A Tiny Island in a Little-Known Caribbean Archipelago is a Secret Haven for High-Tech Family Entertainment

by Terri Mandell and E.J. Campfield

 

We admit, at first glance, the concept seemed a little odd: an upscale resort on a newly-developed Caribbean island with white sand beaches and a turquoise sea that happens to serve as the exclusive world test market site for the a new Sega video game system. A bizarre blend of techno tourism and tropical fantasy for the whole family.

While the image of a peaceful enclave on a remote island anchored by the world's largest, loudest video arcade made us cringe at first, something about it was hard to resist. We liked the idea of our two Sega-loving kids being among the first on their continent to experience "the most powerful video game console every created" while we lounged around on the beach sipping umbrella drinks. The kids could play the world's coolest games to their hearts' content, while mom and dad enjoyed lavish meals and afternoon naps. An ideal family vacation.

So we set out for the Turks and Caicos islands, two island groups about 30 miles south of the Bahamas. You might expect the world test market site for the new Sega Dreamcast System to be somewhere like Atlanta or Tokyo. But thanks to a marketing agreement between Sega and Beaches Resorts (part of the Sandals family of properties throughout the Caribbean), it's housed in an elaborate children's entertainment center at the Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort in the town of Providenciales on the island of Caicos. While consumers across America were flooding major retailers to pre-order their Sega Dreamcast systems, our family was on the cutting edge of technology in the middle of an island that barely had functional telephone service.

A FANTASYLAND OF FUN AND FREEDOM FOR KIDS

The children's center at Beaches Turks & Caicos is an amazing place. It's called "Pirate's Island," and it's a wildly imaginative environment modeled after the classic tale of Robinson Crusoe. At the center of Pirate's Island sits an enormous wooden ship surrounded by its very own moat. Inside the ship is the Sega game room, stocked with wall-to-wall consoles, each with an intensely focused kid attached to it. Adjacent to the game room is a specialized restaurant just for kids, and because the resort is all-inclusive, kids can keep themselves nourished without having to spend money. At night, the teen disco -- complete with karaoke machine -- opens up and rocks until midnight. Watching the 14 year-olds socialize and posture for one another is entertainment in itself. For most of the them, the disco-like setting and the freedom to mingle without adults breathing down their necks is a first, and they love it. The room is supervised by staff members who do everything from emceeing the karaoke show to flipping burgers in the snack bar, and the scene is really quite charming. And very safe.

Outside the pirate ship is a patio area that's usually populated by the parents of the kids inside. Around the perimeter of the pirate ship is the children's outdoor recreation area and water park. The pool is huge, the waterslide is a blast, and the kids love having their own swim-up bar (serving non-alcoholic drinks of course). There's also a miniature golf course, organized water sports and a slew of other activities. If your kids are old enough to function on their own, they can keep themselves amused here for the entire day. But as an option, they can participate in supervised group activities that include snorkeling, boating, nature hikes and various excursions. Younger children can be signed up for child care, which is available throughout the day and evening (the cost is included in your package price) and offers a wide range of services and activities for infants to pre-teens.

Beyond Pirate's Island are limitless things recreational opportunities for families, and one of the best is an excursion to an exotic little place called Iguana Island. It's a ten-minute boat ride from Beaches, and is home to 2,000 wild iguanas who actually enjoy having visitors. The little creatures walk right up to people, which delights children and provides an unparalleled glimpse into the natural world. The excursion desk at the resort can arrange the trip for you, as well as a variety of other little tours, including our favorite, a 2-hour sunset cruise offered by a company called Sail Provo.

Departing from the beach at about 5:30 pm, you'll see the islands from a completely different perspective while drinking rum punch and listening to the narrative of the very competent Captain Hammerhead, so named for an encounter he once had with an 18-foot shark. The boat can seat up to 50 people, but if you book the trip on a Saturday or Sunday (the days that most guests either arrive or depart), you'll end up in a smaller group and have a more intimate experience. Our advice is to leave the kids at child care and do this one as a couple.

KIDS COME FIRST, BUT ADULTS ARE NOT FORGOTTEN

Yes, there is life outside Pirate's Island and the Sega game room, and it's a very nice life at that. Although Beaches promotes itself as a family resort, there are plenty of couples and singles among the guests, and you have the choice of either mixing with families or spending purely adult time. For us, adult time means quiet, one-on-time together without kids, and we got plenty of that while snuggling up on our private terrace staring at the stars and listening to the ocean, which was only a few yards away.

