The story of tourism in Turks and Caicos begins with Grace Bay Seaside. It’s the seashore that began all of it in Providenciales, the one the place the primary resorts opened their doorways, the white sand the place vacationers nonetheless make a beeline — and deservedly so — it’s a world-class stretch of sand.
However as Turks and Caicos has surged in recognition lately, vacationers are beginning to uncover that there are increasingly more layers to the vacation spot — and the lodestone is beginning to shift.
That features a almost 40-room boutique resort within the Venetian Highway space of Providenciales: the Kokomo Botanical Resort, a property that simply is perhaps the best-kept secret in all of Turks and Caicos.
The resort is about in one of the vital lush areas on the island: it’s a leafy, serene backyard resort, with a mixture of luxurious cottages in a low-density, laid-back format.
You get up to the sound of shaking leaves and birdsong. You stroll by means of a tree-filled path to the waterfall pool and yoga deck, earlier than sitting all the way down to an beautiful Asian fusion meal.
Then there’s the Lovina Spa, a single, gorgeous stone remedy room. This isn’t your bizarre Caribbean spa. It’s an genuine, faithfully designed, genuine Balinese spa, with a roster of high-level masseuses straight out of Bali itself (the “hearth and ice” is among the most original, transcendent spa remedies I’ve gotten within the Caribbean.
The cottages are charming and cozy, from the traditional cottages to the glossy, trendy “yacht suites,” replete with high-tech home equipment within the kitchens and superbly tiled loos.
Then there’s that restaurant: it’s known as WE Market Cafe, which stands for “west meets east.” It’s a formidable menu, with a slate of worldwide fare (together with some excellent panini). However it’s the Asian menu that basically stands out. However this isn’t the textbook Asian fusion spot. It’s genuine. It’s actual.
The sushi is marvelously sourced, the rice excellent. The steamed vegetable dumplings are proper out of a avenue cart in Shanghai. The “Chinese language longevity fried noodles” are, properly, you’ll wish to keep round longer. They even supply herbs from the on-site backyard on the resort.
It’s simply one of many high locations to eat in Turks and Caicos, significantly for those who attempt the chef’s desk expertise. It additionally comes with Kokomo’s model of room service, which the crew calls “cottage service.”
The placement is a brief drive from Grace Bay — however because the crew right here will inform you, it’s near every thing however “miles away.”
“Quite a lot of our visitors inform us they suppose they’re the one ones right here,” J. Kelly Sullivan, managing director of Alive and Properly Resorts tells Caribbean Journal. “It’s the key that’s not a secret.”
Even higher? Kokomo has its personal non-public seashore membership on Grace Bay, that means you’ll be able to take the fast resort shuttle and arrive to your seashore chairs (those you’ll by no means should combat for), with a seashore attendant prepared for any request. It’s one thing that makes Kokomo the perfect of each worlds.
After a day on the seashore and the bustle of Grace Bay, it’s a scrumptious feeling to return again to Kokomo, hear nothing however the leaves and the birds, really feel like you will have the entire place to your self and take a dip within the scorching tub or the pool.
Issues are simply completely different right here; the emphasis is on the vibe. It’s a resort the place the wellness isn’t simply on the therapeutic massage desk — it’s about the way in which the resort makes you are feeling.
Sullivan has cultivated a resort the place every thing is positioned simply so, the place the element goes into every thing, the place even the design of the resort’s wall is supposed, as he says, to “preserve the power in.”
“Folks come right here, they unwind,” he says. “It’s like everyone is aware of don’t disturb.”
True to its identify, it truly is a spot to get away from all of it.
Costs begin round $315 proper now.
For extra, go to Kokomo.