After our week on Provo, my husband and I headed off to Middle Caicos for another week. Dropped our rental at Avis, Grace Bay and they shuttled us to the Ferry. We have very high praise for the ferry system here, as our main point of reference is the dismal ferry system in the Virgin Islands. The VI should take lessons.
Christi at Blue Horizon had arranged for a taxi to take us to the resort. We arrived and found our kitchen fully stocked with the groceries we had ordered. A very good decision and worth the fee they charge to handle it. I can’t imagine dragging all that stuff over on the ferry. We did purchase our meat at Graceway Gourmet and carry that with us in a soft side cooler.
We stayed in the Tropico cottage at BH. It was lovely, clean and very roomy. We cooked several dinners during our week there. They have a grill available for use and we grilled several times. There were ample utensils, dinnerware and cookware to make whatever we wanted. I momentarily wished for a blender, but it is certainly not a deal breaker to not have one. The kitchen included a four burner stove, oven, toaster, coffee maker and full sized refrigerator. Paper towels, dish soap, some spices and olive oil were provided for us. Most nights we slept with the windows opened, however when the wind died, we did close everything up and take advantage of the air conditioner. I highly recommend staying here!
Middle Caicos, North Caicos, and more specifically Blue Horizon were more our speed than Provo. No traffic. No noise to speak of. Laid back locals, wide open countryside, no hustle and bustle, and the most amazing beaches, all largely deserted. Sorry to say but in my opinion, Grace Bay loses hands-down to the beauty of the beaches on North and Middle Caicos.
Sandy Point on North is simply breathtaking. Even with the hulking, post-apocalyptic feel of the doomed Royal Reef hovering behind my chair, I found this to be the most relaxing, luxurious, beautiful beach of the entire two week trip. I’m certain there are others just as beautiful, but we didn’t have time to explore them all. At any rate, this was the most enchanting afternoon of the trip for me, wading out into the wide open water, drinking beer with my husband and marveling at the sheer beauty of God’s handiwork, and our good fortune at having arrived here.
High points of the week at Middle Caicos include:
~ Kayaking through the mangroves to Sand Dollar island and collecting sand dollars.
~ Seeing Flamingos, although at a distance.
~ Daniel’s Café. Everything about it – the people, the conch, the fried fish, and the New Year’s Day dinner party we got to be a part of.
~ Snorkeling at Bambarra beach.
~ Driving all over North and Middle, exploring remote beaches (Wild Cow Run…what a trip!)
~ Getting to know the ladies that run Blue Horizon – they are amazing!
~ Meeting lots of locals, all of whom were friendly to the point that we felt like family.
~ Quiet morning runs at Blue Horizon and along the main road – no traffic, no dogs, no mosquitos.
~ The conspicuous absence of pterodactyl-sized (or any size) mosquitos, on all but one occasion when hubby disturbed some underbrush.
After this peaceful, blissful week on Middle, I was dreading the return to PLS, and the horrible conditions awaiting us; long lines, in zillion-degree heat with no oxygen. Turns out, the worst part was the taxi line. Beyond that, we were checked in at the Delta counter within 5 minutes of arrival. Our journey through security was all of 10 minutes at most, and we walked in to a lovely, clean, air conditioned terminal where I was almost disappointed to have not been frisked, shaken down, shaken up or otherwise mauled or interrogated. (Seems the "new" part of the airport is now open.)
I did have a really good chuckle as I witnessed a woman with extremely high expectations asking a security officer for directions to “The Crown Room”. The security officer, along with me and another bystander, could barely contain our laughter. Hubby and I grabbed some snacks downstairs and went up to the “Crown Room” aka the newly air conditioned upstairs area. Twice during our wait, the officer walked by and snickered about the Crown Room.
Bottom line for Middle Caicos:
I would sincerely have to struggle at an attempt to come up with even the smallest complaint. Blue Horizon was very down to earth, refreshing, and yet, luxurious at the same time. Middle and North Caicos go to the top 3 of our list of favorite vacation spots, and I would pass up Provo in a heartbeat to get here again.
Pictures from our time at Middle and North Caicos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/48079329@N08/sets/72157650072181876/
