Grace Bay Beach on Turks and Caicos’ Providenciales is consistently ranked one of the best in the world. But that hasn’t stopped Bruce Maclaren from attempting to create another world-class stretch of sand on the island. The Ottawa-born developer owns the Wymara Resort, which overlooks Grace Bay’s ultra-turquoise waters. Its recent expansion is focused on a growing campus of modern villas that are a quick hotel shuttle drive away from the main property on the opposite coast. There, next to a Slim Aarons photograph-worthy sports club, Maclaren is creating a new coastline punctuated by an in-ocean pool that will overlook some of the archipelago’s best sunsets.
“We have one of the world’s best beaches at the hotel,” says Maclaren. “And obviously, I never felt I could contend with that. But I’m really excited about how well that beach has turned out.” When completed – likely, by the end of 2023 – the villas’ amenities will also include a restaurant and bar that will be open to all island residents and visitors. Over the next two years, phase two of the villa development should also wrap up construction and double the number of accommodations for its mix of owners and guests.
The hotel’s expansion was kickstarted by a US$10-million renovation of its main property, which was unveiled in late 2020. In the spring of 2022, Maclaren, who had moved to Turks and Caicos from Australia in 2008 and was first involved in the construction of the hotel property, bought out his partner to fully take the reins. “Over the years, learning about the hotel and what the guests needed and how to make the hotel better, I became a student of hotels and hospitality,” he says. One of the things he learned was the design preferences of his guests. “Whether they live in a traditional style home or a modern home, they really liked holidaying in our modern rooms,” he says. “The room, when you come in, it’s a clean canvas, the focal point being the blue, turquoise water. As soon as they’re there, people feel like it’s their space, it’s their holiday.”
At the resort, that minimal aesthetic is expressed through 91 rooms and suites with white-upholstered furniture, rustic wood elements and ample-sized terraces that look out past palm trees toward the ocean. At the villas, the aesthetic is most striking in four one-bedroom guesthouses with sharp silhouettes that are carved into a hill.
The design of the larger homes was influenced by Maclaren’s own travels, incorporating courtyard spaces he noticed while visiting Central and South America. “For us, [the courtyard] was to give a different climate, a different feel to the villa,” he says. “The second pool in the courtyard is where you can be on a windy day and look through the villa to the ocean.” Down by the surf, sunbeds reference overwater bungalows in the Maldives. A waterslide that curls down the cliffside, however, is simply inspired by a sense of adventure and the need to escape.\
Image at top: Simone Rocha Dress, overlay, socks, shoes, all price on request through simonerocha.com. Private charter courtesy of Red Hospitality and Leisure (ladygracecatamaran.com).
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Top, price on request at Louis Vuitton (louisvuitton.com).
Loewe dress, price on request, heels, US$1,850 through loewe.com. Misma earrings, $35 through misma.ca.
MODERN PATCHWORK: The Wymara hotel’s architecture eschews traditional island flourishes in favour of the sharp lines captured in Gorm’s pieced-together sheath.
Gorm dress, $650 through gormofficial.com.
POOL CUES: With a lobby-side pool, private cabanas and a walkway to the sand as the focus of its design, Wymara puts you in a vacation state of mind as soon as you step off the airport shuttle.
Proenza Schouler top, $1,290, trousers, $1,290, platforms, $1,625 through proenzaschouler.com.
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Sportmax dress, $1,950 at Max Mara (maxmara.com).
Issey Miyake shirt, $1,421, skirt, $1,254 through isseymiyake.com. Misma earrings, $95 through misma.ca.
SUPER STYLISH: With an almost Brutalist aesthetic emphasized by walls of fossil-flecked stone, a group of one-bedroom villas are the resort’s most design-forward options.
Cape, body suit, both price on request at Chanel (chanel.com). Local Woman cap, $85 through thelocalwoman.com.
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Chloe dress, $7,285, sandals, $1,760 through chloe.com.
Dress, price on request at Acne (acnestudios.com). Misma earrings, $70, shell earrings, $95 through misma.ca.
WATCH: behind the scenes
Makeup and hair by Julie Cusson for Chanel Beauty using Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof eye liner and kohl pencil in 72 Or Rose and Baume Essentiel highlighting balm in 67 Rouge Frais (chanel.com). Videographer: Scott Leder. Model: Nora Vai at APM New York.
The Globe and Mail
ON LOCATION:
Wymara Resort and Villas
At the resort, which is part of Leading Hotels of the World, Wymara’s dining options include fine dining spot Indigo, surfside Zest and weekly beach barbecues and fish fries, all overseen by Aussie chef Andrew Mirosch. On-site amenities also include a 650-square metre pool that is the centrepiece of the property, a spa and fitness facility and a beach stocked with kayaks, paddle boards and snorkelling equipment.
Hotel rooms from US$1,195/night, one-bedroom pool villas from US$2,550/night through wymararesortandvillas.com.
Lady Grace
Based out of the nearby Ritz Carlton and operated by Red Hospitality and Leisure, this boat tour option includes sunset cruises aboard a stylish catamaran or private, island-hopping charters of a 37-foot Axopar craft.
Private charters from US$995 through ladygracecatamaran.com.
Style Advisor travelled to Turks and Caicos as a guest of Wymara Resorts and Villas. The company did not review or approve this article prior to publication.
