Low Profile, Low Key, High Class

For a place we couldn’t find in most guidebooks, the Turks and Caicos Islands proved to be quite a charmer.

Blame their lack of fame on their hard-to-categorize geographical position. The 193-square-mile archipelago of 30 low-lying islands (only six of which are inhabited) is strung out in the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Bahamas and just north of the Caribbean Sea, placing the group in neither region.

Blame it on the scarcity of hotel chains promoting their attractions. Or just be thankful that the Turks and Caicos--only a 90-minute flight from Miami--are all the better for their relative anonymity.

They are the perfect place to hide out.

Pirates on the lam knew that six centuries ago, when they lay low amid the treacherous coral reef (one of the longest in the world) surrounding the archipelago, which is actually two island groups (the Turks and Caicos) separated by a 7,000-foot-deep, 22-mile-wide trench of water called the Turks Island Passage.

For a destination so little known, the British Crown Colony of the Turks and Caicos offers an impressive range of lodging choices. During our 12-day visit to the islands last winter, my husband, David, and I sampled a beachfront condo complex, an all-inclusive family resort and a laid-back private island retreat where nobody wore shoes, even to dinner.

Providenciales, the archipelago’s principal tourist island and home to about half of the chain’s 25,000 citizens, doesn’t get much respect. Too much development, too many tourists, too much bustle, say longtime visitors who knew the place when it was even sleepier. Most of the development has been in the last two decades.

But that’s all relative. Newcomers will find Provo--as locals call the island--far less crowded and more tranquil than the high-rise hot spots of south Florida, the Bahamas, much of the Caribbean and coastal Mexico.

Populated by the descendants of African slaves brought to the island in the 17th century, as well as an expat community of American, British, Haitian, Canadian, French, Scandinavian and Dominican nationals, Provo is a friendly, live-and-let-live kind of place where there’s little ado about anything.

The 12-mile powdery beach along Grace Bay, site of most of the islands’ resorts and condos--none taller than four stories--is rarely crowded. Pockets of sunbathers may sprawl over short spans in front of the big resorts, but the beach is wide and the space between most lodgings substantial.

We did a little of everything on Provo, spending the first few days at Beaches, an all-inclusive family resort that is part of the Sandals chain, then moving to the Ocean Club, a condo complex with all the services of a hotel at the other end of Grace Bay.

We devoted a few hours each day to lazing and made a daily ritual of long beach walks by a sea so turquoise that it looked colorized. We walked early in the morning, while the air was still cool, and at dusk to catch the sunsets.

When spurts of energy called for action, we snorkeled right off the beach at the Ocean Club, swimming amid purple and orange sponges, neon anemones, giant sea fans and a resident bottlenose dolphin named JoJo. We went parasailing at Beaches and joined a half-day kayak excursion through backwater mangrove marshes and small cays of Princess Alexandra National Park off Providenciales.

One moonless night we hopped aboard a 50-foot catamaran to watch a showy spectacle of millions of glowworms mating like Lilliputian lava lights, not far offshore from the Ocean Club. At the Provo Golf Club (across the street from the Ocean Club), we dodged iguanas on the course.

Off the island, we took a day trip by boat and taxi through relatively undeveloped Middle Caicos, where we explored cathedral-size limestone caves and beaches studded with giant rock formations.

On Grand Turk, the islands’ administrative capital, a 20-minute flight from Provo, taxi driver Rosemary Simon took us around to see brightly colored wood and concrete houses and the excellent National Museum, which documents the Molasses Reef wreck of 1513, one of the oldest European shipwrecks in the New World.

At Beaches, which we intended to use as a base our first week, we re-learned a travel lesson the hard way: No matter how well-publicized a hotel is, the place has to be the right fit to make it a winner.

Sure, the 462-room resort would be filled with children, but it was great for couples too, the booking agent said. There were five swimming pools (four with swim-up bars), nine restaurants, including two for adults only, a spa for soothing treatments and plenty of solitude on our terrace suite.

“In fact,” the agent said, “we also think of ourselves as a honeymoon resort.”

Not unless you consider screaming children, and adults screaming at screaming children, everywhere all the time, a honeymoon atmosphere. Our “tranquil terrace” faced a huge family pool. The spa services (available at an extra charge) and adults-only restaurants--a French bistro and a cafe that served a little of everything--were nice enough. But the minute we left their shelter, we were back in the tumult. Even the adult activities intruded on our peace; the disco’s music blared into our room deep into the night.

To be fair, the multigenerational families seemed to be having a fabulous time. There were loads of activities for kids: treasure hunts and sand-castle building for the littlest ones; an arcade of Sega electronic games; a teen disco and “Family Feud”-type contests.

On Day 3 we bolted.

At the other end of Grace Bay from Beaches, the 86-room Ocean Club, opened in 1992, was the first condo community on Provo. It shows its age, not in dowdiness but in a comfort level and camaraderie that come with being a contented old-timer. The place is not as swank as some of the other condo resorts on Grace Bay--the Grace Bay Club and Point Grace are the toniest--but the easygoing atmosphere made up for the lack of frills. This is a place where you can kick off your shoes and feel instantly at home. And we did.

