South Caicos: Sleepy Caribbean island ending up being a luxury location

South Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands (CNN)– With about a thousand locals living on just over eight squares miles of land, the island of South Caicos is a delightfully drowsy Caribbean retreat.

Yet this beautiful paradise is slowly waking up to its tourist potential.

Life unfolds on the water here with livelihoods largely connected to fishing, so it’s no surprise that visitor pursuits are also centered on the cobalt Atlantic Ocean to the east and the calm blue-green shallows of theCaicos Banks to the west.

South Caicos is one of the eight primary islands that comprise the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Abroad Territory situated 575 miles southeast of Miami.

There are simply three resorts on South Caicos, 2 of which have actually opened since 2016.

There’s almost absolutely nothing in the method of keepsake shopping and just a handful of regional restaurants. Rental cars are rare. So are individuals, beyond the main settlement of Cockburn Harbour– the area’s fishing capital.

Outdoors town, you’re as most likely to see donkeys, horses and flamingos as you are to spot other people.

South Caicos has invited just about 7,500 overnight visitors up until now in 2018, according to the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board. By contrast, there were more than 415,000 visitor arrivals last year at the international airport in nearby Providenciales and more than 830,000 cruise visitor arrivals at the port in Grand Turk.

There are big strategies afoot for South Caicos.

East Bay Resort, with 86 beachfront suites and 16 traditional rooms, opened at the start of 2016 along a 1.5-mile stretch of white sand beach.

In January 2017, Sailrock Resort opened its doors, bringing a brand-new level of lodging to

South Caicos. The laid-back luxury resort– centered around a ridgetop Great Home, complete with infinity swimming pool, gourmet restaurant and bar– is just the first stage of a much larger plan to establish South Caicos in its low-density, eco-friendly image.

Sailrock takes pride in the unwinded personal privacy it provides visitors.

“I’ve really had individuals say to me, ‘we were the only guests at the resort,’ when I completely popular that there were 28 individuals here,” said Matt Bywater, Sailrock’s executive director.

A gradually expanding residential or commercial property, the resort presently offers 29 systems– from airy multi-bedroom beachfront vacation homes with private pools to ridgetop suites with breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean and Caicos Banks.

The 2 bodies of water likewise afford the resort two beaches, and the Cove Dining Establishment + Beach Bar overlooking Caicos Banks offers a second on-site dining alternative.

Snorkeling, directed paddleboard and kayak tours, airboat bonefishing charters and overseas fishing charters are amongst the experiences provided at Sailrock.

The island is house to three nationwide parks and reserves and uses amazing reefs for snorkeling and diving. While there are currently no dive operators on South Caicos, Sailrock can arrange trips through off-island operators up until regional outfitters are up and running.

Bell Noise and waters to the north of the island are outstanding for bonefishing. The local small fishing market focuses on conch, lobster, grouper, snapper and more.

Visitors can likewise take a more sluggish technique to vacationing, relaxing by the water with a cocktail in hand. Massage treatments are presently available, with a complete health club slated to open in 2019.

The health spa will provide signature salt scrub treatments in a nod to South Caicos’ crucial function in the Turks and Caicos Islands’ now-defunct salt industry.

Its sheltered natural deep water harbor made South Caicos appealing for the production and export of sea salt, an industry that started in the Turks and Caicos in the 17th century.

The salt was produced by vaporizing sea water in shallow ponds towards the center of the island. The market ground to a halt in South Caicos in the 1960s, but a number of the ponds are still noticeable today and are regular event areas for delicate pink flamingos.

Boiling Hole, an underwater tidal cave that fed the salt ponds, serves as a pointer of the once-thriving industry. Donkeys and horses– descendants of the animals used in salt production– still stroll the island.

Sailrock’s own history begins with salt. In addition to the main resort, Sailrock Advancement Limited has long-lasting strategies for extra hotels, a golf course, overwater cottages and a collection of domestic areas, with Peninsula homes starting around $750,000.

Much of the land held by the business– 2,400 acres or about 3.75 square miles– was bought in the mid-2000s from salt company heirs decades after business passed away out.

A crucial part of the vision for advancement in South Caicos is “blending it in with the existing charm of the island,” according to Scott Hoskins, president of sales and marketing for Sailrock.

“It’s unspoiled. It truly offers you that level of privacy … that authenticity that you don’t usually see in a lot of other Caribbean destinations.” The neighborhood is a key piece of that, Hoskins stated.

Some citizens, called Belongers, are happy to see change on South Caicos.

“I more than happy to see that we are continuing,” said Darell Forbes, chef and owner of the popular Sunset Café in Cockburn Harbour. “This have constantly been a dream to me, and probably to many of our native individuals, to see South Caicos move ahead. So we embrace this chance.”

Others are taking more of a wait-and-see technique, as there is some suspicion about how integrated Sailrock advancements will ultimately be with the remainder of the island.

For their part, Sailrock leaders say they’re devoted to doing right by South Caicos.

“We’re not going to forget the neighborhood. The neighborhood is the structure of South Caicos. That’s what makes it unique. The town, the individuals,” stated Bywater.

“We’re just here attempting to develop the island a bit. We understand where the island began and we’re not looking to change that culture.”

Restoration and improved facilities

Sailrock has joined the Turks and Caicos federal government in pledging $4 million towards bring back historical structures in Cockburn Harbour and renewing the Queen’s Parade Premises, the waterside site of Queen Elizabeth’s see to South Caicos in 1966.

Cockburn Harbour sustained extensive damage from cyclones Irma and Maria in 2017. Sailrock formed the South Caicos Heritage Structure to provide products to repair and change more than 100 harmed roofings in the community, and the structure has actually more efforts prepared for 2019, Hoskins said.

An attractive Anglican church, a harbor and fish processing facilities, some vacant buildings associated with the salt industry, small all-purpose grocery shops, a couple of regional eateries and modest houses make up the town, where most of locals live.

Outside the sleepy settlement, the South Caicos airport has a brand-new runway and control tower, and there are plans for a brand-new terminal.

The current terminal structure is an extremely laid-back affair with a bar serving soda, beer and snacks and a lots approximately chairs for departing guests.

Things slow down as quickly as you set foot on the island. And the South Caicos welcome will be warm and friendly, Sundown Café’s Forbes said.

“You know, we have not altered our culture in terms of our hospitality and our way of living.”

Sailrock Resort, Front Street, South Caicos; 1-649-946-3777. November rates start around $600 per night.