Turks and Caicos
JOURNAL:
When we extended the invitation to our friends to come join us on our travels, we were serious! FINALLY, someone took us seriously! Cara and Brody Van Brocklin and their two little guys came to join us in Turks in Caicos. It was an absolute blast. Traveling is that much better when you are doing it with people you love. I’d consider Garrett and I avid beach travelers. Brody and Cara are huge travelers, however, their typical scene is more Euro than beach. But they were such an easy-going couple and loved experiencing a tropical destination. Our kids are the exact same age and that made it so easy and fun for both families.
First thing we did together was Fly Boarding. If you have never tried this, DO IT! Garrett and I did it about 2 years go during a Scan activity at Deer Creek resivoir in Utah. We were stoked to get to do it again in the crystal clear, warm water with friends! We did it with Tours by Free. We took turns watching kiddos and going on the board. We each had a few good wipeouts, but everyone got up solid and really enjoyed themselves.
One day, Garrett and Brody took kitesurfing Lessons through Kitesurf TCI. It is actually a lot harder than we had thought. They say it takes around 4-6 hours of practicing before you’re able to get up in the water. Garrett, of course, got up on his first try. His sailing background really helped him as he learned how to fly the kite. The instructors were really impressed with how quickly he picked it up. Garrett has some investors that have kite surfing as a big hobby and they travel around the world doing it. Not sure, he’s that far, but we’d both do it again!
Silver Deep took us out on a boat tour with the kiddies. We were taken to Little Water Cay to see the iguanas. After iguanas, we were able to do two different snorkel spots. The worst (worst for me, best for Garrett) was when everyone saw a dolphin and I thought it was a joke. Garrett even jumped in the water and JoJo the dolphin came up and swam with him. UGH I was so jealous. He got some great shots though with his camera.
One evening, we enjoyed a beach BBQ on Grace Bay by Pavillions. This beach was ranked #1 beach in the world for 2016 by Trip advisor. So along with a gorgeous sunset, steak, lobster, there was even a fire thrower there for entertainment.
We were able to take some time and go over to the Provo Children’s Home. They had sent us a list of supplies they were in need of and children’s shoes was on the list. We hit up our friends at Freshly Picked to see if they’d like to donate. Well, Susan Peterson is amazing and sent us with a truck load of shoes and clothes! The whole island of Turks and Caicos will be in their adorable apparel! We spent some time with the kids there and helped them with their homework. Of course, our kids loved it. And the children are always so cute with Dorothy and Manilla. I’m so incredibly grateful for moments like those!!
We met up with our friends that we had met a few weeks prior in the Bahamas and they came over for some dinner/pool time. They are the family that is traveling around the world on a boat. Man, people think we are extreme traveling with our two littles. I can’t imagine doing it on a boat… with 4 kids!! They are a kind, adventurous, loving and inspirational family! I hope we continue meeting people like them as we continue our travels.
Our stay in Turks and Caicos was amazing in large part because of our amazing accommodations. This week, we stayed at a villa by Luxury Retreats. We’ve been on the road for a long time and have stayed in some incredible hotels and resorts, but it was such a breath of fresh air to be in a house. And this house was stunning. It had 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, pool, private beach, and my personal favorite—a laundry room! We were so well taken care of during our stay. They helped us arrange activities including one night bringing in a private chef to cook us dinner! Each day, two of the sweetest ladies would come in and clean up the place. They were so kind to our kids and made sure we were very well taken care of. I was stoked to use the laundry room and had put in a load the night before. When I went to switch it the next day, the sweet ladies had finished and folded all the laundry! It was a small gesture, but it made me so happy! It had the smallest details that made such a huge difference. Things like beach toys, bug spray, plastic bags, tupperware, and cooking spices were there for us to use and made our lives so much better! We really hope we can use Luxury Retreats more often as we travel around the world!
I’d highly recommend Turks and Caicos for someone looking for a great vacation spot. Its beautiful, convenient, fun and chill at the same time. Its super family friendly and really easy to get to - just a 1 hr flight from Miami!
Turks was seriously a blast. The week cruised by.
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Happy travels! Sincerely, The Bucket List Family