Do you know why we have so many gates here?” asks Kelly Sullivan managing director of Alive and Well Resorts & Hotels which owns and operates Kokomo Botanical Resort, “It’s because we want to keep the energy in, nurture it and not have people take it away.”
The boutique property boasts 38 self-contained family cottages woven through five-acres where Caribbean mahogany, bougainvillea, orchids and banana trees grow amidst serpentine flagstone paths. My luxury 2-king bedroom cottage features a galley kitchen, covered porch and windows which open unto the surrounding gardens.
Minutes from the world-famous Grace Bay Beach, the resort operates with a casual, low-key style ideal for families who want to relax. On hot days, guests sunbathe between dips in the freshwater oasis pool and saltwater hot plunge. Queries and requests are handled ably by Wenie, the head concierge who hails from the Philippines and has spent 12 years on the island. She’ll remember what time you asked to be picked up, ensure you have a transfer for sightseeing, and check-in when she hasn’t seen you in a while.
“We’re hiding in plain sight,” continues Sullivan about the property which established itself as resort pioneers in the Turks and Caicos. Privacy and a sense of comfortable seclusion is evident here – a canopy hides cottages from street view, wind chimes and trickling water serve as pleasant markers for Lovina Spa (where I have a lovely Balinese massage) and the resort offers a beach club (with sun loungers and umbrellas) on a stretch of Grace Bay accessible via shuttle.
One of the highlights of staying here is WE Market Café and WE Kitchen + Bar, the resort’s open-kitchen restaurant. The menu highlights both Asian and Western favourites. For lunch I devour Chinese shrimp dumplings in a cherry red wrapper set in a bamboo steam basket. The biryani and kachumber (cucumber, onion and tomato salad) which follows is redolent of spices that whisper from singular grains of basmati rice.
Another night, chef Anil Dangi, who has worked in the UAE, Mauritius and the Seychelles with roots in Bombay, concocts a 5-course Indian tasting menu. On special occasions and by request the resort will set up a chef’s table menu, and this is a taste of that experience.
Beginning with the perfect bar snack of spiced chaat peanuts which calls out for a cold beer, through Manchurian shrimp soup started with chef’s own homemade stock, and “doubles” (chickpea curry with fried flatbread), the meal ends with a carrot halwa paired with an Irish cream-based cocktail from mixologist Ryan. Rarely are cocktails paired with Indian desserts and coursed meals in the French style do not commonly have a subcontinent inflection – it’s this innovation that’s deliciously fun. Of course, there are burgers and pasta, soups and salads and breakfast dishes run the gamut from sandwiches to French toast.
As I pass the large rectangular gates one last time, it is with a knowing smile.
This original article first appeared in the WINTER 2024/2025 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
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