Category Archives: Harbour Club Villas and Marina

Harbour Club Villas and Marina

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Our little piece of paradise overlooking Flamingo Lake and our Marina at Cooper Jack.

Harbour Club Villas and Marina……a gem of a place on the South Side of Provo with Flamingo Lake on one side and our Marina leading out to beautiful Cooper Jack Bay on the other.  It’s a new year and past time to tell you a little about our piece of paradise, our location, surrounding area and all the beautiful out of the way spots and things you will find when staying with us.

 

A kite cam view of our six rental villas. Thank you to our neighbors Polly and Byron for this sensational photo.

A kite cam view of our six rental villas. Thank you to our neighbors Polly and Byron for this sensational photo.

Fifteen years ago, we built six , one bedroom villas overlooking the lake on 2.2 acres in an area that is called Turtle Tail. It is a unique place to call home while visiting Providenciales. A place where you can look out sometimes and see bonefish tailing, watch the hummingbirds, doves, bananaquits and a green heron or two that drops by the pool daily for a drink and squawks at you if you intrude on his space. A walk down into the marina and you are greeted by our neighbour’s two potcakes, Effie and Gemma who love coming by for threats from our guests. Can you believe that our guests actually bring treats, and premium cuts of meat with them to feed these two dogs?

A perfectly still, calm day....we call it a French Cay day.

A perfectly still, calm day….we call it a French Cay day.

Take out our complimentary kayaks and spend a few hours paddling close to the shore in a foot or two of water exploring the hidden coves, Delou’s beaches and even some of the small cays to see the iguanas and snorkel.

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A bird’s eye view of the lake, villas, marina and channel out to Cooper Jack Bight

Delou's beaches across the channel and accessible by our complimentary kayaks

Delou’s beaches across the channel and accessible by our complimentary kayaks

 

Many of our guests take out the kayaks and explore the shoreline…..beautiful little coves and tidal beaches, some coral heads to snorkel and some of the little cays have green iguanas. A delightful way to spend an afternoon on a beach just made for two.

Out kayaking making for one of the cays.

Out kayaking making for one of the cays.

Visit one of the little cays with the kayaks and see our local iguanas.

 

One of the tiny tidal coves along the shore line

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Kayak on Delou’s beach and Cooper Jack Bight

 

We have scuba dive boats just waiting to take you out to West Caicos or French Cay

Walk down to the Marina in the evenings and here’s where you will find all the dive operators….Flamingo Divers, Ocean Vibes, Caicos Adventures, Provo Turtle Divers and Jodi, the Snuba lady too. Our marina is the shortest distance to the amazing dive sites at West Caicos and French Cay. We’ll help you book some scuba diving, snorkeling or snuba so just let us know what you’d like to see and do.

 

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Here’s Snuba TCI heading off for a wonderful day of snuba and snorkeling.

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I’ve spent many hours on this small beach.

 

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We have gorgeous sunsets which you can enjoy from the Marina

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Flamingo Lake and one of our guests bonefishing

Bonefishermen love staying at our villas. All they have to do is walk out their villa door and be bonefishing in the lake within minutes. Sometimes you can even see the bonefish tailing from the villas. There are several areas where you can wade the flats too.

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Bonefish churning up the lake waters at sunset.

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Reflections on Flamingo Lake right by our villas.

 

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Sunset and a flamingo on Flamingo Lake with Harbour Club Villas in the background.

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A beautiful early morning calmness on the lake.

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A Reddish Eagret looking for fish in Flamingo Lake.

Birdwatchers, birders and wild life lovers will enjoy watching the many water birds that fly in to enjoy the lake. As you  walk from Harbour Club Villas along the Lake and Juba Salina, you’ll see all kinds of Herons, ducks and even flamingos.

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Often we see small groups of Flamingos

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Taking a look at the beautiful fishing flat close to Harbour Club Villas

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Bonefishing on the flats of the south side of Provo.

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Juba Salina is further down Turtle Tail and often you’ll see flamingos down this way.

