Jo-Jo, a friendly bottle-nosed dolphin, greets visitors in the unbelievably clear and warm turquoise waters off beautiful Grace Bay on this paradise island, where miles of sugary white dunes and pristine beaches are protected by a healthy coral barrier reef. It is hardly surprising that this tropical wonderland has become the most developed of the Turks and Caicos Islands, alluring to thousands of diving enthusiasts and holidaymakers intent on getting away from it all.

Although well equipped with tourist facilities like an international airport, superb hotels, a casino, golf club and small shopping malls, Providenciales remains largely unspoilt. The beaches stretch for miles and on some of the little offshore cays it is still possible to imagine you are Robinson Crusoe. Unlike the famous literary castaway, however, visitors to Providenciales (known usually as “Provo”) have purely pleasurable pursuits to occupy themselves with. Most find it difficult to tear themselves away from the beach, but when they do there are hundreds of activities on offer, from scuba diving to kayaking, parasailing to windsurfing, fishing and sailing.