Category Archives: Providenciales

Potcakes

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How could you ever hope to resist loving a sweet potcake puppy with a face like this?????

How could you ever hope to resist loving a sweet potcake puppy with a face like this?????

Recent guests of Harbour Club Villas adopted this sweet little potcake puppy from our Turks and Caicos SPCA. Steve and Andres fell in love with this little one and have named her Tromba which is Spanish for “waterspout”. Potcakes are named after the congealed food that remained in the bottom of the cooking pot after reheating usually peas and rice several times. The scrapings or potcakes were fed to the dogs and hence the dogs have become known as Potcakes. Many of these dogs and puppies are found around the island and the spaying and neutering programs are not keeping up. Many are taken to the TCSPCA and Potcake Place where they are hopefully adopted. They are loving and loyal and perhaps when you visit our islands you might consider adopting one.

Potcakes are loveable and make a great family pet

Potcakes are loveable and make a great family pet

If you are heading our way and would like more info or would like to adopt a Potcake, just let me know. I’ll put you in touch with all the right people.

See you soon,

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Snorkeling

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Snorkeling along the shoreline looking for shells

Snorkeling along the shoreline looking for shells

Malcolm Roads beach is a spectacular stretch of sand with some pretty good snorkeling. Tina found all kinds of tiny shells and bits of coral right close to the shoreline.

A handful of treasures from the sea

A handful of treasures from the sea

 

Tiny shells and bits of coral are found just under the water in the sand along the waters edge.

Tiny shells and bits of coral are found just under the water in the sand along the waters edge.

Whale Watching

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Humpbacked Whale has flippers that are heavily scalloped and that are often a third of its total body length.

The Humpback Whale has flippers that are heavily scalloped and that are often a third of its total body length.

Once again, I have to thank Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers for letting me use these incredible shots of the humpback whale they dove with in late January. These wonderful creatures can grow in length from 40 to 60 feet (12 to 15 meters) and can live from 70 or 80 years. The humpback whale is generally a blackish colour with a white area covering the throat grooves. They are playful and can throw themselves completely out of the water which is called “breaching”.  Salt Cay is truly the Whale capital of the islands from January to March every year as this is where the Atlantic Humpbacks migrate to the Silver Banks to calve and mate.

Impressive view of a Humpbacked Whale........head on down to the Turks and Caicos now and see them for yourselves
Impressive view of a Humpback Whale……..head on down to the Turks and Caicos now and see them for yourselves

Now’s the time to see whales in our beautiful waters. Book that trip soon and have an experience of a life time seeing these magnificent creatures.

Marta
http://www.diving.tc

Humpback Whale

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What a glorious sight........a humpbacked whale. Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers and their group swam with this humback whale for the entire dive.

What a glorious sight........a humpback whale. Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers and their group swam with this humpback whale for the entire dive.

 For those of you that have dreamed of seeing whales, now is the time to head down to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Every year from late January through April, the North Atlantic Humpback Whales migrate to the Silver Banks which is a mating and nursery area north of the Dominican Republic. Our islands are in the middle of this annual migratory route and the Humpback Whales can be spotted and heard “singing” all over the Turks and Caicos…………from West Caicos, Salt Cay, Grand Turk and even off the Malcolm Roads beach where I actually saw a mother and calf several years ago………my first and only sighting of a whale!

Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers spent asome time up close and personal with a Humpbacked Whale on a recent dive trip.

Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers spent some time up close and personal with a Humpback Whale on a recent dive trip.

Jayne writes: “We had a humpback show up on our dive on Jan 20th – stayed with us the entire dive, even followed me to my safety stop and did it with me! Then it came back to our divers on the 2nd dive. It was amazing. I’ve attached a couple of pics….(I have 196 of them so won’t send them all!!!!!)”

Thanks Mickey and Jayne for the great photos.

Book your dive trip now and you too will hopefully see the Humpback Whales migrating. Call me or email me at Harbour Club Villas and we’ll organize everything for you and or put you in touch with the diving experts.

See you soon……remember that if you want a chance at seeing whales, now is the prime time!

Marta

http://www.diving.tc

 

Shells

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Zebra Nerites are beautiful snails that you can find in rocky tidepools under full sun in the in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Zebra Nerites are beautiful snails that you can find in rocky tidepools under full sun in the Turks and Caicos Islands

When you are out exploring the North West Point area of Providenciales, look for these neat snails in the rock pools along the shoreline. They are found among intertidal rocks and are a small white shell with black zebra-like stripes.

