CARIBBEAN VILLAS
About Island HideawaysIsland Hideaways has specialized in Caribbean villa vacations since 1986. We represent hundreds of luxury vacation villa rentals throughout the Caribbean islands. Island Hideaways was named "A first-rate agency that specializes in Caribbean properties" by BusinessWeek magazine, and our website is a Best of the Web pick by Forbes Magazine. Please call us toll-free at 800-832-2302, or email us at villas@islandhideaways.com with any questions, suggestions, or comments. Passport ReminderWith recently implemented exceptions for special cases*, all travelers must present a passport to enter the United States. This includes U.S. citizens returning from the Caribbean. U.S. citizens visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico do not need a passport because they are U.S. territories. Obtaining a passport can take a month or more, so plan ahead for holidays in the Caribbean. * Announced by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security on September 4, 2007: The temporary Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) accommodation, allowing U.S. citizens to travel by air within the Western Hemisphere, including the Caribbean, using a Department of State (DOS) official proof of passport application receipt, ended as scheduled at midnight on Sept. 30, 2007. U.S. citizens who departed the country under this travel accommodation prior to Oct. 1 with a Department of State official proof of passport application receipt and government-issued identification will be readmitted with these same documents if returning to the United States after Sept. 30. Effective Oct. 1, 2007, U.S. Citizens traveling by air to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda must present a passport or other WHTI-compliant documentation to enter or depart from the United States. It is always strongly recommended that U.S. Citizens verify the specific documentary requirements for their destination country. Recent NewslettersFebruary 2008 January 2008 December 2007 |
Destination of the MonthFebruary 2008 EditionWelcome to our new Destination of the Month newsletter, the first in a series highlighting the very best villa vacation destinations across the Caribbean. In the same vein as our Villa of the Month newsletter, this monthly column will take you to some of the most beautiful tropical paradises. Once you're there, we'll introduce you to the area's top restaurants, activities, and villas so that you can make the most of your dream vacation. We still encourage you, however, to contact our Villa Consultants when you're planning your Caribbean villa vacation because they have personally inspected many of the properties we represent and know the islands intimately. If these newsletters are a road map to the best of a destination, you can consider our consultants your tour guides. 
Turks & CaicosWe're pleased to feature this relatively unknown Caribbean getaway, recently added to our portfolio of destinations, as our inaugural Destination of the Month. This British Overseas territory, part of the West Indies and just an hour-long flight from Miami, consists of two groups of Caribbean islands southeast of the Bahamas. While more than 40 islands make up the territory, only eight are inhabited; these include Grand Turk, the historical and political capital island, and Providenciales (also known as Provo.) Turks & Caicos is ideal for those who want to delve into the undersea world or lounge on beautiful beaches. The islands not only offer some of the best diving and snorkeling in Caribbean due to the abundance of coral reefs and underwater scenery, but the destination is also home to Grace Bay, which Condé Nast Traveler recently recognized as the world's best beach For more information about this destination, please go to our Turks & Caicos guide by clicking here. While we represent nearly 30 villas on the island and only our villa consultants can help you decide which is right for you, we're pleased to recommend the following as the cream of the crop: Villa Lynda
For more information, please go to the listing on our website by clicking here. It would be our pleasure to further describe this exquisite property to you; please call us toll-free at 800-832-2302 for more information or to make a reservation. Here are some of the other top villa properties on the island:
Best Bets: What to DoAs a vacation destination, Turks & Caicos is known for its beautiful beaches, solitude, and incredible dive waters (courtesy of the third largest coral reef system in the world). If you're looking for a Spring Break spot, go to Cancun. If you're looking for a classic Caribbean island that has everything you would expect-peace, great weather, and every watersport imaginable-this is your ticket. Here is just a couple of the ways you can spend your time in Turks & Caicos: Scuba Diving: Whale-Watching Expedition: Best Bets: Where to EatDa Conch Shack
Da Conch Shack opens daily, 12 p.m. until close. We at Island Hideaways would be happy to make other restaurant recommendations in Turks & Caicos; please contact us toll-free at 800-832-2302. We have been receiving some calls and e-mails from clients commenting that they are no longer receiving our monthly newsletters. Please let us know if you change e-mail addresses so that we may keep the newsletters coming your way. This communication is a special deals notification only. Island Hideaways shall not be liable for any clients' failure to receive such e-mails. Copyright © 2008 |
Situated on Provo along the Blue Hills beach (and just west of the famed Grace Bay Beach), this restaurant specializes in local seafood and laidback entertainment. From its Rum Bar featuring some of the finest rums in the world to its beachfront setting, da Conch Shack is the ideal Caribbean dining establishment. Should you choose, you can even watch as fresh conch is cracked opened and pulled from its shells on the beach below before being prepared to order. Here is a first-hand account of a visit to the restaurant from Bobbi Owen, Island Hideaway's reservation manager:
"After a long and busy morning of looking at the villas, we decided to stop for lunch. One of my traveling companions had been to the Turks and Caicos islands several times and suggested we go to a place called da Conch Shack. He had been there before and liked it a lot. When we reached the restaurant, I immediately understood why they called it a "shack." At barely 200 square feet, the place is tiny! Inside, however, the size is not an issue. The restaurant has central air and, since there is no glass in the windows, the soothing Caribbean breeze constantly flows through. There are about six small picnic tables inside the restaurant and another six outside. My companion and I enjoyed conch, shrimp, and lobster fritters and washed it down with cold beer. As we sat eating, drinking, and gazing out at the azul waters and the sparkling beach, I thought, 'all is right with the world.'"