Como Parrot Cay

On a private island in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Como Parrot Cay occupies a position on one of the Caribbean’s most determinedly private destinations — an island accessible only by private boat from Providenciales and whose limited development has maintained the quality of beach, reef, and the almost unnervingly clear turquoise water that makes the Turks and Caicos one of the most pristine marine environments in the Atlantic basin. The 60 rooms, suites, and beachhouses are designed in a Caribbean vernacular of bleached wood, natural linen, and deep shaded verandahs that responds to the tropical light and the sea breeze with a simplicity appropriate to an island whose primary resource is the quality of its undeveloped coast. The COMO Shambhala spa and wellness programme provides the most substantive wellness offering available anywhere in the Turks and Caicos.

The reef diving and snorkelling on the Caicos Wall — one of the Atlantic’s more dramatic vertical reef drops, falling from the shallow platform to deep ocean within minutes of the island’s shore — and the outstanding sport fishing of the Caicos Bank, where bonefish, tarpon, and the remarkable permit are pursued by fly anglers from the resort’s flats boats, provide the primary active experiences. The Como Shambhala cuisine’s nutritional framework shapes the restaurant’s menu, and the quality of the Turks and Caicos seafood — the conch, the local lobster, and the reef fish — gives the kitchen a freshness that makes simplicity a compelling culinary strategy. Kitesurfing in the constant trade winds of the north shore and yoga on the beach complete the activity landscape.

Como Parrot Cay’s management of the island’s ecological resources includes participation in the conch restoration programme coordinated by the Turks and Caicos Islands’ Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, reflecting the hotel’s awareness that the quality of the island’s experience is directly dependent on the health of the marine and coastal ecosystem that surrounds it.