For our honeymoon, we decided to head to Turks & Caicos. I don't want to admit this, but I first heard about the island from the Kardashians. Normally, our travels are very much "go go go," but with all the wedding planning stress and unknowns, we wanted to go somewhere where we could get a mix of relaxation and activity. Below is our itinerary for the week we spent in Turks & Caicos. Of course, the beaches there are awesome and we highly recommend relaxing on the beach every day as well. Don't forget your sunscreen.
Where we stayed: Wymara Resort and Villas -- After a ton of research, I picked this resort because it was a quick taxi ride from everything, looked luxurious, and had really good reviews. I later learned that Brittany Spears and the Real Housewives also stayed there before. We loved the resort. It was quiet, the rooms were very nice, the staff was super friendly, the breakfast was tasty and free, the beach was perfect, the pool area was fun and a great place to meet people, and they had two fun BBQ-type events during the week.
Monday -- After arriving at the resort, we headed to the beach to see the sunset, which are beautiful on the island.
We then got ready and headed to dinner at Parallel 23 at the Palms.
The restaurant served Caribbean cuisine and we sat on the outside patio (randomly next to a guy who happened to live a mile from us in Baltimore). Our waitress was awesome and the restaurant even gave us two free glasses of champagne after seeing our "Just Married" masks. We shared the Octopus, the Chicken A La Kiev, the Beef Carpaccio, the Tuna Tartar, the Snapper, and the Tasting Dessert Platter. Everything was delish and we loved the vibe of the place.
Tuesday -- We started the morning early by grabbing the free breakfast at the hotel and headed to the beach. After some beach time, we decided to parasail with Hannah Fly Girl. This was a great plan as it allowed us to see the island from high up. After parasailing, we got massages at the spa at our resort, which were marvelous.
Fully relaxed, we changed and headed out to try a little French place for dinner that was suggested to us by a family friend.
Le Bouchon Du Village was a sidewalk café in the downtown area called Regent Village surrounded by shops. There is a chalkboard menu that changes frequently. We shared several bottles of wine, the shrimp salad, the escargot, scallops with risotto, steak with potatoes, and a chocolate mousse. We loved our French experience and hope to be back one day.
Wednesday -- Once again, we woke up early to make sure we could have the yummy breakfast, and then headed on an ATV excursion with The Price is Right ATV (@priceisrightatv). It was a rough start for me at first because I had no idea how to operate an ATV, but I finally caught on. We took an hour-long guided tour where we explored caves and beaches. I highly recommend this activity.
A friend of mine happened to be in Turks at the same time as us, so after the ATVs, we headed to a local bar to meet her and her husband for lunch. Danny Buoy's (@dannybuoys) is a sports bar with fun drinks and theme nights. We shared some apps, the Conch Fritters, and the Pita Fish Sandwich with Mac & Cheese. We were pretty impressed with the food at this bar.
At night, we popped the bottle of champagne and ate the cheese one of our friends surprised us with and then went to the Fish Fry on the beach of our resort (a BBQ-type of event, but with a variety of seafood). It was a fun evening with a live band (the singer serenaded Justin), a delicious assortment of fishes and sides, and tasty drinks. We ended the night by dancing under the stars.
Thursday -- As you can guess, we started with breakfast, and then got picked up for an all-day boat tour with Caicos Dream Tours. With 37 of our new friends, we arrived on the large vessel and headed to Iguana Island. The music was pumping, the drinks were flowing, and the snacks were tasty. Once we arrived on the island, we had about an hour to walk around and explore.
We then headed back on the boat to go snorkeling at the beautiful Leeward Reef, then on to the Caicos Bank and Half Moon Bay. We stopped at Fort George Cay where we had a delicious BBQ feast consisting of seafood and sides.
After lunch, we headed to the Pine Cay reef for snorkeling and then shelling for sand dollars. The best part was that the boat had a water slide.
After the tour, I was beat and wanted to just stay in, but Justin said that life is too short and we should go back to Danny Buoy's for karaoke night, so we did. This time we tried one of the pizzas and a massive burger.
Friday -- Once again, we woke up bright and early, ate some breakfast, and grabbed a taxi to head about 20 minutes away to go do water sports with Wake to Wake Watersports. We had the opportunity to wakeboard and wakesurf. The captains on the boat were awesome with pointers and the music kept us going.
After the water sports, we headed back to our resort, only to be picked up soon after to head out kayaking with My Time Tours. This was a lot of work for us as we do not kayak often, but super fun. We saw huge turtles, baby sharks, and a variety of fish, including some unique species of the jelly fish. We then came back and hung out at the pool with some of the new friends we met.
In the evening, we decided to have an Italian feast at Bella Luna. The restaurant was a quick taxi ride away and had an art deco vibe. Apparently, it is also known as the Glass House because of its structure.
We shared the Antipasto Platter, a ravioli dish, and another pasta dish. Of course, we also had to try the Italian desserts.
Saturday -- On our last full day, after breakfast, we spent some time relaxing by the pool, and then headed back to the boat from Friday to continue our water adventures. We once again wakeboarded and wakesurfed, and also tried water skiing.
After the boat, we were supposed to go out for another nice dinner, but a couple we became friends with convinced us to instead hang out with them at the resort's BBQ. It was a great night listening to music, eating good food, and getting to know our new friends.
Sunday -- Sadly, it was time to head home on Sunday, so after breakfast, we packed and decided to share a car with our new Austin friends. At the airport, we killed some time drinking local beers, and then met up again during our long layover in Atlanta. We decided to eat some chicken and drink more beers at Ludacris' restaurant called Chicken + Beer. This was the perfect end to our trip.
Till next time Turks & Caicos.