The best places to go

Turks and Caicos

Go for: Easier access to remote islands, cruise upgrades, sleek resorts

Big-deal infrastructure enhancements are making it easier to reach Turks and Caicos less frequented outer islands, changing what it means to have an exclusive experience in the archipelago.

 Madeline Lu; Kelsey Powers/Unsplash; Romello Williams/Unsplash

The exquisite white sands and blue waters of Grace Bay Beach have long been the coveted endgame for visitors to Turks and Caicos. Lately, though, a wave of new hotels and developments in more remote parts of the island chain are changing what it means to have an exclusive experience here. 

Leading the way, the 46-unit Rock House opened this past May, with its sleek Mediterranean style (a departure from the archipelagos traditional colonial aesthetic), private plunge pools, and sustainability efforts that preserve native foliage and limestone. But Rock Houses real magic is undeniably in its location: a clifftop perch above a secluded beach on Grace Bays north shore, where you can while away your days snorkelling in a protected marine sanctuary. More properties slated to come in 2023 include the 31-acre South Bank Turks & Caicos, a residential resort and marina, opening in March, at the top of Long Bay Beach with 18 waterfront villas and a five-acre swimming lagoon. The Strand Turks & Caicos will follow later in 2023, 20 minutes south of Grace Bay, with oceanfront residences and what feels like its own peninsula on Cooper Jack Bay.

Big-deal infrastructure enhancements are also making it easier to reach Turks and Caicos less frequented outer islands. On Grand Turks, a $25 million dock extension is set to welcome larger cruise ships in 2023. And on tiny South Caicos, a significant upgrade to the single-runway South Caicos Airport is scheduled for completion in June, meaning improved access to the least populated of the islands  like the uber-luxe Sailrock Resort, a favourite of celebs like Justin Bieber and Regina King. Nina Kokotas Hahn