This is not a mom’s beach trip, but it’s meant to be fun with mom.
A new resort development in the Caribbean, technically called South Bank, is elevating family travel in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Located along 31 acres of pristine coastline on Providenciales Island (known to locals as “Provo”), this country’s newest luxury residential resort has created a second home city. . With 92 villas, the district is divided into four boutique districts, all optimized for multi-generational travel.
The four homes in the resort community’s distinctive residential complex all offer slightly different interpretations of the same contemporary Caribbean aesthetic, with clean straight lines, blocky white facades, and large airy spaces throughout. Good windows. It has little camouflage, but is built to blend in with its surroundings through the use of natural materials.
The 38 private homes with docks in the Boathouse Residences area are located above the marina, and the 18 homes in the Lagoon Villas are built around a man-made lagoon. While all buildings are optimized for large-scale breeding, Ocean Estate’s 19 villas are particularly spacious, with four to six bedroom pads measuring as much as 8,000 square feet. Next door, the Ark offers a single six-storey “district” made up of 17 “sky villas” designed by Italian architect Piero Lissoni.
Residents also have access to shared facilities including tennis courts, pickleball courts, a fitness center, and a spa.
When designing South Bank, development company Windward, also the developer of the Peninsula, Blue Cay and Niva Villa Collections in Providenciales, put families first.
“We didn’t want to create more of the same. We wanted to create something unique and special that might not be to everyone’s taste but would really appeal to a smaller percentage of the population. ,” said Ingo Reckhorn, co-founder of Windward. “What we have done with Southbank is really appealing to a multi-generational travel target group. Many of our buyers are people in their 50s and 60s, and they are looking for their children and their children. We want to create a haven for the whole family so they can enjoy a special lifestyle together.”
That meant designing many bedrooms in each home with shared common areas, something less common in Turks and Caicos resorts. Privacy was also important so the family could focus on spending quality time with each other.
To accomplish this, Windward chose to use the beach rather than the much better-known Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales, a white sand beach protected from ocean swells by a barrier reef that has been awarded the world’s best beach many times. , chose to build on Long to its south. Bay beach side.
While Grace is home to much of the Turkish luxury accommodation and business, Long Bay is far less crowded and, in Reckhorn’s words, “a little less curated and perfect.” ”. It’s a bit more adventurous, so to speak. ”
And for those who can afford it, there are all the resort-level amenities available only on a personalized level, such as butler service and private chefs available.
“I think some people might have stayed on the Great Bay side a few years ago, but feel it’s gotten too busy,” he says. “Or some may have previously stayed in independent villas but lacked the community aspect.”
Although not fully completed, Southbank opened earlier this year and Ark is scheduled to open by 2026, but only two neighborhoods still have available housing units.
For those looking to buy, the remaining apartments for sale include three villas with two to three bedrooms.
The Boathouse neighborhood is asking for between $2.15 million and $2.45 million each. Each of Ark’s seven apartments is asking between $3 million and $4.75 million. But that sixth-floor, 12,600-square-foot penthouse is asking $20 million. Lagoon Estate and Ocean Estate are already sold out.
Families who aren’t ready to pull the trigger can try before they buy. Southbank began accepting rental reservations in May as part of Grace Bay Resorts’ streamlined sublease management system for homeowners.
Initially priced at $888 per night, which was a 35% discount, room rates have now skyrocketed ahead of the holiday season. However, the weeks of Christmas and New Year can still be booked for between $2,875 and $3,500 per night, which is relatively expensive when compared to similar villas on other Caribbean islands, even within T&C. is.
So I might leave my mother-in-law at home and treat myself.
