Parrot Cay
 Sunset at Parrot Cay | |
 Location of Parrot Cay within the Turks and Caicos Islands | |
  Parrot Cay  Parrot Cay | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 21°55′56″N 72°03′29″W / 21.93222°N 72.05806°W / 21.93222; -72.05806 |
| Archipelago | Lucayan Archipelago |
| Administration | |
United Kingdom | |
| British Overseas Territory | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 131 (2012)[1] |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| • Summer (DST) | |
| ISO code | TC |
| COMO Parrot Cay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Turks and Caicos islands |
| Opening | 1998 |
| Management | COMO Hotels and Resorts |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 74 |
| Number of restaurants | 2 |
| Website | |
| www.comohotels.com/parrotcay | |
Parrot Cay is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The island contains about 1,000 acres (405 ha) of land, a mile-long beach and features a high-end beach resort with 61 rooms.[2] Parrot Cay became a private island resort in 1998. It is located about 575 mi (925 km) south east of Miami, and can be reached by a 35-minute boat ride from Providenciales, the main island in Turks and Caicos.
History
Parrot Cay was originally created by a Kuwaiti family in 1988, who built the large structure that now functions as the resort's main building.[3] The Gulf War affected the finances of this family,[3] and it remained empty until it was bought over and remade into a resort in 1998 by Singaporean hotelier Christina Ong for her COMO Hotels and Resorts group.[4] It is said that her daughter Melissa Ong discovered the island during a diving trip.[5]
The island was originally named Pirate Cay because of a local legend that famous female pirate Anne Bonny camped here in the 1720s.[6] It was renamed Parrot Cay as to not frighten visitors.[7]
In more recent times, Parrot Cay has become a luxury travel destination, featuring on the AWE network's Private Islands. Parrot Cay's main resort contains 61 rooms, including beach houses and villas. Two restaurants are located on the island: the south-east Asian inspired Lotus and the Italian-Mediterranean Terrace. In addition to the resort's rooms, there is a collection of private villas and beach houses located a short distance from the resort in a location called Rocky Point.[8] Prices for villas start at US$10 million,[9] while the beach houses start at US$5 million.[10] Owners of private homes in Parrot Cay include Keith Richards,[11] Donna Karan[12] and Bruce Willis.[13] Bruce Willis sold his home in 2019.[14] Richards has been quoted as saying he'd relocate his family to his Parrot Cay retreat if he knew his death was coming, and just "hang out".[15]
Popular culture
Because of its secluded location and the privacy it provides, Parrot Cay has become very popular with many celebrities. Guests have included Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Barbra Streisand, Penélope Cruz, Julia Roberts and Phil Collins,[4][16] and it has also hosted the weddings of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner in 2005.[17]
Celebrity death hoaxes
Parrot Cay is frequently featured as the location of an ongoing celebrity death hoax on fake news site Global Associated News. The fake news report would claim that a celebrity had died after sustaining injuries in a jet-ski accident in Parrot Cay. Celebrities that have supposedly died in Parrot Cay according to this hoax include Ted Nugent, Ja Rule, Chad Kroeger and Vince Vaughn.[18][19][20]
References
- ^ "Population 2012 census". Government of Turks and Caicos. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Parrot Cay Fact Sheet" (PDF). www.comohotels.com.
- ^ a b Fabrikant, Geraldine (9 April 2000). "Relaxing like a celebrity". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "Fantasy Island". Forbes. 22 October 2002.
- ^ Walther, Gary (30 June 2005). "Ultimate spas: Parrot Cay". NBCNews.com.
- ^ "Parrot Cay". Turks & Caicos Tourism. Archived from the original on 2015-11-01. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
- ^ "Parrot Cay". www.shermanstravel.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
- ^ "Villa ownership". www.comohotels.com.
- ^ "Island villas". www.comohotels.com.
- ^ "Beach houses". www.comohotels.com.
- ^ Malle, Chloe (18 July 2012). "Anything Goes: Keith Richards and Patti Hansen". Vogue. Archived from the original on 20 July 2013.
- ^ Rotunno, Anthony; Mathews, Dana (10 August 2012). "Where I go: Donna Karen". Vanity Fair.
- ^ Davidson, Carol Ann (19 January 2012). "Parrot Cay: Why it must appeal to Keith Richards, Bruce Willis, Donna Karen". Toronto Star.
- ^ "Bruce Willis sells island estate". Homes and Property. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Keith Richards plans to retire in the Caribbean". Toronto Sun. 17 June 2013.
- ^ "Where the Stars get married". AOL.
- ^ "Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner wedding". Celebrity Bride Guide. Archived from the original on 2019-08-17. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
- ^ "Ja Rule victim of death hoax". www.GossipCop.com. 31 March 2012. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Musician Chad Kroeger died while in a personal vacation in the Turks and Caicos". www.crazyasabagofhammers.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
- ^ Burrows, Jeff (15 June 2013). "Ted Nugent dead? Rocker becomes victim of Internet death hoax". www.canadasrock.ca.
External links
- Official site
- Forbes article about Parrot Cay