For Whom the Belle Tolls 8/19/25 For Whom the Belle Tolls 8/19/25

Vacation Chronicles: Turks and Caicos

We just got home Sunday evening from a fantastic trip to Turks and Caicos, a day ahead of the rain and gusty winds hurricane Erin brought to the island. As some of you may know, we have a history of terrible timing with vacations and tropical storms, so what a relief that we only endured ten minutes of rain this entire vacation! (It had also been raining for over a week in Charlotte prior to our getaway, so we were thrilled to remind ourselves what the sunshine actually looked and felt like again).

We arrived around lunchtime and immediately headed to see how the Ritz Carlton in Grace Bay had changed since we were there in 2023. It is a fairly new property, so we were curious what additions they might have made since our first visit.

Clint was determined to make his first stop the “Beach Buggy,” the VW van down by the beach that serves up fabulous tropical drinks. Pina coladas are a nutritious lunch, right?

When the concierge told us there was a brand new “pizza hut,” this was not what two Southerners imagined. Still, the pizza got rave reviews.

Let me preface this next part by warning you that we have a somewhat abysmal history with tours and excursions whilst on vacation. Sightseeing ventures tend to either not be as advertised, turn into some kind of fiasco, run way over their proposed duration…you name it. And yet, we come back for more. We had been told there was a jazz saxophone sunset sail that left from the beach at the Ritz that was an absolute MUST. We pictured yacht rock and a light breeze, maybe a little Kenny G or Michael Bolton—what a great, relaxing way to begin our vacation after a tiring day of travel. *Insert the universe’s most evil laugh.*

What we did not know is that the jazz sail is on Thursdays only. Each night is a different type of music. Apparently, our chosen night was some kind of bass thumping, techno/R&B hybrid which primarily consisted of two hours of songs we have never heard in our lives (I assume being sung by local Caribbean artists) with an occasional Justin Bieber hit thrown into the mix. We were surrounded by twenty-somethings who filled the cruise time by snapping more pictures than I knew an iPhone could hold (Instagram rules everyone’s lives I have decided), and/or vigorously making out, then taking a quick break for more free champagne. It was windy, it was loud, it was annoying—we contemplated swimming for shore more than once. We have now sworn an oath against all future excursions. You heard it here first.

Here we are, all smiles before our sunset hostage situation…I mean, sail. Lesson learned.

Our first full day meant it was time for the moment I had been waiting for since our previous visit to the island: the avocado toast at Coralli by the Sea, one of the restaurants on property. It is the stuff vacation breakfast dreams are made of, and it did not disappoint as we sat by the ocean and enjoyed a leisurely meal. Our mornings are usually filled with feeding and giving medications to dogs, hurried and humid walks, and not much downtime, so having some peaceful moments to caffeinate and start the day were everything.

A vast improvement over my typical dairy-free protein shake. I miss you already, avocado toast (oh and Turks, too).

I love when the hardest decisions you face during your day are deciding pool or beach, and which cocktail to order. What a life.

One of the unique, adorable, and genius things in Turks and Caicos is Potcake Place K9 Rescue. “Potcake” is a breed of dog recognized by the kennel clubs of the Caribbean and is mixture of German Shepherd, Labrador, and Fox Terrier breeds. (They got their name because locals fed them the caked remains from cooking pots). Anyone can go into the rescue center downtown and walk a puppy in the morning! They don’t charge, but do ask for donations, and provide a bag with toys and supplies. So everywhere you go, there are folks walking these adorable puppies who get attention, exercise, and socialization. And hopefully, adoption! It is great to see all the pups enjoying themselves and naturally, such a feel good to be surrounded by puppies who need to be petted everywhere you go.

We chatted with this great couple, vacationing from Montreal, who were walking a precious pup named Scent. He wasn’t too sure about the waves, but he was thoroughly enjoying meeting new people by the beach.

