Taylor’s Bay Beach with its lovely curve of sand, and shallow waters favored by families hardly has the iconic status of Grace Bay Beach. But that’s one reason it’s the beach I return to when visiting Providenciales in Turks and Caicos. The other reason is what’s across the street from the beach: Villa Sol y Luna, a stunning whitewashed and wooden modernist house, which, for me, was love at first sight. Whether sipping a Pinot Noir on the rooftop lounge, sunning beside the infinity pool, relaxing in the living room, or ascending the stairs to the second floor, you never lose sight of the sky. Jeff Tobey and his wife, Ginny, commissioned local architect, James Hamilton, to designed this dream house. Whenever they’re not on island, guests can rent the entire property, which is so magnetic, you may not want to leave, except to stroll down the narrow path to Taylor’s Bay Beach to continue your low-key vacation. I recently interviewed Jeff about Sol y Luna, which might very well be my favorite spot in Turks and Caicos because of its placid vibe as well as its sense of sophistication and connection to nature.
1- It seems no matter where you are in the house, you have a connection with the ocean, Can you discuss this?
The great thing about the lot we found to build Sol y Luna was its topography. The entrance on Ocean Point Drive is at sea level and a short two-minute walk to Taylor Bay, but the house is built on the shore 35 feet above the water line. We knew this would provide us with great views. A large part of the design strategy was to take full advantage of the elevation.
We used as much glass as we could, including two large corner windows in the stair tower and nine-foot-high glass window walls in the living room that open to the south and provide a spectacular view over Sapodilla Bay. It is true that you can see the beautiful turquoise waters of Providenciales from almost every window in the house.
Important architectural elements include: eliminating any center column along the entire span along the rear covered terrace, building a two-story atrium and “bridge” on the second floor connecting the two upper bedrooms and offering a splendid view out to the ocean, and having the doors along the entire living room disappear into a pocket to create a true sense of an indoor/outdoor living space.
2- Can you talk about the roof terrace, which seems to be a key component of the house?
You get nearly a 360-degree perspective of the south side of the island, including Chalk Sound from the roof terrace. I am confident there is no better place on the island to see this beautiful piece of paradise. Nearly every evening, the passage of day to night is stunning. The colors are often incredibly vibrant, and change gradually as night falls. From time to time you can see reddish orange rays stretching across the horizon. Every moon phase offers its own special view. We love trying to be the first to find the new moon when it emerges soon after the sun sets. It is especially beautiful when Venus accompanies that crescent jewel as they both follow the sun below the horizon.
Aside from experiencing the breathtaking vistas, we and our guests enjoy the mini bar on the roof. So, it's easy to enjoy your favorite libation or morning coffee while taking in the glorious scenery.
Your guide to luxury travel—and life's other indulgences.
3- What is your connection with the sun and moon motif?
We both love to watch the sun and moon rise and set. Our days are always organized, whenever possible, around these celestial events. We love the part the sun and moon have played in the mythology of so many cultures, and the way they dance together across the sky.
The house sits 35 feet above sea level, and then reaches a height of around 35 feet from the front steps to the roof terrace. From that amazing perch, nearly 70 feet above the sea, we are treated to the most incredible transitions of dusk to dawn and dawn to dusk. When we saw the first sunset and moon rise from a ladder where the roof terrace would be once the house was built, we knew Sol y Luna was the right name for our new home.
3- What symbols in the house reflect this motif?
Most of the paintings in the house were created by Lucie Winton who owns the Driftwood Studio located in Grace Bay. I was passing her shop one evening when she was running an art class. The doors were locked but I could see in through the window, and several of her paintings caught my eye. I was so excited about her work that I interrupted her class to ask her to bring a few paintings out to the house. They were all perfect.
She uses a textured style and bold colors, but there is still a softness and warmth to her work. We purchased a large canvas of a beautiful Turks and Caicos sunset and a smaller canvas of a similar sunset but one closer to dusk. We asked her to add a crescent moon to the smaller painting. Another piece we purchased was a diamond shaped canvas that may have been intended to be a sea urchin, but to us it looked like the sun.
