Grace Bay Beach

Grace Bay Beach, stretching along the north coast of Providenciales, is regularly ranked the best beach in the world, and it lives up to the accolade. A breathtaking twelve-mile sweep of the softest, whitest powder sand meets water of an almost unreal, luminous turquoise, calm and crystal-clear thanks to the protective barrier reef offshore. Free of seaweed, rocks and rough surf, and backed by a discreet line of resorts, it is a vision of Caribbean perfection, ideal for swimming, snorkelling, paddleboarding and simply soaking up the beauty. Together with the surrounding turquoise waters and reefs, Grace Bay is the dazzling centrepiece of the Turks and Caicos.

What you actually see

• The powder-white sand - the twelve-mile sweep of soft sand.
• The turquoise water - the calm, clear reef-sheltered sea.
• The snorkelling - the reefs off the beach and at Bight Reef.
• The water sports - the paddleboarding, kayaking and sailing.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, for the sunniest, driest weather, the peak season; the summer is hotter and more humid with a hurricane risk from June to November. Grace Bay is calm, clear and beautiful year-round thanks to the sheltering reef, and its warm, tranquil water makes it superb for swimming and snorkelling in any season conditions allow.

Honest expectations

Grace Bay is a developed, upscale beach backed by resorts, so it is a polished, sometimes pricey destination rather than a wild or undiscovered one, and the Turks and Caicos overall is an expensive place to visit. But the beach itself genuinely lives up to its billing as one of the finest in the world, with its powder-soft sand, dazzling turquoise water and calm, clear reef-sheltered swimming, making it a truly idyllic and world-class Caribbean beach.

Nearby

The cays, Chalk Sound and the island of Grand Turk are within reach.