August means the start of lobster season in Turks, and all of the food island-wide is top notch. We tried a couple of new restaurants and also returned to some favorite spots as well, namely Grace’s Cottage. The restaurant is the former home of Grace, the woman that Grace Bay is named for, and is a beautiful bungalow with gingerbread trim and so much charm. We dined on the lawn with candles and beautiful landscaping all around, and just like our time there before, it was our favorite meal of the trip. The atmosphere is wonderful and the food is even better.

The most delicious lobster, and I would swear the squash and zucchini were picked from a garden on the property that day.

All smiles after one of the best meals you can ever have. We hope to be back soon!

You didn’t think I would tell you all of this and never show you the beach, did you? I think Turks and Caicos has the clearest water I have ever seen. We spent an entire half day watching (and honestly, laughing hysterically) at tourists failing at all the water sports. The people watching was 10/10.

And that evening, I won a little spending money in the casino playing roulette!

Before we knew it, we were down to our last day.

One of the most unique resorts on the island is Rock House, which is literally carved into the side of the limestone cliffs on Grace Bay. It has a Mediterranean feel, and we had heard the Cave Bar there was a great place to go before dinner to enjoy the views while the sun went down, so we decided to do just that.

The Cave Bar had sweeping, dramatic views and was a gorgeous place to enjoy our last evening.

We sipped cocktails and enjoyed fresh frito misto (assorted fried seafood) while watching the sunset.

I lamented to our taxi driver as we left Rock House that it was our last evening in Turks and Caicos. “No disrespect, ma’am, but I cannot allow that kind of talk,’ he said. ‘You are not leaving, you are just pressing pause until you are back again.”

I like his way of thinking.

For Whom the Belle Tolls 7/30/25 For Whom the Belle Tolls 7/30/25

Christmas (Vacation) in July 2.0

Our Christmas in July party has become an annual tradition, and this year we decided to once again have our Christmas (Vacation) in July theme since everyone had so much fun getting into the spirit of it the year before (here is the link to last year’s festivities if you want to revisit and compare—while last year was impressive, we humbly say this year was even better!). We took all of our favorite details from the previous year, upped our costume game, and added a few more festive touches for our favorite Christmas in July so far.

Meet Uncle Lewis and Aunt Bethany, pool party edition.

How about breaking out the official Griswold saucer sled?

Just go easy if you use Clark’s sled spray!

We had Clark manning our cocktail station, with non-nutritive cereal varnish (spicy margaritas), and our newest cocktail…

“The Blue Leisure Suit,” a tropical vodka cocktail.

You can’t have *Christmas Vacation* without Aunt Bethany’s Jell-O mold.

Or some “You Serious, Clark” Bars (which I had never had before, and can review as delicious).

We are proud members of the Jelly of the Month Club (after all, it is the gift that keeps on giving, the whole year).

Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes are welcome on my table any month of the year!

Tamaryn brought out her sparkliest Hannukah in July. Talkl about lighting things up!

The costumes this year! Sharon, as Eddie in the swimming pool scene, leopard Speedo and all. 11/10.

A new snow machine was one of my favorite additions this year.

Marc bravely managed to tame Rosie, our wild flamingo (many have tried, few have succeeded—a true Christmas miracle).

Meanwhile, I thought Chris perfectly captured the essence of Christmas in July chilling with a cocktail and a Santa hat.

Much to my delight a late afternoon splash contest broke out (new Christmas tradition?).

My biggest regret is that I was an epic FAIL with the group photo. After managing to wrangle 20+ people into poses around a Cousin Eddie mannequin in the hot tub, I forgot to sync my phone to the remote control I used with my camera, so the photo did not actually take. This puts my photography record at these events now at 2-2. I officially hand over the camera next year!

Despite that one flub, we really did have ourselves the hap, hap, happiest Christmas in July. And believe it or not, we have already started making big plans for next year (including a change of movie themes…to be revealed). It’s all a very merry good time, and the best way to make sure we get to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year two times each year.

For now, that’s a wrap on Christmas in July! Stay merry!