We commissioned Lucie to paint an even bigger canvas of a full moon over the ocean that fits perfectly in the large space over the top landing in the stairway to the roof terrace. There are also several metallic sun/moon pieces created by local artisans that we purchased at the craft market in Grace Bay; a lovely hand carved wooden sun/moon that we bought in Negril; an enameled sun and moon set made in Mexico; and a metal piece entitled “Moon Sheltering Sun” made by the Well Spring Emporium in Palm Springs, CA. That piece is on the column by the gated entrance to the driveway.
As to the other artists whose work we have, we love the metal work and bright colors the local artisans use and they make so many different styles reflecting the sun/moon motif.
5- What kinds of things were done to protect the house and deal with the possible impact from hurricanes?
The entire house was built to the hurricane ratings specified for homes in Miami/Dade County. All the glass is hurricane rated and can theoretically withstand an impact of 200 mph winds without breaking. The exterior walls and structural beams are very thick and made entirely of block and/or concrete and steel.
Hurricane Irma was a Cat 5 storm with wind gusts of over 200 mph on our side of the island. While no home was spared from its wrath, we had minimal damage. We did need a few things repaired. And, after the insurance adjuster visited, he said he wanted to come stay at our house if there is another storm like that.
We were without power for nearly 6 weeks, so as a precaution against future outages, we are installing a very large generator that will power the entire electrical system.
7- Aside from the spectacular views and the architecture, what else do guests most enjoy when staying at Sol y Luna?
Our guests have been thrilled with the multitude of great choices of things to do. There are kayaks and a swim platform on the ocean right in the backyard with loungers for sunning, or beachcombers can take the two-minute walk to Taylor Bay, which is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, still pristine and uncrowded.
The heated infinity pool is a few steps from the living room and offers ionized water (requiring very little chemical treatment to stay clean). It can even be chilled in the hot summer months, but given the nearly constant breeze and the infinity edge, the water stays refreshingly cool even on the hottest days. There is an exterior powder room and shower adjacent to the pool for the convenience of beach goers and swimmers.
The house has a state of the art entertainment system with smart TV and Sonos receivers with zones in the kitchen, living room and out by the pool.
The gourmet kitchen is fully equipped and has met with high marks from even the pickiest of chefs. Guests can dine al fresco under the covered terrace or at the custom-made dining room table in the two-story atrium. And the Weber Genesis Grill makes grilling lobsters and steak a breeze.
Most of our guests have commented on how much they enjoyed the quiet, residential quality of the neighborhood as opposed to the more crowded and commercial area of Grace Bay.
For those that want to frequent the restaurants, shopping and casino, Grace Bay can be reached in about 20 minutes and Turtle Cove is a short 12-minute drive.
Of course, experiencing the sunsets from the roof has been a favorite activity for our guests at Sol y Luna.
And then there’s the hot tub.
8- What are some specific places you find especially endearing that you recommend people not miss when staying on Providenciales, aka Provo?
There are many places that we love on the island, but first and foremost, we love the people. We have felt so welcomed by everyone we have met. (Our neighbors are great, too.) We have become friends with many of the hard-working people who helped build our house and we have generally found the people on the island to be warm, kind and happy. It was amazing to see their resilience after Irma.
For a more upscale, but quaint, dining experience, we love Grace’s Cottage at Point Grace. The Conch Shack and Bugiloo’s both offer more local color and good food. Both were right in Irma’s path but hopefully they will be back in business soon. (Grace’s Cottage is open.) Las Brisas was our local restaurant, but it also sustained quite a hit of damage from Irma. The owner now can re-design it from the ground up and I hear from reliable sources that it will be the restaurant of her dreams and open next Christmas.
The snorkeling at Smith’s reef is amazing. There seems to be a family of spotted eagle rays who call that reef home. Beautiful.
For a special occasion, a trip out to Amanyara for drinks and/or dinner can be quite the experience. No one will find the road out there endearing, but the resort’s Indonesian architecture and the setting are stunning. The food is extremely well prepared, but comes with a high price.
9- Why do you think guests choose your place as opposed to all the other waterfront properties?
People come to Sol y Luna for an oceanfront holiday that offers privacy and luxury in a home that was designed to be in harmony with nature. It offers a setting where the indoors and outdoors are seamlessly integrated as much (or as little) as our guests prefer. The architecture is quite different than most of the oceanfront homes on the island and, while minimalist, still exudes a warmth that soothes and heals.
