Things To Do in Providenciales and Caicos

It's been reported that a deal has been signed to bring a NASCAR raceway to the Blue Hills of Provo. Whether the deal goes through or not is anyone's guess, but if it does, the raceway is expected to host seasonal events and not ongoing races.

Providenciales

Provo has little in the way of historic or cultural attractions; for a real feel for the rich heritage of the TCI, you'll need to head to North or Middle Caicos and, of course, to Grand Turk and Salt Cay.

At press time, it was not clear if the Caicos Conch Farm in Provo was up and running again after suffering severe damage in the hurricanes of 2008. Call tel. 649/946-5330 to see if the attraction (and working conch farm) has opened and is offering tours.

North Caicos

A number of charter-boat operators offer island tours, eco-tours, bird-watching tours, or private charters to North Caicos, including Big Blue Unlimited (tel. 649/946-5034; www.bigblueunlimited.com). Big Blue combines boat rides with bike trips, kayaking, bird-watching, and lunches in native homes to get deep into the North Caicos experience. You many even get to Flamingo Pond, tidal flats on the island's south side and home to the largest protected nature sanctuary of West Indian flamingos in the islands.

Middle Caicos

Big Blue Unlimited (tel. 649/946-5034; www.bigblueunlimited.com) combines boat rides with bike trips, kayaking, swimming, and cave exploration on Middle Caicos. Middle Caicos native and guide Cardinal Arthur (tel. 649/946-6107; cellphone 649/241-0730) offers cave, bird-watching, fishing, and eco-tours, transportation, and general sightseeing trips of the island. Also offering cave tours (and good general sightseeing tours) is local guide Ernest Forbes, Sr. (tel. 649/946-6140).

Conch Bar Caves National Park -- These cool limestone caves are a surprising treat to discover on flat, sunbaked TCI. This massive (24km/15-mile) aboveground limestone cave system (with 3.2km/2 miles of surveyed caves) was used by pre-Columbian Lucayan Indians more than 600 years ago -- a number of artifacts from their occupation are housed in the Turks & Caicos National Museum. Today it's basically a big bat cave (mined for exported guano back in the late 19th c.), with impressive stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and pools. Look for land crabs around the entrance to the caves. Tip: Spray yourself thoroughly with mosquito repellent before you go in. For more information, contact the Turks & Caicos National Trust (tel. 649/946-5710).

The Crossing Place Trail -- This historic coastal route, much of it along a bluff overlooking the lovely azure waters of Mudjin Harbor, was first established in the late 1700s by cotton plantation settlers. As part of the Turks & Caicos National Trust Middle Caicos Ecotourism Project, it has been reopened from the Conch Bar to the Indian Cave field road. (Crossing Place refers to the place where in years past people crossed the sandbars at low tide to get to North Caicos.) During the days of the Loyalist plantations, the owners rode along the King's Road while the slaves walked the trail. You can hike or bike this trail; go to www.tcimall.tc/middlecaicos/crossingplace.htm for more information on hiking and biking routes. The trail is generally flat, with some low hills. For more information, contact the Turks & Caicos National Trust (tel. 649/946-5710).

Kid Stuff -- The 2010 arrival of FunWorld, a mini golf/go-cart/game arcade complex, was as inevitable as the summer rain. It avoids being a total beach-resort cliché by throwing in savory grilled jerk chicken and live music on the weekends -- and, we admit, it's great family fun. The newest attraction in Provo is at corner of the East Leeward Highway and Long Bay Road (tel. 649/941-4659; www.funworldtci.com). The 18-hole miniature golf course is $15 adults and $10 children 10 and under.

Providenciales and the Caicos islands are still a work in progress when it comes to shopping, although an increasing number of small shopping "villages" or plazas have cropped up along Grace Bay Road including the Ocean Club Plaza, Regent Village, and Le Vele plaza. The older shopping plazas are the Saltmills (Grace Bay Rd.), which has seven shops, including a wine-and-liquor store, and several restaurants; and Ports of Call (Grace Bay Rd.), with eight shops and several restaurants.

You may not be shopping until you drop during your TCI vacation, but you can discover some real gems if you do some digging -- particularly when it comes to regional artwork, much of it reasonably priced and including the famously colorful paintings by artists from neighboring Haiti, as well as local crafts, such as beautifully made Middle Caicos fanner-grass baskets and silvertop-palm bags, hats, and other items.

Most shops are open from 9 or 10am to 5 or 6pm (generally later in the high season), but hours are ultimately subject to the owners' whims. Be sure to call in advance so you aren't disappointed to find that a store has shut down for the day.

Shopping the Hotel Boutiques

Shopping doesn't have to stop at your hotel door. A number of hotels and resorts in Provo have very good in-house boutique shops, many selling items you won't find in most standard-issue hotel gift shops. Here are a few recommended shops and a sampling of the goods you might discover there:

