Everyday Things to do and See on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

It's January or maybe February in the northern hemisphere. The holidays are over, and suddenly snow isn't quite so merry. The cold seems more biting than crisp. This is when I dream of beaches and tropical breezes to transport me to that summer siesta I crave without wishing months of my life away. That dream might take me to Grace Bay on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos.

Providenciales, called Provo locally, was rated the best beach destination in the world by TripAdvisor in 2011. I have my own favorites elsewhere, but I won't hotly argue the point. The electric-blue waters surrounding the islands, technically part of the Atlantic Ocean rather than the Caribbean, are simply stunning. The Turks and Caicos are geographically part of the Bahamas Islands group (or vice versa), but--resorts aside--the T&C have an upscale, much less developed and tacky feel than many parts of their Disneyfied northern neighbor.

Pictures of the Moment - All-natural beaches of Turks and Caicos

Summer has finally arrived in the northern hemisphere. That gets me in the mood for a beach, and I can't help but think of all my favorite beaches, including this one on Little Water Cay in the Turks and Caicos. We visited here in April, 2013. Forget the crowds at Bondi, Jones Beach, or Waikiki; I'll take the solitude of a lonely strand.

I want to be here right now. It's the kind of weather you wish you could bottle up and open in February. Maybe the only other place I've seen water such an electric blue was Twilight Beach, in Esperance, Western Australia.

No crowds here, unless you count the iguanas. And they keep to themselves.

Little Water Cay is also known as "Iguana Cay." April, 2013.