Non-stop flights between Chicago and PLS (Providenciales)
United Airlines started nonstop Turks and Caicos flights this month! The flights depart from from Chicago (ORD) to Providenciales (PLS). These non-stop flights to Turks and Caicos continue throughout the busy winter and spring months, and end on April 30, 2016.
The new direct flights between snowy Chicago and sunny Turks and Cacios will operate on Saturdays. The flights come just in time for the chilly winter travel season.
The outbound Boeing 737-800 flight will depart from Chicago Saturdays at 10:40 a.m., arriving in Providenciales at 3:40 p.m., while the return flight will depart Providenciales at 1:49 p.m. and arrive in Chicago at 5:09 PM.
Turks and Caicos flights: new air service to all major cays
In December Caicos Express Airways announced a new regional “island hopping” service. This service is between Providenciales and a number of smaller cays across Turks and Caicos.
New InterCaribbean air service also up and running
InterCaribbean Airways has also introduced new flights from their home base on Providenciales, connecting Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Antigua and Barbuda. Read more.
Sports in Turks and Caicos is approached seriously. This is a good thing, because for many of us sports is love that borders on being an obsession. While we all love taking a holiday in the wonderfully warm Caribbean, none of us can bear to break contact with our favorite sports teams.
Luckily the island of Providenciales offers a variety of opportunities to keep track of our favorite teams. There are several sports bars just a short distance away from the Sands resort. There are other opportunities to participate in sports if you want to.
Sports Bars
There are several sports bars in Providenciales. There is one, however, that towers above the rest.
Danny Buoy’s Irish Pub
Danny Buoy’s bills itself as “Provo’s premier live music and sports destination.” This laid-back sports bar serves pub-style lunch and dinner daily from 11:00am.
Located in Turtle Cove, west of downtown Providenciales, the Sharkbite Bar & Grill is a great place to catch a game. If you get bored you can always enjoy a nice view of the marina.
Best of all, there is the promise of seeing of actual sharks swimming in the cove right in front of your eyes.
Jimmy’s Dive Bar
Jimmy’s Dive Bar is another popular sports pub. It’s the best place to grab a burger and watch a game on the big screen TV. The bar is open for lunch and dinner, with $5 mugs of beer. If there’s no game playing there’s an open-air patio. You can talk sports scores with the locals.
Turks and Caicos for Sports Lovers
But what sports do locals in the Turks and Caicos actually play?
Providenciales is just forty minutes by air from Miami. Still, it’s like another world. The British protectorate’s sports culture resembles that of other Commonwealth countries.
A Commonwealth vibe…
Sports in Turks and Caicos is connected to the Commonwealth
Football (soccer) and cricket are both popular in Turks and Caicos. Field hockey, another sport popular in Commonwealth countries around the world.
Sporting life in Turks and Caicos is centered around the Graceway Sports Center. This is a large and shiny new sports complex located behind the popular Graceway IGA supermarket.
While you might think the strong “Canadian connection” to Turks and Caicos the word “hockey” would involve skating rinks, but this is not the case at all. Instead, the hockey league in Turks and Caicos involves turf, short sticks and an incredibly hard ball.
The sport is called “field hockey” and it’s a common game played in Commonwealth countries all over the world.
The Canadians didn’t give up, though. They started their own indoor hockey league in Providenciales. Instead of ice skates players strap on roller blades and glide over a smooth rink. They still have to don all the heavy gear and protection that ice hockey players must wear. It gets pretty hot, which shows how much they love their sport.
Football (aka “soccer)
The Turks and Caicos Islands national football team is the national team of the islands. The men’s team qualified for the 2002 World Cup, and is a member of FIFA, the international football assocation.
The team went without a victory in an official game from 2008 until June 2014, when they beat the British Virgin Islands during the 2014 Caribbean Cup qualification.
While the population of the Caribbean territory is just 17,000, the Turks and Caicos often gets expert help with its sports programs. This past summer Coventry United Football Club traveled from Britain to help foster an interest in football among the youth of Providenciales.
