Jaime Caldwell on Foodista

Heifer International

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Thursday
May192011

Surprise Vacation!

I've been MIA but this time it's been for a really good reason...

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This guy. (Isn't he the cutest?!)

Next week David will graduate from Harvard Law School. I am proud of him beyond words. He works SOOOO hard and I wanted to do something special for him to commemorate such a huge accomplishment. He finished classes a little over a week ago and we had some time between classes ending and next week's graduation festivities so I booked a super secret getaway, telling him only the dates that we were going to be away and that he should bring clothes for warm weather and swim trunks. 

Last Wednesday we headed to the Boston airport in the wee hours of the morning. He still had no idea where we were going. As we approached the ticket counter and I reached in my bag and tossed him his passport. "What the.....???" he said. "You'll see!" I replied. Standing at the ticket counter he was still so surprised that our destination requires a passport (David and I both LOVE getting stamps in our passports!) but watched the kiosk screen intently as the ticket agent pulled up our itinerary. As soon as PROVIDENCIALES popped up on the screen, he yelped, "we're going to the Turks & Caicos?!" He still hasn't stopped smiling!

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View from our balcony.

The trip was fabulous and I can't say enough great things about the island, our resort, the people and the food! It was gorgeous, relaxing, friendly and delicious! We happened to book our trip during the off-season (high season is January through April) and given the chance to schedule it again that way, we definitely would. Our resort was beautiful, quiet and relaxing (we even had a washer & dryer in our suite!), we had no problems getting seated at any of the restaurants we visited or getting taxis around the island. Best of all, we got a steal of a deal via Expedia.com!

 

Yes, the water really is that blue.

 

Our resort (Royal West Indies) had bicycles available for check out, and we rode them each day we were there. We were minutes away from a fabulous grocery store where we stocked up on munchies and snacks. Really, the grocery store blew us away. Check it out:

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We went on a snorkeling day trip on a glass bottom boat that stopped by Iguana Island where we saw this guy and lots and lots of his friends.

Fun fact: The population of Turks & Caicos Islands is 35,000. The iguana population of the islands totals 50,000!

Snorkeling on the reef.

Collecting shells on a deserted island.


We had some incredible meals on our vacation. One of the things I loved most about TCI is that you're not hemmed in at your resort. Meaning, you can feel free to wander the island and explore everything from haute cuisine to the local dives. We did some research on Chowhound (highly recommend any time you travel and want real, authentic bang for your buck) and each night picked a new place to try. Here's where we went:

Coyaba Restaurant - Described as "divine dining in the Turks & Caicos," it was exactly that and only five minute walk from our resort! We had a truly memorable and fabulous meal and we certainly paid a pretty penny for it (food on the island is expensive, there's just no way around it). This was definitely the most expensive place we went but the food is beyond fabulous as is the setting, as is the service. If I could build my own dream home on the beach in TCI, the outside and patios would look exactly like those at Coyaba. My only regret is that I didn't take any pictures!

Smokey's - On our flight from Miami to the island, we were seated next to a sweet girl from Grand Turk who loved to dish on where and what to eat during our stay. She recommended Smokey's as they host a big fish fry with live music once a week. We went on Thursday thinking that was the night of the big event. Sadly, we missed the fish fry by a day (it's always on Wednesdays) but we did enjoy a down-home, local meal of rice and peas, whole roasted snapper and cole slaw. Again, I goofed and forgot the camera. The food was good but the interior of the restaurant was nothing to write home about. We took a taxi here.

 

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Caicos Cafe

Caicos Cafe - This Mediterranean-influenced restaurant (the proprietor is from Italy) was a real treat. Very laid-back dining on a large, beautifully-lit deck. We enjoyed lots of cracked conch, fresh-caught grilled fish and veggies and a yummy strawberry almond mille feuille. Again, this was a short walk from our resort. 

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Da Conch Shack - This was far and away our favorite place. How can you not love a restaurant right on the beach with gorgeous sunsets and great food? You can sit with your feet in the sand while watching the waves roll in and the local guys pulling the conch critter out of the shells and listening to Caribbean tunes. If Gilligan had the chance to build a dive-y restaurant on the beach, this would be it. My dream is to have a big party here at sunset with all of our friends and family - wanna come? Da Conch Shack was about a 20 minute taxi away from us and is situated in a part of the island called Blue Hill. Driving out there I kept thinking, where are we going?! But in the end, it was totally worth it and we will definitely be back. Oh, and the food was fabulous!

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You can see the conch shells on display in the right side of the picture.

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Spicy grouper fish tacos.

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Rum punch, the house specialty.

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The happy couple.

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Aside from the eating, swimming, biking and eating some more, we made a lot of time for sitting and sunning...

 

At the end of the trip, we were sad to say goodbye to the island, but we hope to return again soon! Happy graduation, Bubby! I love you madly!

 

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Reader Comments (1)

What a wonderful surprise! I cannot get over the intensity of BLUE! Going on my bucket list.

May 19, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterDahnya

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