The Turks and Caicos comprise eight main islands and over 40 smaller cays, of which Parrot Cay is one. International flights can take you to the archipelago's main island, Providenciales, known locally as Provo, and a 35-minute sea journey will take you on to Parrot Cay, a perfect place to kick back and relax.
But, as the celebrities who've visited the island resort – a list that features such names as Julia Roberts, Kate Moss, Paul McCartney and Matt Damon – there is plenty to do here as well as laze on the pristine sands and dabble your toes in the sparkling waters of the Caribbean. Those same waters offer exceptional diving facilities as well as sailing and snorkelling, or for those who prefer to stay on dry land, there's tennis, a gym, yoga and pilates, and, of course, the marvellous luxury of the spa, perhaps the resort's main attraction.
The scent of flowers pervades the air and there's a distinctly Asian influence all around, from the bungalows and the rooms, with their canopied beds and sun decks with Balinese hammocks just right for an afternoon siesta. And then there's the Shambhala Retreat, the spa itself, which offers a wide range of holistic treatments including the Javanese Royal Lulur Bath, a beauty ritual that begins with an Indonesian massage and includes a body scrub with aromatic spices, an application of cooling yoghurt, and a flower-filled bath. Resort accommodation ranges from the simpler rooms with views over the gardens or the ocean, to beach houses, villas, and self-contained groups of bungalows, all exquisitely decorated with sophisticated simplicity.