Author: plusroi

…without your partner catching wind of it beforehand.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Do you have any plans? Does the prospect of planning a romantic getaway fill you with anxiety? Down here in the Turks and Caicos, we can provide some help.

Here are the five steps you need to take to plan the perfect surprise romantic getaway for the Valentine’s Day holiday.

1. Careful Planning is the Key to Spontaneity

While flying off at a moment’s notice may seem romantic, in fact it’s a recipe for relationship disaster. For one thing, some of us are planners, while some of us are more spontaneous by nature. Which one are you? What about your lover?

While different approaches to travel can turn off each personality type, a little planning goes a long way.

While you want to surprise your lover with a trip, try to make a plan:

• When will you both be free at the same time?
• Will you be able to make a reservation?
• What happens if you need to cancel?

Details like these are decidedly unromantic. But, done right, all this planning creates the illusion of spontaneity and romance.

2. Be Sneaky

Sometimes keeping a secret is one of the most memorable parts of a romantic relationship. Does everyone need to know where you’re going? Not necessarily.

Of course, you can’t just vanish for a week — you’ll need to tell someone where you’re going. But you can choose to go someplace off the beaten track (like Turks and Caicos).

Choose a destination with miles of deserted beach. Or maybe hide out by the pool in your all-inclusive resort. But adding a bit of mystery to your Valentine’s getaway is a surefire recipe for romance.

3. It’s All About Location

You’ll want to maximize your downtown, not your airtime. So, try to find a place that’s easy to get to, ideally by direct flight, and won’t leave you tired and crabby when you arrive.

Make sure your hotel is close to the airport, and you don’t have to fight through traffic to get there. A beachfront location is obviously ideal.

Spectacular beauty also ups the romance factor. A lot of romantic destinations may look ideal in the brochures, but when you get there you’ll find the beach is crowded, or fenced off by boxy condo developments.

Grace Bay Beach, we might suggest, is different.

Twelve miles of beautiful powdery sand, and turquoise seas that are out of a dream. Best of all? You’ll have the beach to yourself.

We’re a direct flight from the mainland, and we’re off the beaten track. And we’re in a beautiful location.

4. Plan for Romance

There are two types of romantic getaways. The first type is to hole up in your luxury resort. The second type is to go out exploring. This could mean  Both can be great for a romantic date with your loved one. To make this decision, consider whether your partner generally enjoys going out or staying in. You want them to be comfortable.

• Staying at your resort means you will have privacy and not be distracted by other people
• Going out can make for a special evening by doing something out of the ordinary

5. Enjoy Yourself

Finally, after all of your planning and (hopefully) sneaking around, learn to live in the moment. You may for feel like you have all these things you “just have to do” to make it a romantic getaway.

If such thoughts stress you out, then just choose two or three things you really want to do, and do them. Ignore everything else!

Let romance take its course!

What Are Your Recommendations?

Remember, you can sneak romance into almost any getaway, including family vacations. It takes a bit of planning, a touch of spontaneity, and and openness to letting things happen.

Do you have any advice for planning the perfect romantic getaway? Let us know in the comments below.

The Turks and Caicos Islands consist of 40 islands and cays. Only eight are inhabited, which leaves a lot to explore, and a lot to the imagination.

For many visitors, the islands and cays floating on the Caicos Bight conjure up images of the mythical past of the Caribbean. Sailing ships, deserted islands, buried treasure, and, of course, pirates. Were there ever any pirates in the Turks and Caicos? If there were, where could they be found?

A secluded outpost at the edge of the Atlantic

The Turks and Caicos are located to the east of Florida and the Bahamas, and just to the north of the Caribbean proper. For sailing ships relying on the trade winds to return to Europe from South America, the Turks and Caicos offered a place to stop for water and food (typically fish), and make repairs.

Ships have passed by the Turks and Caicos for more than 500 years. It’s thought that Christopher Columbus first made landfall on Grand Turk. After that, privateers traveled back and forth between the Turks and Caicos and Bermuda for more than a hundred year. They came to the Turks and Caicos for a valuable product: salt, one of the most important commodities in the world for thousands of years.

Along the way the Spanish were sending millions of dollars of Peruvian silver back to Europe every year, and so the Caribbean became the hunting ground of rival colonial powers, including the British and the French, as well as the pirates.

The Spanish treasure fleets of the Caribbean

The Spanish West Indies treasure fleet traveled in convoys, starting in 1566 until the end of the 19th century and the start of the Napoleonic wars. These convoys linked Spain with its territories in the Americas.

