Tag Archives: Turks & Caicos News

Turks & Caicos noted as one of “The 40 Best Beaches on Earth”

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Let’s face it…it ain’t summertime without at least spending a few days at the beach soaking up the rays and relaxing with family and friends. In the spirit of summer, we’ve gone to the travelers community at minube.net travel community to find the best beaches from around the world, those drops of white sand paradise that we yearn for all year round. From South Pacific desert islands to the coasts of Europe and Africa, here are the 40 best beaches on Earth.

1.) Grace Bay, Turks & Caicos
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Everyone who sets foot on the white sands of Grace Bay comes to the same conclusion: this is paradise. Not only is the beach incredibly long and relatively crowd-free, it’s also surrounded by reefs that’ll make any avid snorkeler drool. (Photo by Daniel E. Castaño)

By Huffingtonpost minube Travel planning website and community

Link to full report

Turks & Caicos Real Estate Market Report 2nd Quarter 2014

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Cover.July2014Single Family Home/Villa sales continue to lead the market with a sustained increase during the first half of this year.  The 115% $ Volume increase was led by the significant sales in the luxury villa market.  Link to complete report. 

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Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty

 

RITZ-CARLTON TO REPLACE JW MARRIOTT IN TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

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RitzLogo

World-class luxury hotel brand Ritz-Carlton is in advanced negotiations to operate a multi-storey hotel and condominium project in Turks and Caicos Islands, (#turksandcaicos) replacing the much-vaunted JW Marriott hotel and casino development which was earmarked for Grace Bay, on the island of Providenciales.

Impeccable sources told The SUN that the Desarrollos Hotelco Turks and Caicos already has indicated to Government officials that they intend to switch from the JW Marriott brand to Ritz-Carlton, in a move that will delay construction of what will be the most significant and expensive hotel development in the history of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

When the SUN contacted Ms. Parool K. Shah, Ritz-Carlton Regional Director of Public Relations for the Americas for more details about the project, she stated: “I am delighted to confirm that The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company will indeed open a resort in beautiful Turks and Caicos’ Grace Bay as part of the global development pipeline, sometime after 2016.”

According to sources, the new owners of West Caicos have ditched plans to have Ritz-Carlton manage and operate their property, thus paving the way for the Venezuela-based Desarrollos group to capitalise on the high-end brand.

“It is true to say that there will be a delay in what was supposed to be a JW Marriott Hotel and Casino in Grace Bay, but I also have to stress that it will be a very positive delay because the entire scope, scale and cost of the project will increase and this will be of tremendous benefit to the entire Turks and Caicos Islands,” said the source who requested anonymity.

The official revealed that architects are in the process of re-designing plans for the high-end tourism development to bring the project in line with Ritz-Carlton standards.

“Let me put it like this. JW Marriott would have been a huge deal for the Turks and Caicos Islands, but Ritz-Carlton is definitely bigger and better,” the official added. “It will require much more detailed drawings and a whole new redesign. It will be one of the finest hotels in the world.”

Meantime, the source told The SUN that the Desarrollos Hotelco Turks and Caicos Ltd “would hardly want to build a 14-storey hotel”, although Government is about to have a public consultation on this contentious topic.

“I think it’s safe to say that they will stick with the nine-storey concept to avoid any further delays,” the source added.

Earlier this year, Walter Stipa, the majority investor of Desarrollos Hotelco Turks and Caicos Ltd., announced plans to open a new 380-room JW Marriott Hotel and Casino which will include 16 residential condos.

The nine-story hotel which will be built on a11-acre site, was scheduled to open in early 2016.

The billionaire Stipa is also the majority shareholder of the 269-room JW Marriott Hotel Caracas, the 207-room Venezuela Marriott Hotel Playa Grande and the 212-room Renaissance La Castellana Caracas. Additionally, he owns the 320-room Ritz-Carlton Aruba.

In the Caribbean, Ritz-Carlton has hotels in the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.

In addition to 380 guest rooms and suites, the original plan for the JW Marriott was to feature a gourmet specialty restaurant, a three-meal-a-day restaurant, a lobby bar and lounge and a pool bar & grill, some 1,300 square meters of meeting space, including a ballroom; as well as a 962 square meter spa and fitness center, a kids/teen club, three swimming pools and a 901 square meter casino.

The primary architect for the project is Robert M. Coleman & Partners, whose also designed the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, the Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club timeshare resort, the recently-opened Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino and the Ritz-Carlton Aruba.

