Author Topic: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos  (Read 6240 times)

Offline chevron

  • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 2552
  • Total likes: 543
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • View Profile
Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« on: April 08, 2016, 04:40:13 PM »
So much about this trip was different, different in different ways than I expected.

T and C was on my interest lists after seeing $200 rt on TFD, was not till I had a breathe test for stomach issues and sitting with 2 strangers doing diddly squat for 4 hours, was talking to this guy who was a high pressure trader, screwd up his stomach with stress and what not any ways we got to talking and we were talking the drive to key west, PCH, hawaii etc and I mentioned I was looking at T & C and he says I must go!

I booked $200 RT because I was initially going to do a platinum challenge on AA

With no kosher food on the island and I dont drive (yet) I had no real plans, so I just packed up a ton of food, found a Hotel that was in a region I thought was central, rented a biked that was delivered and flew off

I stayed at La Vista Azul for a few reasons, #1 I waited too long to book, it was best location, very nice and cheap.

Turned out I did read a review but didnt understand it fully, but in the booking.com reservations you either book the resort or private owned condo's, personally I was happy as I will explain.

I didnt make it to ZTB on the way to MIA, checked out centurion and drooled over the non kosher food and wine, dont care for scotch and I dont drink beer by day.

The flight had free AA GOGO partial coverage which was sweet, landed at PLS, cleared customs in 5 mnutes and found my ebags and was really to wheel it off when I noticed an ebags behind it... good thing too or i'd have been very hungry (I checked it in because liquids)

I had called about taxi's earlier and its bizzare because every taxi I encountered on the Island was a white 15 psngr van.... to the hotel was $16

The area near the hotel can be described as an arab village..

Actually I would sum up the bight and grace bay as a cross between miami, hawaii, LA and gush katif

After initial confusion at the Hotel I met the guy that owns the place, nice guy.. so he shows me the joint and I ask ok where can I grill.. he says well you cant.. so I was like uhh you told me I can and look here.. raw frozen chicken, steak, hot dogs, ground beef.. says the hotel just changed the policy.. FML

So I tok him ok, take me to IGA so I can buy a grill and i'll grill on the beach or wtvr so he says ok.. any ways his car doesnt start and he's putting it in neutral etc and trying to get it to start no go so he calls a friend to get him to jump it.. what they use to jump it is like a long wires but in stead of clamps at the end its just exposed wires so i'm sitting in car with my seat belt on and he tells me to turn the key, ok after a few times we get battery and he says to turn on engine.. which rolled on.. and the car rolled back... apparently he had left it in reverse and I reached to push the brake but my seat belt.. he runs after the car and me and jumps and floors the break, 1 foot away from smashing the car behind us.. welcome to the Caribbean.

to be continuef.

Offline Palm5

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jan 2013
  • Posts: 1026
  • Total likes: 7
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2016, 04:53:43 PM »
Sounds cool, it seems you hit it off with the owner, why couldn't he just let you grill?

Offline chevron

  • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 2552
  • Total likes: 543
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • View Profile
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2016, 05:03:30 PM »
Sounds cool, it seems you hit it off with the owner, why couldn't he just let you grill?

part of a hotel complex, they dont let

Offline mgoldhammer18

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jan 2016
  • Posts: 738
  • Total likes: 16
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 3
    • View Profile
  • Location: West Hempstead, NY
  • Programs: American Airlines, Citi thank you, British Avios, Hilton, SPG, AMEX Platinum, Jetblue
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2016, 07:08:02 AM »
Nice start. Looking forward to the rest. Hated t and c on my first day there, but it's hands down one of my favorite destinations.

Offline chevron

  • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 2552
  • Total likes: 543
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • View Profile
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2016, 12:39:56 PM »
Nice start. Looking forward to the rest. Hated t and c on my first day there, but it's hands down one of my favorite destinations.

felt the same, i'll continue

Offline chevron

  • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 2552
  • Total likes: 543
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • View Profile
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #5 on: April 10, 2016, 01:07:54 PM »
Headed out to Graceway IGA supermarket which resembles most western stores, some things were MEGA expensive, some fruits and veggies, a 6 pack of sam adams was 19$ ugh but the turks head beer 12$ and just as good if not better (I went with 3 6 packs because..)

They didnt have disposable grills and I found that half the store employees didnt speak basic english, but I was advised to check out business solutions across the street. By then the guy had to leave so he took me back, I unloaded groceries and headed to green beans coffee shop where my bike was left off, I biked out to smiths reef but no place to lock bike meh and few people and I was worried my stuff would be stolen.

Next trip I need locks for my backpack, to lock it closed to bike etc? so i just sat at the amazijng waters and then  biked to business solutions and wisely realized that a disposable grill was not very smart so I bought an electric grill

http://www.amazon.com/BEST-BRENTWOOD-INDOOR-ELEC-GRILL/dp/B00UKIVCTK/ref=sr_1_27?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1460306695&sr=1-27

Although I paid 60. Business solutions T and C is like combining every big box store you can think of, its hillarious its like they have 1 of EVERYTHING without any sense of direction.

