
7. Locals are friendly and helpful
8. Watching iguanas up close in the Little Water Cay National Park
9. The unassuming seaside restaurants where you see fishermen preparing the freshest seafood themselves
10. When the tide is high, you can dangle your feet in the water while eating at the table at Bugaloos, a great beachside restaurant
11. Worth going for a snorkeling tour to some more distant coral reef – they are more beautiful than those closer to the shore
12. Watching sea turtles and big conches when snorkeling
13. The almost kitschy sunsets
14. The splendid colors of the ocean
15. Our favorite: Grace Bay Beach
1. Poor cellular reception (insufficient bandwidth?)
2. Some problems sending and receiving SMS because of weak cellular data
3. Some areas outside the hotel zones are full of sandflies, other kinds of flies and almost invisible mosquitoes and ants
4. High prices as everything is imported – 8 USD for a bottle of beer, 17 USD for a bottle of rum, 10 USD for a better quality piece of bread
5. The staff at passport control at the airport is pretty bad-mannered, almost rude
6. The landscape on Providenciales Island is somewhat dull – not many activities are worthwhile apart from relaxing on the beach and doing some water sports