I first came to Turks and Caicos in December 2004 and fell in love with the Grace Bay area. Provo was not well known and it seemed that it was mostly divers and British people who visited. My son got his diving license just before the trip so he could take advantage of the clear water sea life views. There were very few flights and they cost much more than they do now. We stayed just past the original resort Club Med, at Ocean Club East which was then the end of the developed beach. I returned in April 2005 and regularly after that. We wanted to buy a place and we started looking in 2007. We were getting close to buying when my wife had a serious disabling stroke in late 2008 and we did not go back for over two years. By that time we could see how much busier Provo had become with more restaurants, hotels and flights to PLS. The Beaches Resort made a huge impact by bringing daily flights to Provo from all over the US daily. Canadians noticed that airfare went way down when Westjet joined Air Canada in providing regular direct flights from Toronto.
We finally bought our own place in 2017 and the growth since then has been exponential.
When we first came to Provo there were three popular great restaurants Coco Bistro and Coyaba and Anacaona, that is now called Infiniti at the Grace Bay Club. Coco Bistro has been joined by its lower priced less formal sister restaurant Coco Van and Coyaba moved from Coral Gardens Resort to its current location near Coco Bistro. Now there are so many great restaurants across Grace Bay. with the Marine Room at the Bight, being one of the newest and best of them.
When we were first in Provo they were building some big hotel towers for the Somerset and Seven Stars that was to have seven towers but stopped at three, with the surplus land sold for Marriott originally, but it became the Ritz Carlton location. With the Ritz Carlton came a new casino which doubled the casino population on the island.
Provo is still not known for nightlife with most visitors going from restaurant dinners to bed and getting up early to go to the beach. Luckily, the beach has not changed and is still uncrowded; but it certainly is busier than it used to be. There are more shops around Grace Bay, which is great for visitors. The excellent coffee shops are very welcome on an island previously known for bad coffee.
New development in Provo is moving out from Grace Bay as the last bit of beachfront is being developed. A new trendy area is thriving at the Bight near the coral reef, with the huge Hyatt Andaz soon to join Windsong, Wymara and West Bay Club near the original lone reef resort of Coral Gardens which is constantly being renovated. It is good that Grace Bay spans a large area and it is not too centralized. New developments not on Grace Bay, like the Strand and major growth at Long Bay Beach beyond the Shore Club is helping Provo thrive as a tourist destination. Plans are in the works for a much needed new airport.