Beach Wedding

The bride and groom pose for photos on Grace Bay beach

The bride and groom pose for photos on Grace Bay beach

The Turks and Caicos Islands with incredible white sand beaches and crystal clear waters have become a favourite for romantic beach weddings. Consider our islands for that very special wedding surrounded by family and friends.

Time for the bridesmaids to have a little fun

Time for the bridesmaids to have a little fun

 

If your planning to get married soon, think about a beach wedding on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

 

Marta

 

www.cloudnine.tc

Bonefish

Can you see the two fishermen?

Can you see the two fishermen?

I took this photo from the boat out at SW Bluff by Osprey Rock looking towards the flats and beaches edged by the shoreline.

This is a favourite area for bonefishing with a vast expanse of flats to wade and fish.
Chrissie and Thane from Florida spent their honeymoon at Harbour Club Villas and here’s their photo of Thane and his bonefish caught right by Osprey Rock.
Nice catch.......bonefish on the line!

Nice catch.......bonefish on the line!

Thane and Chrissie were out most of the day enjoying the water, snorkeling, fishing and visiting all our favourite spots and for honeymooners…….this area is just perfect .
Love is in the air at this secluded and picturesque beach.

Love is in the air at this secluded and picturesque beach.

If you are thinking of a great honeymoon, tropical island paradise, come to Provo in the Turks and Caicos.
Cheers,
Marta

Wild Ipecac

My mystery plant bloomed today and what a colourful flower it has.

My mystery plant bloomed today and what a colourful flower it has.

It’s been a few weeks now that I’ve been watching and waiting for this plant to bloom. I had thought it was a purple ruellia but when the red balls opened and flowers started to appear, I realized it was something else. Well, today there were five flowers that opened and what a treat. Bright red petals around a central yellow flower. I looked it up and it is called a Butterfly Weed or Wild Ipecac and is much loved as a food by the Monarch butterfly. It grows throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands and has been used for medicinal purposes.  You can make a poultice from the crushed leaves that emit a white milky latex and apparently the plant has antifungal, antiviral and anticarcinogenic properties.  Poultices have been applied to warts, ringworm and tumours and a powder made from the crushed roots of the Wild Ipecac is said to induce vomiting.

Closeup of the vibrant red-orange and yellow flowers of the Wild Ipecac

Closeup of the vibrant red-orange and yellow flowers of the Wild Ipecac

The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands have some 1400 different plant species and approximately 120 of them are unique to the region.
Enjoy the flowers of the Turks and Caicos when you come for your vacation.
Marta
www.harbourclubvillas.com

Bonefish Point

The sandbar at Bonefish Point

The sandbar at Bonefish Point

The sandbar at Bonefish Point is absolute heaven. It doesn’t matter when you go, at low tide, high tide or some where inbetween……….there’s always something special that will catch your eye. Bonefish, star fish, blue crabs scuttling in the shallows, nurse sharks, herons, pelicans, shells and conch too. As you walk along the beach from Osprey Rock to Bonefish Point, you’ll go through different types of beach formation. Some areas are littered with conch, others have coarse particles of coral, a small inlet with smooth round pebbles and of course there’s stretches of fine white sand that the Turks and Caicos are know for.

A blue crab strikes an aggressive pose !

This little blue crab was not happy to be confronted by my camera

This little blue crab was not happy to be confronted by my camera

The weather was perfect today for a trip down to Bonefish Point. I know you’ll enjoy all there is to see and explore at the South West end of the island.

Marta

www.diving.tc

Dive with sharks

Cruising too close???? Not for Mickey at Flamingo Divers who took this classic shot.

Cruising too close???? Not for Mickey at Flamingo Divers who took this classic shot.

Our guest and diver Daniel had an amazing underwater scuba adventure when he saw sharks up close for the first time. Can’t imagine what it would be like to be that close ! I’m hoping Daniel will have a chance to send me a few words on his diving. We have some of the clearest water ever here in the Turks and Caicos. Come and experience it for yourself. See you then!

Up close and personal with a shark

Up close and personal with a shark

Diving is the best in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

See you soon

Marta

http://www.diving.tc

Cave and Osprey Rock

Jane and Jennifer climbed up through the hole in the rock to see the view from the top and the inscriptions.

Jane and Jennifer climbed up through the hole in the rock to see the view from the top and the inscriptions.

The pirate’s cave at South West Bluff can be accessed through the water.  Jane and Jennifer climbed up the rope ladder into the little cave, through its roof opening, and onto the top of the cliffs where shipwrecked sailors came ashore in the early 1800s. In the rocks ontop of the cliffs there are carvings with the names of the sailors.  The wide cove from Osprey Rock to Bonefish Point is a great place for seeing cruising rays, turtles,  juvenile sharks, barracudas, crabs and other marine life. This is one of my favourite places to go to by boat or road. It’s a little piece of heaven that often is yours alone to enjoy. As our islands get busier and more known, it will become more difficult to find these treasures!

Inscriptions carved in the rock by shipwrecked sailors

Inscriptions carved in the rock by shipwrecked sailors

This inscription is found up on the bluff along with others. A newspaper in Nova Scotia indicates that the St.Louis burned on August 30th, 1842, and was lost. She sailed from Boston to New Orleans with some 24 people on board who were rescued by a brig called Impulse. Apparently she also was wrecked on the Caicos Reef on September 3rd, and was still carrying the crew of the St. Louis. There was no loss of life in either incident.  

All this history and it all can be seen if you climb up the rope ladder to the top and look down in the rocks.

Happy searching the next time you’re at South West Bluff.

Marta

http://www.diving.tc

Starfish

Jane checks out the bright orange colours on a Bahama sea star or starfish

Jane checks out the bright orange colours on a Bahama sea star or starfish

Hi everyone,

I can’t tell you what an exceptional day we had! Not only were there dolphins, but we watched two pelicans dive bombing for fish. How do they do that???? The starfish were icing on the cake and we saw many of them in different sizes mainly off the sandbar at Bonefish Point. A blue crab was in the water too but he was too fast and scurried away.

Marta

http://www.diving.tc

Dolphin pod

Incredible...we played hide and seek with a pod of five dolphins

Incredible...we played hide and seek with a pod of five dolphins

How lucky could we get…………..five dolphins played with us for 45 minutes off Five Cays close to South Dock on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. We took family friend, Jane and Jennifer out for a day of boating. We stopped first at a little cay where the girls saw iguanas and just before the docks we sighted these magnifiscent dolphins. Wow, we couldn’t believe seeing so many of them at one time as they swam and frolicked under the boat and cut through the water with such phenomenal speed. It was really tough trying to get photos. You too may be lucky and see dolphins when you visit us here in the Turks and Caicos.

Marta

http://www.diving.tc

Iguana photo#2

Iguana at the sanctuary at Little Water Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands

Iguana at the sanctuary at Little Water Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana is a protected species. Visitors can take short boat ride to Little Water Cay to see the iguanas. They feed on berries, leaves and fruit (Sapodilla is a favourite) and live in shallow burrows. This is a great place to take the kids. The National Trust has built a board walk so visitors can walk the trail, stop to take photos and see the iguanas at close range. Make a point of stopping at Little Water Cay when you visit Providenciales and the Turks and Caicos Islands. See you soon!

Marta

www.harbourclubvillas.com