Coastal Living

It’s impossible to take a bad photo in Turks and Caicos. Trust me. I recently visited the islands while helping report our feature on page 28 and snapped the photo above. Not a bad day at work, huh? The water, sand, and sunsets in Turks are truly the epitome of why we travel: to escape our everyday world and experience something beautiful. Living in the Southeast, we are lucky to be within an easy plane flight of so many island destinations—Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, and Bermuda, to name a few. We cover many of them in this issue, which we’ve called our Islands Issue. If you’re looking for a new way to cruise, look no further than page 66, where travel experts Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon and Tracey Minkin share two…

Growing up on the Connecticut shore, Lauren Stephens spent summers swimming and lifeguarding. But those idyllic days gave way to a fashion career in New York City, working for brands like Calvin Klein and Gucci. “I was thrust into this whole new world,” Stephens recalls. After a decade in the fast lane, she longed for the coastal rhythms and style of her New England upbringing. A casual remark from her mother planted the seed: “Why can’t there be cute fleece that I can wear out on the boat and then to dinner that night?” Stephens and her cofounder sister wanted the same thing—stylish garments that are comfortable and functional. Fleece, but make it fashion. Dudley Stephens was born. The apparel brand’s polished and structured pieces are designed to perform across…

For some, it may be enough to gaze at the water from the shore. But for those who have been lucky enough to move that gaze from near the water to over the water—to feel a part of the moving life of the sea while still feeling anchored—staying in overwater bungalows and villas becomes a holy grail. But not all overwater digs are created equal. From the South Pacific to the Caribbean, they vary in silhouette and shape (not to mention creature comforts). Some are like luxury piers in larger resorts; others, more like Robinson Crusoe–esque shacks with ample charm but spartan amenities. But in the largely yachting-forward archipelago of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a new wave of overwater villas beckons. On the main island, Sandals Saint Vincent and…

It takes confidence to know when less is more. But on Bermuda, where the sea and sands provide a daily pageant of iridescent blues and pale pinks, the design thinking at AZURA is to showcase that splendor via cliff-hugging frames of soothing, spare whites. The impact is intoxicating, and an exciting addition to the island’s traditional resorts and cottage communities. Begun as a complete reimagining of the former Surf Side Beach Club on the island’s South Shore, AZURA opened quietly in 2020 and used the sudden freeze of the pandemic to continue its buildout, which now counts 60 sunlit, modernist rooms and suites. A sublime seawater Ocean Pool at the base of the cliffs joined the party in 2024, and a final phase in 2026 will layer in 20 more…

SHRIMP-AND-OKRA GUMBO ACTIVE 40 min. TOTAL 1 hr. 10 min. SERVES 16 6 Tbsp. canola oil3 Tbsp. unsalted butter9 Tbsp. all-purpose flour4 cups chopped white onion1½ cups chopped green bell pepper1½ cups chopped red bell pepper1½ cups chopped celery4 garlic cloves, chopped13 oz. smoked turkey sausage, sliced2 Tbsp. salt-free Creole seasoning3 tsp. kosher salt6 cups unsalted chicken stock2 (15-oz.) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained1 (1-lb.) pkg. frozen cut okra2 lb. medium peeled, deveined raw shrimp1 cup sliced scallions8 cups cooked long-grain brown rice¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1. Heat oil and butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high, and cook, stirring until butter is melted and mixture is warm. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden flat-edge scraping spoon, until mixture is caramel colored, 5 to…

It begins with the water. And it begins the first time you lay eyes on it: gliding on a flight path toward the Providenciales International Airport, skimming across it on a boat bound for a private island, meeting your gaze from the lounge chair outside your villa, brushing your toes on a white-sand beach. No matter where you first meet the crystalline seas surrounding the low-lying limestone islands and cays of Turks and Caicos Islands, you will forever hold other waters lacking. You will tell your friends about it, and they won’t believe you. “It’s as clear,” you’ll say, “as gin.” And you won’t be wrong. But the magic of this archipelago—tucked in the North Atlantic (not the Caribbean) southeast of the Bahamas—is far more than its aquamarine seascape. This…