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Marta’s little beach or Dog beach at sunset….it’s tucked away so you’ll have to ask me where it is!!

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This celebrity’s mansion overlooks the waters of the south side just down the road from the villas.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos of the south shore line close by Harbour Club Villas. It’s a wondrous area that’s quiet and tranquil, great for fishing, bonefishing, kayaking, walking and bird watching. For those that want to scuba dive, we are available to make the arrangements for you. Come and enjoy our piece of paradise……..the south side of Provo.

 

Marta

 

 

www.harbourclubvillas.com

 

 

 

Pintails on Flamingo Lake

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Sunset over Flamingo Lake and three pintails

The sun was setting as the ducks swam in the lake.
Beautiful White-Cheeked Pintails swimming and feeding on Flamingo Lake

 

A beautiful evening for a cruise on Flamingo Lake by Harbour Club Villas

Evenings at the lake by Harbour Club Villas brings out all kinds of water birds. This evening, three pintails enjoyed their cruise on the lake.

 

 

Marta

 

 

www.harbourclubvillas.com

 

Horseback Riding on the Beach with Provo Ponies

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Beautiful Long Bay beach and waiting for Provo Ponies and our Harbour Club Villa guests to head my way.

A quiet late afternoon on Long Bay beach just waiting to take photos of our Harbour Club Villas guests out horseback riding with Provo Ponies. I kept myself entertained taking a few photos of the kite boarders and a washed up conch shell. Provo Ponies was started as a rescue mission for horses and ponies in the TCI. Camille and few of her close friends purchased 7 Paso Fino’s that had been shipped to Provo from the Dominican Republic. Sadly, there were signs of abuse and the horses were in such poor condition, malnourished and dehydrated. It’s not an easy thing to raise and care for horses on an island such as this one where everything has to be shipped in. Remember that there is no or very little fresh water here and not much soil to grow grass or hay or grains. Provo Ponies was formed when it became evident that these rescue horses would have to earn their keep. They became fit and were thriving under Camille and friends excellent care getting regular exercise, food and loving attention.

 

The horses went straight for the water

 

These horses love the water and the kite boarders were out too.

 

Long Bay waters are shallow and perfect for the ponies.

 

Josee enjoying herself riding Ike (I think that's Ike)

Ike’s story is that he was abandoned on Grand Turk and left to fend for himself. He was eventually rescued and bought from his owner and is now happily working and exercising on Long Bay beach. He is a Morgan Percheron cross, born in 2000 and rescued to a wonderful new life in 2010.

Kevin loving his ride along the beach and in the water.

Did you know that the horses make all kinds of sounds to each other as they love being in the water.

Great way to spend an afternoon on Provo with Provo Ponies and Clyde, Turtle, Bosco and Ike!

Meet a few of the ponies………… Clyde on the left, is the guide horse for now and he’s a thoroughbred/Clydesdale cross.  Turtle is a beautiful, massive Belgian and 18hh who was found and bought from the owner in 2010 when he was about 700 pounds underweight. Bosco is a Standardbred whose greatest love is wading in the water and of course Ike who doesn’t mind the hard work because he loves his job!

Time for a little gallop along the beach!

 

Another turn in the water for our Harbour Club guests as the sun slowly sets.

What a beautiful horse Bosco is.......I love this photo!

 

Time to head back to the corrals.

End of a perfect afternoon ride

 

Hoof prints in the sand at sunset

 

 

 

It’s time to head back to the corrals after an amazing afternoon on horseback enjoying the sun, sand and water………………a taste of heaven! It is best to book your ride early, go on line and book before you arrive as Provo Ponies is always busy.

See you on the beach, next time.

 

Marta

 

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Full moon and a mackerel sky, mackerel sky - never long wet, never long dry.

I glanced outside this evening to see this spectacular moon. Even better yet was the mackerel sky. In the days of sailing ships this type of sky was viewed as a likely forerunner of stormy weather. It has been so hot of late and we’ve had some lightning shows with thunder and some short rains. I’m hopeful that the mackerel sky tonight will bring some cooling rain. Here’s an old saying…….Mare’s tails and mackerel scales make lofty ships take in their sails.