Close up of these zebra striped shells

Close up of these zebra striped shells

 

Marta
http://www.diving.tc

Harbour Club Marina

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Look at the amazing colours of the ocean!

Look at the amazing colours of the ocean!

Storm clouds gather out at sea and create such a striking turquoise blue. This photo was taken from the hill overlooking the Marina at Harbour Club Villas. A great spot to watch the comings and goings of dive boats that leave our marina daily and head out for West Caicos and French Cay. If you want to do some scuba diving, the Turks and Caicos Islands have some of the best dive sites. Come dive with us in the Turks!

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Taylor Bay

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The shallow waters of Taylor Bay
The shallow waters of Taylor Bay

Taylor Bay is one of the most idyllic spots on the south side of Providenciales………..shallow water for a long ways out and hardly a soul on the beach. It’s a great spot for families with young kids because the water is generally calm and only inches deep. You can wade out for a long, long ways before it gets deeper.  We make sure to tell all our guests to pack up a picnic lunch, head to Taylor Bay and spend the day just lazing in the water. Bonefishing here can be good too. See you there????

Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Dive Boats at Malcolm Roads

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A storm at sea intensifies the turquoise colours of the ocean

A storm at sea intensifies the turquoise colours of the ocean

It doesn’t matter what the weather is like at Malcolm Roads, the colours are always spectacular for photo taking. A passing storm and clouds turned the sea into brilliant shades of blue and turquoise. Dive boats were anchored out at the dive sites and in the foreground, two magnificent Cactus Trees framed my photo.

The Cactus Tree is endemic to the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bahamas

The Cactus Tree or Consolea nashii, ( locally called horse pear) is endemic to the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bahamas.

The Cactus Trees found at Malcolm Roads can reach hights of 12 feet and have a woody trunk. Flowers bloom throughout the year and are a rich red in colour with yellow stamens.

Bright red flowers of the Cactus Tree

Bright red flowers of the Cactus Tree

This particular species is found exclusively in the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as the Bahamas.

Visit the spectacular beach at Malcolm Roads and watch for these wonderful Cactus Trees.

Cheers,

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Blue Hills and Pelicans

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What fun this little guy was having as he ran in and out of the water.

What fun this little guy was having as he ran in and out of the water.

This little guy was having so much fun on the beach by the pier out at Blue Hills.  The pier is a favourite perch for numerous brown pelicans and terns. Birdwatching is fun down in Blue Hills.

This handsome pelican was perched on one of the pillars on the pier at Blue Hills

This handsome pelican was perched on one of the pillars on the pier at Blue Hills

We often see Brown Pelicans and a good place for birdwatchers and birders to see them is down in Blue Hills. They glide along the water’s edge looking for fish and plummet from above down into the water as they dive for fish. 

This pelican was not too worried as I took his photo.
This pelican was not too worried as I took his photo.

Blue Hills is one of our local communities right on the ocean and one of my favourite spots for taking photos. Visitors are encouraged to take some time to enjoy the beauty of this part of Providenciales.

See you in Blue Hills!
Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Long Bay beach

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Long Bay.......great for those long walks, beach combing, horse back riding and the best beach for kite boarding.

Long Bay.......great for those long walks, beach combing, horse back riding and the best beach for kite boarding.

How the weather changes here on Provo……………flat calm without a breath of wind early this morning then the wind picked up and really started to blow by the afternoon. A perfect day for walking the beach at Long Bay and I would imagine with the wind being up, that the kiteboarders would have been out taking advantage of the winds. We’ve had guests at Harbour Club that have come here specifically to kiteboard. I’ve watched them on numerous occasions out at the Bight beach which is a favourite as well as at Sapodilla Bay.

But back to Long Bay. It is what I call a wild beach, wind swept and strewn with conch shells as there are many conch out in the waters off the beach. There’s even a Haitien sloop (boat) up on the shore. Albert shows us how to find conch at Long Bay and then to crack the conch.

Finding conch in the waters at Long Bay.

Finding conch in the waters at Long Bay.

There’s lots of conch in the water out at Long Bay. We were shown all the ins and outs of crackin’ conch and how to serve up ” a fresh from the ocean” feast!

 

We didn't forget the limes....conch, fresh from the sea.

We didn't forget the limes....conch, fresh from the sea.

Albert used to do lots of fishing and knows exactly where to find conch. He showed us how to prepare the conch meat and served it to us out on the Long Bay beach.
Yum.....that conch with a squirt of lime is as fresh as it gets!
Yum…..that conch with a squirt of lime is as fresh as it gets!

Join us for a taste of Conch on your visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hope to see you soon.

Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com