JOHN LAVABRE lands in a Caribbean paradise

HAVING re-entered the Earth's atmosphere in the Friendship 7 capsule, astronaut John Glenn splashed down near the Turks and Caicos Islands, allegedly claiming he wanted to land "in paradise."

The story has probably been exaggerated by the Islands' Tourist Board but the white sandy beaches are spectacular and a small number of holiday resorts have sprung up to exploit them.

For those who do not know, the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCIs) are in the Caribbean, 30 miles south of the Bahamas. They are made up of around 40 islands and cays, most of them uninhabited.

The TCIs are a British Overseas Territory with English as the official language.

I spent a week at the Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa on the island of Providenciales, the most developed of the TCIs. Beaches, which is a sister company to Sandals, specialise in all-inclusive holiday packages for families, couples and singles. All inclusive means that travel, accommodation, food, drink and most activities are included in the price of the holiday.

The resort is built on Grace Bay which offers excellent opportunities for a range of water sports, including sailing, swimming, diving and fishing.

Just a short stroll along Grace Bay is Bight Coral Reef. On my firs day at the resort I took the opportunity to go snorkelling there and had the good fortune to come face to face with two Hawkshill Turtles.

Being all inclusive, you can eat and drink as much as you like. There are nine restaurants, ranging from Italian to Japanese, so you are guaranteed to find something you like and the quality of food is very high. Vegetarians are well looked after. There is also a total of six bars to choose from, all with a different theme.

Children are well catered for at Pirates Island. This part of the resort features a Fifties-style diner, a swim-up pool bar serving non-alcoholic drinks, certified nannies, a SEGA centre full of the latest computer games - which seemed to prove just as popular with the adults as it did with the children - and numerous other kid-friendly attractions.

The resort also features a well-equipped fitness centre and health spa. At the spa you can do everything, from a relaxing Swedish massage to a moor-mud body wrap. Some of these facilities are included in the price but others are subject to an extra charge.

Accommodation is of a high standard. Every room is spacious and has a bath and shower, air conditioning, satellite TV and safe.

There are down sides to a holiday in this part of the Caribbean. Firstly, the islands are not very well developed. On Providenciales, only the major roads are paved. Shopping facilities are sparse, although they do exist.

Once off the resort, there are few attractions that will appeal to tourists on or near Providenciales.

The beautiful Chalk Sound National Park and Little Water Cay, an island preserved for the benefit of the rare Rock Iguana, are two of the more popular attractions.

The islands do have a redeeming feature: diving. The TCIs rank as one of the top ten dive sites in the world.

You can be trained to dive at the Beaches resort and they offer frequent excursions. Your choice, however, is not limited as Providenciales is full of diving operators.

It is worth bearing in mind that many of the activities and excursions, such as boat trips and diving, are subject to good weather conditions.

To conclude, if all you want is a relaxing holiday on a superb resort then Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa would be the ideal place for you.

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For further information call Kuoni Travel on 01306 747000