The Best New Resorts In Turks And Caicos

This year opened with the bad news that Beaches Turks and Caicos was set to shut down indefinitely in January 2021, following a six-week closure that occurred this fall and another taking place the same time next year. Obviously, we were going to miss this popular family-friendly resort, but then came the good news: Beaches Turks and Caicos will remain open, and the brief closures will be used for renovations and upgrades.

The even better news is that Beaches has been joined by some spectacular new and recently opened resorts, not just on Providenciales (where Beaches has pride of place the island's 12-mile-long marquee beach) but on surrounding islands, too. Read on and you just might discover your new favorite Turks and Caicos resort.

A 20-minute flight from Provo, this all-inclusive private-island resort feels a world apart from the tourist hub's slick scene – mostly because the three-square-mile cay has little more than 10 plush one-bedroom suites surrounded by tropical scrub, swaths of ivory sand and Windex blue water.

There's also a beachfront restaurant, spa, a pool and tennis courts to keep you entertained. But when you're not ensconced in your butler-serviced suite (with outdoor showers, pop-up TV and each with its own golf cart, they're some of the fanciest we've seen!) you'll likely spend most of your time exploring the transparent turquoise waters that make this part of the Caribbean a beach-lovers dream.

Choose from 36 breezy ridge-top or water's-edge suites or two villas at this intimate South Caicos getaway that's just a 30-minute flight from Provo (round-trip air and daily breakfast is included in the rate). Then spend your days fishing, diving or snorkeling the waters of the world's third-largest coral reef, just a quick boat ride away.

Back on land, guests hop complimentary bicycles to access the Great House all-day restaurant and the spa, where sea salt that's traditionally been harvested here inspires many of the relaxing treatments. And if you end up liking Sailrock you want to stay, you're in luck: the suites and villas here are also for sale.

Until recently, with exception of Amanyara on the northwest point, all the resort action on Provo was centered on the Grace Bay strip. That was until The Shore Club opened on Long Bay, an undeveloped white-sand strip on the southeast coast.

Marrying traditional West Indian architecture with modern amenities (think rattan outdoor furniture and electronic do not disturb signs), this glamorous roost is perfect for seclusion-seeking couples as well as for families, who have plenty of space in two- and three-bedroom suites or in one of four butler-serviced six-bedroom villas, complete with private pools and elevators.

Check in and expect elegant dining at the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant Sui-Ren; to be pampered at the Dune Spa; and, since this is the first and only resort on Long Bay, to have the 800-foot-long strand practically to yourself.

The Provo resort that had been known since 2009 as the Gansevoort Turks + Caicos was rebranded last January to reflect the name of its original developers and current owner. So what's changed? The sleek retreat now also includes seven new four- and five-bedroom hillside villas, which, although they're two miles away on Turtle Tail Bay, all come with full access to the hotel's services, restaurant and other facilities.

The restaurant, Zest, has been redesigned, too, but happily, the rosé-themed beach bar, Pink, is still serving blush champagne cocktails on the sand. Another thing that hasn't changed: the beauty of Grace Bay beach, where Wymara sits on its tranquil western end.