Our beachfront room, like all the one- to three-bedroom units in the three-story buildings, had a full kitchen, washer and dryer, cool white tile flooring, maid service daily and a huge screened-in terrace that we seldom wanted to leave, even for meals. And of course, we didn’t have to.

When we wanted table service, we ambled down to the beachside Cabana Bar and Grille, an on-site outdoor cafe that served breakfast, lunch and light dinners, and where the waiters knew all the repeat guests by name. The resort’s Gecko Grille was a fancier indoor and outdoor candlelight affair, serving creatively prepared seafood with a Caribbean kick. The Ocean Club also provided taxis to other restaurants in the area, with return service at a prearranged time.

Some advice: The Ocean Club complex is shaped like a horseshoe. The units along the two flat ends are beachfront, while the others curve back from the beach around the two pools, grill and landscaped gardens. If you want those premium rooms where you can see the surf lapping against the sand right in front of you, be specific with the reservations agent. Go for a second- or third-floor unit if you can handle stairs.

If life were fair, we would own one of the 37 beach houses on Pine Cay, an 800-acre private island of palms, dunes, sea grape and talc-like sand that is only a 10-minute flight east from Provo.

As it was, we were content to settle into one of the 13 simple, airy oceanfront rooms of the island’s Meridian Club, a tiny resort that Pine Cay homeowners created for paying visitors. It was an ideal spot for the last five days of our trip. Here we rested up from all the resting up we had done on Provo.

The folks who own the island and created the club are mainly wealthy Americans who rigorously maintain a quiet informality they like to call “the anti-Four Seasons.” The rooms have no air-conditioning (ceiling fans sufficed), no television and no phones. No children younger than 12 are allowed.

The place felt more like an adult summer camp than an expensive resort, which it was, at about $650 a room per night. Our fellow guests, mostly highly stressed business folks, were happy to pay big bucks for simple pleasures in exquisite surroundings.

The staff at the Meridian Club, mostly long-timers from neighboring islands, was friendly but not subservient. At dinner, gentlemen were expected to wear collared shirts, but shoes were optional. Meals, included in the price, were tasty but simply prepared. There was largely buffet fare at breakfast and lunch, and the sit-down dinners in the clubhouse were a little more elaborate. Wines (at extra cost) ranged from uncomplicated varietals to pricey vintages. You could bring your own, but there was a stiff corkage fee.

What did we do all day?

We strolled the two-mile beach, especially at dusk, when we collected delicate white sand dollars that washed up at low tide. We did a little snorkeling offshore and some shelling on a nearby islet. We read books we had brought.

A few couples set off on diving excursions or day trips to Provo or pit their casting skills against the famously defiant bonefish that are abundant in flats around the islands. We waved goodbye to them from the chaises in front of our rooms and usually greeted their return from the same spot.

Most said they regretted being away from Pine Cay ... even for a day. We haven’t gotten over the fact that we’re not still there.

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Guidebook: Trying Out the Turks and Caicos

Getting there: American Airlines flies to Providenciales with one stop. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $722.

Where to stay: Prices below are for high season, generally mid-December to mid-April; they may be substantially lower the rest of the year.

Inquire about lodging tax; in some cases it is included, while in other cases it can add up to 20% to prices.

The Ocean Club and Ocean Club West, Providenciales; (800) 457-8787, www.oceanclubresorts.com. Rates begin at $1,074 per person, double occupancy, for seven nights, including nine meals per person and two-day car rental. Scuba diving, spa and golf packages also available.

Meridian Club, Pine Cay; (800) 331-9154, www.meridianclub.com. Rates: $4,320 per couple for seven nights (including round-trip flight from Providenciales and meals); daily $650 per couple, including meals.

Beaches, Providenciales; (800) 232-2437, www.beaches.com. All-inclusive price (meals, alcohol, sports and gratuities) from $355 per night per person, double. Children ages 2-15, $80 per night; younger than 2 free.

Grace Bay Club; Providenciales; (800) 946-1999; www.gracebayclub.com; Swank Spanish-style villa resort on Grace Bay. Rates, including breakfast, from $675 per couple, per night.

Parrot Cay Resort & Spa; (877) 754-0726, www.parrot-cay.com. Chichi private island resort northeast of Providenciales. Rates from $560 per couple per night, including breakfast and round-trip car and boat transfer from the airport.

Turks Head Hotel, Grand Turk; (649) 946-2466, www.grandturk.com. Mansion on a bay in the Turks and Caicos’ capital. Rates from $75 per person, including breakfast and airport transfers.

Where to eat: Some of the best restaurants on Providenciales:

Coco Bistro: A sweet place that specializes in Mediterranean dishes. Grace Bay Road, (649) 946-5369, fax (649) 946-5368. Entrees $14-$30.

At Gecko Grille, a romantic restaurant at the Ocean Club, I liked the conch with garlic herb butter and the fire-roasted pork with grilled banana and papaya chutney. (649) 946-5885, fax (649) 946-5877. Entrees from $17.

The Terrace has relaxed dining with good seafood. Turtle Cove Inn, (649) 946-4763, fax (649) 946-4296. Entrees from $24.

For more information: Turks and Caicos Islands Tourism Office, 11645 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 302, Miami, FL 33181; (800) 241-0824, fax (305) 891-7096, www.turksandcaicostourism.com.

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Judi Dash is a writer and photographer in Beachwood, Ohio.