The Gym Scene: Improving Personal Performance on Providenciales
Turks and Caicos is home to a small but vibrant gym scene. Like anywhere else, locals are into Crossfit and the “bulletproof” lifestyle. As you might expect, the Graceway Sports Centre has an impressive gym, and equally impressive regulars who are trying to do their very best to stay in shape.
The undisputed king of the local gym scene is former professional American football player John Wright.
After high school, John went on to play football at a junior college in Chicago before he was drafted to play the game professionally in Amsterdam. A neck and back injury cut his football career short, but health and fitness remained an integral part of John’s life.
After studying to become a sports trainer, John moved to Providenciales to start up his own gym, Wrightfully Fit, where he has been ever since. In fact, Wright operates two gyms in Providenciales – one in Turtle Cove and the other in Salt Mills.
Starting this Sunday, Oct. 4th, we are back to our normal schedule at both locations (Turtle Cove & Salt Mills Plaza) pic.twitter.com/k6Hm2KJzeo — Wrightfully Fit (@wrightfullyfit) October 2, 2015
Training the Next Generation of Turks and Caicos Athletes
John Wright is also helping support the next generation of athletes and high-performance individuals in Turks and Caicos.
This past month USA Today’s Melanie Reffes visited The Sands at Grace Bay and wrote an incredible article highlighting her stay at our Turks & Caicos resort! Below is the Seaside Splendor article written by Melanie Reffes, accompanied by her beautiful photo tour of The Sands at Grace Bay which can be fully viewed on the USA Today website: Seaside Splendor.
Less than two hours by air from Miami, Providenciales is the biggest island in the Turks and Caicos and a sunny escape from the winter winds at home. Seven miles from the Providenciales International Airport, The Sands at Grace Bay fronts the baby-blue sea on Grace Bay Beach; the finest talc white sandy stretch on the island. The resort marries Caribbean chic with a casual vibe in 114 suites and studios in six three-story buildings that stand no higher than a palm tree. Each one to three bedroom suite features with ocean or garden views and all of them are spacious — up to 1,600 square feet — and have modern kitchens, dining rooms, washers and dryers and screened in furnished patios and balconies ideal for an afternoon siesta or a cocktail as the sun sets behind the beach. Studios with ocean or garden views are cozy comfy with pull-out couches for guests (or small kids). Wi-Fi is high-speed and complimentary throughout the resort.
For the active-minded, gratis bicycles are perfect for exploring the island, tennis and basketball court is lit for night play and the fitness center stays open until 11 p.m. The Sands at Grace Bay is also a short hop from the 18-hole Provo Golf Course and a pair of marinas for those wishing to explore the island by boat. Caicos Dream Tours arranges paddle boarding, kayaking, Hobie cat sails, spectacular snorkeling and diving in the healthy barrier reef and tours around the island. If you’re lucky, you may spot JoJo; the playful dolphin who has called this section of the sea home since 1980. If you’re just looking to wind down, find your own lazy hammock in the Coconut Grove Garden, revel in a calming soak in the open-air Jacuzzi, plant yourself on a sun lounger by one of three pools or snag a shady spot on the beach under a thatched palapa. For a regal rubdown; massages at Spa Tropique or en-suite are blissfully serene.
A culinary ode to Ernest Hemingway, who fished in the sea surrounding the island, Hemingway’s is beachside dining perfection from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Perched on the shore with servers so friendly you’ll swear you’ve met them before, a table on the dune deck is where to greet the morning with a spicy Blood Mary, stack of crazy good almond pancakes or a yummy ’Ernest’ omelette with a dab of the local hot sauce called ‘Ghost Story’. Big salads are divine for lunch and for dinner; locally-caught frittered conch and a buttery South Caicos lobster tail are the order of the day. Save room for a key lime pie martini and a deliciously shareable fried ice cream served in a sweet tortilla basket sprinkled with cinnamon powdered sugar and chocolate sauce.
Stan Hartling, CEO of The Hartling Group – the developers of three award- winning Turks & Caicos properties including The Sands at Grace Bay – is the Honorary Chairperson for this year’s Salvation Army Kettle Drive in Turks & Caicos.