• Amanyara: This hotel resort on Provo's Northwest Point offers such high-end goodies as Asian-inspired tunic tops by Elizabeth Hurley Beach; Havaianas flip-flops from Brazil; and Amanresorts' wonderful spa products.
• Beaches: Beaches has two stores: Treasure Island, which sells high-end beachwear, Beaches-branded T-shirts, hats, and beach paraphernalia, gifts, snacks, soft drinks, and limited toiletries; and Pirate Cove, which sells Sesame Street-branded clothes and toys and other kids' items.
• The Gansevoort: Not surprisingly for this cosmopolitan brand, this boutique sells sexy (and pricey) styles in swimwear and silky kurtas, among other high-end products.
• The Meridian Club: This small shop sells Meridian Club T-shirts, tops, and hats, locally crafted basketry, and other gift items.
• The Palms: Palm Place, which faces the terrace of restaurant Parallel23, is a real shopping mecca, featuring not one but five boutique shops. Wish boutique has upscale clothing, including those sweet little soft cotton tops and skirts from designer James Perse. Next door the Palm Shop carries casual logo wear and gift items. Splash has beachwear. Spice has gourmet snacks and beverages, such as Harry and David chocolate-covered cherries and Miss Vickie's Potato Chips. Harmony Gallery sells lots of the home furnishings and pricey little tchotchkes (handblown-glass conch shells, sea-urchin candlesticks, shell-encrusted mirrors) you see around the hotel. (Oh, and you can also buy skin-care products and treatments along with big-ticket yoga- and sleepwear in the Spa at the Palms.)
• Parrot Cay: The shop sells lovely but pricey jewel-encrusted Asian-style tunics and kurtas, along with other high-end clothing, books, jewelry, bags, and a few essential toiletries. The COMO Shambhala spa's wildly popular Invigorate line of soaps, shampoos, and the like is also on sale here.
• Somerset on Grace Bay: This nice little boutique is packed with goodies such as Sita de Vesci beachwear, silk kurtas, Theory clothing, jewelry, bathing suits, and menswear.

The nightlife on Provo can't compete with the late-night revelry of, say, Aruba or even Barbados. The TCI is a fairly conservative place, overall. This is a laid-back kind of place with laid-back pleasures, but it does offer a number of quality nighttime diversions.

Beach Shacks

The beach shacks along Blue Hills Beach are great places to drink Turk's Head beer or a little rum, eat conch, and listen to good music. On Wednesday nights, Smokey's on the Bay has a popular Wednesday-night fish fry.

Casinos

The casino action has picked up with the emergence of two casinos. The Casablanca Casino offers roulette, blackjack, craps, and baccarat and is open from 1pm to 5am (Grace Bay Rd., Providenciales; tel. 649/941-3737).

Lounges/Bars/Sports Bars

Beachside Bars -- Providenciales has some terrific beachside lounges or bars from which you can watch the sunset. Two of the best are the Grace Bay Club's Lounge, with white-cushion seating and glowing fire pit, and sister lounge the Infinity Bar, which has the longest bar in the Caribbean: a sleek ribbon of black marble inset with sexy blue lights (tel. 649/946-5050). The Beach Lounge at the Gansevoort is an attractive new gathering spot, and the resort's Bagatelle Bistrot (tel. 649/941-7555) has DJ nights, dancing, and happy hours. Also visit the bar/lounge/deck at Amanyara (tel. 649/941-8133), the Plunge pool bar (the Palms resort; tel. 649/946-8666), and any of the Blue Hills beach shacks.

Golf Course Bar -- The Fairways Bar at the Provo Golf & Country Club (tel. 649/946-5833) is a pleasant place to have a drink and munch on hearty bar food.

Irish Pub -- Danny Buoy's (Grace Bay Rd., Providenciales; tel. 649/946-5921) features a full bar stocked with imported beers on tap, darts, and pool tables; it also has ESPN-U, for hard-core college sports fans. Danny Buoy's has good food, with dishes from across the pond (bangers and mash, Irish stew) as well as island fare (jerk chicken).

Live Music -- Most of the island's bars, hotels, and restaurants feature live-music nights. Look for the talented duo NaDa on the O'Soleil terrace at the Somerset Resort most Saturdays. Turks Islander Stanley Roots plays reggae at the Alexandra resort's sunset cookouts. Hemingway's has live music 3 nights a week. Check the local listings for updated schedules.

Marina Bars -- Turtle Cove Marina in the northwest section of Provo has a good number of jolly, atmospheric dockside bars, many with happy hours (5-7pm); all serve food, both bar snacks and full-service menus. Join in the revelry at Baci (tel. 649/941-3044), Banana Boat (tel. 649/941-5706), the Tiki Hut Cabana Bar (tel. 649/941-5341), and the Sharkbite Bar & Grill (tel. 649/941-5090). Up above Turtle Cove, at the Miramar Resort, is the Magnolia Wine Bar (tel. 649/941-5108), a lounge next to the Magnolia restaurant with bird's-eye views of Provo and the Grace Bay shoreline. Gilley's (tel. 649/946-5094), at Leeward Marina, has a full bar with both indoor and terrace seating as well as a full-service restaurant serving good island cuisine (including Gilley's Famous Local Grouper Sandwich). Gilley's also has a branch at the Provo airport.

Sports Bars -- Club Sodax is a nice sports bar with a good mix of locals and tourists (Leeward Hwy., Providenciales; tel. 649/941-4540). Bambooz Bar & Grill (at the Saltmills shopping plaza, Grace Bay Rd., Providenciales; tel. 649/941-8146) is another popular spot where you can watch sports on big-screen plasma TVs, listen to music, or dine on island fare or international cuisine.

Movie Theaters

L'Raye Cinemas, the islands' only movie theater, opened in Provo in late 2007 with three screens. It was named for the former first lady of the TCI, Hollywood actress LisaRaye McCoy Misick. It's located on Leeward Highway.