Providenciales, which everyone calls Provo, is the island you land on and sleep on when you travel to Turks and Caicos. It covers thirty-eight square kilometres, holds most of the archipelago’s population and concentrates nearly all the hotels, restaurants and shops. Understanding how it is divided saves unpleasant surprises when choosing where to stay.
The essentials in four lines
- About four hours from Montreal to Providenciales airport (PLS), with non-stop service in winter.
- From the airport to Grace Bay: fifteen minutes. The island crosses in half an hour.
- Driving is on the left. Official currency: the US dollar. English everywhere.
- December to April for the calmest sea. Hurricane season from early June to late November.
The areas, one by one
Grace Bay
The northeast shore, five kilometres of sand before a lagoon closed by the reef. This is where the great majority of hotels, the restaurants and the two shopping centres are. Everything is walkable along the beach or Grace Bay Road. For a first stay, it is the obvious choice.
Leeward and Turtle Cove
At either end of the same northern shore. Leeward, to the east, is a quiet residential sector with a marina and a channel where green turtles pass daily. Turtle Cove, to the west, is built around a marina and gathers several restaurants and dive shops.
Long Bay
On the southeast coast, a vast turquoise flat a metre deep swept by the trade winds. No reef, no waves, but wind every day: this is kiteboarding territory, with several schools on site and villas rather than hotels.
Chalk Sound and Sapodilla Bay
To the west, an inland lagoon dotted with rocky islets, designated a national park, and right beside it a sheltered cove with shallow water, ideal with small children. Little accommodation, but one of the island’s finest outings.
Blue Hills
On the northwest coast, the island’s oldest village. A few waterfront shacks serve conch and grilled fish at prices unrelated to those of Grace Bay. This is where you go to eat when you want out of the hotel zone.
In the water
The barrier reef runs parallel to the north coast, about a kilometre offshore. It is what explains the flat sea at Grace Bay and the clarity of the water.
Two sites are reached by swimming from the beach: Bight Reef, marked with buoys, with turtles and parrotfish, and Smith’s Reef, larger and more varied, over toward Turtle Cove. Mask and fins are enough.
For scuba, the barrier walls start around fifteen metres and drop past a thousand. Excursions to the empty cays, by catamaran or speedboat, fill a half day: Little Water Cay and its endemic iguanas, Half Moon Bay and its sandbar, Iguana Island.
Getting around
A rental car is useful but not essential if you stay at Grace Bay. Driving is on the left, on decent but narrow roads, and taxis charge high fixed fares: agree on the price before getting in.
The other islands are reached by ferry to North Caicos, then by the causeway to Middle Caicos, or by domestic flight to Grand Turk and Salt Cay.
Accommodation
A Provo particularity: most Grace Bay properties are condominium resorts, sold by the room or apartment, with a kitchen in the unit and restaurants you pay for on site. All-inclusive plans can be counted on one hand.
The maths is worth doing with an advisor, because dining is a substantial share of the budget here: Turks and Caicos is one of the most expensive destinations in the Caribbean. Our criteria for choosing an all-inclusive hotel set out what to verify.
When to go
From December to April the air holds around 28 °C, humidity stays low and rain is infrequent. This is high season, with the highest rates and the non-stop flights.
May, June and late November offer the best balance of conditions and price. From mid-August to mid-October, heat climbs and the cyclone season peaks. Our guide on when to travel south from Montreal sets out those cycles.
To plan this trip, see also our Turks et Caicos page and how to choose an all-inclusive hotel.