The Sands at Grace Bay is delighted to join The Hartling Group properties in this year’s goal of raising $50,000 for the Salvation Army, to support families in need this holiday season.
Wait…there’s another way the Hartling Group is spreading holiday cheer: for ALL those who donate at least $25 towards this cause, you will be entered for a chance to win a one-week Turks & Caicos vacation at our sister property – The Palms Turks & Caicos! The Palms Turks & Caicos luxury resort is a 72-suite resort also situated on world-famous Grace Bay beach in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos and this one-week vacation giveaway is valued at over $7,000. The more that you donate, the more that you will be entered to win The Palms vacation prize:
Donate $25 and receive 1 prize entry
Donate $50 and receive 3 prize entries
Donate $100 and receive 8 prize entries
Donate $250 and receive 25 prize entries
To donate towards this great cause online and for contest details, please visit www.TCIKettle.com. Resort guests who wish to donate may also simply contact the Front Desk and one of our guest service representatives will be pleased to apply the donation you wish to make to your account. The prize winner will be drawn on December 23, 2015.
Please join in our mission of helping others and giving back this holiday season. Every donation, no matter how large or small, will be gratefully received!
The Turks and Caicos Islands lie in the Atlantic Ocean to the east of the Bahamas, and about forty minutes by plane from Miami and the North American mainland.
The climate is warm and dry for most of the year, and this climate has influenced the kinds of foods people enjoy in the Turks and Caicos.
Being surrounded by ocean, the main focus of Turks and Caicos Islands food culture is seafood. The country’s status as a crossroads between the Caribbean and Europe far to the northeast has also contributed to the national cuisine.
More recently the Turks and Caicos’ relatively prosperous economy has attracted people from all over the Caribbean who have also brought their food culture with them.
The History of the Turks and Caicos
The Turks and Caicos Islands have been inhabited for almost a thousand years.
The first inhabitants were the Lucayan, the original inhabitants of the Bahamas, and related other indigenous people who inhabited other parts of the Caribbean.
While the Lucayan are longer present in the islands, a glimpse of their way of life be found in the famous caves found on Middle Caicos.
Maize, Sweet Potato and Salt
Besides fishing, the Lucayan people of Turks and Caicos subsisted on many foods traditionally associated with the New World including beans and sweet potato, as well as manioc and cassava.
The Lucayan’s presence can still be seen by the presence of salt pans around the islands. Salt has always been an important commodity since ancient times. It is used not only for seasoning, but also for preserving food such as fish for long periods of time.
The Lucayan, like of the Caribbean’s other original inhabitants preserved salt, and some of the locations of these salt pans still exist today.
The Europeans Arrive
Columbus first reached the Caribbean in 1492, reaching what is now San Salvador in the Bahamas, to the northwest of the Turks and Caicos.
Following Columbus began five hundred years of change in the Caribbean. Europeans arrived to grow sugar and other crops, and to establish outputs in competition with other European nations.
They also brought the practice of slavery with them, including thousands of people from Africa whose ancestors still live in the Caribbean today.
In the Turks and Caicos various European occupiers such as the French and later the British focused on producing salt.
Salt production was so closely associated with it was once featured on the flag of the territory:
While the Turks and Caicos is known for Bambarra Rum today, distilling rum, the tipple that is characteristic of the Caribbean has never really been practiced on the islands.
This is because the islands are generally too dry to grow sugar cane, the chief ingredient when making rum.
Cuisine of Turks and Caicos Today
If you travel to the Turks and Caicos today you’ll be able to choose from almost every cuisine on earth.
This is because, as the islands have become more popular as a tourist destination people have been attracted from all over the world to live and work here.
The island of Providenciales in particular offers everything from sushi and high-end fusion cuisine to Indian and Chinese food.
Of course, everyone who travels to the Turks and Caicos will want to eat seafood, which includes local delicacies such as mahi mahi, tuna, rock lobster and the ever-present conch.
