The Permanent Tourist

Unlike my normal posts that are full of anecdotes, amusing events, silly quotes, and an abundance of quippy descriptions, I took zero notes during our time in Turks and Caicos. Consider this my first ever post that is a semi-guide to the isolated South Caicos island!

This trip was purchased on a whim with very little thought outside of, “Well, we’ve never been there before, and there is supposed to be good snorkeling,” combined with, “This year is our five year anniversary… why not?” Mind you, we ended up doing zero snorkeling while I was there. For one of the first times ever, I will provide a little more in depth information on logistics for this little expedition, along with what has become a favorite discounted travel website.

Given how often I travel, I get a tremendous number of random spam-ish travel emails, almost all of which I have never purposely subscribed to. Thanks internets, for saving and selling all of my personal information (insert eye roll and sarcasm). Anyhow, one of the many booking sites I had been perusing over the years is called Travelzoo. It offers deals provided by hotels, tourist agencies, entertainment related, resorts, airlines, flight deal websites… you get the idea. Many of these offerings are luxury accommodation for a fraction of the price. I consulted a close friend of mine that also travels a lot (mainly cruises), and he said he had used Travelzoo himself and it was a reputable website. Good to know. Most of the deals on the site require you to purchase a voucher, which can be redeemed between certain dates/years. The time span is not a month or two, but rather a year or two, making the purchase far more attractive and logical. Some do have blackout dates, however. Enter spontaneous purchase of Turks and Caicos all inclusive resort week. The original offering was four days, but we elected to add on a few more, because… why not? You can add extra days on the site for a set price each. The price does not change after purchase, but read the fine print as in-country taxes and fees may apply depending on where you are going. Our Turks and Caicos resort had a medium sized fee imposed by the country upon arrival. Travelzoo now requires a membership fee, but that fee is only $40, and the two trips we’ve gotten with it have paid for that tenfold.

We stayed at East Bay Resort near Cockburn Harbour on South Caicos. South Caicos was pretty tiny and remote compared to the rest of the islands, and getting there involved an extra flight from Providenciales to the southern cay. InterCaribbean Airways flew from the main island to the other regional airports. For $300 USD, I was expecting a lot more for 30 minute flight. Instead, we approached a non-air conditioned prop plane with eleven rows that they generally packed dozens of people into. The plane (if you can call it that) barely looked functional. Fingers crossed? Plus, us security conscious Americans are used to an insane amount of obstacles separating us from the pilot. Not here… I could have grabbed the pilot and copilot easily from my seat less than five feet away from them. Or pushed any of the hundreds of buttons within my reach. I lack a death wish, so I equated button pushing with plane crash. No thanks!

The tin tube did make it into the air, and off we flew to South Caicos. We landed at what I assumed was supposed to be an airport, but was really only a runway with an unfinished, but newer, building at the far end. Security involved walking through a huge door frame onto a concrete pavilion where we awaited a transfer vehicle from the hotel. Well, that was an experience!

Once the van arrived, we were driven through a dilapidated town, ramshackle homes on either side before all structures disappeared, revealing desolate flat terrain. What did I get us into? Finally, we arrived at the East Bay Resort. It was located away from town on it’s own private beach leading out to a private bay. Okay, redemption was yours, East Bay Resort.

The resort consisted of a main circular shaped structure that housed the restaurant, reception, gym and kitchen. That building was flanked by four identical rectangular four-story buildings housing the rooms (two on each side). The ones to the left were uninhabited and under construction, while the ones to the right were occupied by the few guests of the haven. Directly in front of the main lodge was the pool and beyond that the remainder of the grounds were covered in dunes and brush, but it was obvious that land had other uses in mind for the future, as colored stakes denoted the perimeter of new structures. A low dune separated the grounds from the generally empty exclusive coast and bay. Kayaks and paddle boards, along with a few beach chairs there for guests to use at their leisure.

I spent my days lounging by the pool and/or beach, kayaking, eating far too much from the buffet, and partook of many adult beverages. The weather is toasty in this part of the world, especially during the summer when we were there, but we decided a bicycle excursion into “town” was on the menu. Cockburn Harbour was populated by only locals, and all of the shops or cafes Uncle Google told us existed actually didn’t. And the ones that did were a room in someone’s home. Sweaty and tired, we returned to the hotel. Where we got cleaned up for dinner. Welcome to the ridiculousness that is my face while eating far too many buffet dishes.

A Google maps search informed me that East Bay Resort is now permanently closed, however, what they were building at the time of our visit has come to be. East Bay has now been replaced by Salterra Luxury Resort & Spa. A high-end retreat that I will never be able to afford anymore, and I have since received travel articles about via email. We stayed for seven nights, and a search of the new and improved website for the resort Salterra yielded a price tag of anywhere from $13,000 to $15,000 for the same spacious room we enjoyed for the same number of nights. To put that in perspective, we paid $4000 for two people all-inclusive. The new rate does NOT include ANY food or beverages – our visit included all food and snacks, all three meals of the day, all beverages (both adult and otherwise), kayaking and paddle boarding in the private bay, bikes for our riding pleasure, and transfers from the not yet completed airport. That is a helluva jump in price!

Fun facts, this is about the only place to visit on the isolated South Caicos island. It is pretty desolate otherwise. But it did get my a Turks & Caicos handstand

Other activities on the isles of Turks and Caicos were aplenty. Since I was intending on a relaxing vacation on a beach, I did not research much. However, I discovered I would have a dozen hours on Providenciales before my flight home took off, so I figured out how I could rent a car and drive the beaches and shops there. The area was much more populated than my island and appeared to be one of the main tourist hubs. Renting a car at the last minute was easy, they drive on the side of the road I’m accustomed to (the right side), and it’s simple to get around.

Grace Bay Beach would have been a much better area to stay in for shopping, restaurants and nightlife. There was a small downtown surrounded by hotels, resorts and pristine beaches. We lunched, wandered in and out of boutique shops, and admired the turquoise waters. Once we were done there, we drove to the southern side of the island (Grace Bay is on the northeast end), and “hiked” up to Sapodilla Hill, which is located on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The remaining limestones lying around are covered in inscriptions from shipwrecked sailors and pirates dating back to the 1700s. Not much of a hike, but astounding views from the top.

If you’re looking for a remote, relaxing beach vacation this place hit the nail on the head. If you have an unlimited budget, Salterra Resort & Spa could also fit the bill. Me? I’ll keep checking Travelzoo for deals if I ever have the desire to stay there again.

June 2023