Turks and Caicos Archives - My Inner Shakti

Turks and Caicos Dining

My last T&C post…tear.

Before I delve into the details of all the food we ate while on vacay, I have an announcement of sorts. Here it is…I am now open to trying some seafood. I promise I’ll get into my decision in a future post. Now that I put that out there, we’ll be able to avoid any confusion a little later in this post.

A few notes about dining in Turks and Caicos. One, seafood is the obvious specialty, so vegetarians be prepared to speak up about your preferences. Two, dining out is expensive. Like really expensive. Our cheapest meal was $50 while our most expensive was $150. Three, while lots of great restaurants are located on the beach, there are quite a few wonderful places a little more inland. Be sure to venture out!

Where we ate (and sorry in advance for some of the poor pictures/lighting)…

Hemingway’s on the Beach
Hemingway’s is a casual beachfront restaurant that serves Caribbean style food. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We enjoyed a delicious dinner as well as our last lunch here. The service is good, although not the best we experienced, but good. When we went for dinner, Vishnu ordered the Mahi Mahi and loved it. He raved about it the entire trip. I ordered the Angel Hair Primavera with a side of goat cheese. It was also very good. The pasta and veggies were cooked perfectly and tossed in a light buttery sauce. For lunch, Vishnu ordered a jerk chicken wrap, and I ordered a goat cheese crostini salad. Both dishes were tasty – good portion sizes and flavorful.

Bella Luna Ristorante
Bella Luna is one of those hidden gems that’s not on the water. The décor made it feel like we were enjoying our dinner in a quaint restaurant in Italy. Vishnu ordered the Linguini Tuttomare (linguini and seafood tossed in a spicy marinara sauce). He thought the dish was ok and felt that the sauce took away from the seafood. I ordered the Gnocchi del Fattore (potato dumplings in a Gorgonzola cheese cream sauce) and fell in love. This dish was incredible – the gnocchi was pillowy and light while the sauce was rich and slightly nutty. Even though we were both stuffed, we couldn’t pass up dessert. Everything looked so good, but when our waiter recommended the banana caramel crème, we knew that’s what we had to have. Y’all. This was the mother of all banana desserts – not only was it huge, but it also had four different layers of goodness piled on top of one another. A thick graham cracker crust, a sweet caramel crème, sliced bananas, and fresh whipped cream. So good!

Lemon Café
Unfortunately, Lemon Café was our least favorite place we tried. I had high hopes for this beautifully decorated Mediterranean and Moroccan fusion restaurant, but both Vishnu and I felt that our food was overly spiced. Vishnu ordered the lamb burger with hummus and cucumber mint yogurt and a side of roasted potatoes. His favorite part was the potatoes. I ordered a pumpkin and carrot soup and vegetable patties (I can’t remember the exact name of the dish or what they were made from), but I found both items to be so-so. The best part of our meal was getting to watch the chef spinning two balls of far around his body. So cool!

Mango Reef Restaurant
Mango Reef is a another oceanfront restaurant that serves International cuisine with a touch of Caribbean flair. We were able to experience a barefoot dinner with a table set up on the beach, and it was so romantic! The service here is great. The staff is very accommodating and friendly. Vishnu ordered a seafood curry and liked it. Again, he felt that the sauce took away from the seafood. I wasn’t too hungry that night, so I ordered the mushroom risotto appetizer and was not disappointed. The truffle oil took this dish to a whole new level! This was my favorite dinner by far – getting to eat ON the beach was so much fun.

No pictures of our food since the only lighting available was candlelight, but here are a few of us!

Parallel 23
Parallel 23 is located at the Regent Palms (where we stayed), and is a fantastic restaurant….a T&C must try in my opinion. I should mention that it was also our most expensive meal but worth every dollar. From the table setting to our awesome server to the delicious International food, everything was perfect. Vishnu ordered the seared scallops, which came with the BEST truffled spinach risotto in the world. I think I ate over half of that side. It was creamy, rich, and indulgent. I still talk about it to this day. I ordered a butternut squash pesto ravioli that was also very good. And for dessert we ordered the chocolate lava cake with red wine ice cream. I was skeptical at first, but the ice cream and chocolate paired so well together. Exactly how you would want a meal like this to end! You could really taste the freshness in each and every bite. Incredible all around!

The Plunge
The Plunge is a pool side bar and restaurant also located at the Regent Palms. Vishnu and I ate lunch here twice, and enjoyed our experience. I don’t think you can go wrong with the menu they have put together. Everything is very American and simple. Exactly what you would want in the middle of the day. And the drinks are awesome…pricey but awesome. I highly recommend the mojito – it’s excellent!