Every year, two fleets left Spain loaded with European goods in demand in the Spanish-American colonies. The two fleets sailed together down the coast of Africa, and stopped at the Canary Islands for provisions before the voyage across the Atlantic.

On the return trip, the convoys transported a wide variety of items, including food and crops, lumber, sugar, tobacco, and, most notably, silver, gold and gems. For the pirates lying await for the fleets in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, these fleets were an irresistible target.

Silver an Irresistible Target for Pirates

A single galleon might carry 2 million pesos. The modern approximate value of the estimated 4 billion pesos produced during the period would come to the modern equivalent $500 billion.

Who were the pirates?

It took hundreds of thousands of men to man the sailing ships of the Transatlantic trade and the navies that preyed on and protected these fleets. Life on sailing ships was generally unpleasant and quite frequently brutal, so, if there was an opportunity, men would jump ship to somehow forge an existence on their own. The many deserted island of the Caribbean made for a great place to hide.

Pirates in the Bahamas

Due to their location along the trade routes, the Bahamas, to the west of the Turks and Caicos, became a haven for pirates. In fact, Nassau, in the Bahamas was known for a time as “the Republic of Pirates.”

Ironically, this pirate haven in the Bahamas came about when Spanish forces attacked the British colony there, driving out the settlers. Pirates were only to happy to move into occupied homes and farms, and the Bahamas would provide the pirates

Pirates in the Turks and Caicos

From about 1690 to 1720, pirates hid in the cays of the Turks and Caicos Islands, attacking Spanish treasure galleons en route to Spain from Cuba, Hispaniola, and the Spanish possessions in Central America and Peru.

The islands were not fully colonized until 1681, when salt collectors from Bermuda built the first permanent settlement on Grand Turk Island.

Until that time the islands were the perfect place to hide.

Experience the history of Turks and Caicos with a full-day cruise

If you want to catch a glimpse of the history of the pirates of Turks and Caicos, a full-day trip up the Caicos Bank to the east of Grace Bay and the Leeward side of Providenciales is the way to do it.

As its name suggests, Caicos Bank is notable for its shallow, crystal-clear water and white sands.

The full day excursion makes a stop at Leeward Reef for snorkeling right from the boat. Leeward reef is located off the northeastern, leeward tip of Providenciales and has been left relatively untouched by development.

The tour also explores some of the more remote cays that most visitors never get to see. One of these small islands is Fort George Cay, less than an hour by boat to the east of our resort.

Fort George Cay is an uninhabited island that once was home to a small fort that protected the Caicos islands from pirates. Some of the gun emplacements still remain, which makes for an incredible beachcombing experience.

As part of its full-day excursion, Caicos Dream Tours provides a delicious BBQ feast.

After lunch the tour resumes with snorkeling at the spectacular coral beds off Pine Cay and exploration stop at Half Moon Bay.

These three fall food festivals on Provo, just in time for Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season 

Every fall the Turks and Caicos kicks off the winter travel season with a series of festivals that show off the culinary culture of this corner of the Caribbean.

There are three festivals over the course of one month in October and November. Two of them are perfect for families, while a third is one of the most glamorous and exciting culinary festivals in the Caribbean.

Lionfish Festival (October 29th)

Free to the public, on October 29th Providenciales will host its first annual lionfish festival and fishing derby. The point is to catch—and eat—as many lionfish as possible in an event sanctioned by REEF, a marine education foundation.

A lionfish. Image from Flickr.

“Although it is a beautiful animal, lionfish are not supposed to be in the wider Caribbean region,” says John Claydon, a senior manager with the Turks and Caicos Departments of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR).

According to Claydon, fishermen have been catching lionfish on a small scale for many years in the Turks and Caicos.However, while the lionfish has a reputation for being quite tasty, local fishermen do not typically target lionfish heavily because crawfish, conch, and other finfish are more profitable.

We hope that the festival results in many lionfish being caught (and eaten), which will give our reefs a helping hand and also raise awareness about this invasive species,” says John Claydon. “Above all we hope the events are fun and that many people from all walks of life come to take part.”

Free to the public, the Lionfish Derby will be held on October 29th from 2PM to 6PM at the Turtle Cove Marina. More details can be found here.

Caribbean Food & Wine Festival (November 3rd to 6th, 2016)

This three-day world-class event starting on November 3rd brings together celebrity chefs, cutting-edge cuisine and truly noteworthy wines and spirits, all right here on the island of Providenciales.