By Hayden Boyce, Editor-in-Chief • Thu, Jun 26, 2014 •  Turks & Caicos SUN Newspaper

Turks & Caicos Real Estate Market Report 1st Quarter 2014

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Turks & Caicos Market Report

The Turks & Caicos Real Estate Market continues to be led by the strong performance of the luxury sector.  Condominium sales were up 82% over Q1 of last year in $ volume and Single Family Home sales were up a whopping 279% in $ volume.

Link to complete report.

by Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty

SIXTEEN GRAND FOR EDWARD GARTLAND YOUTH CENTRE

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Charity Art Auction

The Edward Gartland Youth Centre, which celebrated five years in the Turk and Caicos Islands, received $16,000 this week, thanks to fundraising efforts by Turks and Caicos Sotheby’s Realty, Gilley’s Enterprises and Amanyara Resort. The funds were raised courtesy of a live art show and auction with work from local artists held at Amanyara recently. “The Edward Gartland Youth Centre provides social and educational programs for the Youths of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is an incredible organization and we try to do our very best to support it, said Courtney Miller of Turks and Caicos Sotheby’s Realty before making the presentation. Miller said that the art show in support of local artists had been a longstanding dream of the real estate entity, and so it was a dream come true when it joined forces with Gilley’s Enterprises and Amanyara to partner with Roxann (Wake-Forbes), Director of the Edward Youth Centre, to stage the event. In response, Wake-Forbes said that as usual, the funds would be used to buttress the programs that the Youth Centre currently offers. In photo, Miller (right) along with Desmond Williams (second right) of Gilley’s Enterprises and Cindy Nemours of Amanayara (third from right) makes the presentation to Wake-Forbes.

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By Turks & Caicos SUN Newspaper – November 23, 2013

Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty Ryder Cup Golf Matches

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Provo Ryder Cup Turks & Caicos

The Provo Golf Club Ryder Cup, sponsored by Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty, saw The International Team defeat The North American Team in a convincing 22.5 to 16.5 victory over the two day event which had 52 golfers compete head to head in the match play format. The win increased the International Team’s overall lead to 14 vs. 7 in this 21 year, member coveted, competition. Louis Dickenson and Steve Ross captained the International win by jumping out to a 7 to 6 first day lead in the best ball format on Saturday. North American captains Terry Erskine and Carol Brown rallied their team for Sunday’s singles play as the North American side got off to a steady start by matching the Internationals point for point over the first 10 matches.  With only 16 matches remaining just one point stood between the two sides before the eventual International champions pulled away from North America by winning 10.5 of the last 16 matches to seal the victory.

This year the Provo Ryder Cup was marked by some of the best golf witnessed in the history of the matches. Provo Golf Club was also able to showcase their new Tiff Eagle greens that are now complete over the entire 18 holes. The new greens have been received with rave reviews completing the quality conditioned layout. All four Captains did a fine job creating a competitive but fun atmosphere making golf and sportsmanship the winner.

Although the tournament is a true team event it should be noted that the following 8 players played well enough to obtain 2 points by winning both of their matches; Paul Murray, Jumphol Srinark, John Donatien, Chris Lemire, Bruce Romberg, Trevor Bromley, Steve Ross and Jared Fulton. Many other golfers played exceptional golf as well but were able to capture just less than 2 points which can be the very nature of match play.

A very special, “Thank You” to our sponsor Joe Zahm  of Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty for making the weekend a huge success. The Ryder Cup is eagerly awaited each year as it is the favorite annual members’ event at Provo Golf Club. This year saw a well-attended, spirited Wednesday Night Pairings Party where the Captains set the stage for all 39 matches over the weekend. Assistant Captains, Steve Ross and Carol Brown have already started to put their attention towards next year’s renewal as they take over the reins in 2014.

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Written by Dave Douglas, Director of Golf, Provo Golf Club – Oct 28, 2013

Island Life & Times ~ iPad App Magazine for Turks & Caicos Islands

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Island Life and Times

Island Life and Times Magazine: An Insider’s Guide to the Caribbean’s Turks & Caicos Islands, noted for its high design, inspiring photography, insider tips and ease of use, is available for download from Apple iTunes. The magazine celebrates the people, places and perfection of the Turks & Caicos Islands with timely visual and written content, curated by locals. This free application will allow readers to download single copies or monthly or yearly digital subscriptions.

Island Life and Times Magazine app will integrate regularly updated content, select travel influencers, including journalists, photographers, island locals and more. A new issue is “published” every two weeks with just four stories, allowing for a manageable read about the latest and greatest happenings in the Turks & Caicos.