Somewhere Café
Somewhere Café is another MUST TRY restaurant. It’s actually one of the most talked about places on the island – everyone recommended it! And I’m so glad we were able to try it not once but twice! The service is awesome, the views are incredible (no matter where you’re seated), and the food is authentic and fresh. Vishnu ordered the pulled pork tacos the first time around and the first tacos the second time. He loved both dishes but vouches for the pulled pork tacos. Again, he raved about the tenderness of the meat and the sauce that was used. I can personally vouch for the fish tacos because I ordered those the first time around (!!!) and had one of Vishnu’s the second time, along with some guac. This was my first solo seafood meal (meaning I ordered and ate everything on my own), and I absolutely loved every bite. The fish was grilled and flaky, the tortillas were soft, and the veggies were crisp…perfection on a plate. Like I said, we liked this place so much that we made the trek over (a 20 minute walk along the beach) not once but twice during our trip.

So that is it for my Turks and Caicos posts. I think I covered it all! If you have any questions, feel free to email me. I think it’s evident from all my posts, but we really enjoyed our time on the island. In fact, we’re already talking about what we would do the next time we visit!

Turks and Caicos Excursions

written by Parita 8 Comments

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it yet or not but this was my first trip to a Caribbean island. To an island period. And it was Vishnu’s first non all exclusive island trip. With that being said, I wasn’t sure if it was better to book our preferred excursions ahead of time or when we got to the resort. So we booked a couple ahead of time and decided that we’d wing anything else we wanted to do once we had a better feel for the island. That turned out to be a good plan.

The first excursion that I booked ahead of time was a sunset cruise. After doing quite a bit of research, I decided to book with Sun Charters. The reviews on Trip Advisor made this particular cruise sound like a blast. And it really was!

After everyone was on board (there were about 20 of us), the co-captain handed out cups of rum punch (an island specialty). He called the punch his special vitamin drink. Who was I to say no to vitamins!?

This cruise was a great deal. For $30 a person, we got 2.5 hours of sailing, great views, and booze.

So that was Friday.

On Saturday, we woke up bright and early for our half day snorkeling excursion with Island Vibes Tours. This was also booked ahead of time. I was a tad bit nervous about this one, as I’d never been snorkeling before. Eek! Well, go figure but it ended up being my favorite.

The boat picked us up right on the beach by our resort. After the whole gang was onboard (there were about 16 people with us), we headed out to Turks and Caicos’ own “barrier reef” (the 3rd largest in the world) for 45 minutes of snorkeling fun. You guys, I was pretty good out there in the open water (who cares if I had to wear a life jacket)! I still remember looking down into the water for the first time. It was incredible! So many different colored fish and coral. Simply amazing. I couldn’t get enough. In fact, I snorkeled for the entire 45 minutes. I wish I had pictures to share, but it was similar to what you see on TV. I can’t wait to do it again some day!

After snorkeling, we headed out to shallower waters so that one of our guides and a few others could go conch diving. The conch was going to be used to make a salad during our next stop. It was fun being out in the middle of the ocean just hanging out and drinking more rum punch (they LOVE this stuff down there)!

Our next stop was iguana island, where there are supposedly lots of huge iguanas lying around everywhere. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any. We did get to explore a little though. It felt like we were on the show Lost! We even got to see one of guides pull out conch meat from the freshly caught shells. Not the prettiest of sights…so slimy!

After eating and hanging out for a while, we were on our way back to the resorts. But before we had to say good-bye, our guides parked the boat in the middle of the ocean, blasted some awesome music, and introduced us to their diving board. If we wanted to, we could use the remainder of the time jumping off the board into the ocean. I did it three times, and it was so much fun! Apparently, Island Vibes is the only company with a diving board. Good pick, Parita!

For $90 a person, we got all of the above plus two awesome guides. Flex and Mo were so funny and made everyone feel comfortable from the get go.

Our final excursion, the one we winged, occurred on Monday afternoon. After a few days of watching people parasail from a distance, we bit the bullet and decided to be those people! We asked our concierge to recommend a good reputable company, and she told us that Captain Marvin’s was one of the best on the island. So at 2:00 pm on Monday, we parasailed 500 feet above the water.

This was an awesome (and slightly scary) way to experience the island with Vishnu for about 12 minutes! The views were breathtaking. It was so cool seeing all the resorts lined up against the beach and the different shades of blue-green water from above. I tried not to think about falling from the sky into the water. Instead, I just looked around the entire time and soaked up the view. It was one I wanted to remember for a long time.

This was the most expensive excursion of the three at $75 a person for 12 minutes of actual parasailing. However, I would say the experience was well worth the money.

