Page 18 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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BEACHES

Grace Bay

vs Magens Bay ABOVE Sun-worshipers crowd the beach at Magens Bay on

the island of St Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Sweeping in a spectacular arc as far as the eye can see and shelving into calm FORGET MAGENS BAY?
turquoise water, breathtaking Grace Bay surpasses Magens Bay by leagues
THE BUILD-UP This picture-postcard bay is
lined by a white-sand beach stretching for more
than half-a-mile (1 km). It has virtually no tides
water sport, jump on a horse, or simply relax on the
NEED TO KNOW or waves, and the gentle slope into the azure
sand, where a near-constant breeze takes the edge water, as well as the presence of lifeguards,
LOCATION Grace Bay is on /PSUI off the blazing sun, this blissful spot has it all. makes it perfect for children. Trees offer respite
the north shore of the island $BJDPT
of Providenciales in the While Magens Bay has no hotels, cosmopolitan from the sun, and a concession rents chairs and
Turks and Caicos Islands, 1307*%&/$*"-&4 &BTU Grace Bay is blessed with a variety of plush lockers, has shower facilities, and sells food.
575 miles (925 km) $BJDPT
southeast of Miami 4PVUI $BJDPT accommodation options that boast pampering
(SBOE THE LETDOWN Magens Bay can get very, very
POPULATION 17,000 563,4 5VSL luxury, first-rate facilities, and to-die-for settings.
$"*$04 *4-"/%4 busy, especially when the cruise ships have
VISITORS PER YEAR 300,000 These hotels are so swanky they even offer their docked and the tour buses spill out their hordes.
DAYTIME TEMPERATURES "UMBOUJD 0 DFBO guests king-size canopied beds on the beach and There’s no coral reef here, and the big rock pools
Jan: 73°F (23°C); Apr: 77°F (25°C); pretty thatched umbrellas to stand in for palm trees.
Jul: 84°F (29°C); Oct: 82°F (28°C) boast only average snorkeling conditions. Alas,
Atmospheric restaurants and casual but classy bars the beach charges for the privilege of a visit:
on the beach give visitors the opportunity to sip there’s a US$3 entrance fee plus US$1 for parking.
For sugary, pristine sand that gently disappears chilled beers or killer rum cocktails with the soft sand The road to the beach is also unnervingly steep.
under clear, electric-blue water, Grace Bay is hard between their toes. The bay’s eco-friendly, ultra-
to beat. This glorious beach dwarfs world-famous modern Leeward Marina, which opened in 2008, GOING ANYWAY? If you like exercise, you can
Magens Bay in the US Virgin Islands in scale, beauty, beckons the super-rich in their floating party palaces. hike to the beach via the Magens Bay Discovery
and five-star appeal. And while its better-known Unlike Magens Bay, where you’re trapped in a Trail. Try to time your arrival for when the cruise
rival gets very busy with cruise-ship passengers bowl surrounded by steep forested hills and cannot ships aren’t in port, or for late afternoon when
passengers have departed. No nude sunbathing
who surge down the hill to the beach like lemmings, easily explore inland, Grace Bay is also the perfect
is allowed, but you can get an all-over tan at
the frost-white curve of sand at Grace Bay unfurls base for trips around Providenciales. It’s no effort to
Little Magens Beach, a short swim away.
for a staggering 10 miles (16 km), making it well- hop in a taxi to Conch Farm, which is home to about
nigh impossible for the beach to get crowded. 2 million of the endangered mollusks, or the island’s
Grace Bay is the jewel in the crown of the Turks National Environmental Center, where there are
and Caicos archipelago’s main island, Providenciales fascinating exhibits on local marine life. You can even
(known by locals as “Provo”), and is consistently get in the swing at the championship Provo Golf
rated among the world’s top ten beaches. The Club, with its grass-fringed bunkers echoing the
pristine ocean in the bay is part of Princess Alexandra silt-fine sands of Grace Bay. And Provo boasts plenty
Marine National Park and is as still as a millpond of other beaches: at dusk, head west to lonesome
thanks to a protective coral reef that lies 1,650 ft Malcolm Beach to savor the spectacular sunsets.
(500 m) off the coast. Not surprisingly, scuba-
diving, snorkeling, and swimming conditions in the
bay are second to none. Horse-riding is another PRACTICAL INFORMATION
popular activity at Grace Bay, where noisy beach
Getting There and Around fresh seafood. For sophistication,
buggies, quad bikes, and jet skis are banned.
Provo International Airport is try Anacaona at the Grace Bay
Whether you want to try out every conceivable served by daily flights from the Club (www.gracebayclub.com).
USA, Canada, the UK, and other
Where to Stay
Caribbean islands. From here, Try the luxurious all-suite Seven
take a taxi to Grace Bay, which is Stars (www.sevenstars.com),
just a 30-minute drive away. which opened in 2008 and is the
Some hotels provide their own largest hotel on the beach.
airport shuttles. Taxi drivers are
When to Go
usually happy to act as local
guides, but fares are expensive. The weather is best from
You can also rent cars and November to May.
scooters on the island. Budget per Day for Two
Around US$300.
Where to Eat
Grace Bay has some sensational Website
restaurants, with the focus on www.turksandcaicostourism.com
ABOVE Thatched umbrellas on the beach at the Grace Bay Club

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