Beaches Turks and Caicos

My oldest son is 15. Soon he will be a man, if he isn’t halfway there already. He will have many people more important in his life than me. I might even someday soon become a chore for him, an ‘Argh, better call my mom before I forget’ sort of person.

So when I was recently offered the opportunity to head to Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos (http://www.beaches.com/main/tc/tc-home.cfm) for five days – with the proviso that I could bring ONE child – I chose Callum. After many arguments and fights and accusations of being a terrible mother and then, eventually...some hefty bribes for the other boys. Five days at a resort in Turks and Caicos. Just the two of us.

Well, I have to tell you we couldn’t have chosen a better place. Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos is a one-stop shopping sort of place. Now I’ve done the all-inclusive thing before. And here’s what I remember about the experience. Buffets of all sorts of food that all ends up tasting like fish. Fish flavoured pancakes. Fish flavoured rice pudding. You get the idea.

Not at Beaches though. A small town gal like me isn’t used to being spoiled so fully or so well. Actually, a small town gal like me was pretty gobsmacked by the whole thing. We stayed in the newest area of the resort – The Italian Village. Our room overlooked the ocean, my bed a king-sized four poster with a mattress made out of clouds and goodness. Callum had a separate bedroom – hugely important for any teen boy travelling with mom – with his choice of three beds. And our bathroom...words can’t describe. A huge marble soaker tub. A separate shower. Fluffy towels. I just can’t describe it...let’s just say I would pay the price of the airfare just to go and spend a week in the bathroom. Callum’s favourite room feature was the ever-replenished mini fridge, free of charge of course.

Our schedule was meant to be tight. We only had five days after all. And there was so much to see. The water park, the surf simulator, the Scratch DJ Academy. Snorkelling in the lukewarm Caribbean Sea. Eating at all of the fifteen restaurants ranging from soft serve ice cream and burgers at Bobby D’s to white glove service and seafood at my favourite, Barefoot By The Sea. Barefoot By The Sea is an open air seafood restaurant overlooking...well, the sea. The food is exceptional, and there’s nothing quite like watching the sun go down as you eat crab legs, your toes curled up in the cold cold sand. We ate fajitas and steak at Arizona’s, eggplant parmigiana at Mario’s and drank excellent lattes made at Cafe De Paris.

We got alot done. But also – we did nothing. So much important nothing. I’m sure Callum will never forget the sight of me falling out of my inner tube on the lazy river not once, twice but three times. I will never forget his easy laugh. Or swimming with him in the phenomenal pool at the French Village. Or watching him down the biggest plate of meat I’ve ever seen at Cricketeer’s Pub, after which he said “After eating that I think I’m 27% more man.”

Or walking through the grounds after dark, the lights twinkling and the flowers smelling like something from a dream. We snorkelled in the sea despite both being terribly sunburnt (note, the weather in Turks and Caicos is so unfailingly perfect all the time it’s easy to forget sunscreen. DON’T.) We swam through a reef just feet from the shore where sea turtles ate and colourful fish swam by us. Another great thing about Turks and Caicos – no sharks. Not scary ones anyways. I checked.

Mostly I got a rare glimpse into the man Callum is going to become. He visited Club Liquid, the teen nightclub and when I went to pick him up after giving him a full hour of freedom, he was deep in conversation with one of the waiters. Respectful, listening intently. Interested.
He seemed happy to just have time with me for the most part – no, more than that. He was grateful for this opportunity. And present – there wasn’t a thing I suggested that he grumbled about. Even at the Scratch DJ Academy; he participated with enthusiasm.

On our last morning, I let him sleep in. We’d been out late at the weekly barbeque put on by the staff (where the parents were all forced into a limbo contest...hilarious. The sound of kids squealing with laughter was louder than the music, even). I was due for a spa appointment at Red Lane Spa for a facial. As I lay there detoxing, my aesthetician named Uriel a beautiful god of a man who looked like Sidney Poitier, took care of my sun burn with a sea weed wrap and said ‘While you rest, let me massage your feet....’, I thought about what I’d gained this week. With Callum. In the sun and by the sea, eating, drinking, laughing, talking...being pampered like we’d never known.

And it came to me. Time. I had time with him. Time I can keep forever...