1 destination · 10 things to do

Turks and Caicos Islands

Providenciales, the heart of the Turks and Caicos Islands, is a low, scrubby limestone island ringed by one of the most striking pieces of water in the Caribbean. On its north shore, Grace Bay unrolls as a long, soft white beach in front of a barrier reef, with water that shades from glass-clear to deep turquoise. On the south side, Chalk Sound is a nearly landlocked lagoon dotted with small rocky cays, and calm bays such as Taylor Bay are shallow enough for toddlers. This guide books the island properly: a half-day snorkel cruise to Iguana Island and Half Moon Bay, a Grace Bay catamaran sail, a full-day cruise with a barbecue on Ft George Cay, a two-tank dive on the reef wall, and a full day across the water in North and Middle Caicos for caves, cliffs and flamingo ponds. It pairs them with the free essentials, the beach itself, a paddle on Chalk Sound and the National Trust boardwalk among the rock iguanas of Little Water Cay. Then it matches you to a hotel, from a Grace Bay suite resort to an all-inclusive and a small beachfront hotel, because here the beach is the address.