Recommendations for Caicos

Were planning a June diving trip and thought Turks and Caicos sounded like
a great dive. We are experienced divers (30yr olds, husband/wife), who
prefer remoteness/solitude to modern conveniences.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a good islands and good places to stay?
We've read South Caicos is fairly remote with great diving, but that is
about the depth of our research. We also like good food and are willing to
pay a little extra not to eat crap :) For reference, we really liked the
small bungalows and great diving on Roatan, and really enjoyed our diving
on the outer Cayes of Belize.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

r&e

South may not even be open if you try. The operator is now working out of
Salt Caye and only sends a boat and divemaster to South when a group of six
or more is assured. So, you can't go there. Anyway, the food would not be
all that great and there is absolutely nothing to do but dive.

Try Provo and dive with Fifi Kunz's Caicos Adventures. There is a small
hotel near his dock that is out of the way, small and very quiet. Rent a car
and you will have numerous diving options. I think that the hotel name is
Back of the something -- you can find it on one of the Provo web sites.
Don't be fooled by the bogus Fodor's suggestions for Provo Turtle Divers and
Dive Provo, they don't hold a candle to Fifi. Salt Caye is also an option
but does not offer any dining options. Grand Turk is ok and some swear by
it; I don't. North has a Club Vacanze which is nice if you are fluent in
Italian. Food is great, diving not so.

Chris

"R E" <nospam@here.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9604A27327517nospamherecom@140.99.99.130.. .
> Were planning a June diving trip and thought Turks and Caicos sounded like
> a great dive. We are experienced divers (30yr olds, husband/wife), who
> prefer remoteness/solitude to modern conveniences.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions on a good islands and good places to
> stay?
> We've read South Caicos is fairly remote with great diving, but that is
> about the depth of our research. We also like good food and are willing
> to
> pay a little extra not to eat crap :) For reference, we really liked the
> small bungalows and great diving on Roatan, and really enjoyed our diving
> on the outer Cayes of Belize.
>
> Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
>
> r&e

Personally, I stay at Club Med Turkoise and split my diving between Club
Med and Caicos Adventures. I like Club Med, but it isn't for everyone.

Steven Goodman

Chris Pflaum wrote:
> South may not even be open if you try. The operator is now working out of
> Salt Caye and only sends a boat and divemaster to South when a group of six
> or more is assured. So, you can't go there. Anyway, the food would not be
> all that great and there is absolutely nothing to do but dive.
>
> Try Provo and dive with Fifi Kunz's Caicos Adventures. There is a small
> hotel near his dock that is out of the way, small and very quiet. Rent a car
> and you will have numerous diving options. I think that the hotel name is
> Back of the something -- you can find it on one of the Provo web sites.
> Don't be fooled by the bogus Fodor's suggestions for Provo Turtle Divers and
> Dive Provo, they don't hold a candle to Fifi. Salt Caye is also an option
> but does not offer any dining options. Grand Turk is ok and some swear by
> it; I don't. North has a Club Vacanze which is nice if you are fluent in
> Italian. Food is great, diving not so.
>
> Chris
>
> "R E" <nospam@here.com> wrote in message
> news:Xns9604A27327517nospamherecom@140.99.99.130.. .
>
>>Were planning a June diving trip and thought Turks and Caicos sounded like
>>a great dive. We are experienced divers (30yr olds, husband/wife), who
>>prefer remoteness/solitude to modern conveniences.
>>
>>Does anyone have any suggestions on a good islands and good places to
>>stay?
>>We've read South Caicos is fairly remote with great diving, but that is
>>about the depth of our research. We also like good food and are willing
>>to
>>pay a little extra not to eat crap :) For reference, we really liked the
>>small bungalows and great diving on Roatan, and really enjoyed our diving
>>on the outer Cayes of Belize.
>>
>>Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
>>
>>r&e
>
>
>

"Steven Goodman" <steve@ancore.com> wrote in message
news:N5Gdnaizlrx4qIHfRVn-2g@comcast.com...
> Personally, I stay at Club Med Turkoise and split my diving between Club
> Med and Caicos Adventures. I like Club Med, but it isn't for everyone.
>

I don't think anyone would classify Club Med as quiet. I made a mistake in
the message, I meant that with a car one has numerous DINING options.

Chris

We were in Provo last March staying at Harbour Club Villas and diving
with Fifi. It was a relaxing, memorable trip.

If you prefer remoteteness/solitude to modern conveniences, the
Villas ran by Barry and Marta is a place for you.

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com/guestcomments.htm

We stayed there for about 5 days. Our routine was to do a two-dives
trip with Fifi in the morning (the dock was just a short walk from the
villa) and returned to the villa in the afternoon. After having a
snack and taking a nap, we just puttered about the lakes, roads and
shorelines enjoying the scenery, rocks, local fauna and flora. Barry
and Marta offered to take us to the grocery store but having packed
enough food for our stay (including two bottles of wine), we did not
take up their offer. I brought some flour and yeast to make our own
bread, but it turned out that the villa only had a stove and not an
oven. Rick, my husband, baked the first loaf along with some sweet
fruit rolls on the gas grill. The next day, Barry brought over a bread
maker which made fantastic loaves. He also offered an assortment of
teas (the one thing which we forgot to pack!).

The trips from provo to nice diving spots (French Cay, West Caicos)
were somewhat long but Fifi fast boad rode quite smoothy. The rides
were made more enjoyable with playful schools of dolphins swimming
along or chasing after the wakes. The wall diving was not as
spectacular as what we experienced at Cayman Brac but was quite nice
with good visibility, healthy corals and fish life.

The only sour note of the trip was the taxi trip from the airport to
the Villas. Resort owners were not allowed to pick up passengers at
the airport but were allowed to take them back. Taxi service was 'by
the number', you take the next available taxi or limousine. We made
the mistake of not asking about the price. The taxi driver took 4
other passengers to their hotels (in downtown area) then dropped us off
at Harbour Villas. Our jaw dropped when he asked us for $40. According
to Barry, this particular driver was a known ripoff artist. He even
over charged local customers. We had thought of complaining about him
the local authority but got too busy after the trip to follow up. We
also meant to leave some great feedback about Harbour Villas but did
not find the time. Your inquiry about T&C gave me a chance to tell
other divers about their great hospitality and their beautiful,
tranquil villas.

Hai Longworth