Drought-resistant maize (a kind of corn) does well in the semi-arid conditions of the Turks and Caicos. As a result, hominy grits are a popular part of traditional local cuisine.
The Unique Food Culture of Turks and Caicos
Photo courtesy of the ecoseaswim.com
While the Turks and Caicos is a modern international crossroads of cultures, the islands are also a melting pot of Caribbean culture.
For example, many people travel back and forth between the Turks and Caicos and the neighbouring country of Bahamas for work or to visit family.
Other people from countries around the Caribbean will also travel to the Turks and Caicos for work, and all bring their food culture with them.
Traditional Foods… Brought From Somewhere Else
Since the arrival of Europeans and people from Africa, local food has been based on the sea and on maize.
Two traditional dishes, grits and johnnycake, are distinctive Turks and Caicos specialties. As the travel blog Caribya notes:
Islanders love “boil fish and grits” for breakfast, and “boil fish and johnnycake” for lunch. For supper, fresh seafood alongside peas and hominy is a staple. In fact, once upon a time, when an island wife was asked what she was serving for dinner, her typical response would be “peas and hominy and penn on.” “Penn on,” was slang for “Depends on,” meaning that dinner would be peas and hominy, and the meat would depend upon whatever fish or game her husband had caught that day.
These days such traditional foods are harder to find in Providenciales, the tourist hub of the Turks and Caicos.
However, should you venture to Middle Caicos you’ll have the chance to encounter an older way of life, and this included food.
Other traditional dishes include conch and hominy, cod fish cakes and corn bread. Steamed conch, stewed conch, and stewed fish and grits.
Crab and rice, which features the blue crab common to the islands, is also a local comfort food.
A photo posted by TURKS & CAICOS FOOD & CULTURE (@tcifoodandculture) on
These foods are a real taste of the Caribbean, so it is worth seeking them out.
If you want to get an in-depth look at the cuisine of Turks of Caicos, be sure to check out the @TCIFoodandCulture Instagram feed. The photos are mouth-watering and verge on “food porn.”
Conch Fritters and Deep Fried Fish
While conch fritters are said to be the characteristic food of the Turks and Caicos, this dish is said to be a relatively new arrival to the islands.
The Caribbean Queen conch is the native mollusk and number one export for the Turks & Caicos Islands. It’s said that each of the islands in Turks and Caicos produces its own unique flavour of conch meat.
Conch can be served in a variety of ways, including fresh conch salad and conch fritters.
Fritters are a relatively new addition to the cuisine of the Turks and Caicos because in the past in the past, cooking oil was very hard to come by.
So pan frying, poaching, stewing or roasting was typically how people prepared this delicious Turks and Caicos treat.
Festivals and Events: the Best Way to Experience the Cuisine of Turks and Caicos
The best way to encounter the traditional cooking styles of Turks and Caicos is to visit one of the many festivals that are held throughout the year. It’s a way to meet new friends and create long-lasting memories.
Thursday Night Fish Fry
Fried fish is also a new addition to the cuisine of Turks and Caicos, but it has grown to become a cornerstone of community life in Providenciales.
It’s a great way to taste local cuisine and also meet the local residents of Providenciales. Conch Festival The Conch Festival is held on the last weekend of November every year in Turks and Caicos.
This traditional Caribbean beach bar serves up delicious local foods, including curried conch, cracked conch, fried conch, conch fritters and conch creole. That’s a lot of conch!
The restaurant is also located across the road from a beautiful beach.
Bugaloos
Bugaloos is another local favorite on the island of Providenciales.
Located south of Five Cays Settlement, about twenty minutes by car from Grace Bay Beach, Bugaloos serves comfort food, with a beautiful view of the ocean added for free.
You have GOT to check out Bugaloos on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Fresh, local TCI food. Heres buffalo Conch! pic.twitter.com/O4hVKnz1gg
However if you’re a guest at the Sands and you want to experience authentic local cuisine, you just have to head over to Hemingway’s, right on beautiful Grace Bay Beach.
The local Caribbean Queen conch is served in many Turks & Caicos restaurants including our very own Hemingway’s beachside restaurant at The Sands at Grace Bay.
