Key things to know about Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

Providenciales, known locally as Provo, is an island in the Turks and Caicos archipelago. Most people, when referring to Turks and Caicos, are referring to this island. It’s an easy island vacation with direct flights from Boston on Jetblue every Saturday. For someone looking to hop on one flight and land in paradise in less than 4 hours, this is a great option!

Mom taking in the sights of Grace Bay

Should you stay on the north or south shore?

I highly recoommend choosing the north shore, specifically Grace Bay. This is where you’ll find the majority of the hotels, shops and restauarnts. The beach is the best on the island, and still never crowded. This is an expensive island so if you can walk to restaurants instead of taking a taxi, or go buy a bottle of wine from a store to keep in your room, you’ll save precious money that can be used on other items throughout your vacation. The north side is also the least windy. South side has a strong onshore wind, which is great for kiteboarding!

Grace Bay

Should you rent a car?

I hope I don’t steer you wrong here, but I didn’t see any value in having a rental car. Especially if you stay on Grace Bay, you can walk to just about everything you’d need to do, and if you opt to do an excursion or eat at a restauarnt further away, your hotel can arrange a taxi for you.

Which Restaurants should you go to?

Mr Grouper- hands down, the most recommended place on the island by long-time visitors and locals. It’s a local spot, so you get a little break on the price ($$) and it’s casual dining. I recommend the coconut crusted grouper.

Bay Bistro-Be sure to have a waterfront seat for sunset. This adorable beach side spot is only made cuter by the unique lanterns hanging above the patio. A great spot for a family dinner, date for two, or just some friends enjoying the evening.

The beautiful sunset at Bay Bistro

Table view from Bay Bistro

What I wish someone told me before I went!

There is a wonderful animal shelter on the island called Potcake Place K-9 Rescue. Potcakes are the name of the dog breed, which are island mutts. This rescue collects the puppies and allows visitors to come borrow a dog for the morning to help the dog get exercise and socialize. It also increases the chances of the puppy being adopted since they are paraded around town and on the beach. Potcake Place helps to expedite the adoption process so you can adopt your dog on vacation and fly home with him when it’s time to leave. If you want to borrow a puppy, get there BEFORE they open at 10. I heard you need to plan to arrive at least an hour before they open, and during busy season plan for 2 hours!

This local shelter makes a huge difference for the stray dogs on the island