Beach Day Yay!! After stopping in so many ports and being gypped by “tour” guides, we decided the only place we were going today was the beach. There was a beach in port, but it was crowded and the layout was not exactly inviting. There was a sort of hill where the chairs were and then you had to climb down to get to the water/beach. So that was a no for us, we wanted a real beach.
Grand Turk
We walked (almost) straight to the taxi area. I asked the first taxi man I saw which beach was the best to go to. He informed us that was Pillory and pointed us towards the direction of the taxi drivers and a map that shows the costs per trips around the island. I wish I had taken a pic of that for future reference or to share with you guys. But he said Pillory was the place to go, less crowded than the port beaches, more accessible, and less rocky than the beaches in town.
We waited in line for the next available taxi and were headed to Pillory Beach soon enough. We had also checked with the car rental place at the taxi stand, but they wanted way too much money for a one-day rental. And for those interested, you could also rent a go cart for the day on this small island. That’s not practical with small kids, so on the taxi bus we waited.
We actually caught some of a tour because there were other passengers on the van that was taking us to the beach. We got to see some local places and even got a chance to take some pictures. One unfinished house/property that the driver passed by was owned by Serena Williams, according to the driver. It was just sitting there vacant for the last 10 years. If she doesn’t want it, she can give it to me. I’ll definitely find use for it.
He dropped us off at the beach before the tour was over, but I didn’t mind because all we wanted was the beach. The water felt NOICE!! My children played on the beach, we spent an hour wading in the water, then headed back to port.
Conch Fritters – Bad Experience
When we got back, we went to the restaurant right at the port. We had smelled their conch fritters before we left the port, but since we were on a beach mission we didn’t stop. Now, that we were back with enough time to spare, getting some conch fritters was on the agenda.
Now, I wish had gotten it at the restaurant near the beach versus the one at the port. The customer service at this beach bar sucked real a$$. And I don’t really curse, they made me that upset. One of the waitresses redeemed them after, but once we had a bite of the conch, it didn’t make up for the overall experience.
We got to the restaurant where the kitchen is facing towards the walkway, so we walked towards the chef who informed us to take a seat around the side and the waitress would get to us. There were other tourists there that she was tending to to, so we sat and waited. Then, we waited and waited and waited.
The other tourists had even left at this point and we were still waiting. My stepfather even went to ask the waitress if she would get to us and she said she would be right there. Then, we waited some more……
At this point, I just wanted to get the conch fritters because I didn’t want the chef to lose business over a waitress who couldn’t do her job adequately. So, I went up to the bar and ordered from the girl behind the bar. She took our drink and food orders, while the waitress then at that point goes to the table where we are no longer sitting to take my stepfather’s order. To say she didn’t get any kind of tip.
And before I go on a rant about people who complain about our own people not giving tips, then giving overtly poor service to said people, when they have no issue serving the other tourists that were there when we got there……………am just gonna leave that one alone.
Where to next?
This was our last port. No more options to go to the beach or walk around a port shopping area or meet more locals. Insert my sad face here, but we will make the most of our last day at sea before we head back to reality.
Have you ever been to Grand Turk? Let me know in the comments where I can find some good conch fritters if we stop there again in the future. Or let me know which Turks and Caicos island I should visit next.
Click here for our Day 6 in pics.