A halo presented itself around the moon and those perfect little clouds

Magical moon in a mackerel night sky.

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Tamarind Tree at Harbour Club Villas

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A glorious sight.........Harbour Club's tamarind tree in full bloom.

The Tamarind tree apparently was brought to the Caribbean from Africa in the early seventeenth century. Our tree is relatively small at about 18 feet but makes for easy gathering of the fruits. It was originally given to us as a two foot tall plant and has been growing ever since. I never even knew what it was until we started giving the fruit away. I was shown how to crack the shell and OMG …….. a childhood remembrance of that taste overwhelmed me. WOW, it had to have been either in St. Vincent or Malaysia. We were little children enjoying the sweet-sour pucker your mouth taste.

Tamarind branches loaded down with tamarind fruits

 

Tamarinds hanging from the tree and flowers.

 

The tamarind has beautiful and delicate orchid like flowers.

Tamarind flowers look somewhat  like orchids, are mainly yellow and elongated with orange or red streaks. The buds are pink and these pink sepals are lost when the flower blooms.

The pretty yellow and orangey-red flowers of the tamarind tree.

Mature tamarinds have brittle shells and when you apply gentle pressure, the shell will crack to expose a brownish fruit.

The tamarind is best described as sweet and sour in taste and is high in acid, sugar, B vitamins and oddly enough for a fruit, calcium. Young tamarind fruits have hard green pulp that is often too sour to eat but these fruits are often used as a component of savory dishes. As tamarinds mature, the flesh pulp turns brown to reddish-brown. The skin turns hard and forms into a brown shell that is brittle. The ripe fruit look like a beanlike pod with bulging areas and a slight curve. Inside is a soft pulp around hard seeds. A few strands of fiber extend from the stalk around the pulp covered seeds.

Crack the outer shell of the tamarind to expose the brown pulp surrounding an inner seed.

Take a ripe tamarind, crack the shell and peel back the pieces. You will see a few fibers extending from the stalk that help to hold everything together. The fruit has multiple small bulges and each bulge is a seed. Bite down just after the first seed and pull away. A taste sensation will fill your mouth as you suck and scrape the pulp off the seed with your teeth and spit the seed out. Oh so sour but with lots of sweetness too!!

The seeds of the tamarind are somewhat flattened, and a beautiful glossy brown......would be lovely for jewellery!

Tamarinds can be eaten at different stages with the mature fruit being used to make jam, juice, candies, desserts, ice-cream and it is often used in dishes as a seasoning. I have made a delicious chutney from fresh tamarinds and mangoes to go with my curry. I have tasted a delicious tamarind drink made in a similar way to lemonade; fruit/juice, sugar and water. Some recipes include cinnamon and other spices. The wood of the tamarind tree is sometimes used to make furniture and wood flooring. The seeds are used to produce pectin for use in the manufacture of jams and jellies and sometimes the leaves and fruits are used for various medical applications, dying of clothing and other processes and for cleaning silver and copper.

 

Flowers and fruit blossoming and fruiting all at once.

 

A bananaquit preens in the shade of our tamarind tree.

Well, I’m thinking it’s time for a cold drink………………maybe I’ll just pick some tamarinds and get busy making some juice!

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

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Kayaking at Harbour Club Villas

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Harbour Club guests taking a rest on this tiny idyllic slip of a beach outside the Marina entrance.

Tropical storm Chantal had fizzled out leaving us with hot but hazy weather for today. Perfect for a bit of a work out with the kayaks. Dan and Lynnetta took off with the ocean kayaks to explore the beautiful shore line just outside the Marina entrance at Harbour Club Villas.  There are small coves with pure white sand and since these are tidal, much depends on what time you choose to go out. The turquoise water is shallow so guests can hug the shoreline or cut right across without any worries.

Shooting from the top of the hill at Harbour Club through the masts of sailboats moored in the Marina.

 

Heading back the water was calm with a little breeze.

 

Delou's beaches are usually deserted so you can have your own private little beach.

