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(Photo courtesy of Expedia)

Turks & Caicos!!!!! First of all, can I just say, the water over here in the Carribean is INSANE! I love Hawaii and grew up vacationing to the Hawaiian Islands and Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, all BEAUTIFUL places, but the ocean in the Caribbean ia so incredibly clear and blue it’s like nothing I have ever seen before. Ben and I have been filming our new show, “Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?” since early July and are in dire need of a getaway. Filming our new show was a great opportunity but definitely put a lot of stress on us due to the filming schedule and all the travel. Side note: I think it’s so funny when people tell myself or Ben to “get a real job” because filming our show included long hours and was pretty taxing in ways I’ve never experienced. Anyways- back to our vacation. We decided on Turks because Ben was working his softwares sale job down in Tampa and the flight from Tampa to Turks in only a 2 hour flight (great for you East Coasters!)

Ben and I stayed at the Gansevoort Hotel which is located in Grace Bay. The water in Grace Bay is like glass, although we traveled during off season so the winds were a bit stronger than usual. Grace Bay is located on the Northern Coast of Providenciales, which is also the name of the airport we flew in to. The resort is absolutely beautiful. The property itself has less than 100 rooms, which naturally keeps the surroundings more serene and relaxing compared to a huge, sprawling resort with 8 water slides and kids cannon balling into the pool every two minutes. Needless to say this resort is family friendly but definitely attracts more couples and adults. The rooms are very modern and open but honestly we didn’t spend a ton of time in the room, which is how I think it should be when you are staying on one of the world’s most beautiful beaches.

The hotel provides plenty of beachside activities, including paddle boarding, snorkeling, and kayaking, all of which are complimentary. The pool is one of the better designed spaces I’ve seen. It pretty much speaks for itself (see photo above). There are a couple of restaurants on the property, Stelle and Zest. Ben and I ate lunch beachside every day and tried Stelle a couple times. Note: Turks imports most of their food, even fruit, but their Grouper and Lobster is fresh and local and is INSANE. The grilled Lobster at Stelle was one of my favorite meals of the trip. Other places we loved: Infinity, Nowhere, Coco Bistro, and Mango Reef.

On one of the windier days on Grace Bay we rented a car a drove to a beach on the other side of the Island that supposedly was sheltered from the wind. We met the nicest couple who were celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary and all drove to a beach called Sapodilla Bay. The water here was waveless. Literrally imagine the clearest, bluest lake you’ve ever laid eyes on but this wasn’t a lake it was the OCEAN. We spent the day drinking Turks Lager, snorkeling and getting to know the wonderful couple from the Bay Area. Although we had limited adventures away from the hotel, this vacation was one for the books. Between the amazing service and facilities at the Gansevoort, the world renowned beaches of Grace Bay, the most relaxing massage and facial provided by the spa at the resort, and seven days of quality time spent with my fiancé, it was a vacation I’ll never forget and I have a feeling we will be back! Shop my must have vacation beauty products below 🙂

lauren b