Previous reports were helpful to us in planning our TCI holiday Dec. 11-18, 2004. The Comfort Suites (CS) is a nice place to stay and reasonably priced. A small inconvenience was that they claimed that they had not received our Aircanadavacations reservations, although we had booked six weeks in advance. As a result we were not given the room of our choice but rather one on the noisier exterior side; you may want to ask for a poolside room. Make sure you ask for a room with screens on the windows as the mosquitoes are bad at night. The CS is close to the excellent Calico���s Jack���s in the Ports of Call Shopping Centre. We also enjoyed Hemingways for a beachside lunch and a rest stop halfway between CS and the Coral Gardens reef. Tiki Hut was also a good dockside location but we missed the Island favorite night there, the Wednesday���s $10 ribs and chicken barbecue. Anacaona was the best meal of the week but pricey at $110 for one appetizer and two entrees. All restaurants tried offered locally caught fish and shellfish. Calico Jack���s conch fritters were outstanding. Use of a safe and a room refrigerator were included at CS.
Our reason for going to TCI was that we heard that it offered good snorkeling. We were not disappointed with the abundance and variety of fish, turtles and corals. The closest spot to CS is the reefs at Coral Gardens, a pleasant (in Dec.) 45 min to 1 hr walk along the beach or a $10 taxi ride one way. Make sure that you explore the superb coral formations about 200 m east of the enclosure marked by red buoys and that area of the reef is marked by a small black pole. We also enjoyed the reef systems at Smiths Reef. The beach is rocky there and there are no floats to mark the reefs. Schools of spotted eagle rays were thrilling to watch. The biggest problem with these two shore-accessed spots is the Parasail boats which come far to close to snorkelers for comfort. Be on guard constantly. The week���s highlight was the all-day Outback Tour to Turtle Rock. Unfortunately, the half-day boat trip to French Cay was cancelled. Both tours are offered only once a week. Some snorkelers thought the water too cold but for us it was about the same as summer temperatures back home and was very pleasant.
In planning a TCI holiday the overdevelopment of the island of Provo may put some off. Many of the beaches have condos or hotels. But, Grace Bay beach is lovely despite the development. Most beaches can be accessed by everyone. The roads do not have sidewalks or even shoulders and are too narrow for pedestrians so most walk on the beach. Surprisingly there are no buses to take or bicycles to rent but just expensive taxis. We were warned by CS and our Aircanadavacations agent not to drink the tap water. You can purchase groceries and large jugs of water from the IGA which is a $24 return taxi ride from CS. Visible police beach patrols were reassuring. The islanders (belongers) were most friendly and welcoming.