Not quite the Caribbean, not quite the Bahamas, the eight islands and 41 cays of the Turks and Caicos are marooned somewhere between the two. They remain a British Overseas Territory by choice, but have their own government and use the American dollar. And they have the typical Caribbean ingredients of white sand beaches and year-round sun, but limited sightseeing.

Only a 75-minute flight from Miami, this once-sleepy backwater has become a magnet for entrepreneurs. The cranes of condo and hotel construction, which fringe the beaches, are rising even faster than on the west coast of Barbados.

This year a new heavyweight has hit Providenciales (Provo), the main island: Amanyara is the first West Indian venture for the Asian-owned Amanresort hotel group.

AMANYARA

Local lore has it that in 1962 when the astronaut John Glenn spotted Provo’s 12-mile Grace Bay beach from space, he arranged for his capsule to splash down near by.

So it seems strange that the first Aman hotel to wash up on West Indian shores is in the remote and rocky northwest corner, little known except to divers. But stunning use has been made of the location with the temple-like open lobby, bar, Thai salas and reflecting pools framing sea, sky and rock, and leading to a shimmering infinity pool tiled in black volcanic stone, the hub of the resort. I’m by no means an Aman groupie, but I have to acknowledge that the Caribbean has seen nothing like this.

The “pavilions” (Aman-speak for bedrooms), lagoon or ocean facing, don’t quite match up to the public areas. Mine was lagoon-facing, glass walled on three sides, sleek, lofty and stylishly simple with acres of teak and dark marble, and closets that would hold a jumbo-load of matching luggage. As usual with Aman, you have to play “hunt the gizmo”, the discreetly hidden light switches, free phones, hair-dryers and TV controls. I counted a dozen very chilled white linen daybeds on my surrounding deck outside and a dreamy sunken stone table, but alas you can’t just slide into the lagoon to cool off — it’s for decoration only. The water, as I found to my cost, also attracts mozzies.

The ocean-facing pavilions are built to the same design, but low bushes restrict sea views — “for privacy” I was told. What the heck — if I were paying £880 a night to be beside the seaside, I’d want a good butchers at it! The mix of Asian and Mediterranean dishes in the main restaurant isn’t overwhelming — the jolliest place to eat is the beach café, which serves up tasty seafood snacks. The head chef, Fritz Zwahlen, who the hotel had just bagged from Amangalla in Sri Lanka, has no doubt by now spiced up the food.

There’s not a trace of Caribbean character as yet — Aman doesn’t really do local colour — and the golf course and other parts of the hotel are still under construction. But the sheer luxury (and expense) are already making waves — Will Smith and Tina Turner are among its well-heeled devotees.



PARROT CAY

“When I see guests arriving on our speedboat with a dozen pieces of Vuitton luggage, I reckon they’ve probably gone to the wrong place,” ebullient manager Sherman Crawford confides to me over dinner in Parrot Cay’s beach restaurant.

Not that his guests can’t afford Vuitton. Proof is Bruce Willis, who briefly interrupts our oriental banquet to say “Hi guys”. He’s just one of the raft of celebrities who like to hole up in the laid-back, completely exclusive island retreat.

Owned by Christina Ong, whose hotel empire includes The Metropolitan in London, Parrot Cay has nothing flash about it. If you stay in the main block you might be disappointed with the modest standard bedrooms and cramped bathrooms. But the beachfront cottages are a castaway’s idyll of uncluttered space, wood bleached by salt breezes and billowing white and cream drapes. Outside, a deck, plunge pool, dunes and miles of almost empty sands.

The likes of Willis stay in private “residences” or villas hidden away among the seagrapes, which with their own beaches, hand-carved furniture and private butlers, are about as good as it gets.

Best eating — and star spotting — is the relaxed beach restaurant: go for the fresh fish of the day.



GRACE BAY CLUB

On Grace Bay beach, a world away from Amanyara or Parrot Cay, it’s back to the large urban American-style holiday hotels with carpeted corridors and lifts, icy air-conditioning, gregariousness and relentless bonhomie.

“How many people have you bonded with today?” was the bouncy greeting from a hostess with perfectly tanned legs and an even more perfect smile at the white wedding cake of a hotel that is the Grace Bay Club.

The buzz-word is “family- friendly”, though mercifully I did spot “adult only” pockets, their peacefulness shattered by construction work on — you’ve guessed it — family-friendly villas.

The beach is an absolute peach and every room has a view over the long strip of powder-white sand. You can water ski, wind surf, kayak and parasail or have a massage in cool little white tents overlooking it (though the hotel also has a new Anani spa). Safe, active and entertained, kids must have an absolute ball here — much more so than, say, at Amanyara.

The hotel also gets the accolade for my best meal in the Turks and Caicos — the French chef Eric Brunel is a dab hand with truffles, risottos, seafood hors d’oeuvres, lobsters and fruit parfaits.

THE PALMS

Colonial-style plantation house meets Miami at The Palms, another new kid on the block on Grace Bay beach. Its coral-stone, Oliver Messel- inspired lobby is a dead ringer for Sandy Lane in Barbados, though it has its own version of the meet-and-greet routine: instead of a cold towel, you’re given an “Arrival on Ice Spritze”.

An elegant formal garden and esplanade flanked by classy boutiques lead you to the main “Great House”, with a rather gloomy restaurant, dark, heavy bar and ballroom. I’d prefer to spend my time in the bright and airy “Conch Kritters” kids’ club, where bags of activities are laid on, even yoga and water aerobics — at a price; £40 for a day session, £27 in the evening.

A really cool and imaginative pool winds its way around sunbathing “pods” on the beachfront. The bedrooms in five-storey blocks are OK if you like mahogany, stuffed sofas and Louis Quinze, and like most American condos they come with a kitchenette.

Need to know

Jill Crawshaw travelled with ITC Classics (01244 355527, www.itcclassics.co.uk). An eight-night package of four nights, room only, at Amanyara in a pond villa and four nights’ B&B at Parrot Cay starts at £3,600. Seven nights’ B&B at Grace Bay start at £2,115 and seven nights’ B&B at The Palms start at £2,020. Prices include British Airways flights and transfers. British Airways (0870 8509850, www.ba.com) flies from Heathrow to Providenciales from £695 return.

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