Parrot Cay- the Ultimate Luxury Turks & Caicos Has to Offer

In Herman Wouk's now largely forgotten 1965 novel Don't Stop the Carnival, a jittery New York Broadway press agent named Norman Paperman goes on vacation to a Caribbean island and, seduced by the spectacular weather, pristine beaches, and local charm, buys a hotel and quits his high-stress job for what he thinks will be the comparatively relaxing job of Caribbean hotelier. He is sorely mistaken. The hotel turns out to be a barely functioning nightmare of surly staff, erratic water, and angry guests. The fictional island in the book, "Amerigo," is based on Wouk's own experience running a St. Thomas hotel in the late 1950s.

Parrot Cay by COMO, the idyllic boutique hotel situated on a private island in the Turks and Caicos, is the hotel Norm Paperman thought he was getting. The service is flawless, the food is delicious, and the beach, which is surely Parrot Cay's finest feature, is sublime.

What makes the Parrot Cay experience so enjoyable is that it is so peaceful. The hotel is a 45-minute boat ride from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos' not-exactly-bustling capital city and the location of its small international airport. The hotel transports guests from the airport to its private dock and then on to the hotel. We were met at the dock by the delightful Filipe Lopo, the front office assistant manager, who escorted us by golf cart to our beachside villa, which was rambling and comfortable.

There is simply no one else around besides guests of the sixty-room hotel and a few villa owners, whom everyone seems to know include celebrities like Bruce Willis and Keith Richards.

Except at mealtimes, we don't see much of anybody. This is a private island that feels private. While the hotel offers the usual panoply of fancy hotel amenities (spa, infinity pool, oceanview dining etc.), the key amenity is the clearly beach, which is supremely beautiful. The sand is soft and the shallows extend at least a hundred yards into the ocean. After some peaceful kayaking and a pitiful attempt at paddleboarding, we discovered the best activity was inactivity. And for that, Parrot Cay is perfect.