Paradise - Ocean Club Resorts

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The Sunday Sun n June 1, 2014
Canadian travellers have already
embraced Turks and Caicos
Welcome to paradise
photos by RItA DEMoNtIs/TORONTO SUN
Scenes from Turks and Caicos: The
pristine landscapes, white sand
beaches and blue waters of the
islands are almost too beautiful to
be believed, above. The Ocean Club
on Providenciales’ Grace Bay Beach,
inset top. The Atabeyra, right, is
one of several tour boats that take
visitors out for snorkellng excursions
and sunset cruises. The Queen
Conch, far right, is a staple of the
TCI diet and found on many menus.
A conch shell acts as a reserved
sign at a waterside picnic table,
opposite page. Fresh fish, inset, and
other seafood are other delicious
cornerstones of island cuisine.
The Sunday Sun n June 1, 2014
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RITA DEMONTIS
Toronto Sun
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks
and Caicos Islands — Thanks
to the recent visit of Turks
and Caicos Premier Rufus
Ewing, Canadians are once
again fantasizing about the
idea of inviting this tropical paradise into the federation as a new Canadian
province or territory. This
despite Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird throwing
cold Atlantic water on the
idea by saying, “we’re not
in the business of annexing
islands in the Caribbean.”
To that I say — rats! As
far back as 1917, when then
Prime Minister Robert Borden first floated the idea,
Canada has toyed with the
possibility of
legally embracing this jewel into
the federation
fold. In recent
days, whenever the subject
comes up so do
the arguments
about equalization payments,
health-care costs,
refugee issues
and on and on.
Such a shame
as, truthfully, all
these government naysayers need is one visit to this
pristine part of the south
and the deal would be
sealed before the sun set.
At least that’s how I felt
during a recent visit to Providenciales, where I found
myself immediately captivated by the beauty of the
beach, my feet thoroughly
buried in warm sand while
my eyes scanned the horizon.
Like the Bahamas, Turks
and Caicos is in the Atlantic,
not the Caribbean Sea, but it
is generally regarded as part
of the Caribbean. With babysoft white sand fringed by
crystal clear turquoise waters,
the beaches are superbly
spectacular — so perfect
you’re afraid they’re not real.
You can stand there for
NEED TO KNOW
ISLAND TIDbITS
n Located 925 km southeast
of Miami, the 40 islands and
cays of Turks and Caicos are
made up of two archipelagos:
To the east, the Turks islands,
named after the native
Turk’s Head cactus; to the
west are the Caicos, a word
derived from “caya hico,”
which, in the language of the
indigenous Lucayan Indians,
means “string of islands.”
n TCI is a British Overseas
hours, looking out to sea.
Warm as a bath, with nary
a ripple, the moment you
set foot on the beach, your
whole body just propels you
to these calm waters, with
so many iridescent shades
of blue that I’m sure a few
have yet to be named.
The landscape is primal, pristine, magnificent
and soothing as a balm.
It’s hard to believe such
beauty exists. But it does.
This scene was my introduction to this glorious
piece of paradise, a vision
that helped me survive the
recent, wicked Canadian
winter. During the coldest
days, I found comfort revisiting memories of my visit
and stay at the inviting Ocean
Club Resort, where small
Territory with a population
of about 30,000 spread over
eight inhabited islands. The
capital is Cockburn Town
on Grand Turk. English is
the official language. Which
European explorer first
discovered TCI is debated:
Some historians believe it
was Juan Ponce de Leon in
1512, others believe it was
Columbus in 1492. Control
of TCI passed from Spain, to
France and finally to Britain.
n Until the 1950s, sea salt
production was the major
buildings stacked with airy
Home to world-famous
and elegant living quarters,
Grace Bay Beach, Providencomplete with kitchens,
ciales — or Provo — is the
are grouped around a good
main tourist island and the
size pool, a great restauheart of the country. This
rant and the famous beach.
is the island everyone talks
From the moment we
about. And despite its spankarrived there was a sense of
ing brand-new vibe (it seems
comfort, from our cab driver
to grow daily), it is the most
Virgil, who greeted us with
populated island. All interthe words “welnational flights
come home” and
arrive on Provo
a smile as wide as
and the humble
the beach, to staff
airport looks as
and residents who
if it might burst
came to feel like
as it tries to keep
torontosun.com/ up with the surge
family, to food so
fresh and deliin tourism.
turkscaicos
cious, prepared
While there,
with local ingrediI kept bumping
ents, it left us wanting more.
into Canadians — from tourTurks and Caicos is a Britists to bank officials to hotel
ish Overseas Territory a oneowners, even chefs. Canhour by flight from Miami.
