What about taking wine in? I am hearing that it might cost as much as $50/case for good beer. If beer costs that much, wine must be crazy expensive. Thoughts.
into Turks & Caicos?
we brought a 12 btl case on a wine check (mix of wine and beer). $0.
Yes, into T&C. Thanks Mark. This is our first trip into T&C for our anniversary. Usually go to St. Barts where you can get really good wine for not all that much. So thinking of taking a case of wine but didnât want to get soaked at customs.
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yah⌠brought it 3-4 times now⌠never had an issue or a questionâŚ
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Buying any alcohol (or anything) on island in T&C is incredibly expensive as there is a huge import duty on everything. That and the tourism tax on hotels and restaurants are essentially the only two tax sources for the government. Alcohol is cheaper at the wine store than at the grocery store, but itâs all relative.
We checked a 12-bottle wine shipper full of wine from our cellar, no problem, no cost. Highly recommended.
We did not do this but heard stories of people bringing in lots of groceries in checked luggage - e.g., Dad checked two bags, one clothes and one a case of wine - Mom checked two bags, one clothes and one a bag full of cereal, bread, pasta, etc. - Kid checked two bags, one clothes and one a cooler full of frozen meat. Depends on how much you intend to eat out. One local we spoke with said he goes to the States a couple of times a year and always checks a second, empty bag flying up and fills it with groceries or whatever from Costco or Samâs when he returns.
We enjoyed the island. We did not stay at Seven Stars but ate at their flagship restaurant (brought our wine in, of course) and had a fabulous, though certainly expensive, meal. Scuba and snorkeling were very good. Cab fare is exorbitant and they charge âper personâ so taking the whole family gets crazy expensive.
Just got back from our trip to Cayman (ok I know this is a Turks thread but it seemed to end up being a discussion of both). We stayed at a condo called the beachcomber which is in the same stretch of beach as the Ritz and the Caribbean club mentioned above. No amenities (ie food onsite, concierge) just a huge beautiful room, empty beach, nice pool with view to the ocean. Walkable to the Ritz or caribbean club for food (Luca at the cc had good food and a nice wine list with not-insane-for-islands prices) For the life of me I cannot understand why anyone would stay at the Ritz. They pack em in like sardines on the beachâŚlooking up and down seven Mile beach itâs easily the most crowded spot. Canât even see the beach from the pool as thereâs so many chairs and cabanas blocking the view. We had lunch at the seafire one day and it was pretty similar. Condo is the way to go. If you need onsite food and drink service stay at the Caribbean club.
TBH we liked Cayman more than Turks (just comparing seven Mile beach to grace bay). The way we see it, Anguilla is always our favorite for itâs low key, rustic luxury, local music, beach bar, and food scene, laid back, etc but we arenât going to schlep there with little kids. Grand Cayman seemed sort of soulless but immaculate. The grocery store we went to was brand new and would be too notch in the US. Roads were excellent, cel service good, no beach vendors, airport was clean and had proper air conditioning, etc. Obviously the huge financial sector plays a large part in this and there are plenty of other socioeconomic and historical reasons. Also water was calmer as itâs proper Caribbean, not atlantic. Turks seemed a weird middle ground where itâs not as well kept as Cayman but without the charm of Anguilla. I also liked that on seven Mile beach there are no dunes so the pools and restaurants have direct view of the beach, whereas the view on grace bay is somewhat blocked by scrubby dunes.
Pretty good summary of Grand Cayman. You must have been to the new Fosterâs grocery store. I hear it is great. Itâs nice also that the airport construction is now mostly finished. They have to still lengthen the runway but that shouldnât really effect anyone.
Did you dive or snorkel?
George
We did a little snorkeling near stingray city, it was a blast.
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Any restaurants to go/avoid?
We are staying at Villa Renaissance in Grace Bay and will have a car.
On the beach -
Infiniti at Grace Bay Club - the most âsceney beach restaurantâ type of place, but the food is good, if expensive. usually have some live music.
Bay Bistro - more casual, standard fish/meat choices, done pretty well, reasonably priced for the island, great beachfront views, we always go here, usually twice per trip (we stay next door). Better than Hemingways. Can reserve a table on the sand with candles etc for an extra fee, but we donât bother.
Not on the beach
Caicos Cafe - Italian/Caribbean, great food, I like better than Coco Bistro for a non-beachfront dinner.
Not on Grace Bay -
Omarâs - Caribbean beach shack type place in five cays⌠Love the jerk chicken (not available until mid afternoon) but fish curry, etc, all good. Service can be slow when crowded but I think they expanded their kitchen over the summer so hopefully improved!
Las Brisas - great views over Chalk Sound. If you go during the day can rent boats on chalk sound or combine with hanging out at taylor bay or sapodilla.
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Thanks a lot . Howâs the island from a safety perspective? Any areas to avoid ? Safe at night ? I do plan on renting a car (will leave windows open ) to use for snorkeling locations, food shopping , checking out the island , etc .
We are staying at Villa Renaissance first week of December
Unfortunately it appears that crime has picked up a bit recently though (almost all) not targeting tourists. You are smack in the middle of the main tourist/shopping area so totally fine. Weâve never felt unsafe. Youâre not really going to accidentally end up in a bad area.
Yeah not worried about Grace Bay area , more concerned about the outskirts . Thanks again z
I just read some American got gunned down there the other day. I take the view that there is a reason it made the news in that it isnât a regular occurrence.
Iâm headed there in March and not worried at all.
No safety issues for us. Great trip.
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@Bdklein Bruce, what restaurants did you hit ? We leave this weekend with a birthday group and they have Bay Bistro and Hemmingwayâs booked and 2 nights free.
thanks
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I donât recall all.
We went to Da Conch Shack for the one night whey put on a the show. Kind of touristy and eh, but glad we went.
Bugaloos and Mango Reef and The Deck for lunches.
Out to Castaways and Coco Bistro and Lupo for dinner .
Brought in from Thai Orchid and Yoshis Sushi .
Also grabbed food and drink a few times from Lemon2Go.
Would eat at/from any of those places again.
Also got some food from supermarket (deli and basic stuff)
We went when lobster tails were in season , so ate a lot of that and conch .
If any more come to mind I will let you know .
Any questions , ask away.
We stayed in Grace Bay.
Enjoy the trip !!
Coco Bistro is one of the higher end places on the island I believe .
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2nd for Coco Bistro, CocoVan (lunch) and Lemon2go.
Contrary to above, I didnât love Conch Shack on the main night (slow / bad service okay food and wasnât looking for that scene but nice to be on beach). Its also a bit of a drive from most of island. I think this was Wed nights? My understanding is this became a big thing when the fish fry closed down due to COVID. I believe that has restarted again (havenât been but its also touristy i believe)
Others. Shay cafe and if you go to taylor bay definetly go to Omars, this was 2nd to Cocos for me
Was so so on Mr Groupers, mango reef a bit better and liked Shark Bite for what it was (more of a bar but reasonably good)