Turks and Caicos is experiencing a tourism boom. The destination had a record-breaking year in 2024, welcoming nearly 2 million visitors, and new hotels are popping up on its sandy shores.
To find out the best way to experience the islands, we turned to insider Nikheel Advani, COO and principal of Grace Bay Resorts, which includes the iconic Grace Bay Club, the country’s first luxury hotel; South Bank, a new property spanning 31 waterfront acres that offers the island’s first ocean swimming lagoon; and Rock House, a tranquil oasis carved into the cliffs. While Advani’s career brought him to New York (he worked with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company) and Singapore (he served as Raffles Hotel Singapore’s hotel manager), he has spent 21 years in Turks and Caicos.
We sat down with Advani at The Summit in Monaco, where he shared the under-the-radar attractions, his favorite hidden beach and where to see the islands’ famous glow worms.
Why is Turks and Caicos special?
It starts with the destination. You’ve got incredible people who are warm and friendly. The Turks islanders treat you like you’re one of them. When you come into their homes, you really feel special.
To add to that, it’s one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. If you look at the 50 shades of blue, it’s just gorgeous. You have these powder-white sands with almost nobody on them.
There are 40 different islands. You can get a boat and visit North and South Caicos. North Caicos is a little bit more lush because they have microclimates and micro weather patterns. On Provo, which is the island where most of our resorts are, is very dry and arid. Then you’ve got South Caicos, which is the fishing island. It’s not just one destination.
Which island is a hidden gem?
South Caicos is a hidden gem. That’s the fishing island, so if you get up early in the morning, these boats will come in and there will be fresh lobster. You can take it to the restaurant, and somebody will cook it up for you. They use sustainable methods for fishing. For example, there’s certain seasons you can’t get lobster because that’s their mating season.
When I came to Turks and Caicos 21 years ago, I was surprised that, firstly, they had these laws and, secondly, they take it very seriously.
There is always a lobster party because you got to clear all your fridges at home and in the resorts. From that period till lobster season opens, you can’t have lobster on the menu or even have it in your fridge. Sustainability has been in their DNA for a long time.
What are Turks and Caicos’ must-visit attractions?
You got to be on the beach, right? The other thing is to be on the water. Take a boat and go and see all these islands. I think the sister islands are slowly becoming more a part of everybody’s agenda while they’re on Turks and Caicos, because not everybody wants to just lie down on a gorgeous beach and have cocktails. Now, that is possible, but getting out on the boat is just incredible. Going diving — Turks and Caicos has some of the best diving in the world — but also just snorkeling. You see turtles, dolphins — we have a very famous dolphin called JoJo. Being out in the water is special.
What are some top activities?
Horseback riding, parasailing, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling, jet-skiing, kiteboarding, ATV tours, Love Buggy tours, fly boarding and clear kayak tours through the mangroves.
What are what are the best under-the-radar activities?
There’s a small place in the local settlement called Da Conch Shack. That’s a must. You go hang out there, they bring conch fresh from the water.
Go to another island and have a local experience. South Caicos is one of my favorites. They have this place called Mama’s Bread, and they make special bread on the islands. You get some fresh seafood. They’ll fry it up for you. Put it in that bread — that is heaven.
Everything is through relationships in Turks and Caicos, so you have to know somebody who knows somebody for these activities to happen.
Since you’re talking about some of the great food there, what some other culinary highlights?
That has developed a lot in about 20 years. When we got there, there were not a lot of restaurants to recommend. Today, I can recommend 20 to 25 great food experiences, whether it’s Coco Bistro, which is all under palm trees. Incredible food. They’ve also got a more casual offering called Coco Van. It’s an airstream food truck with cuisine that we get fresh, like lobster, grouper, snapper.
What’s one dish everyone has to try in Turks and Caicos?
Cracked conch. First, they tenderize the conch by beating it, then they cut into small little strips and they them fry up. It’s crunchy, not oily. It’s got this incredible texture. It’s the Caribbean version of calamari. If done correctly, it’s one of the most amazing things to try.
Where do you go to relax?
You can go to the beach, but for me, on one of our properties called Rock House, there is this pier. I like to sit at the end of the pier. You see spotted eagle rays or turtles come up. For me, that’s the most relaxing because I’m literally surrounded by water, and I’m sitting and floating in the center.
What’s the best way to experience Turks and Caicos’ culture?
I was very fortunate to meet the director of culture [at the Ministry of Culture for the Turks and Caicos Islands], David Bowen.
What he has done is look back at a couple of hundred years that Turks and Caicos existed and collected all these special stories, because it’s all about storytelling. In the Caribbean, many of the stories are told in songs. So, he has all these songs that he’ll sing, and they tell you the history.
After he left the Department of Culture, David Bowen joined us at Grace Bay Resorts [as director of culture] and now he tells these stories. If you’re lucky, he’ll take you to these destinations on Providenciales or on North Caicos. It’s very special.
Or do what the locals do — just hang out at a local bar where they play dominoes. That’s a very Caribbean thing to do, and you’ll hear all the stories.
Grace Bay is hailed as the best beach in Turks and Caicos. But what’s a good off-the-beaten-track beach?
There’s a place called Half Moon Bay. It’s on the neighboring island. A hurricane many years ago connected two beaches, Little Water Cay and Large Water Cay. Half Moon Bay connects the two. Mother Nature created one of the greatest beaches where it’s just you and the beach. It’s gorgeous.
Where is the best place to go snorkeling and diving?
All of Grace Bay is a national park. One [snorkel spot] that I like very much is right in front of Grace Bay.
French Cay is one of the most incredible diving spots. The other thing about Grace Bay, there are several types of diving you can do: First, there is an area in front, which is really good, but also about half mile off Grace Bay Beach, it goes from about 12 to 7,000 feet. It drops. So, in Turks, you can do drift diving, you can do regular diving. You can also do wall diving, where you’re looking this way and seeing all the coral that builds on the wall. And that’s quite spectacular.
Are there any historic sites or other cultural experiences to check out?
The Loyalists had created a lot of farms when they were forming the United States. In the old days, Turks was one of the biggest salt and cotton production [sites]. In North Caicos, there’s Wade’s Green Plantation, a historical site where you can go and see how some of these old settlements were created.
You also have bioluminescent marine glow worms?
Yes, you go in the evening just before sunset, and you can see them just in front of Grace Bay. It’s quite fascinating. All the water is glowing green. It’s really cool. The best time to see glow worms is three to five days after a full moon.
Are there any festivals travelers should attend?
You have the Caribbean Food & Wine Festival in November, the Turks & Caicos International Film Festival, the new art festival — those are the main three.
But you also have the Conch Festival, Maskanoo, Fish Fry, Big South Regatta, Middle Caicos MC Expo, North Caicos Rake and Scrape, Fisherman’s Day, Summer Jam and Grand Turk Beerfest.
What is the best way to spend a day in Turks?
I would start in the morning by doing a long beach walk and connecting with the island. There’s something therapeutic about walking in the sand and seeing the sun come up.
Then have a local breakfast. If you’re doing it on Saturday, get something called boil fish. Froggie’s in Grace Bay does that so well. It’s a stew. The fish is usually snapper or grouper, depending on what they get fresh, and that’s a very local start to the day, and you meet a lot of local people.
Then go swimming or take a boat out for the afternoon. Take some lunch on the boat. I’d come back and have a spa treatment. There are a lot of great spas on the island.
I’d have drinks at the Infiniti Bar, the longest bar in the Caribbean. You get great vistas of the sun going down. Then get a nice dinner — there so many choices. That would be a perfect day for me.
