Pirate's Choice Rum Bar & Restaurant, a new restaurant at the White Sands Beach Resort (www.whitesandsbeachresorttci.com), near the cruise terminal, has been stirring up some serious buzz with its fresh mojitos, cracked conch, live music -- and a prime location on a scenic Grand Turk beach. Don't miss the Wednesday- and Sunday-night poolside barbecues at the Birdcage, in the Osprey Beach Hotel on Duke Street. The restaurant is also open for dinner (tel. 649/946-2666).
You may not want to kill time at the Grand Turk airport -- but given certain airlines' island-time mentality, you may be forced to. There's a silver lining, however: the airport restaurant. The Cockpit Lounge has surprisingly good island food (it feeds a lot of government officials traveling to and from Cockburn Town), including cracked conch, fish and fries, garlic shrimp, and more (tel. 649/946-1095; open Mon-Sat 6am-9pm, Sun 6am-8:30pm; main courses $10-$20, sandwiches and burgers $4-$9, salads $5-$15. The restaurant also offers Internet access.
Dining in Margaritaville -- Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville in the Grand Turk Cruise Center is an impressive sight, as well it should be: It's the largest stand-alone Margaritaville in the entire Caribbean. It's 1486 sq. m (16,000 sq. ft.) can feed up to 500 folks. The colorful, vintage-Bermudian-style restaurant is bordered by a large, lagoon-like pool with a swim-up bar, slide, and infinity edge. It's open only on days when ships come in (4-6 days a week), but that may change. Contact the cruise center at tel. 649/946-1040 for information about restaurant hours and opening times.
Shopping for Self-Catering -- Many resorts and rented villas have full kitchens for self-catering. You can get all your basic provisions (food, drinks, snacks, toiletries, even fishing gear) at Cee's Superstore (Pond Rd.; tel. 649/946-2995). Dot's Food Fair (Hospital Rd.; tel. 649/946-2324), located in the old town center, also offers a grocery/basic provisions store as well as a boutique with toiletries, books, clothes, you name it. Buy fresh fish straight off the dock on Front Street when fishermen come in at the end of the day. Liquor, beer, and wine can be bought at any grocery or convenience store (except on Sun) or at Dot's Liquors (yes, the very same Dot of Dot's Food Fair), across from the Red Salina on Pond Street.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
