Voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, the Caribbean’s Grace Bay calls with turquoise colored seas and oceans of outdoor fun

Azure. Cerulean. Cobalt. There’s a place that paints in shades something similar to Lake Tahoe’s tropics-inspired palette of blues—and, like our little piece of paradise, is the stuff of Instagram dreams: Grace Bay. 

Located in the Caribbean’s Turks and Caicos Islands, Grace Bay stretches some 3 miles along the north coast of Providenciales, the most populated of the British Overseas Territory’s approximately 40 isles and cays. Part of the 6,532-acre Princess Alexandra National Park marine and coastal preserve, the bay is protected from Atlantic Ocean swells by an extensive barrier reef a mile offshore, letting the crystalline water mostly lap languidly at the superfine white sand beach. 

Grace Bay even brags in blue ribbons, as it has been tagged the best beach in the world many times over. 

Grace Bay’s world-renowned crystal-clear waters are home to an abundance of marine life, including schools of butterflyfish, courtesy photo

Underwater Wonders

Denizens of these waters, which range from 79 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, include a dazzling array of swimmers such as parrotfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, barracuda, and various snapper and grouper species, along with green and hawksbill turtles, Southern brown and spotted eagle rays, moray eels, nurse sharks and Caribbean reef sharks. Playful Atlantic bottlenose dolphins hang here too—resident “JoJo the Dolphin,” a local mascot of sorts, was declared a National Treasure by the Turks and Caicos Islands government in 1989, and is now often sighted with his progeny, “Dreamer the Dolphin.”

On the western side of Grace Bay, the popular Bight Reef (also known as Coral Gardens) begins at the beach, offering snorkelers and divers easy access to a variety of marine life, plus some 60 species of coral, including hard varieties such as staghorn, elkhorn, pillar, star and brain corals, as well as soft sorts like sea fans, sea whips and sea plumes. 

Beyond the protected zone, deep-sea fisherfolk will find yellowfin and blackfin tuna, great barracuda and wahoo.

Cruise ships can’t dock in Providenciales, keeping the Grace Bay vibe chill without the attendant crush of humanity that large vessels can bring during port calls.

Welcome to the Club

Several luxury hotels line Grace Bay’s waterfront, including the Ritz Carlton, the Grace Bay Club and Seven Stars Resort and Spa. One well-placed resort spread out over 34 prime acres that offers a deep dive into all the things blue: Club Med Turkoise.

Hobie Cats are the perfect way to catch a breeze across Grace Bay, photo by Sue Rock

This is not your grandparents’ Club Med. Yes, the aqua-colored drinks flow freely, tunes turn up for strobe-lit dance parties and enthusiastic European and American staff called G.O.s aim to engage and entertain all day and night. These days, beads have been replaced by wristbands.

This 18-and-over property is favored by couples, families with adult children and groups of friends; a half dozen pastel buildings with 292 comfortable oceanfront rooms are designed to get guests out and up in it. It is, as many Club Med fans (and there are many here in the Tahoe area) say, like summer camp for adults—a complete-with-counselors, push-the-easy-button, all-inclusive for people who don’t do all-inclusives.

A waterfront team runs a fleet of Hobie Cat 15 sailboats, while stand-up paddleboards and kayaks are at the ready for those who want to get on the water. An on-site dive shop with its own boats and dock organizes snorkeling and dive trips (including wall and wreck sites) for first-timers to those seeking advanced SCUBA certification.

The eight tennis and 10 pickleball courts are staffed by pros and scheduled with clinics, and for those who seek to swing at smaller balls, the Royal Turk & Caicos Golf Club is a 10-minute walk from the resort.

Club Med’s Wellness Fusion program features 20-plus hours a week of yoga programming in the oceanfront palapa, which includes meditation with sound bowls, is coordinated by Jonah Kest, an Ashtanga and Vinyasa instructor and personality. Massage therapists work their magic in five beachfront palapas to a soundtrack of the sea (there are an additional three treatment rooms inside). 

Also on tap: volleyball, bocce, ping-pong, billiards, pool games, gym workouts and, of course, Club Med’s signature flying trapeze and circus activities, a program designed as a means to engage rather than just entertain guests with the proposition, “Who has never dreamt of walking the tight rope, jump on the trampoline, fly through the air or juggle like a clown?”

Baguettes and Beyond

Club Med Turkoise punches well above its weight on the all-inclusive food front. The airy restaurant, designed with a wrap-around outdoor terrace, serves buffet-style breakfast, lunch and dinner with a wide variety of well-prepared global cuisine. Beef Wellington, rack of lamb, octopus carpaccio, sushi and quesabirria, along with themed seafood and pasta nights, are popular. As it is a French-founded company, bread and pastry are a priority—bakers turn out crusty baguettes, croissants and the famous white chocolate bread by the boatload each day. 

A selection of beer and wine is served with lunch and dinner; a cool cellar just outside the restaurant can help with higher-end (extra-cost) labels from its nearly 90 pours, and offers tastings as well.

Sharkie’s Beach Bar & Grill fills in when the main restaurant is closed, with breakfast omelets and burritos, burgers and tacos, smoothies and fresh-squeezed juices.

Menus highlight regional ingredients—for example, conch—but fresh ingredients are surprisingly scarce in tropical paradise. With no local agriculture on the island, all supplies are shipped in by container, sometimes shared with other resorts to maximize freshness and minimize waste.

Clearly, there’s a lot to squeeze into a day on Grace Bay. Pulling up a chaise and gazing into those baby blues, perhaps thinking about all that wine and cheese just off the boat from France, is OK too.

Susan D. Rock is Tahoe Quarterly’s longtime Food & Wine editor.