West Caicos is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands southwest of Providenciales. West Caicos has an area of 11 square miles (28 km 2 ) and has been uninhabited for over a century. The island is home to the 500 acres (2 km 2 ) Lake Catherine, a protected wildlife reserve, filled with pink roseate flamingoes, turtles and other indigenous wildlife.
Lake Catherine is connected to the sea through underground passages. Tides in the sea create an upsurge in Lake Catherine, which is visible as “boiling” above the cave mouths on the lakebed. The largest such cave mouth is Boiling Hole. The ocean off the west coast quickly drops off to over 7,000 ft (2,100 m). Different sea creatures live in these depths, from sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, gray nurse and reef sharks to humpback whales.
A luxury resort and residence development, the Ritz-Carlton Molasses Reef project, was started in 2006 and was intended to have a marina, private villas, and resort. However, due to the collapse of the main financial backer, Lehman Brothers, the construction was put on indefinite hold. More recently, European developers purchased the uncompleted Molasses Reef hotel project in 2012, and a development agreement was reached with the TCI Government. Attempts have been made to restart the luxury resort and condominium project, yet progress has been slow. Much of the unfinished infrastructure has been demolished, yet the site may remain as a Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand.
Your next vacation home or investment property awaits you on the Island of West Caicos in the Turks and Caicos Islands! This Caribbean Island calls out to the adventurous traveller due to its remarkable abundance of tropical flora and fauna, dramatic coastal terrain moulded by Mother Nature herself, and crystal-clear waters that play host to a thriving marine ecosystem in its depths.