That was pretty much it for our paid excursions. I think by selecting these three, we were able to strike a good balance between adventure and relaxation. And now…I want to go back and experience it all again!

Turks and Caicos: The Regent Palms

written by Parita 22 Comments

When Vishnu first mentioned vacationing in Turks and Caicos for our honeymoon/first anniversary, I had to Google the island because I honestly knew nothing about it. After five clicks, I was sold. Then came the hard part – figuring out where to stay. After doing some extensive research and talking to someone who had recently been to T&C, we decided on The Regent Palms. And we are so glad we did!

The front entrance to the resort

The Regent Palms sits on the absolutely breathtaking Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales. Not only is the ocean literally steps away, each building is surrounded by beautiful gardens, which makes for stunning views no matter where you are.

The resort has 72 suites ranging from studio rooms to 3 bedroom suites. Vishnu and I stayed in a Junior suite, which was the smallest option that still felt plenty spacious to us. The room had marble floors, a super comfortable king size bed, a large closet, and a very royal looking bathroom.

The resort also has an amazing infinity pool with a swim up bar/restaurant. While we were definitely able to appreciate the pool in all its glory, we didn’t actually swim in it! When I mentioned the idea of spending time by the pool to Vishnu, he looked at me and said, “Why would we do that when the world’s largest pool is right in front of us?” I had to agree with him on that one. And anyways, we have a pretty sweet pool available to us in Miami.

Speaking of the world’s largest pool, you guys…Grace Bay Beach is absolutely perfect in every way. The sand is powdery soft and the water is clear and the most beautiful shade of blue-green I’ve ever seen. And while both those aspects made for a great view every day, the thing Vishnu and I loved was how quiet the area surrounding The Palms is. It’s true that Providenciales is the center of Turks and Caicos’ tourism industry, however, on most days we felt like we were on our own private beach (note that this is not the case for all resorts…especially Beaches).

The resort is not all inclusive, however breakfast was included with our stay. And boy, did we take advantage of that. This was by far one of the best breakfast spreads I’ve ever seen – everything from fresh fruit, to delicious pastries, to a full hot bar with oatmeal/eggs/bacon/potatoes, etc. And we know from talking to other visitors that not all of the hotels provide breakfast to their guests. We considered ourselves lucky!

We also loved every single person that worked at the resort. The resort manager greeted us with lemonade as we stepped out of the cab. The concierge staff was always available to answer our questions enthusiastically. And the beach attendant greeted us every morning to set up our cabana and brought us cold towels and fruit in the afternoon…all with a huge smile on his face. When I say everyone was nice and friendly, I mean everyone. We couldn’t have asked for more as far as service is concerned.

And finally, The Regent Palms is home to an award winning spa, which is described as “an oasis of peace and tranquility.” Vishnu and I really wanted to get a couples massage, but when we saw the price tag, we quickly decided that we’d rather spend the money elsewhere.

This brings up an important point about The Regent Palms and Turks and Caicos in general. Everything is expensive (at least we thought so). Our stay at the resort, the restaurants on the island, cab rides, and the excursions were all a bit pricey. Of course, because of our research, we were expecting the high prices. And after learning that tourism is the biggest industry down there and that everything has to be imported, it made a lot more sense.

But price tag aside, Vishnu and I were happy to call The Regent Palms home during our time in Turks and Caicos. And hopefully more trips are in our future!

Up next…Turks and Caicos excursions!

Life Lately {in Pictures}

written by Parita 8 Comments

I know it’s the most cliché question there is but really…where does the time go?

Well, let me fill you in on how I’ve been spending my time lately.

After our 5 night vacation in Turks and Caicos (recap posts coming soon I promise!), Vishnu and I flew to Atlanta to spend time with our parents before he starts rotations. The past 1.5 weeks have been a really fun whirlwind!

T&C sunset cruise view 1

T&C sunset cruise view 2

T&C dinner on the beach

I promise there’s more T&C fun coming in the next few posts. The trip was absolutely amazing, and I can’t wait to share our experience.

Our time in Atlanta was full of family and food (as usual). Here’s a little glimpse…

So happy I got to spend time with the lovebirds!

Lots of time with the second half of my family as well.

The parental units

And just like that, we’re back to reality. I have a feeling it’s going to take me a little time to adjust to the daily grind. Maybe we need to start planning our next vacation…

Up next – Turks and Caicos galore!

Weekend Play By Play

written by Parita 15 Comments

FRIDAY:

We kicked off our weekend with a movie on Friday night. And I can now say that I’ve seen one of the six 2013 Oscar nominated movies.

