This trip was the result of a couple things. A group of women were having a discussion on Facebook about how hard it can be to find other female friends to travel with abroad. As a result, one of the ladies (at my urging) created a Facebook group called: Luxe lover, will travel. Once the group was established there was discussion on getting together for a group trip (this all happened within days). A travel deal dropped to Turks & Caicos for $189 out of Florida- 4 days and 3 nights. Well, about eight people (including myself) decided to commit almost immediately. I think two of the individuals knew each other but the rest of us were strangers. One of the ladies happen to be a Facebook friend of mine and that is who I gravitated towards. After several messages and sorting through the housing situation and location we all agreed on Grace Bay. Since there were eight of us we split the group into four people each for the purpose of housing. Outside of that we really didn't put too much thought into tours and such- this trip was more for relaxation. We did book a tour "Snorkel and Conch Cruise" which included the snorkeling, lunch, drinks and a visit to turtle Island for $89USD (Tour Company: Caicos Dream Tours).

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The flight wasn't long from Florida and the weather was perfect! We happened upon a driver who took to us and ended up being our connection to things going on the entire time we were in Turks. Here's the kicker- he was "friends" with the former Prime Minister (currently on trial at the time) Michael  Misick. This becomes an interesting point of reference later in the trip. Anyways, he drove us to our hotel at the Oasis at Grace Bay. To my surprise we were given a complimentary upgrade! Seeing how there were four ladies this was perfect! The set up was like an apartment which included a washer and dryer, full kitchen, living room, balcony, master bedroom with bathroom and the upstairs had two more beds and bathroom. It was extremely clean and the staff was awesome from day one. There was also Wifi included in the price and free access to bikes that you could use to get around the Island.

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I was the second or third to arrive to our hotel. We really just spent the afternoon getting situated and getting to know each other. We ended up going out to dinner at some random spot that had live music and a mixture of R&B, Soca, Salsa and so forth. We learned pretty quickly that "Cash is King" on the Island and even though you could use a credit card there was usually a minimum amount. The crowd was equally diverse and truth be told it felt like any club scene back in the States. I only stuck around for about an hour or two for dinner and drinks then headed back to the room. The last person had arrived so after intros I directed her to the rest of the bunch.

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The next morning we headed into town to explore a little. We ended up back towards our area at a hotel nearby that had Happy Hour going on. Here is where we see the driver from the previous day. He offered to be our driver for the rest of the trip. He also approached me wanting to introduce the former above mentioned Prime Minister. It was a little odd and uncomfortable considering he was trying to hurry up and do it when the woman he arrived with was out of view. The Happy Hour scene was cool and the drinks were actually "normal" price. I can't remember the name of the hotel but I'm sure if you do a google search for happy hours in Grace Bay a list will come up. We cut the evening pretty short due to our tour the next morning.

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We got up early the next day to meet at the Villa Del Mar as instructed as our pick up location. We finally caught up with the other ladies staying at a hotel not too far from us. We arrived at the port and received instructions for the day. We were also given snorkel gear and a life jacket. There was a pretty decent size group with people joining us from surrounding hotels. The tour was a half day long and let me tell you- it was very "basic". It was almost comical actually- the all you can drink was literally a gallon jug of punch that had alcohol mixed in it. There was water on board, some cheap plastic cups and four guys that were overseeing the tour. They were all nice but...the experience wasn't what I expected for the price. I passed on the snorkeling, we learned about Conch (that was new and interesting to me), and had the opportunity to try some as a lunch/snack. We made a stop on turtle Island which was kind of a waste of time in my opinion and then filed back into the boat. The entire tour was approximately four hours once getting to the port. We headed back to the hotel to freshen up and then borrowed the bikes to go riding on the Island. It was a great way to really see everything while getting in a workout. There were little shops (all over priced) all over the place with signs requesting cash purchases unless the sale was over a certain amount. We visited an ice cream place with a $25 minimum to use your CC. We found a cool spot that served "award winning Mojitos" that was really good. We found our way back to our hotel and decided to return to the Happy Hour hotel from the day before since we knew food and drinks would be both good and reasonably priced. We wrapped up the night there and headed back to pack since two of us were leaving while the other two planned to go to another Island. 

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My overall opinion of Turks and Caicos is that it's a great trip for couples or even as a girls/guys trip. Just be prepared to spend money (it's the equivalent to East Coast or West Coast prices). I liked Grace Bay Island and would recommend visiting there and maybe look into another area. Considering the price of the ticket I can't complain about anything! I think it was the perfect amount of time but if I were to return I would plan on more activities and hop to other islands.

 

  

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