The all-inclusive package includes all food and drinks of course, so we had all kinds of little pleasures, like great meals in each of the five on-site restaurants, with an endless flow of wine and stimulating adult conversation. After dinner each night there's always some kind of entertainment going on, from Reggae bands and dancing beside the pool, to an adults-only piano bar.

Most of the adults spend their days lying around the pool or on the beach. The main pool is loaded with kids and features a lively swim-up bar and outdoor dining area that's packed all day long. A nearby second pool is a little more sedate if you're looking for something quieter, and the beach, as might be expected, is gorgeous and pristine. Water toys for grown ups, such as kayaks, pedal boats and windsurfers, are available at no extra charge. Unlimited scuba diving (and equipment) is included in your package price if you're already a certified diver. If you require instruction, there's an extra charge, but it's well worth it.

Scuba and snorkeling excursions go out several times a day, but we heard that there was a fabulous snorkeling spot just 15 minutes down the beach, so we opted for that. We weren't disappointed. The place is called White House Beach, and the live ocean bottom there is magical. We saw turtles and barracuda and a thousand different corals and radiantly beautiful fish, and it kept us busy for hours. If you haven't taken your kids snorkeling yet, make a point of doing it sometime soon. It's another great opportunity to introduce them to the natural environment .

Beaches resorts are famous for their spa services, and the spa at the Turks & Caicos site is beautiful. Services are priced separately and include all kinds of goodies like mud baths, massage, hair & nail services, aromatherapy and facials. There's a workout room too, but it's outdoors and after about 9 am it gets too hot to do anything that vigorous in open air. We're not really spa people, but we did make use of the jacuzzi after dark, which was a great way to end the day.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL INDOORS TOO

Unlike some other all-inclusives we've been to, this one puts a lot of emphasis on the quality and decor of its rooms. Many properties hold to the theory that guests will spend very little time in their rooms because they'll be busy outdoors -- on the beach, on excursions, in the restaurants or just plain hanging out. So there's not much effort put into making the rooms attractive or comfortable. Beaches takes a different approach, and outfits guest rooms with the kind of amenities you might find in the best hotels; hair dryers, coffee makers and bathtubs for example.

On the high end, suites come with mini bars that are fully stocked each day and include wine, champagne and anything else you might desire, all included in the price. Speaking of price, here's an important piece of information: if you own a digital celluar phone, bring it, and plan on using it for calling home. Phone service on Turks & Caicos -- and in many other resort areas around the Caribbean and Mexico -- is hard to come by, and if you need to make long distance calls, you'll get hit for about $5.50 per minute (your calling card won't work here unless it's AT&T), plus a $7.50 connection fee for each non-local call you make. We made two calls to California during our stay, for a total of about ten minutes. We had to put it on our American Express card, and the bill came to over $60.00! If you don't have a cellular phone, then give your friends the resort's phone number and let them call you if they need you.

GETTING THERE AND BEING THERE

The best way to get to the Turks & Caicos islands is via American Airlines to Miami. From Miami you'll take another American flight directly into Providenciales. Provo has a lovely little airport, and the Beaches people will pick you up there. You'll get a sense of the island communities as you drive between the airport and the resort, but we recommend that you book yourself onto an island tour at some point during your stay to get a closer look.

The islands have a colorful history, having changed hands between the French, Spanish and British over the last 400 years. During the 1500s, so many ships passed through the area that there is an estimated 1,000 shipwrecks littering the ocean floor around the islands, which is a huge draw for scuba divers. Above ground, you can explore caverns and caves that were once home to the Lucayan Indians, along with several other documented Indian sites, including a recently-discovered set of ruins that was exposed by Hurricane Donna in 1960.

For their small size, the Turks and Caicos islands (named for the barrel-shaped Turks Head Cactus that grows everywhere, and the Spanish word Cayos, which means "small islands") has more areas in protected national parks than any country on earth. Although Provo is developing rapidly, with several large resorts and a growing number of vacation homes owned by Americans and Europeans, the place is still relatively untouched. If you have time, take a boat tour around the different islands to see what unspoiled island life is really like.

You may never want to come back.

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