The team behind the Island Life and Times Magazine is led by Andrew Mann, of the island’s well-established Tropical Imaging. Tropical Imaging has been in business, in the Turks & Caicos Islands for over 20 years. In addition, the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board has officially partnered with the project as a sponsor along with leading telecoms provider LIME, international real estate company Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty, Ocean Club Resorts and eco-tourism leader Big Blue Unlimited.

“Whether readers are visiting the island soon or just have the destination on their wish list, Island Life and Times Magazine will provide insight into the daily goings on in the islands. The island has a habit of captivating people and we envision Island Life and Times as a ‘twice a month’ fix of island life. Our goal is to amuse, inspire and illuminate,” states Andy Mann.

The Turks & Caicos Islands is the first country this magazine has been developed for although there are plans to expand to other islands in the Caribbean, in the future.

The magazine can be downloaded here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/island-life-times-magazine/id702895123?ls=1&mt=8

Find Island Life and Times on social media at:  Facebook –Facebook.com/IslandLifeandTimes;    Twitter – Twitter.com/IslandLifeTimes; Pinterest – Pinterest.com/IslandLifeTimes.  For more information please visit http://www.islandlifeandtimes.com.

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By Pitchengine, Inc

Provo Sailing Club Circumnavigates the Island of Providenciales

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Provo Sailing Club

PSC LogoProvo Sailing Club Circumnavigates the Island of Providenciales

In the early hours of October 5th, 2013, Provo Sailing Club members were rigging their boats as they prepared to cast off for the 60 mile journey around the entire island of Providenciales.  Sailing instructors, Adam Twigg and Robin Spruce along with 8 junior sailors, Alex Cox, Buzzy Lawson, Ciara Dempsey, Daniella Douglas, JJ Affleck, Leial Missick, Phoebe Twigg, and Samiel Antoine pushed away from shore of Children’s Park in the Bight at 6am with the expectation of arriving back at approximately 2pm.

The Provo Sailing Club is pleased and very proud that 8 of its competent junior sailors, aged between 14 and 18, took up the challenge of sailing around Providenciales anti-clockwise on Hobie Cat Wave catamarans.  All the participants have achieved at least the Level 2 certificate of sailing proficiency, and have been active participants in the racing series at the Provo Sailing Club.  Additionally, they have taken part in smaller “sail away” days, in preparation for this adventure.  They met several times to plan the day, deciding upon the best route, factoring in tides and wind speeds, and including being prepared for any medical, emergency and equipment issues that may arise.

As the sun came up on October 5th, the sailors enjoyed the depths of the Atlantic Ocean while they travelled outside the coral reef, one mile from land in 7000 feet of water.  The colour transformation from turquoise to deep dark blue was a beautiful sight – an invigorating start to the days’ event.  Travelling anti-clockwise they reached Sapodilla Bay on the south side for a rest and lunch break at 12:30pm, 6 ½ hours after starting at dawn.  From this point onward the sailboats could be seen from several locations as they continue and pressed on to complete the journey before dark.  As the day progressed and the winds became lighter than expected it was apparent that this journey would take much longer than anticipated. At 7:30pm, with parents, friends and media waiting onshore at Children’s Park the sailors arrived in complete darkness.  For the last ½ hour of the sail they had joined their boats together, side-by-side, and came to shore this way.  The sense of accomplishment was felt by all – a truly amazing feat!  Congratulations to all participants for your dedication to the sport and for your determination to complete this incredible 13 1/3 hour journey.  Well done!

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by Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty ~ proud sponsors of PSC

Turks & Caicos Real Estate 3rd Quarter Market Report 2013

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Relaxed Third Quarter follows Stamp Duty increaseMarketReport.Oct2013

At the ¾ pole of this year, the market is 8.55% ahead of last year on the momentum of a strong Q2 which showed a 30+% increase in sales dollar volume over last year. Q3 however, slowed with a 20% decrease in sales dollar volume. This can be attributed to the following factors: Link to complete report

 

ART AUCTION for CHARITY ~ Turks & Caicos Islands

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On November 9th, 2013, the Edward C. Gartland Youth Centre will celebrate its five-year anniversary in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands. As a celebratory marker you are cordially invited to join us at Amanyara Resort on Saturday, 9th November 2013, for an elegant evening of cocktails, light fare and art.  Click here to read more.

ArtAuctionBlogPhoto