This truly goes down as one of our best vacations ever -- thanks in no small part to Christi and her potcake companion Grouper, who frequently joined us for romps on the beach and tricks for treats back at our villa. We stayed at Tropico for a week in late January 2012 and our visit couldn't have been better.
Blue Horizon Resort offers spectacular views of Mudjin Harbor and Dragon Cay on Middle Caicos in the TCI. It's a completely relaxing and remote existence, but it also provides some unexpected and appreciated social aspects -- we met quite a few of our neighbors and enjoyed their company on more than one occasion -- even if just passing by on the path to the beach. Thanks to John and Craig for pointing out the humpback whales off shore on my birthday -- OMG! Based on our experience, my husband would rather stay at BHR again than try a more remote cottage or villa on the island. (And it's not like he's an extremely social guy, but he really liked this aspect of our visit.)
A special thanks goes to Dolphus Arthur for the instructive snorkeling/fishing trip! Hope you rock at the 2012 Valentine's Cup at Bambarra Beach -- wish we could be there. (We met Dolphus' cousin Boy Hall on the boat back to Provo -- and he was an excellent driver who took us to "Somewhere" at Coral Gardens on the beach and then to PLS airport. We were so sad to leave, but he made all the right recommendations to ensure we wouldn't miss our flight.)
As for the property at Blue Horizon Resort, we are talking clean and efficient accommodations -- but don't be expecting anything too fancy. This isn't the Ritz or Martha Stewart's uber-equipped Caribbean vacation cottage. But we loved the way we could shut the curtains to the screened-in porch and open the screened windows to let the breeze in. Excellent and consistent wireless Internet access the entire trip. For two people, the space seemed quite spacious. The bed was very comfortable. Plenty of storage space. And the sound of the crashing waves (January) and crickets at night were just perfect -- no loud coqui frogs like you find in PR, the USVI and BVI -- so there was no overarching drone all night. Stars like you've never seen anywhere else.
Whatever you do, I highly recommend renting a car for your full visit (Christi can arrange this for you) and be sure to take advantage of her grocery service. This is a must! She was able to stock our refrigerator with eggs, turkey bacon, butter, milk, bread, mayo, tuna, onions, romaine lettuce, salsa, chips, lemons, limes, pasta, marinara sauce, beer, wine and other provisions as good as we would find at home. We definitely wouldn't have been able to cobble together these provisions by shopping at the few grocery stores on North Caicos -- which are all wonderfully stocked with everything you don't have on your list and managed by very friendly people -- but Provo is really the place for groceries. And it would have been a real struggle to do all the shopping ourselves on Provo. So .... go, Christi, go!
Word to the wise -- the hurricane-damaged causeway from North Caicos to Middle Caicos is a real challenge, even for the rough-road initiated -- so just take your time and don't get stressed on your way to one of the best islands in the world. It seems like a long haul the first time but gets easier with every trip. Makes you appreciate the forces of Mother Nature. Best to take it for the first time during daylight hours.
Our memories of Middle Caicos will mostly be about the people. Granted, there aren't very many people, but those we met were all so lovely and friendly and talented. After an amazing meal of cracked conch at Daniel's Cafe (son Devon rocks as the chef!), be sure to walk over to the Middle Caicos Co-Op on the property and buy as many amazing baskets as you can. The prices are great and the quality of work is fabulous.
We saw humpback whales breaching right off the shore at Daniel's Cafe, too -- spectacular!
I will say that Middle Caicos is probably not an island for everyone -- it's remote, rustic, hard to get to, isolated and there's not much in the way of entertainment or super-polished tourism. But if you're looking to truly get away from it all, relax, rejuvenate and catch some true island spirit, it can't be beat.
Note to selves: please help keep the beaches clean! A lot of folks leave their water bottles, beer bottles and other junk on the shore at Mudjin Harbor, Wild Cow Run and elsewhere. Certainly, things wash up on shore and that can't be helped, but we found ourselves taking a few minutes each visit to clean things up. It doesn't take a lot of time, but it can have a big impact.
- Blue Horizon Hotel
