Just returned from T & C and have to say that it was one of our best vacations yet. It was myself, my husband, 13 yr.old son and my sister and brother-in-law. We all loved it!! Everyday as we swam or snorkeled, we talked about the beautiful beach and water. We don't usually repeat destinations since there are so many places we would like to go, but could definately see returning to T & C! The information and tips received from this forum was invaluable. My sister laughed about how much I already know about the island! So thanks Potcake, Blamona and everyone else, too!

The Weather:

I have to mention this since we were there right in the middle of when Hurricane Chris was supposed to hit the island.

The Sands kept everyone updated but we just went about our business. It rained about 30 minutes the afternoon it passed and that was it. Thank goodness! No worries!

The Resort:

We stayed at the Sands and were very satisfied with our choice. The central location on Grace Bay was great and we just liked the general feeling of the Sands -- laid back but attentive staff, etc. I wrote a more detailed report on the Sands in the hotel section. We would stay there again because it was a great value. Visit the ladies on the east side of the resort under the gray tarp--they sell jewelry and other island crafts. I always like to buy trinkets to give back to the local people.

Restaurants:

We felt we ate like royalty all week! Hemingway's at the Sands was very convenient for lunch and we also ate 2 dinners there. Out of the 5 of us, no one ever had a bad meal. Great value and great service. Go on Tuesday or Thursday when Quinton Dean is playing. Great musician. We also ate at Tiki Hut, Sharkbite (my favorite conch fritters) which are very reasonably priced and Iguanas, Caicos Cafe and Bay Bistro which are a little more upscale. All had excellent food and service except Bay Bistro. Our server had an attitude (with all her tables, we noticed). When you are paying that much for dinner, you just expect decent service...we really are very easy to please! The key lime pie there was the best. My favorite overall was Caicos Cafe which was recommended to us by 2 local girls we met so I'm glad we tried it. Of course, we went to Da Conch Shack and had a great lunch there. Don't miss it! I think we had conch every day in some form or fashion!

Excursions:

I read about Caicos Dream Tours on this forum, so we walked down the their hut between the Palm and Alexandra resorts and talked to the owner, John. What a nice guy he is! I told him I found about him on the internet and he replied "on Trip Advisor?" I had to laugh! I highly recommend Caicos Dream Tours! Of course, with Hurricane Chris looming, he wasn't sure which, if any excursions they would have the next couple of days and said he would call us. Sure enough, he left a us message and the next day, we went on the half day snorkel tour. We wanted to do the all day Beach BBQ tour, but they had to play it safe with the possibility of the hurricane and not go too far out. But our half day started at 9:30 and we didn't return until 2:00! This was our most fun day of the week. Luckily, we had Capt. Paul and he made sure everyone was having a great time! He's a really nice guy. We snorkeled at the reef and saw alot of beautiful fish, etc. Then, we dove for conch, and then onto Half Moon Bay for conch salad. Half Moon Bay is breathtaking! I felt like I was on another planet! We walked around there for a while and took alot of pictures. John met the boat when we returned and asked how everything was. Of course, I told him I would give him an A+ review on Trip Advisor.

We wanted to do a sailing excursion but our timing was off due to the hurricane and then they were booked with private charters, so decided to go with J & B Tours on the Beach Cruise. The boat picked us up at the beach at the Sands which was very convenient. We had Capt. Flex and Anthony - both were great! First stop was Iguana Island then we snorkeled the reef again. Anthony found a huge lobster - we wanted to keep him for dinner (ha ha!) but of course let him go. Then we went to Big Water Cay to look for sandollars. Anthony helped us locate the dead ones; we kept finding the live ones which you cannot keep. A very enjoyable trip!

We walked down to Coral Gardens which was 30 minutes from the Sands. The water seemed a little rough and it was very windy, and we were all disappointed with the snorkeling there. Maybe we just hit it on a bad day. By the way, we walked through Beaches on the way and was it ever crowded! Too many people for us.

Transportation:

We did not use the Gecko. We either walked, used the Sands van or used a cab. We asked the price before we got in the cab; we heard from a couple of people of being overcharged.

We rented a Jeep Wrangler for one day to go to Da Conch Shack and explore the island. It was well worth it. My husband felt a little uneasy about driving on the left, but adjusted quickly. The roundabouts were a little scary. I only had to remind him to stay left a couple of times! Chalk Sound is absolutely beautiful. By the time we arrived at Sapadilla Bay, a big rain storm came through and it poured! We got soaking wet scrambling around trying to get the windows on that jeep! Oh well, we still had fun. We used the jeep to go to Caicos Cafe that night.

The Belongers:

In our travels, we have found that people treat you how you treat them for the most part. We found the people to really open up once you begin a conversation with them. They are very warm and we learned alot about the island and their way of life by talking to them.

Misc.

We checked a box with food items like tuna, mayo, cereal and lots of snacks. Glad we did since my 13 yr. old son eats constantly. We shopped at the IGA for milk, bread, beer, etc. Prices are high, but considering everything is imported, it's justified. I took along a $20.00 Walmart unbrella which really came in handy since a palapya wasn't always available. Left it there for someone else to use. We also brought a soft-sided collapsable cooler. Came in handy with drinks down on the beach. Brought a flashlight, our own sponge and laundry detergent...all tips from this forum!

The beaches and water in Turks and Caicos is by far, the most beautiful I have ever seen. The color of the water is so amazing. We had a very nice, relaxing vacation and would definately go back some day. I also think I was on the verge of a new addiction while there........to dirty bananas!! Yummy drink!

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful information. Go to Turks and Caicos... you will have a wonderful vacation. It is unbelievably beautiful!