Sunset over the two lakes close to our villas....Flamingo Lake (foreground) and Turtle Lake in the background
Lake sunset
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Monthly Archives: May 2009
Island Wedding
Shelley and Shandi outside their villa at Harbour Club before their beach wedding
Shelley was such a gorgeous bride in her stunning lime green, lace dress with green cymbidium orchids to match. Shandi didn’t seem too nervous as we headed off on the long drive to Malcolm Roads Beach for the wedding ceremony. This beach wedding in the Turks and Caicos Islands recently was one that I’ll always remember. It’s the first one that I’ve ever been to where both bride and groom went right into the water in celebration of their marriage.
As the sun set, bride and groom headed for the water and I got some great photos
Providenciales is a wonderful place to have your wedding and honeymoon. Shelley and Shandi stayed at Harbour Club villas for almost three weeks. The first week was spent organizing the details, Pastor Coleby, visiting various beaches in order to choose “their” perfect beach. They wanted a beautiful beach as well as a rocky shoreline to remind them of Nova Scotia, they selected flowers, photographers and other details. I helped them with flowers, a special wedding cake and took hundreds of photos. After the wedding they relaxed and enjoyed a terrific honeymoon at our villas.
Cutting the wedding cake at Harbour Club Villas.
If you’re thinking of a Turks and Caicos wedding, email me, check out our websites and I’ll help you in any way I can. We have six villas just perfect for smaller group weddings, family reunions or group gatherings. Plan your wedding in the Turks and Caicos Islands……we have simply the most spectacular beaches ever for that special wedding day.
See you in Provo.
Marta
Mushroom
- I found this wonderful mushroom growing in our wild area at Harbour Club Villas.
After all that wonderful rain that we’ve had, this wild mushroom suddenly appeared just up behind one of our villas. I asked my favourite biologist and good friend Nicky whether he thought it was edible or not. He seemed to think it was but I wasn’t prepared to give it a try. Nicky’s the only one that seems to know so many things about the flora and fauna of the islands as well as being able to give me names and tell me what different things might be!!! Apparently out at Tucker’s Hill on Providenciales there used to be edible mushrooms growing there that he would harvest.
It really looked good enough to eat!!!!!!!!
Cheers
Marta
Lemon Cafe
We went to Lemon Cafe for lunch today and really enjoyed it.
Time to try something new (at least to us) on Provo. Some of Harbour Club Villas’ guests had mentioned dining at Lemon and had brought back some brochures with sample menus. Today was the day and we drove into The Village at Grace Bay to find this charming place that’s a little tucked away but well worth looking for.
I loved the breeze flowing through the restaurant which is surrounded by lush vegetation
Lemon is a restaurant with a distinct Moroccan flare and flavour with a touch of Mediterranean influence. The owner, Mark showed us to our table and on the menu was a delicious assortment of soups, salads and sandwiches plus tapas, tagines and b’stilla. I know this has nothing to do with the food but I must say I just loved the rich looking Mexican tile floors that looked like burnished leather and also the breezy openess.
View from the outside looking in.....neat lanterns hanging from the trees.
We’ll definitely return especially for dinner the next time as I want to see what Lemon looks like at night and see the outdoor garden seating area with all the lamps lit up.
Check out Lemon soon and perhaps we’ll see you there!
Bon Appetit!
Marta
Land Crab at the Villas
Barry was the bravest of us all as he picked up this large land crab by our villas.
Guests at Harbour Club Villas were surprised by this rather large land crab they found by their villa. Barry picked it up as it was not moving very fast and was not at all aggressive. We think it might have been injured or sick because it couldn’t even lift up its major claw in order to defend itself.
It sure had a lethal looking claw
It was raining most of today but during one of the breaks between rains, our guests came across the land crab in one of our planters. We don’t think it’s going to make it. It was a great opportunity to take a real close look at a land crab.
Marta
Passion flowers
This pale wine coloured passion flower vine was found on Venetian Road not far from Harbour Club Villas.
I mentioned in a previous post “Passionflowers on the Beach” that I had old photos of a bright red passion flower and the one above which was growing along side Venetian Road and had a paler wine coloured flower. Both were very striking and in colours that I’ve never seen before.
Several varieties and colours of passion flower vines are found on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
These flowers are showy and frequently appear after spring and summer rains. The filaments that are around the central column can vary in colour from yellow to orange to red.
Red passionflower vine that I used to have growing along the pool fence in the early days at Harbour Club Villas
This passion vine had flowers that were a bright red and very striking.
Pretty, bright red passionflower vine that used to grow here at Harbour Club.
Hope you enjoyed taking a look at these extraordinarily beautiful flowers. I love them!
Marta
King Helmet Shell
In Blue Hills, a local cleans a King Helmet shell so that it's ready for sale.
Piles of conch shells lie in the waters by Da Conch Shack in Blue Hills. In amongst them there were a few King Helmet Shells which seem to be much rarer than the Queen Conchs. I’m noticing more and more of these shells and Triton shells being harvested and sold in various places on Providenciales.
Low tide had exposed the piles of conch shells lying in the waters
It was low tide at the beach in Blue Hills where piles of conch shells lay in the water. I guess they get cleaned and sold by beach vendors. Behind the shells, you can see the pen containing live conch that supplies Da Conch Shack.
Taste some conch while in Blue Hills………right on the water!
Marta
Turtle Cove Marina
In coming rain clouds created a rainbow over Turtle Cove Marina a few days ago.
I love the rosey warmth of the light as the sun goes down made that much better by passing rain clouds that created a beautiful rainbow over Turtle Cove Marina. If you’re looking for some great island food check out the four restaurants located in the marina. Not only will you taste some great dishes but the views out over the water are hard to beat. Say Hi to John at Baci’s and tell him Marta sent you. Mike at Aqua will make sure you enjoy yourselves. Then there’s the Tiki Hut and the Shark Bite too.
See you in Turtle Cove!
Marta
Wild Flowers
Flowering Broom Bush with it's delicate white flowers
On a recent tour of Cheshire Hall on Providenciales, I snapped a photo of this lovely plant. The Broom Bush looks a little like dried twigs but once it gets some rain, it takes on a green tinge and then flowers. It is endemic to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Endemic means that this species is limited to a geographic area and not found anywhere else.
The Broom Bush thrives in open and rocky areas such as Sapodilla Hill where I found the above growing
The Turks and Caicos Islands contain a number of endemic species. Look out for our many wild flowers and plants as you wander and visit our beautiful islands.
Marta
Leeward beach
A piece of heaven can be found at the eastern end of Provo. Golden sand, turquoise seas and not too many people.
Have fun at the beach of your choice……..there’s many of them and each one as beautiful as the next.
Marta