ada has played a major role
The islands are home to
in helping to build up the
Grace Bay Beach, frequently
islands’ infrastructure; Interrated “best in the world,”
Health Canada developed,
and surrounding waters that
constructed and currently
receive high praise from
operates two hospitals there.
divers. TCI also has the largI loved spending my time
est above-ground cave system just bobbing around in the
in the Bahamas-TCI archiwater, but there is excellent
pelago and one of the Top 10
fishing, numerous watergolf courses in the Caribbean. sports and you can ride a
industry, with attempts at
cotton, sisal and sugar-cane
plantations and shipwreck
salvaging. Now, tourism,
fishing and financial services
are the main revenue sources.
n Providenciales is the
most developed island as
well as the economic and
tourist epicentre. Grand Turk
distantly follows in terms
of infrastructure. Other
inhabited islands are sparsely
populated and tend to reflect
the atmosphere of the old
Caribbean.
n TCI’s main claims to fame
are its spectacular beaches
and crystal-clear waters,
crowned by the worldrenowned 12-km-long long
Grace Bay beach on Provo.
The climate complements
the beaches. Sunny days and
temperatures ranging from
28C to 32C being the norm.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
n For trip planning, see
turksandcaicostourism.com.
n Some hotels offer meal
plans. Many — like Ocean
horse bareback down the
beach. But don’t kid yourself — Turks and Caicos is
all about tranquillity, a vacation spot that is both family friendly and perfect for
people who want to relax,
snorkel, bask in the heat
or take long walks on the
beach. It doesn’t have the
vibrant mania of, let’s say
Jamaica or Mexico. There
are no Cirque du Soleil
shows and the nightlife borders on tame, but there is
plenty of great shopping,
restaurants that offer some
fine culinary adventures —
even S’mores adventures
on the beach after sunset.
It’s also the perfect spot
for weddings or other special occasions. Visitors can
indulge in sunset cruises
and snorkel on the world’s
third-largest reef in the protected marine park of Grand
Turk. Add parasailing, whalewatching or just grabbing a
bike and tootling around —
at 98-sq.-km, you can probably bike the whole place in
a day stopping for a bite here
and there. (Keep in mind,
driving is on the other side.)
We spent an idyllic afternoon aboard Sun Charters’
Atabeyra, gliding through
crystal clear waters and
anchoring near a private
beach for a swim from the
23-metre-long ship. I watched
in amazement as a giant dark
orb slipped past my toes, then
later realized it was a stingray.
Apart from the stingray encounter, no one event
stands out in my mind.
Instead, a thousand little adventures have left me
with a timeless image of a
landscape of sea, water and
smiles. This is a place of happiness, home to people who
make you feel magical. Even
the volunteer dog rescue
operation — Potcake Place on
Providenciales — stands out
as a place of love and refuge.
Should Turks and Caicos become part of Canada? Only history will tell.
I certainly know it has
become part of my heart.
Club Resorts — have full
kitchens and outdoor
barbecues. There are
several supermarkets near
the resorts. For details on
lodgings at Ocean Club, see
oceanclubresorts.com.
n Many travel companies
— Air Canada Vacations
(vacations.aircanada.com),
WestJet Vacations (westjet.
com/turks-and-caicos),
itravel2000.com, expedia.ca,
sunquest.ca and more — offer
seasonal packages and lastminute deals.
TRAVEL
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SUN TRAVEL
ONLINE
Celebrity travellers
n Kim Kardashian and Kanye
West took Europe by storm
for their May 24 wedding, with
four castles in three countries
as venues for everything from
their pre-wedding brunch to
their honeymoon. We look
at each historic location in
Kimye’s lavish nuptials: canoe.
ca/kimyewedding.
n George Clooney is
reportedly planning his own
castle wedding at England’s
Highclere Castle, aka
Downton Abbey: canoe.ca/
clooneywedding.
n Take a look back at the top
tourism campaigns featuring
celebrities: canoe.ca/
tourismcampaigns.
SUN POLL
Online Travel Poll
Do you ever work out on
vacation?
n Yes, I try to stay
fit on the road.
n No, I’m on
vacation!
VOTE NOW AT
canoe.ca/travel
Last week’s results
Have you ever travelled
with your pet?
50% Yes.
50% No.
Total votes: 105
READER
E
EXcLUSIV
Ocean Club Resorts
(oceanclubresorts.com)
has an exclusive deal for
Sun Media readers who
want to check out Turks
and Caicos next winter.
Call U.S. Reservations
at 1-800-457-8787 and
mention ”Sun Media” for
up to 20% discount off
travel from Jan. 3-April 5,
2015 (exclusions apply).
Limited time offer, valid
for bookings made by June
15, 2014.