Life in Color
A Trip To Turks And Caicos Gives Us A Fresh View On Life
Growing up in Coral Gables, I experienced the rites of passage all coastal kids do – field trips to the beach, learning to swim, summer camp on the water. I loved snorkeling in particular – the brightly colored fish, the fans of swaying coral, the hidden world teeming with life that came alive before my young eyes. But in third grade, I started losing my vision, and by college, the lenses in my glasses were so thick I had to choose bulky plastic frames to fit them.
Having long-since mourned my childhood loss of snorkeling, I almost sat out my latest opportunity to do so in Turks and Caicos, home to the world’s third-largest barrier reef. That would’ve been a mistake. Much like the rest of the 40 low-lying islands that make up the Caribbean country, the reef is stunningly vivid, so much so that my near blindness just didn’t matter. The fish, like the constantly smiling people of Turks, are friendly, almost curious. Black fish with electric blue stripes swam close enough to touch; iridescent pink and purple and blue fish picked at the reef only inches below.
This feeling of seeing the world for the first time in full color never escaped me during my time in the islands. Our villa at Rock House, one of eight hotels in a mixed portfolio owned by Grace Bay Resorts, had its own private deck looking onto the North Atlantic, which shifts between dazzling cerulean and deep blue. A few miles out, you can see the spot where the reef drops off, a constant line of crashing breakers. It was like looking at a poster that’s gone through a round of Photoshop to give it unrealistic vibrancy.
Rock House has only 46 accommodations on the north side of Providenciales, the island now famous in Turks and Caicos for its myriad resorts. You can stay at a five-bedroom villa or a studio apartment overlooking the beach. You can dine at Vita Restaurant or receive poolside service (though be forewarned, there is no sense of impatience here, as “island time” rules). You can get drinks at Cave Bar and watch the sunset or spend your day by the jetty or on the beach, soaking up sun. It’s the kind of place where you might look around at breakfast and realize your neighbor is a celebrity or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company – and no one will bother them.
South Bank, which opened in November, is on the opposite side of the island and has a more dramatic flair. Three distinct neighborhoods comprise this resort (a fourth is coming in 2026), where patrons can buy property and rent it out via the hotel when they’re away (the resort splits the profits 60- 40 in favor of the owners).
The fully furnished Ocean Estates run from four to six-bedrooms and up to 8,000-square-feet right on the water, with spectacular views and private swimming pools. The Boathouses, meanwhile, are a more economical option for the nautical-minded, with one to three-bedroom apartments in a village-style community with a private boat concierge who will happily provide boats for personal use – or clean and fuel yours. Across the water, you’ll see the Lagoon Villas, where the South Bank developers carved out a shallow lagoon fed directly from the North Atlantic. In the center, a short path leads to a small island with its own beachfront lounge chairs and tiki bar. As parents relax, their children splash in the shallows or play on the small private beach that fronts the villas.
A short walk across the lagoon is Lua, an open-air restaurant with soaring ceilings and a Mediterranean-inspired menu (with kid-friendly options). We fell in love with the architecture, which reflects the rest of the Grace Bay portfolio and seems to all but seduce patrons into a sense of ease with comfortable lounge areas and warmly lit bars.
We could easily spend a month doing absolutely nothing but enjoying ourselves here, but the next time we return to Turks and Caicos we’ll explore the other islands. In February, American Airlines is launching a direct flight from Miami to South Caicos in addition to its existing nonstop flight to Providenciales.
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