Amidst these freezing temperatures and Winter weather, and then now getting a sneak peek of some warmer weather, I am totally dreaming of a tropical vacation. We vacationed to one of our favorite destinations twice before Handstand Happiness was started, and we are asked often about our trip. So, while as I am dreaming (and begging) over here for Nelson to take me on vacation, I will just live vicariously through others as they plan their trips!
I wasn’t as obnoxious about taking pictures of the food, restaurants, accommodations, etc..since I didn’t have the blog yet, but got enough for you to get the idea of how amazing this place is. It was so amazing that we went for the 1st time for a “Babymoon” back in September of 2015, before we had Grayson, and we loved it so much that we went back a year later with our friends in October 2016. It is hard to capture in pictures the beauty of this island. But, disclosure, this island isn’t a budget trip. EVERYTHING on the island is pretty much expensive, because they live off of tourism.
The water is the prettiest blue and the temps stay between 75-80. Both trips we stayed on the island of Providenciales at the Seven Stars Resort on Grace Bay, from a recommendation from a few friends, and we were not disappointed at all. It was truly the BEST staff and service I have ever received, without being annoying.
Where we ate?
The island is known for some dang good food and it did not disappoint AT ALL. We didn’t have a bad meal. Even the lunches we had by the pool at Seven Stars were delicious! So, I’ll start with our hotel restaurant, where we ate both trips to Turks. Normally, we are ones to get off the resort and see the island, which we did every other night, but the restaurant, Seven, was highly recommended, and since the pool food was so good, we figured we would give it a shot. BEST LOBSTER I HAVE EVER HAD. Probably my favorite bite from the trip.
Da Conch Shack: A quaint little beach bar, with live music, tables in the sand, and waves crashing in the background. An amazing, casual atmosphere. Obviously, their specialty is conch – being that the world’s only conch farm is actually located on Providenciales, so you will see conch EVERYWHERE! You can even watch the staff going out to harvest the conchs and bring them into the kitchen to cook.
CoCo Bistro: If I had to pick my favorite restaurant in Turks, this would be it. The food and atmosphere MAKE it! The restaurant is situated in the mangrove of lit up palm trees. You really can’t go wrong here. Everything we had off the menu (both times) was delicious!
Magnolia Wine Cafe: Cool dinner spot with a huge porch for outdoor dining overlooking the Marina. (no picture of this spot, but we loved it! Delicious food and great atmosphere)
Coyaba: Another great spot for outdoor, romantic dining. This was raved as many’s favorite restaurant in Turks, and it was good, but I wasn’t blown away. CoCo Bistro still wins that vote in our book. Definitely worth checking out though. The food was delicious – just think we had an off experience.
**Take note: Many of these restaurants close during the “off-season” (September – when we visited the 1st time..haha because it is tropical storm season, and we were chased off of the island by Hurrican Joaquin), AND during the “on-season”, they book up FAST! So call weeks in advance for reservations, just in case!
What We Did
Our main purpose in both of these vacations as parents of 1 toddler expecting another baby, and then parents of 2 toddlers age 2 and under, was to relax and do NOTHING. So I’m pretty sure beach lounging and book reading was the took up the majority of our “activity” time.
We did do a 1/2 day excursion with Island Vibes Adventures, which included a good boat ride, snorkeling, a water slide and diving board from the 2nd story of the boat, and lunch. Pretty much a party boat and was SO much fun!!
Sea Folly Suit | Krewe sunglasses
I would also recommend renting a car if you plan to explore the island and venture out at all for lunches and/or dinners. Taxis were crazy expensive and renting a car was super cheap! Such a fun, relaxing, and BEAUTIFUL place! Highly recommend!
Other resorts that were recommended to us and many of these we visited for a drink on the beach: Gansevoort, Grace Bay Resort, Windsong, and Somerset.
Let me know if you have any other recommendations…in case I ever get to go back one day! HAHA! Enjoy your vacay…or atleast dreaming about a vacay somewhere tropical!
Happy Wednesday!! And feel free to comment here or on my IG with any questions or suggestions!
XO
Shana
