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Location:
Central
America, Caribbean, Turks & Caicos
Islands
Category:
Beach View
Description:
View
of
Grace Bay Terrace and beach
from The Regent Grand Resort and
Villa Renaissance
Location Information:
Providenciales is an island in the
Turks and Caicos Islands. The island
has an area of 98 km2 (38 sq mi) and
an approximate population of 15,542,
making it the largest island in
population and the third largest in
area. It is served by the
Providenciales International
Airport. It is home to the only
conch farm in the world.
As recently as 1964, Providenciales
(usually called Provo) did not have
a single wheeled vehicle. Following
in the footsteps of Club Med, the
island's first large hotel and
casino complex opened in 1990 and
touched off a development boom.
Provo is now the most
tourist-oriented and developed of
the Turks and Caicos Islands,
boasting many resort hotels and an
18-hole golf course. The island has
recently become popular with
retirees from around the world,
kindling a boom of residential
development. Given its recent
evolution, the atmosphere is more
reminiscent of the Florida Keys than
Nassau, with little of the character
of other Caribbean isles.
The resorts on Providenciales are
primarily centered on five mile-long
(8 km) Grace Bay, with its brilliant
white sand and shimmering turquoise
waters. Apart from the beaches,
Provo's charm lies in its rugged
hills and ridges, which are carpeted
with prickly pear cactus and scrub.
The trump card, however, remains the
world class diving: miles and miles
of coral reefs are temptingly close
to shore and the Island is close to
a common migration route for the
Humpback whale. Provo is also
surrounded by uninhabited cays that
are easily reached by chartered boat
or excursion.
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