Grace Bay Beach on Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos Islands has been voted the world's best beach by TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards more times than any other beach on Earth. The reason is obvious: 12 miles of uninterrupted powdery white sand, water of an extraordinary translucent turquoise that deepens to royal blue as the reef drops away, negligible wave action thanks to the barrier reef just offshore, and an almost complete absence of seaweed. Grace Bay is not merely very good; it is a genuinely exceptional natural phenomenon.
Turks & Caicos (a British Overseas Territory) is one of the Caribbean's most exclusive destinations — the luxury resort infrastructure on Grace Bay matches anything in the tropics, and the absence of mass-market package tourism means the beach is consistently clean, quiet and well-maintained. This exclusivity comes at a price: Turks & Caicos is expensive by Caribbean standards, but the quality of the experience justifies it for those who can afford it.
Grace Bay Beach
The beach stretches the length of the north coast of Providenciales, fronted by luxury and mid-range hotels, resorts and private villas. The most coveted section for direct beach access runs between the Grace Bay Club and the Palms — a kilometre of quintessential Caribbean perfection where the water is breast-deep 100 metres from shore and the visibility through the clear water is extraordinary. The barrier reef beyond the beach drop-off provides excellent snorkelling — the reef is healthy, colourful and teeming with marine life accessible directly from the beach.
Diving & Snorkelling
The Turks & Caicos is one of the finest diving destinations in the Caribbean. The Caicos Bank — a shallow underwater plateau extending south and west — provides excellent snorkelling and drift diving, while the dramatic underwater walls around Grand Turk and Salt Cay drop hundreds of metres and attract humpback whales (January–April, during their annual migration) and pelagic species. The visibility is exceptional year-round (typically 30–40m) and the water temperature comfortable (26–29°C).
JoJo the dolphin — a wild bottlenose dolphin that has voluntarily associated with people in Turks & Caicos since the 1980s and is protected by a specific law — is occasionally encountered by snorkellers and kayakers in Grace Bay. Any encounter is on his terms; no chasing or pursuit is permitted.
Beyond Providenciales
The outlying islands offer adventure for those willing to leave the beach. Grand Turk (accessible by short flight or ferry) has excellent diving and the excellent Turks & Caicos National Museum. The uninhabited nature reserves of East Caicos and South Caicos have pristine beaches visited by virtually nobody. North Caicos and Middle Caicos, accessible by ferry, have inland flamingo lakes, limestone caves and completely deserted beaches that make Providenciales look crowded.