The Caribbean Food & Wine Festival is hosted at different resorts along Grace Bay Beach each year in early November, an ideal time of the year to visit Turks and Caicos.

“Partnering with some of the world’s best chefs and winemakers”

“The festival allows us to spotlight the remarkable culinary talent we have here in Turks and Caicos, and elevate the dining experience for visitors and guests by partnering with some of the world’s best chefs and winemakers for a truly unique experience year after year,” says Anthony Garland, a local expert on wines and co-chair of the event.

The festival is an opportunity for anyone to enjoy amazing food hand-crafted by celebrity chefs as well as experience wines and spirits from all over the world.

The three-day festival features a number of events, from wine-tasting to sampling local street food and barbecue.

Packages are available, as well as admission for individual events. More details can be found here.

The Conch Festival: Kicking Off the Holiday Season (November 26th, 2016)

Next up is the Conch Festival on November 26th, and the message is, “Eat conch instead of Turkey for Thanksgiving in the Turks this year!”

Every November the Turks and Caicos kicks off the winter holiday season with the world’s only Conch Festival. The Turks & Caicos Islands celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s in traditional ways, but there are some holiday festivities that are unique to this corner of the Caribbean. The annual Conch Festival is one of them.

Now in it’s 13th year, the Conch Festival kicks off with a Calypso event on Friday November 25th, 2016. The next day, Saturday November 26th, is when the festival officially starts.

If you’re coming, show up hungry, because some of the finest restaurants of TCI will be competing in a “Conch-etition,” in which the categories are Best Conch Salad, Best Conch Chowder, Best Specialty Conch and Best in Show.

The Conch Festival is a full-day event and quite a party, marking the start of the winter holiday season on Providenciales.

On Saturday, November 27, the family-friendly Conch Festival will start at noon in Blue Hills. An entry fee of $25 enables a sampling of all the dishes and a vote for Best in Show.

Along with conch tasting there will be a host of conch-related and kids activities, a Mojito-making contest, local entertainment and the annual Pot of Gold drawing where Rotary Club of Providenciales gives away $10,000 to one lucky raffle ticket purchaser. A cameo appearance by Santa Claus is also highly likely.

Many people come to Turks and Caicos to sit on the soft, white sand and swim in the impossibly turquoise waters. However, if you are an animal lover, if you come to Providenciales you should not miss the opportunity to visit with our resident population of ‘potcake’ dogs.

As Sara, one of our guests mentioned following her stay at the Sands:

We enjoyed everything we did, but a few that stick out are, riding the resort bikes into town, doing the half day snorkel your with Caicos Island Dream Tours (delroy is the best!) and taking a potcake puppy from the Potcake Place Foundation on a walk down the beach. I could go on for days!!

‘Potcake’ is the name given to the dogs of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the nearby Bahamas archipelago. The name came about because the locals fed the caked remains of the cooking pot to their dogs.

“Potcakes are truly a remarkable breed of dogs. They make very smart, loyal and loving pets. They generally grow to between 40 and 55lb usually—they’re a medium-sized dog, smaller than a Lab,” says one local aficionado of the breed.

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It’s hard to say where potcakes come from. Wikipedia speculates three types of dogs may have contributed to development: dogs the indigenous Arawak brought with them to the Bahamas archipelago; terriers protecting supplies from rodents on ships; and dogs from North Carolina that arrived with Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War period.

The dogs are now common in Turks and Caicos and the nearby Bahamas.

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Potcakes have become popular pets on Providenciales. However, like in many parts of North America, spaying and neutering has not been enough to prevent overpopulation.

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The Turks and Caicos SPCA works to spay and neuter animals, advocate for responsible pet ownership to local owners and facilitates fostering of animals.

However, what may interest any dog-lover visiting Provo is Potcake Place. This is a charity on Providenciales that has been established to help stray potcake dogs on Providenciales.

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Potcake Place allows you to adopt a potcake to take back from vacation and ensure that every rescued dog has a caring home.

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How You Can Help Potcake Dogs on Providenciales

If you want to play with or walk a potcake, head over the Potcake Place during your stay. The headquarters are located in Saltmills Plaza in the Grace Bay area of Providenciales.

Feel free to pop in, meet some puppies and learn some more about what they do.  The Potcake Place team has a constant stream of puppies needing socialization. You can come by and take a puppy out to the beach.

If you want to adopt a potcake from Turks and Caicos, Potcake Place can give you all the information you need here.

Potcake Place is always looking for volunteers to courier dogs to new homes in North America. Dogs that have been fostered first, and will make a good pet, are also available for adoption. Learn more here.

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