 

A short paddle down past the Marine Biology School, a turn to the right and home.

It was definitely a good day today with cloudy skies keeping the temperatures just perfect for a kayak excursion.

Marta

www.harbourclubvillas.com

Turks Head Cactus Pods

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Half eaten, rosy pink seed pod from the Turks Head cactus.

Many of the Turks Head Cacti here at Harbour Club Villas are flowering and throwing off seed pods like crazy right now. They are providing a feast for our local population of anoles and curly tailed lizards. I haven’t managed to snap a photo of them actually eating one but I keep trying.

This fairly young cactus does not have a pronounced cap as yet but it is producing so many seed pods.

 

An anole lizard has no problem with the cactus spines as he makes for the seed pods.

 

The seed pods are shaped more like a fushia coloured pepper elongated at the one end where it grows in the white part of the cap.

 

Close up of the indentation in the cap left by the seed pod with a curly tailed lizard.

No seed pod but still a fair sized Curly Tailed Lizard and we do have some pretty large ones at the villas.

The seed pods of the Turks Head Cactus provides food for many birds and lizards who injest, fertilize, eliminate the tiny black seed to propagate more cacti.

 

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

 

More Birds at Harbour Club Villas

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Sweet little fledgling just learning to fly.

All kinds of twittering going on today and I left my computer to go and investigate. There were two baby Blue-grey Gnatcatchers learning to fly while the mama flew around from one to the other. They are fairly common breeding residents on all islands of the Turks and Caicos.

 

He was pretty tiny as he peeped and called for mama to feed him.

 

Cuban crows are not often seen on Providenciales.

 

 

He flew from Coconut tree to coconut tree as the mocking birds attacked him.

This was a first for me and these Cuban Crows are more often seen on North and Middle Caicos. Now I have to catch photos of that pesky Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that is leaving holes throughout our coconut palms!! He’s really fast though and hard to capture in a photo.

Happy birdwatching.

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birds at Harbour Club Villas

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Bananaquits are usually just too fast to photograph but this one posed prettily in our tamarind tree.

All of a sudden there seems to be lots of singing, chirping, cooing and squawking going on around Harbour Club Villas. I’ve managed to photograph quite a few birds in the last week that seem to like this area……….Bananaquits, Doves, a Green Heron that tries to catch fish and drinks from the pool, the Northern Mockingbird locally called “Preacher Bird” and many Bahama Woodstar Hummingbirds.

This little Mourning Dove doesn't seem to be afraid of me as it pecks away at something in the gravel under the neem trees.

There are several doves here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Every morning quite early, we hear the Zenaida Dove cooing. The Mourning Dove has more of a melancholy voice and has a long tail that fans out on take off and landing. We also have the Common Ground Dove and the White-winged Dove.

The Northern Mockingbird is a songbird, sometimes called the Nightingale or more locally 'Preacher Bird' because of their talkativeness and singing.

Every day the Green Heron visits the pool for a cooling drink. He'll squawk at guests to let them know this is his private drinking pool.

The Green Heron likes to fish and stays low to the water craning his neck out as he searches for food. Often, we can hear him in the trees grumbling to himself and making ‘skuk skuk’ noises. Heaven forbid if you disturb him as he will fly up complaining loudly and this has given it the local name of the ‘Kow Kow’.

Stalking a lizard on a Coconut frond.

A Mockingbird perched high on a branch and singing away.

A little Bahama Woodstar Hummingbird let me get really close one night as it perched on a branch.

Bananaquit with beautiful yellow breast preens on a branch of the Tamarind tree.

I managed to get a photo of this dove as it sat on a barrel.

 

I caught this Great Egret walking down the road from Rickie's or Flamingo Bar.

 

He was not about to let go of his lunch...a curly tailed lizard.

I’m glad that I have my camera with me most days. It was pure luck to sight this Great Egret just walking down the road. He must not have liked what was on the menu at Flamingo’s. Enjoy these photos and we hope all you bird lovers , birders and birdwatchers will visit our islands soon.

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com