These Turks and Caicos Sister Resorts Double the All-Inclusive Promise

“Can you turn that up?” I ask Donovan, the 30-something driver taking me to the Alexandra Resort on my first trip to Turks and Caicos. “The music seems familiar, but it’s got a different rhythm than reggae.”

“It does,” he replies. “It’s local music — rake ‘n’ scrape. A mix of calypso and our own thing.”

As we pull into the resort, I’m riding this rhythm that pretty much soundtracks the rest of my unhurried island time. Having lived in Thailand for many years as a travel writer, the subtropical heat, palm trees, and slower pace are a welcome transition from manic Manhattan, where I live now. But the Turks and Caicos Islands occupies a unique place in paradise.

Photo: MevZup/Shutterstock

From the food and culture to the sun-soaked beaches opposite the turquoise sea, the islands that comprise the Turks and Caicos are distinctly Caribbean. You’ll hear it in the voices of the hospitality and tourism workers there who hail from nations like Jamaica, Barbados, and Saint Lucia. You’d almost forget that Turks and Caicos is a British Overseas Territory if it weren’t for the Union Jacks flying and the cars driving on the left side of the road.

The island group gets its name from the Turk’s head cactus (its red top resembles a fez) and the phrase cayo hico, meaning “string of islands” in the Indigenous Lucayan language. At the heart of it all is Providenciales, called Provo by locals. While not the largest Turks and Caicos island, Prov serves as the main hub for international arrivals and is the epicenter of the territory’s luxury lifestyle, from shops and restaurants to gorgeous Grace Bay Beach and relaxing accommodations like Alexandra Resort.

The all-inclusive experience at Alexandra Resort

Photos: Paul Ehrlich

Life is about choices. At the all-inclusive Alexandra Resort — and its “Stay at 1, Play at 2” promotion with its inclusive sister property, Blue Haven — guests have plenty of choices. Even a holiday centered around lazy bliss calls for some decision-making.

My choices begin with breakfast at the Asú on the Beach restaurant and continue throughout my stay with 11 more dining options, from laidback cafes and juice bars to fine dining, with everything from pizzas to poutine, salads to sushi, plus salmon and steaks served on sizzling stone platters. You never have to eat the same meal twice.

As I fill my plate with smoked salmon, papaya, and a couple of poached eggs in spicy tomato sauce — for starters — Daren Altieri from Woodbury, Connecticut, tells me that he chose Alexandra “because you get more bang for your buck. We have three kids, all over 18, and being all-inclusive for food and booze is a must. Makes all the difference. And it’s a nice-sized property, not like some Caribbean resorts I’ve been to that are gi-mungus.”

Photos: Paul Ehrlich

Built around a lagoon-shaped pool with a swim-up bar — where much of life orbits — there are 90 bright and airy rooms and suites, with big picture windows and sliding glass doors, some offering sweeping ocean views. My room offers 450 square feet of comfort with a walk-in rain shower, kitchen appliances, and a broad balcony overlooking the resort’s lush tropical landscape. Some other rooms have ocean views, and at the spacious end, there are five 1,450-square-foot, two-bedroom suites.

Beyond the spa, fitness center, and courts for tennis and pickleball, the clear, calm sea is perfect for swimming — or, as I prefer, wading with a dark rum cocktail in hand under the warm late-morning sun. Kayaks, Hobie Cats, and paddleboards are available for more active guests.

“We love it here,” says Marina Rukin from Long Island, New York, as she strolls to the beach. “We love the people, the entertainment. Everyone is like a big hello. We’re beach people and definitely coming back in August. It’s also great for our nine-year-old. So much to do.”

Two resorts for the price of one

Left: Alexandra Resort. Right: Blue Haven Resort. Photos: Paul Ehrlich and Blue Haven Resort

I find an umbrellaed lounge chair on Grace Bay Beach, which stretches some three miles. It’s the island’s most famous, and a walk on its soft sand at sunset with a cocktail is a perfect way to (nearly) end the day. Almost every evening, Alexandra Resort has live music, DJ nights, and other themed events to keep you in tune with island life.

