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]
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]