The “Conch Served The Way You Like It” menu option offered at Hemingway’s is a great way to experience the taste of our Caicos conch in a variety of ways, as you can choose amongst conch fritters, conch fingers or a fresh conch salad.
These are all delicious and refreshing after a full day of fun under the sun. Another restaurant specialty is the chef’s conch chowder, which is a traditional spicy island recipe that is also made with fresh local conch.
What’s Your Favorite Food When You Visit Us?
Do you have a favorite food or place to eat when you visit Turks and Caicos? If you do, let us know in the comments!
In this new blog post series, we give you an idea about all the great things coming up on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos over the coming month.
To start things off we would like to take a look back at this past weekend and the always-popular Conch Festival.
Another Great Turks and Caicos Conch Festival
On the final weekend of November Providenciales once again hosted a successful Turks and Caicos Conch Festival. This event kicks off the Christmas season on Providenciales. It’s a lot of great food and fun for the whole family.
Besides a beautiful new look, the website tells you pretty much everything you need to know about traveling to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Where to stay (at the Sands, of course!), what to do and when to do it, it can all be found on the tourism authority’s shiny new website.
Non-stop Flights to Turks and Caicos
One of the most exciting events of the 2015/2016 winter travel season is the start of new non-stop flights to Turks and Caicos. There are now new non-stop flights from Chicago, Dallas and Fort Lauderdale.
These direct flights are in addition to the longstanding direct flights to Providenciales (PLS) between hubs such as New York, Boston, Toronto and Montreal.
This week The Sands at Grace Bay warmly welcomed local TCI Students from the Shining Star, Ianthe Pratt and Precious Treasures schools as Tourists for the day!
The Sands was delighted to be a part of the Hello Tourist Program, a Turks & Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association initiative in conjunction with TCI Tourist Board’s Tourism Awareness month, along with other participating TCHTA hotels and Allied Members – to give our local children a taste of what it feels like to be a tourist, what tourists look for and how we appreciate our tourists who visit the Turks & Caicos Islands.
This event was part of the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board’s November celebration of “Tourism Environmental Awareness Month.”
We hope you enjoy some of the photos we took of the students experiencing The Sands at Grace Bay as “tourists” for the day!
About The Sands at Grace Bay
Experience an earthly wonder of sand and sea at our 114-suite luxury resort on Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies.
Family-friendly, yet ideally suited for romantic getaways and wedding celebrations, The Sands at Grace Bay offers a harmonious balance of home comforts and sublime Caribbean elegance – as well as a picture perfect location on the sparkling shores of Grace Bay Beach.
If you are dreaming of a beach holiday in the Caribbean that gives you the flexibility of having your own fully-equipped suite while enticing you with fine dining, pristine grounds and sigh-inducing vistas, we look forward to welcoming you to The Sands at Grace Bay.
The Sands at Grace Bay resort offers an affordable and convenient option for travelers in town for the island’s 12th annual Turks and Caicos Conch Festival – a popular weekend event that celebrates the island’s most famous delicacy, unofficial mascot, and chief exporting product.
Located on Providenciales’ world-famous Grace Bay Beach, The Sands at Grace Bay is offering incredible savings for fall travelers now through December 19th including a 4th Night Free offer, low-season rates starting from only $195 per night, and an array of free amenities including watersports, bicycles, a weekly cocktail party and much more.
Kicking off on Saturday, November 28th, the 12th Annual Turks & Cacios Conch Festival will take place in Blue Hills, Providenciales. This year’s line-up of family-friendly events includes tasting tents where local restaurants compete for the best Conch dishes, live local music and entertainment, and plenty of children’s activities. The hallmark “conch-etition” conch tasting event showcases over 25 local restaurants that compete in several culinary categories including the Best Conch Salad, Best Conch Chowder and Best in Show. A Bacardi Mojito challenge is a mojito making competition that features the island’s best bartenders, including the resort’s first place reigning champion Hemingway’s Restaurant. The line-up of children’s activities includes a special kids’ area that will feature traditional island games including tug of war, sack race, and egg and spoon races, as well as an appearance made by Henry the Conch. For more information on the Annual Turks & Caicos Conch Festival, visit http://www.conchfestival.com/.
