Villa del Mar Turks and Caicos Islands

5 Top Dining Spots within 5 mins of VDM

At 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

Just 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

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.

Visit the “World’s Best Beach”

The world's leading beach

The web site TripAdvisor is one of the most popular and authoritative travel web sites on the Internet. So when they reader speak, people listen.

Recently they announced the winners of the annual Travelers’ Choice Destination Awards and to no surprise to us (because we see it very day) our very own Grace Bay Beach was voted the World’s Best Beach & Sun Destination by Trip Advisor readers. That’s quite a feat. Considering some of the great stretches of sand available around the world!

But anyone who has spent time on Grace Bay Beach knows that is it’s truly a classic – fine white sandy, calm aqua blue waters and an un-crowded slow pace that makes it feel like time is standing still.

Villa del Mar offers full beach services on Grace Bay Beach, including towels, cold drinks and comfy beach chairs. Our attentive ‘beach guy” will cater to your every need so you can enjoy the World Leading Beach in relaxing comfort and luxury.

So come see for yourself why savvy travelers around the world have voted our beach the best of the best.

5 restaurants within 5 minutes walk

At 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.

Dining under the palms at Coco Bistro

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 cocctail 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 neighbor, 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.

Try paradise before you buy it

Luxury can be yours as a great investment option

Villa del Mar is not just a great place to visit for a Caribbean vacation, it’s also an excellent investment if you are looking for a real estate opportunity that earns you good returns and also delivers enjoyable personal use.

Each unit at Ville del Mar is individually owned and we still have a few left in our inventory, at a range of sizes and price points. Best of all, if you come and join us for a holiday and end up making an investment in the property, we’ll refund your total price of the trip to Turks & Caicos. How‘s that for a satisfaction guarantee?

Our owners enjoy as much personal use of their suite as they like. When they are not using them, the units are placed in our rental pool and run like any other type of hotel. We split the income with the owners, allowing you to enjoy an excellent income while your property appreciates.

There are many other reasons to look at Villa del Mar as an investment opportunity. You can check out our real estate web site, or call us directly to learn more,

And don’t forget, your trip to TCI is on us if you decide to buy.

Graceway Gourmet market: Convenient and great selection

One of the great aspects about Villa del Mar is our convenient location in the heart of Grace Bay.  We are within an easy walk to many fine restaurants, shops, a casino and other attractions.

And, we’re are very close to the island’s newest grocery store. Graceway Gourmet.  Since our suites feature fully equipped kitchens and we have a communal BBQ area,  if you feel like cooking your own meal one night, or just want to stock up on some essentials for the ‘fridge, Graceway Gourmet is ideal.

It’s a fully stocked supermarket like you would find in most places in the world, and offers a great a selection of gourmet food products, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, drinks, and other necessities. It has a coffee shop with tasty fresh made pasties,  a full soup &  salad bar and a hot lunch selection every day, too. An outdoor sitting area is perfect for watching the world go by, or checking your email on their free WiFi.

Graceway Gourmet has a broad selection of wine, and a full liquor and beer section, too (sorry no alcohol sales on Sundays in the TCI).

The store is open every day from 8AM to 9PM. It takes travelers checks and most major credit cards (there’s also an ATM at Scotia Bank right next door).

A picture tells a thousand words: VDM on Flickr

There’s no better way to get a sense of the luxury and comfort of a suite at Villa del Mar than the amazing pictures we’ve assembled on our new Flickr account (OK, there is a better way – plan a trip to Turks and Caicos and come see for yourself). For those of you not familiar with Flickr, it’s a cool photo sharing site where you can post pictures and share them with friends.

You’ll see the spacious rooms we have in studio, one- and two-bedroom configurations, the finely appointed living and dining areas, our amazing views, and of course the spectacular beach just a few steps away (along with the dedicated beach services we offer right on Grace Bay Beach). See for yourself why it’s been voted the “best beach in the world.”

And please don’t keep the beauty of Villa del Mar to yourself. Share the images from our Flickr page with all your friends and get this best-kept secret out! That’s why they call this social media, after all!

Kiteboarding is great in TCI

Kiteboarding in TCI

Kiteboarding is a fun, fast-growing and exhilarating sport that has found a home in Turks and Caicos. Our calm, clear waters and perfect wind conditions make it an ideal place to practice this port, whether you are a novice or an expert.

Guests at Villa del Mar are often thrilled to see kiteboarders skimming quicky across the surf right in front of our beach. Kite boarding combines skills form surfing, wind surfing and sailing into a unique activity that has a loyal and growing following.

There are a number of operators here in TCI that can offer lessons, rental equipment and excellent local knowledge on this sport. Our friend at Big Blue are particularly proficient at it, and recently hosted some pros. Check out their blog post on this topic for more info.

Kiteboarding is just another fun water sport available in Turks and Caicos, joining scuba, snorkeling, wind surfing, sailing, fishing, kayaking, and other aquatic activities readily available here.

Race for the Conch!

On July 10 there will be a really unique and fun event happening right in front of the beach by Villa del Mar. It’s the “Race for the Conch’ a one-mile eco swim/open water race. Open water swim racing is a sport that is rapidly growing in popularity and in fact will be contested for the first time in the Olympics in 2010.

Race organizers here are looking forward to a great turnout of both expert and novice swimmers. Anyone can enter and part of the proceeds go to charity. It’s a very well organized and professionally run event, complete, with electronic timing and internationally-accredited rules and judges. More information can be found here.

It’s also a great reason to come visit us in Turks and Caicos in July. July is typically is a very calm and sunny time of year for us here, and the beach conditions are superb. Plus, our rates are lower in the summer!

Come take advantage of some of the awesome promotions and rates we have going on in July, and enjoy the Race for the Conch.