Paradise Finally

We arrived in Turks & Caicos at around noon. We had been given Customs cards on the plane so we thought we were good to go. We then learned that we had to fill out these other cards (Immigration cards we later found out). We filled them out & filed through pretty quickly. I then rescued Dewey's bag from one of the many porters (vultures) waiting to "help" you with your bags. They seemed very nice but with only 3 bags we really didn't need any help. Plus I have a bit of an issue with someone grabbing your bag off the belt before you get there. As we were waiting for the other two bags, Dewey starts ripping up the form we had been given on the plane. I said "Ummmm, what are you doing?". He said "Well, we're through, we must not need these". I then pointed at the customs door we had to go through to get out of the airport. Oops. Two more forms later we were through customs & out into the parking lot.

While in Turks & Caicos we are staying at Harbour Club Villas. Barry & Marta are the owners. The are Canadians who used to live in Banff (about an hour away from Calgary where we live). I found Harbour Club while doing research online. There are 6 private one bedroom villas at Harbour Club which are self catering. We liked having the option of having a kitchen so we don't have to eat out at every meal. They are also very helpful with setting up your rental car and diving excursions. They suggested we rent a car with Scooter Bob (another Canadian). They said that the car would be waiting on us at the airport & it was no problem. Our little Kia Sportage rental had seen better days. Dewey was a bit worried b/c it seemed to have lots of rattles & funny noises. As soon as we turned onto the road to Harbour Villas he saw why. The main road from the airport was nicely paved but once you turn off of it you are usually on "dirt" roads. Harbour Club is on Venetian Road & some of the potholes could swallow a car! Okay, that's a bit of an exageration but it is very bumpy.

When we arrived at Harbour Club we were met by Marta & Barry. Our villa was all ready to move in to. There are palm trees & other tropical trees all around. The interior of the villa is very nice with terra cotta tile floors & wicker furniture. Everything you need for a comfortable stay is there including books, magazines, maps, etc. The louvered windows and ceiling fans keep it nice and cool. Plus there's an AC in the bedroom if it gets really hot.

Dewey and I changed into our shorts & set off to see the island. First we had to run to Scooter Bob's to sign paper work. Then we went to Tiki Hut for lunch. The deck at Tiki Hut looks out over the marina so we had plenty to look at while we ate our lunch. There were a few mega-yachts in dock. I can't even imagine how much those cost! Dewey had the Hawaiin panini (ham, cheese & pineapple) and I had the Jerk Chicken sandwich. Both were great. Food in Turks & Caicos is not cheap. Our lunch was around $35 USD with two sandwiches, a coke and a beer. Not outrageous but more along the lines of a mid scale restaurant in the US.

After lunch we wanted to go look at the beach. We hadn't packed our swimsuits so we just walked around a bit. We visited Coral Gardens which is one of the prime shore snorkelling spots on the island. It is on the North side of the island while where we are staying is on the south. All of the big resorts are on the North side. The beach was absolutely breathtaking with very white sand & crystal clear blue water. We will definitely have to make a trip back to snorkel.

After the beach we headed to the island's only IGA Supermarket to pick up some supplies. I was shocked to see that the IGA here had a better selection than most of the stores in Calgary! They definitely play to the Americans & the Canadians as I saw many name brands I recognized from both countries. One note, everything (except fish and conch) is imported onto Turks and Caicos. So when you see prices that seem a bit high understand that that piece of food did quite a bit of traveling before it got there.

After we went back to the villa to unload & rest a bit, we headed to a little beach about a 5 minute drive from Harbour Club. There isn't any beach access at Harbour Club but you don't really care. The villas are a quite oasis from all the hubub and construction on the North Shore. Plus every beach on the entire island is no more than 20 minutes away (most are about 10 min). Marta directed us to this beautiful little beach that we never would have found otherwise!

After getting back from the beach we headed to Da Conch Shack for dinner. I had heard this place mentioned over and over as a place to go to get a feel of the island. They had recently moved to a new "upscale" location in Blue Hills. We passed the place at first b/c the sign isn't lit. We turned around and headed back. You have to go through the trees to get to the seating area so we weren't 100% sure we were at the right place. We finally figured it out though and sat down to order. I ordered cracked conch with cole slaw and rice with peas and Dewey ordered red snapper steamed island style with plantains and rice with peas. Everything was really tasty. Conch is one of the main foods of the island. I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought it might be a bit rubbery but the cracked conch wasn't at all. By the way, cracked conch is conch that has been pounded, floured & fried. At Da Conch shack they pull the conch out of the ocean right before they cook it for you so that it is at the height of freshness. You can tell! Dewey's snapper tasted amazing but the fish was not boned so picking the bones out was a bit of a task. We finished up dinner with icecream with rum raisin sauce.