The resort’s 4th Night FREE promotion is valid for new bookings made on all room categories at The Sands at Grace Bay, for consecutive stays of four nights or more started and completed now through December 19th, 2015More information on this 4th Night Free 2015 offer can be found online at www.thesandstc.flywheelstaging.com – or by calling toll-free from the U.S. (877) 777-2637 or from Canada (800) 567-5327.
The Turks and Caicos is quickly becoming one of the most popular and trendy destinations in the Caribbean. How much about this chain of islands do you know?
1. The Turks and Caicos are located in the Atlantic, not the Caribbean
With its beautiful turquoise waters, white sand beaches and tropical climate it would seem that the Turks and Caicos are located in the Caribbean. But we’re not! We’re actually located in the Atlantic Ocean—the Caribbean Sea is a long way away.
However, the Turks and Caicos is part of Caribbean culture. You can enjoy the great food, culture and hospitality of the region when you come and visit us.
2. The water temperature is almost like a bathtub
The water is warm here. In the the summer a dip in the surf at Grace Bay Beach will be almost like taking a bath—82 to 84 degrees (28-29 degrees Celsius) to be exact! Tn winter the water temperature is a little cooler at about 74 to 78 degrees (23-26 degrees Celsius).
The dolphin’s name is JoJo, an Atlantic Bottlenose who has visited the crystal clear waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands for thirty years, one of a rare handful of dolphins around the world who voluntarily interacts with human beings in the wild. These types of dolphins are known as lone, sociable or ambassador dolphins.
Loved by the islanders and visitors alike, the government has recognized JoJo as a National Treasure, and has appointed a warden to protect him. There is even talk of providing him with a luxury Caribbean villa with a saltwater swimming pool.
6. The Turks and Caicos is the site of an annual Humpback whale migration
From January to March, the Humpbacks make their way from the northern waters of the Bay of Fundy in Canada to Silver Bank off the Dominican Republic where they mate and calve. Along this migration route is they travel near Providenciales and around Salt Cay, in the Turks and Caicos.
7. There are no lakes or rivers in Turks and Caicos
10. It’s a British territory that uses American currency
The islands have gone through plenty of different owners. Currently, the British own the islands. However, the currency most commonly used on the islands, is the US dollar.
Just a short drive away from The Sands at Grace Bay, The Provo Golf Club is a top-rated Caribbean golf course that has received a 4-star rating from Golf Digest and was listed as one of the “Top 10 Courses for Golf in the Caribbean” by Travel & Leisure.
The course is known for its rugged layout and beautifully maintained playing surfaces, surrounded by 7 lakes with abundant birdlife, over 1000 palm trees and the natural flora and fauna of the Turks & Caicos Islands. The club has a fully stocked pro-shop, premium Taylor Made club rentals, a short range warm-up area, and practice chipping and putting areas. There’s also a Fairways bar & grill for dining before or after your game and optional golf instruction programs and lessons are also offered for those interested in enhancing their game.
Rate options include a per person/per round rack rate, a “twilight” afternoon special, 3 and 5 round passes, and two week or monthly unlimited passes. For the current golfing green fees and rates at the Provo Golf Club visit: http://www.provogolfclub.com/course/rates-and-green-fees
About our Caribbean Resort
Experience an earthly wonder of sand and sea at our 114-suite luxury resort on Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies.
Family-friendly, yet ideally suited for romantic getaways and wedding celebrations, The Sands at Grace Bay offers a harmonious balance of home comforts and sublime Caribbean elegance – as well as a picture perfect location on the sparkling shores of Grace Bay Beach.
If you are dreaming of a beach holiday in the Caribbean that gives you the flexibility of having your own fully-equipped suite while enticing you with fine dining, pristine grounds and sigh-inducing vistas, we look forward to welcoming you to The Sands at Grace Bay.