In my opinion, Argo was amazing and definitely lived up to all the hype. Even though I knew how the movie ended, I was [literally] on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. Towards the end I was jumping up and down screaming at the TV. It was intense!

Oh and we finally booked our honeymoon/first anniversary trip! It’s official – Turks and Caicos in June! I. Can’t. Wait!!!

SATURDAY:

On Saturday, Vishnu and I met up with my former coworker/good friend and her husband for brunch. They were in town visiting her in-laws, and I’m so glad we were able to catch up. I hadn’t seen her in over a year! I’m already looking forward to their next visit.

As I was getting ready for brunch, I found a few reminders of my old age…

I’m no stranger to gray hairs, but I was shocked to see so many of these bad boys popping out of every which direction. Eek! Vishnu said I should pluck them all out. Boys! No drastic actions will be taken at this time – at least not for the next 11 months (i.e., my 30th birthday).

So I’ve been making my way through The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and am trying to implement some of the things she talks about in the book. First on my list – cleaning out and reorganizing my closet. I now have a garbage bag full of clothes to donate and a closet organized specifically by type of clothing. A small thing that has made a huge difference in my sense of calm. I’ll write a full review of the book when I finish, but so far, I’ve found that her calls to happiness action are simple and easy to execute.

Saturday night ended on a high note with four episodes of The West Wing and a chapter of The Hobbit. Wild, I know!

SUNDAY:

We must’ve been in a very brunchy mood this weekend because we met friends for brunch on Sunday morning as well. These friends are getting married in June, so lots of wedding and marriage talk happened over coffee and eggs. As much as I loved being engaged, wedding planning is not something I’d want to relive. Talk about stressful!

After brunch, I ran a few errands, including a trip to Target, TJ Maxx, and Old Navy. I broke my almost two month shopping ban at Old Navy of all places. I found two pairs of pants for less than $8 each – couldn’t pass up a deal like that! And I bought a 2013 planner from Target for $3! While I’m all for technology, nothing beats the satisfaction of putting pen to paper.

When I got home, I made two batches of Lindsay’s Sweet Potato Banana Bites. These are the perfect snack – four main ingredients and super filling. Vishnu’s planning on spending 8+ hours at the library every day this week, and I want to make sure he has something substantial to eat in between meals.

Sunday night ended with some cauliflower crust pizza and a few more episodes of The West Wing. Obsessed much?

And just like that, it’s the first Monday of March. Make it a good one!

Ready…set…share your weekend highlights!

A Little Disappointment Offset By A Lot of Good

written by Parita 25 Comments

My trip to London has been cancelled. Honestly, I wasn’t too disappointed when I found out because I had a hunch this would happen. Oh well! I’m sure another trip will come up sooner than later. And anyway, now I’ll be around for Vishnu’s post exam week, which means a little more time with my man!

That’s it for the bad news. Everything else I want to talk about is good.

First, I got an MRI done on my knee earlier in the week. The results came in yesterday afternoon, annnnd they are pretty positive! The doctor said that I don’t have any torn ligaments or tears (no surgery!). My knee is suffering from wear and tear. He recommends I stretch more, incorporate yoga into my routine, and build up my quad muscles. I’ve also decided that in addition to all of that I need to buy new running shoes. I’m long (like two years long) overdue. I can’t wait to bring regular running back into my life slowly. More on all of this later.

My next piece of good news is that Vishnu and I have finally settled on a honeymoon/first anniversary trip destination. In June, we will be headed to…Turks and Caicos! I’m so excited! Our original plan was to travel around Europe for two weeks, but we decided to go down a completely different path when we realized how much what we wanted to do would cost us. We’ve done a lot of research on T&C and will be booking everything soon. I can’t wait to experience this…

Another seemingly small good thing that happened to us the other day was a place called Casa Frida Mexican Grill. We finally found authentic Mexican food in Fort Lauderdale! Y’all, the food was delicious. But the best part was definitely the cucumber lime water. It was so refreshing and different. I’ll do a full review of this place in the next week or so because authentic Mexican restaurants deserve a post of their own.

Well, that’s all I got. Even though my trip to London was cancelled, I think I’m still better off with my knee being ok, a tropical vacation in the near future, and an authentic Mexican restaurant in my hood.

Oh and I get to spend this weekend with my parents in Orlando. My dad really wants to go here. Not going to lie…I’m excited!

Have a great weekend!

Turks and Caicos Dining

Turks and Caicos Excursions

Turks and Caicos: The Regent Palms

Life Lately {in Pictures}

Weekend Play By Play

A Little Disappointment Offset By A Lot of Good

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