5 Top Dining Spots within 5 mins of VDM
July 13th, 2010At the moment Villa del Mar does not offer a full service restaurant on property. We do offer a BBQ area where you can make your own food right next to our comfortable pool and bar area.
But for those who want to dine out, you’ll be pleased to know there are many restaurants within a short walking distance from your suite. We can help with suggestions and reservations for any restaurant on the islands.
Here are 5 of our favorites, all within a 5 minute walk:
Coyaba: Literally right around the corner and one of the long-standing landmarks of fine dining on TCI. Chef Paul Newman and his wife have been pleasing island diners for years with their creative dishes and cozy setting.
Anacaona: The signature restaurant at Grace Bay Club, directly across from our front entrance. One of the most romantic dining experiences in TCI. Enjoy cool breezes right on the beach, or a cocktail at their famous infinity bar.
Coco Bistro: Dine under the palms of this inviting little bistro, set amidst a garden of towering palm trees. Chef Stuart Grey has a creative knack for combining traditional and modern dishes, and the atmosphere is ideal for an intimate night out or a group dinner under the stars.
Caicos Cafe: Owned and operated by a classic French chef, this Provo favorite serves up fresh fish dishes with a European flair. Set on a comfortable outdoor deck. Excellent wine selection
Mango Reef: The restaurant at our neighbour, the Royal West Indies, features a diverse menu of European and Asia inspired dishes and friendly bar. Offering indoor and outdoor dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
One ‘bonus’ pick we recommend is Fresh. It’s open for breakfast and lunch til 5PM, and features awesome baked goodies, fresh coffee and breakfast sandwiches, and a wide selection of sandwiches, soups and salads.
Our Favorite Scuba Spots
July 13th, 2010Just about everyone knows that the scuba diving in Turks and Caicos is among the best in the world. We asked our friends at Big Blue, a full service and very ecologically friendly dive shop here, to give us their top picks to see the best of the best. Here’s their list for Providenciales and vicinity
— Sandbore Channel (West Caicos). Always a feeding ground for the big stuff, and and part of an excellent West Caicos day trip
— G-spot and 3) DD (French Cay): Well worth the 60 minute or so boat ride as a sheer vertical drop and amazing corals await. Frequent visitors include manta rays, sharks and other curious creatures
— West Sand Spit (Out there): It’s a haul, but makes for a great day trip
— Football Field (Pine Cay): Is that American football, or soccer? Doesn’t matter, a convenient spot just minutes from Leeward Marina but with an active reef and a very cool, natural stretch of sand that the local residents – grouper, lobsters, barracuda – might just use for kicking the ball around when there are no divers there.
— Black Coral Forest / Amphitheatre (Northwest Point, Provo). Northwest Point is nice two tank day trip, with a number of spots along its wall. This is one of the best with an amazing natural coral environment that looks like it could have been man made. During your surface interval, see if you can spots and celebs at nearby Amanyara Resort.
— Driveway/ Whiteface (West Caicos): Another prime example of the beauty of West Caicos’ breathtaking wall diving. Slide down the ‘driveway’ over the wall and into the blue abyss.
2010 Conch Festival set for November 27
July 9th, 2010des robes de mariee personnalisees
The Conch Festival is fun for the whole family
The Conch Festival is a uniquely Turks and Caicos event that celebrates our favorite mollusk, number one export, and a link to our islands’ fishing and maritime past. Held every year in the Blue Hills area of Providenciales (about a 15 minute drive from Villa del Mar) the Conch Festival features the island’s top chefs competing to see who can make the best conch based dishes. These guys get creative, too, whipping up all sorts of things you’d never think could include conch. Best of all, you get to be the judge, sampling all the dishes for a mere $25 and voting on your favorites. The Grand Prize winner gets a coveted trophy to display for a year in their restaurant.
For those of you not familiar with conch (pronounced: conk), it’s the snail-like animal that lives in those pretty white shells you find all over the beach and seabed in TCI. Our country is the leading producer of this great seafood product and it’s been a staple on people’s diets here since they first arrived. It’s a bit like calamari or squid, but tastes sweeter and can be eaten raw or cooked in any number of ways. It’s extremely healthy and tasty. It is also said to be a natural aphrodisiac, which may help explain its popularity as well.
The Conch Festival is a family-friendly day of games, live music, contests, sailing – all on the picturesque shores of the Blue Hills community – a true authentic Caribbean village where the first inhabitants of our island settled.
This year the Conch Festival is on November 27, which is right after US Thanksgiving. Why not make a long weekend of it in the Turks and Caicos and enjoy a fun, authentically native island festival. Check here for more details.