Another day, I take a 20-minute shuttle ride to Blue Haven, tucked away on Provo’s east end. The back-and-forth complimentary shuttle service enables guests to enjoy the dining, beaches, and facilities of both resorts.

With just 45 studios, suites, and a striking 3,163-square-foot penthouse, Blue Haven offers a quieter, more intimate vibe — perfect for unwinding. I spot a hammock and consider a catnap. One of my travel companions has other plans: rent a kayak for a two-hour tour through the mangroves. Two hours of rowing? It sounds ambitious. Still, I agree — and I’m glad I did.

We climb into a clear-bottom kayak. Our Blue Haven guide, Micha, a gym-fit St. Lucian, hitches our kayak to a jet ski and tows us across the busy leeward going through the channel toward Mangrove Cay. Well, this is nice, I think, passing anchored yachts and a shoreline of multi-million dollar mansions. Below the glassy water, we glide over manta rays, sea turtles, starfish, conch shells, and baby lemon sharks.

Mangrove Cay. Photo: Renise Peters/Shutterstock

Eventually, we near the 280 acres of protected mangroves, where it’s time to paddle on our own. Once we find our rhythm, it turns out to be genuinely fun. We then walk through the mangroves, watching rock iguanas creep and skitter through the tangled roots. Later, back on shore, in the heat-hugging afternoon, I reward myself with a mojito made with fresh mango juice and then sway slowly in a hammock.

Before dinner, I join my fellow travelers at a poolside bar. After considering the cocktail choices, I order a Bombay martini. “I just rewatched The Firm with Gene Hackman,” I tell the woman next to me. “He orders this drink. Twice.”

“I know. I was working in the Cayman Islands where the scene was filmed,” says bartender Sly as he stirs — not shakes — the ingredients.

Dinner is at the Blue Haven’s Fire and Ice restaurant, with choices like herb-crusted tuna, slow-roasted duck breast, or, as I finally decide, a tomahawk steak.

Photo: Robert Harding Video/Shutterstock

My last day in Turks and Caicos is full. I hire one of the resort’s cars to visit the island’s sole brewery — Turk’s Head — about halfway between the resort and the airport. My guide, Julian, tells me the brewery started in 2000 producing water and shifted to beer a year later. Each of the five beers produced — some 5,000 to 6,000 cans daily — is brewed specifically to compete with lagers, ales, and stouts imported into the country. The best way to enjoy them is a flight. My favorite was the I-Ain-Ga-Lie, a crisp lager that’s just right for a hot day at the beach.

Early evening, I join a flow of people to the lively Thursday Fish Fry. Do not miss this. Just a short stroll from the resort, the weekly event hosted by the Turks and Caicos Tourism Board gathers locals and visitors who know how to have a great time. Dozens of vendors sell cocktails, clothing, souvenirs, and, yes, plenty of fish: conch salads, crab, fried fish, lobster. There’s also BBQ ribs and jerk chicken. Ah, more choices. It’s a real carnival atmosphere that culminates in colorful costumed Junkanoo dancers gyrating to drums, cowbells, and other local instruments.

Junkanoo is a street parade that’s traditionally held around the holidays in certain Caribbean islands, though you may encounter Junkanoo-like festivities at other times of the year, as I did.

“We only have one Junkanoo band on the island,” says Ovancia Gardiner, raising her voice over the music. Born and raised here, she adds, “It ties us to our culture. Junkanoo has been a practice in the Turks and Caicos Islands — and across the Caribbean — for centuries.”

The morning before my flight I take a buffet-filled plate of fresh fruit, yogurt, scrambled eggs, and a toasted bagel to a beach chair. Blacked-hooded gulls fly above the almost lake-still sea and palm trees. I could easily just sit here, look at this view, and never get bored. Finally, no more choices.

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