The islands of Turks and Caicos are basically an extention of the Bahamas. They look very similar. They are not tropical , they are dry and flat, also just like Aruba.

The clarity and color of the water on Grace Bay is amazing, much better than Aruba

Camke,

Thanks for the information. I felt that Treasure Cay was fairly tropical and from the resort pictures I've seen of Prov, felt it would have plenty of folage.

Good to know! As always, you are a wealth of much appreciated information :)

I've been to all 3.

Aruba is my least favorite-it was fun when I was young, lots of nightlife and activities, but

To describe T&C sounds like Aruba but it's not. It's flat dry and scrubby. Usually it's not windy like Aruba. But, it really has little nightlife (unless you consider dinning nightlife)

Treasure Cay was even sleeper than T&C. The beach there is very pretty, but I still enjoy the beaches of T&C better. Similar in color, both have gorgeous beaches, but T&C's are alot more assessable (and longer, Grace Bay is 12 miles!)

As far as Out Islands go, I personally like Exumas, Harbour Island and Eleuthera better. To be fair-it was chilly for me in Abacos, and of course will affect my opinion.

Treasure Cay had a Caribbean, sleepy old world vibe, T&C's vibe is closer to Aruba's, without chain restaurants and crowds. (And far superior beaches and snorkeling.)

Just like the pictures you've seen, the resort grounds on Provo do have beautiful tropical foliage. However, it didn't come up naturally. Everything was installed by the developers.

When Provo had little beachfront development, the contrasts were remarkable.

Ok, I'm convinced :) Turks and Caicos sounds wonderful! Thanks for everyone's input and for giving me an idea on comparison. We really had no desire to go to Aruba. I had just heard from someone that it was sparse and concerned that T&C was the same.

After Treasure Cay, I can't get those gorgeous ocean blues out of my system! We would also look forward to the good selection of restaurants in T&C---something that was largely lacking in TC.

Thanks Camke, Blamona and Caribdesi for your time! Can't wait until we are booked for 2008!

Morganmom