The sand on the beach was as white and as soft as powdered sugar. There isn’t much else on the island, except maybe more sand, however. But that was okay with us.
Providenciales (Provo) of the Turks and Caicos Islands is larger than I thought, however: roughly 8 by 30 miles. It is mostly flat as well, with only a very slight ridge in the middle. There isn’t even a real town there, but only a few stores. There are probably about 8 to 10 hotels, and our Royal Bay Resort will soon be the largest.
We went to the Travel Agents’ talk on our first morning. Got some interesting information, mostly about how the hotel will be expanding its rooms and services. It isn’t an all-inclusive yet but will be in a year when it becomes a “Beaches” resort, still owned by Sandals. We, however, had an all-inclusive package for our trip.
And the food and drink were both excellent and plentiful. We had buffet breakfasts, lunches mostly at the outdoor bar and grill (the grilled Mahi Mahi sandwiches were my favorites), and dinners at the main restaurant. Our last evening was spent in the better restaurant for which we needed to make reservations 2 days prior. The rack of lamb was very good, but then all of the other meals were good, too. We also had our share of beer and bar drinks at the outdoor bar.
Service was very slow but very friendly. We especially liked the happy guy handing out towels and snorkel gear.
Our days were spent trying to decide whether to lay on the beach or by the pool. There wasn’t much shade, so we were in the sun quite a bit. We got a cabana at the beach once but wound up roasting inside. We were careful not to get burned, anyway. The resort and the beaches in general were extremely un-crowded; it must have been a low tourist period. It was fine with us.
I went snorkeling a few times. The coral was really beautiful; it was like a forest. I also saw the usual pretty fish, but nothing unusual like stingrays, turtles, octopi or eels. Until my last time out. Then I decided to go out to deeper water. I saw a school of small barracuda, which were a bit scary despite their size (maybe 18 inches long or so). Then I saw a huge one maybe 4 or 5 feet long. Remembering Debbie’s warning (“Don’t stare at them”), I took a quick look and skedaddled.
Our last morning on the beach was spent walking. And walking and walking. In the hot sun. It might as well have been a desert for the heat and lack of drink. It was nice to jump in the ocean occasionally, though. Debbie had wanted to get to the nearest shopping area, Turtle Bay or something like that, but we didn’t quite make it. Just as well; It would have been tough to buy anything without shoes or money.
Too bad we couldn’t have spent a bit more time in Provo. Maybe we’ll be able to come back.
No comments:
Post a Comment