I squashed this i my backpack and headed back but lamely just cooked dinner and missed sunset, headed to pool for a swim and then after dinner headed out to town except there was really nothing in that area besides a few lame bars

So the next morning I headed back to green beans then on advice biked to the bight and beach, stayed by beach a few hours, swam a bit, ate lunch I packed and biked down to grace bay, popped in bike shop, checked the area out.. there is a much better graceway supermarket, more upscale, maybe a tad more expensive but i think worth it, every one spoke good english and they were more practically stocked.

My issue was that biking a night there is a disaster, I cant cope with the darkness and the cars on the different sides of the road!

I headed down grace bay road a bit to check out the famed grace bay beaches then headed back to turtle cove where I stayed, I stopped at the gransvoort for a beer and to watch the sunset and I got to watch a couple get married.

Wednesday I got smart, this time I vowed to bike to whole island, but see this was a fundamental error I made where this should have been my agenda tuesday with wednesday bejing to chalk sound and sapposdilla

So I headed out early stopping at multiple beaches and its astounding because from beach to beach its so different and beautiful, I think part has tio do with the island curves and the ocean current

So I made it to club med area which is just NOT NORMAL!!!

So heres the thing, every time I took a pic and looked at the pic and then the real thing, I scoffed, the pix did not the least bit justice to the real thing but I look at the pix now and I am stunned!

Leewrard has fantastic beaches.. and seriously if tznius is an issue for you, there was so many stretches of beaches for MILES with no human in site! Then I biked to blue bay marine and sadly back to hotel with some stops and watched sunset on beach.


Offline mgoldhammer18

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jan 2016
  • Posts: 738
  • Total likes: 16
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 3
    • View Profile
  • Location: West Hempstead, NY
  • Programs: American Airlines, Citi thank you, British Avios, Hilton, SPG, AMEX Platinum, Jetblue
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2016, 08:00:36 PM »
Please tell me you made it to Taylor Bay

Offline chevron

  • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 2552
  • Total likes: 543
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • View Profile
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #7 on: April 10, 2016, 11:58:13 PM »
Please tell me you made it to Taylor Bay


no... I made it to chalk sound but not the whole way.. I know I screwed up.. next time!

Offline mgoldhammer18

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jan 2016
  • Posts: 738
  • Total likes: 16
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 3
    • View Profile
  • Location: West Hempstead, NY
  • Programs: American Airlines, Citi thank you, British Avios, Hilton, SPG, AMEX Platinum, Jetblue
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2016, 07:34:03 AM »

no... I made it to chalk sound but not the whole way.. I know I screwed up.. next time!
It's okay, we almost screwed up our trip to.  Hopefully I will get to the TR eventually and you can see how  ;)

Offline AJK

  • Dansdeals Lifetime 20K Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 25419
  • Total likes: 721
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 15
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Programs: United Concierge Key; Delta Global Services; American Chairman; US Airways 1K; Hilton Sapphire; Hyatt Tritium; Marriott Californium; Starwood Kryptonium; Hertz Plutonium; National Adamantium, Avis Executive Proactanium
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #9 on: April 27, 2016, 12:31:43 AM »
Nu? Pics?
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline Fan of Dan

  • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: May 2011
  • Posts: 3029
  • Total likes: 8
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2016, 12:54:31 AM »
Nice report - interesting how you got around, sounds like fun.

Offline yellowj

  • Dansdeals Gold Elite
  • ***
  • Join Date: Mar 2015
  • Posts: 205
  • Total likes: 2
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #11 on: April 28, 2016, 12:03:55 AM »
....They didn't speak basic English? Exactly what did they speak?

Offline mgoldhammer18

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jan 2016
  • Posts: 738
  • Total likes: 16
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 3
    • View Profile
  • Location: West Hempstead, NY
  • Programs: American Airlines, Citi thank you, British Avios, Hilton, SPG, AMEX Platinum, Jetblue
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #12 on: April 28, 2016, 09:07:12 AM »
....They didn't speak basic English? Exactly what did they speak?
They do speak English there

Offline chevron

  • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 2552
  • Total likes: 543
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • View Profile
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2016, 01:01:29 PM »
....They didn't speak basic English? Exactly what did they speak?

some of them speak like creole english.. very basic english youd think they were not so bright

Offline chevron

  • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 2552
  • Total likes: 543
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • View Profile
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2016, 01:04:52 PM »
where to upload pix? going to regret sharing them all on whatsapp, pix were 5mb a pop

Offline yellowj

  • Dansdeals Gold Elite
  • ***
  • Join Date: Mar 2015
  • Posts: 205
  • Total likes: 2
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #15 on: April 28, 2016, 01:09:25 PM »
They do speak English there

I know which is why I was questioning his words.

some of them speak like creole english.. very basic english youd think they were not so bright

Those are Haitian immigrants, not native Turk Islanders. As a former colony of Britain, I can assure you natural citizens speak English perfectly.

Offline mgoldhammer18

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jan 2016
  • Posts: 738
  • Total likes: 16
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 3
    • View Profile
  • Location: West Hempstead, NY
  • Programs: American Airlines, Citi thank you, British Avios, Hilton, SPG, AMEX Platinum, Jetblue
Re: Provodencials, Turks & Caicos
« Reply #16 on: May 02, 2016, 07:24:31 AM »
You're right.  The cab driver said that due to flooding in Haiti, many of them immigrated to Turks and Caicos.