I heard the call for peace and quiet, and I found it at a resort in Turks and Caicos

Carol Ann Davidson | Tribune News Service (TNS)

I don't like noise, but I value and seek out quiet. It's important to me but hard to find.

When I was deciding where to go for a much-needed vacation in March, I chose to go to The Somerset on Grace Bay in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, a luxury resort. I hoped to find some peace and serenity.

I had seen pictures and videos of the property online. It looked beautiful, but I wondered if it would be as quiet as I wanted.

This was my third trip to T&C and my first stay at The Somerset.

The resort was built in 2006 and is not the newest one around. There are newer resorts that I have visited, but there is something more relaxed and intimate about The Somerset. It felt like home right away. The resort has charm without being loud and busy like many others,

The charm comes from the Spanish Mediterranean architecture with yellow stucco and red clay roof. The four-story residences form a horseshoe shape, giving each unit an unobstructed view of Grace Bay Beach, which is listed as one of Tripadvisor’s “Best of the Best” beaches for 2024.

I arrived at night after a 90-minute flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, so I didn’t see the most impressive part of the property until early the next morning. When I opened the floor-to-ceiling drapes in my suite, I saw the stunning lap and infinity pools that seemed to flow into the ocean. An employee was cleaning the pools carefully, and another was setting up the chaise lounges with pristine white covers and rolled towels.

So, I put on my swimsuit and went for a swim. I had the pools to myself, and after an hour in the lap pool, I went for breakfast at Barbetta, a restaurant on The Somerset’s property. The open-air breakfast room overlooked the landscaped park area next to smaller Somerset accommodations. There were many breakfast choices, but the quality of the food could be better. Ingrid, the server, was delightful.

The staff is key to a great resort vacation. It turns out that many of the employees have been there since The Somerset opened, which is a good sign. They provide understated hospitality with ease and natural friendliness, as if you’ve known them all your life.

There is a gym available on the property, but I didn't use it because I preferred to spend as much time as possible outside in the sun, sand, and water during my short stay. However, I did take advantage of a wonderful massage on the balcony of my suite. Yuli, a therapist from Bali, knew exactly how to work out the tension in my muscles. While she was doing her magic, I could hear the birds and feel the warm island breeze.

Each of the 53 units is decorated in a unique way. My 1,500-square-foot suite was spacious, modern, and very clean. The kitchen had every cooking tool you could think of, Viking and Bosch appliances, and a separate glass wine fridge. The king-size bed was very comfortable in a large bedroom with a Juliet balcony on one side and a bathroom and separate closet on the other.

I was traveling alone, but I met many couples of all ages, some with their kids or grandkids. The resort is famous for its Caicos Kids Club, which is designed for children ages 3 to 12. While parents have some free time, the little ones can take part in supervised activities like arts and crafts, treasure hunts, and beach games.

For older kids like me, there are endless adventures in the sea. Even though I was tempted to go parasailing, I chose to have more fun on one of the Hobie Cats provided by the resort. I couldn't help but make some noise when I first sat on what felt like a bouncy sailboat. It was a very windy day, and the young Navigator steered the boat out into the open water. It was thrilling and a little scary when a big wave splashed over me. But I made it through.

As a reward for being so brave, I sat on a beach chair near the water and enjoyed a grilled shrimp salad with a coconut rum punch served by a waiter from The Somerset's poolside restaurant. Watching the swimmers, kayakers, parasailers, sailboats, and sunbathers was entertainment enough.

After the effects of the drink wore off, the sunny beach called me for a long, relaxing walk.

Grace Bay itself is about three miles long, but it seamlessly connects with two other beaches, so you could potentially walk for about 12 miles in total. I didn't count my steps, but I saw various properties along the way — some very modern, others a bit worn-out — and I appreciated that the area was not too crowded and the resorts were spread out, so there was a sense of privacy. But for me, The Somerset was where I wanted to be. So I went back for my last dinner at Barbetta: grilled mahi mahi with asparagus, saffron-infused potatoes, and crackling creme brûlée.

As I was checking out on the last morning of my stay, a couple was just arriving. The woman asked me, "Is it quiet here?"

"Yes," I said. "It's peaceful." She turned to her husband with a big smile and said, "That's exactly what we need."

A fitting end to my quest and a positive start to theirs. Maybe on my next trip I'll try parasailing. Keeping my fingers crossed.

(For additional details, go to thesomerset.com.)

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