North Caicos Babymoon Vacation
Beaches, Seafood, and Caves
Five Days (March 7th – March 11th, 2016)
I didn’t really know what to expect on the flight down to our North Caicos babymoon vacation. (For those of you who aren’t familiar, a “babymoon” is exactly what it sounds like: one last excuse for a getaway to relax before the birth of a new baby.) I think it had been a particularly busy stretch at work, Esmei was growing so fast, and it seemed we were facing new challenges every day. I was looking forward to a true getaway with basically nothing to do but reconnect with my parents and get to know my brothers new girlfriend. But like all magical places, there’s no easy way to get there.
After touchdown in Providenciales, we took a cab to the grocery store to stock up on supplies for the week, before making our way to the port. This was, without a question, the most stressful part of the trip for me as I had been silent to the group about our passage to North Caicos. As it turned out, the last commercial boat trip of the day had not correlated kindly to our arrival in Turks and Caicos, so I had laid my faith in a muffled Skype call to My Girl Ferry Service a couple weeks earlier. Eventually, after 30 minutes or so of sweating it, we met up with the crew of the boat right on time, scooped up the rest of the locals heading our way and set off. As fortune would have it, waiting at the “local” dock was a taxi arranged by our Airbnb hosts. (I wondered how that was going to work out as well. )
I am not going to lie: It had been stressful anticipating each leg of our journey, but at the end of the day, there was something magical about celebrating our arrival at Whitby Bay, feet half-buried under warm sand, staring across the blank expanse of the ocean.
How would I describe the place? Lush. Colonial plantation feel. Wind beaten, but well-kept. Paradise. The weather—as one would expect from a Caribbean locale—was gorgeous, and for the most part, consistent from the time we arrived. Warm, but not too hot and not very humid, with gentle breezes, and quick little rainstorms that seemed to last only about the duration of a long traffic light.
With Esmei in tow, we woke up relatively early, only to find my Dad already up drinking some coffee. We decided a venture to a local vegetable and fruit farm was in the cards and took what would become the first of many short trips exploring the island. For the most part though, we spent the next couple days cruising along the beach, taking turns making meals, and chillaxing.
That being said, for those that know me, one may question if I really know how to relax at all. For me I don’t know what that truly means. I’m so used to ‘doing things’ keeping busy. On the next to last day, we decided to rent a 4×4 rig and venture over to Middle Caicos to see Mudjin Harbor. This was my favorite part of the trip. For me, it was perfect maneuvering down the narrow “roads”, with each local stopping as we passed by extending a friendly hello or good morning.
Eventually, we made it through the sparsely populated island to the spectacularly beautiful area that is Mudjin Harbour. Time travel belongs not to any realistic possibility but rather to fiction, but something about Mudjin and Middle Caicos has managed to avoid package tourism and such hapless ends. The beach was perfect for swimming and snorkeling. My folks enjoyed walking the beach, exploring caves, and reminiscing on how it reminded them of a Caribbean Ireland. “Who would have ever imagined two poor kids like us ever being in a place like this”, I overheard my Dad whisper to my Mom.
If you are considering going to Turks and Caicos, I recommend taking a look at North Caicos over Grace Bay and Providenciales. I don’t say this because we spent our babymoon vacation there, but because it’s a bit enchanting. I came out a rejuvenated man.