I’m currently on “Island Time” so I’m very excited to bring you Beth’s post on Turks & Caicos. Beth grew up in Maryland at was one of my roommates at Loyola College University (still bitter about that name change). Whenever I think of Beth, I picture her on a beach chair at her Bay house with a huge smile on her face, so it’s pretty perfect that today she brings you her amazing beach vacation she took with her husband, Joey. An Event Planner by day, Beth has a real knack for design so make sure you check out her blog. Beth, thanks for sharing your trip with us! 

For our honeymoon we wanted to go somewhere with great beaches, lots of activities, great food, nice people with a short plane ride! Really we just wanted a place to unwind, drink, eat and relax! After doing a lot of research and meeting with a travel agent, we decided that Turks & Caicos was the perfect place for us.

Just writing this piece and looking at the pictures makes me want to book my next trip back there! The beaches could not have been more beautiful and the whole experience was perfect. Upon arrival, we were greeted with Rum Punch and taken to our suite overlooking the ocean at The Sands at Grace Bay Resort. It was surreal to say the least.

All I really wanted to do was sit on the beach with Joey, float on a raft drinking my pina colada while eating french fries. We did try some of the excursions though. We sailed, snorkeled, and went on paddle boards daily. My favorite activities were horseback riding and parasailing, which I highly recommend!

We would eat lunch at Hemingways, the restaurant conveniently located at Sands at Grace Bay. The walls of the restaurant are covered in really neat photos of Ernest Hemingway and his fishing adventures throughout the Caribbean. We would pack a cooler every day after lunch with some Turks Head beer and lots of Corona where we’d sit on the beach, enjoying the view until dinnertime.

For dinner, we tried lots of different places. We went to Opus which was very romantic and had great live music and excellent steak. We also loved Tiki Hut at Turtle Cove because of the great laid back Island ambience. We also went to the Gansevoort one night which was great. Da Conch Shack was another place we loved, located right on the water and in my opinion, had the most amazing views of all the restaurants we tried. It was my first time trying conch, the specialty seafood of the Turks and Caicos Island, and it was delicious! The Annual Conch Festival is held in November each year at the Three Queen’s Bar in Blue Hills and I’m making it my goal to head back this year! Local restaurants compete for the best and most original conch dishes and are judged by International Chefs.