Grand Turk: We Got It Right the Second Time

Grand Turk was one of those ports where our first visit was more of a learning experience. We walked out of the cruise port shop with no idea where we were going, and the whole area felt a little overwhelming at first. By our second visit a week later, we had a much better plan.

On our first day, we quickly learned the basic layout. When you exit the port shop, walk straight and head to the right for the golf carts and shore excursions. For the beach, head left.

Once you reach the beach, you’ll likely encounter people offering chairs for rent. Keep walking. Free loungers are available farther down once you get beyond the shops.

The bigger challenge is shade.

If you want a good spot along the shoreline with some protection from the sun, arrive early or reserve something ahead of time. Shade was difficult to find, and that Grand Turk sun was intense.

We eventually found loungers near Margaritaville and settled in. We lasted about an hour. Between the strong sun and minimal breeze, we were cooked and ready to retreat. Thankfully, the ship was only about a seven-minute walk away, so calling it quits for the afternoon was easy.

Grand Turk: Take Two

When we returned the following week, we knew exactly what we wanted to change. We wanted shade, more open ocean in front of us, fewer buildings around us, and preferably a view that didn’t consist of two giant cruise ships sitting at the pier.

We decided to walk down the beach and try Jack’s Shack, a beachside bar we had read about before our visit.

From the cruise port, it took us about 15 minutes to walk there. We passed the main port area, rows and rows of green rental umbrellas, and Sea-Doos lined up along the shoreline waiting to tempt beachgoers.

Then we reached Jack’s Shack.

This was much more our speed.

There were drinks, snacks, music, bathrooms, and loungers with umbrellas available to rent. We had read that a food purchase was required for the rentals, but that wasn’t the case during our visit. We paid $23 USD for two rentals.

If you want one of the coveted front-row setups right along the water, prebooking is your best bet. Those were already spoken for when we arrived. We ended up in the second row, which turned out to be perfectly fine.

The farther we walked from the cruise port, the less crowded the beach became. There were also fewer buildings blocking the breeze. Instead of staring at a massive cruise ship all afternoon, we had a much more open view of the turquoise Caribbean.

The water also seemed cleaner with less debris floating around than what we experienced closer to the ships.

For us, the extra 15-minute walk was worth it. Our second Grand Turk day felt much more like the relaxing Caribbean beach day we had hoped for the first time around.

A Few Grand Turk FYIs

Something we found interesting about Grand Turk is that Turks and Caicos is a British Overseas Territory, yet the U.S. dollar is the official currency. That makes spending pretty straightforward for American visitors.

Credit and debit cards are widely accepted, but having some cash is still a good idea for smaller businesses and taxis. ATM availability is limited, so bringing some U.S. dollars from the ship saves the hassle of hunting one down.

Also remember to account for taxes, service charges, and tips when budgeting for your day ashore. Turks and Caicos adds a 12% tourism tax to many tourism-related purchases, and restaurants often add a service charge. Check your bill before adding a tip so you know what has already been included.

Our biggest lesson from two visits to Grand Turk: don’t judge this port by the first few hundred feet of beach.

If you want convenience, the cruise port beach puts you steps from the ship, shops, Margaritaville, and plenty of activity. If you want more breathing room, shade, breeze, and open-ocean views, keep walking.

Our first visit lasted about an hour.

Our second lasted considerably longer.

Sometimes the best thing about visiting the same port twice is getting a do-over.

Map courtesy of VisitTCI.com, included to help give you the lay of the land.Read more