-
A Vintage Map
Turks & Caicos is a small archipelago southeast of Florida that could be
considered an extension of the Bahamas, with which it shares some history.
While the islands' administrative center is Grand Turk, the primary tourist
destination is Providenciales, commonly called Provo, which is one of the
Caicos group of islands.
-
Poetry for Life
This little poem hung in my suite at The Meridian Club on Pine Cay, a private
800-acre island occupied by just 30-some private homes and the boutique 13-room
hotel. Its miles-long beach looks pretty much like the background for the poem.
-
Peaceful Pool Conversation
The Meridian Club is the height of casual tranquility. No boisterous crowds
around this pool. Just new friends to meet, and that beautiful, long white
beach to stroll.
-
Cocktails with a View
The intimate, two-story clubhouse is the social hub of the island and offers a
restaurant plus a bar and library, where you mingle with other guests and villa
owners at cocktail hour. The second-floor terrace, overlooking the pool and
deserted beach, is an ideal place to socialize or curl up with a book.
-
Relaxed Dining
The Meridian Club's restaurant combines a casual atmosphere with formal
service. Dinner here is a four-course gourmet affair. The day's menu is posted
on a blackboard every morning, and guests are asked to make a decision on their
entree early in the day. Breakfast combines a diverse buffet and a la carte
offerings, which most people choose to enjoy around the pool.
-
Dune-Front Clubhouse & Cottages
The hotel consists of 13 spacious suites in low-slung duplex cottages right on
the broad and beautiful dune-backed beach.
-
Trophy Bonefish--Not!
The Turks & Caicos offer extensive flats for bonefishing, and The Meridian Club
has a modern flats boat for searching them out. Unfortunately, wind and tide
conspired to make bonefishing very trying on my day out on the Club's boat and,
in spite of my guide's best efforts, all we found were baby bones.
-
Sandy Trails to You
The way to get around Pine Cay is by electric golf cart on a network of sandy
lanes. To the east, across the channel from the harbor, are extensive and
excellent bonefish flats you get to by kayak or a ride from the harbormaster.
To the south are more flats, wadeable from shore. And then there's the
Aquarium.
-
The Aquarium
The Aquarium used to be a channel between Water Cay and Pine Cay. It was filled in by Hurricane Donna, leaving a deep inlet harboring lots of different fish, turtles, and more. A couple of sit-on-top kayaks are waiting there for you to enjoy. In the right conditions, the snorkeling is fantastic.
-
Reptilian Visitor
The wildlife on the island, like this iguana, are not at all shy. This fellow
was fascinated by my shiny gold fly reel.
-
In Search of Big Fish
Another day, I was joined by Terry Smith, an island villa owner, for some offshore fishing aboard the Club's 25-foot Boston Whaler. It takes only about 15 minutes to get from the Club's docks to the deep drop-off beyond the reef protecting the north side of the Caicos Islands, where lots of big fish wander, like marlin, tuna, dophin and wahoo.
-
Catch of the Day
My hope was to land some mahi-mahi, one of the frequent catches offshore. Photo
by Chris Murray
-
Half a Wahoo
One day, half a wahoo was my prize for the day—a shark enjoyed the best part.
-
Beautifully Prepared
But half a wahoo is better than none at all, and Chef Shane prepared and
presented my delicious wahoo beautifully for dinner that night.
-
At Day's End
One of my favorite times at The Meridian Club was sunset. These light shows
were invariably spectacular over that beautiful deserted beach.