The Island That Made the Cover
A Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Feature
They could have gone anywhere.
They chose Salterra.
When Sports Illustrated brought Hilary Duff to shoot her swimsuit feature, they could have gone anywhere in the world. They chose South Caicos. They chose Salterra. Step inside the twenty-four hours that produced the cover — and discover how your stay can follow the same horizon.
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A Day That Could Only Happen Here.
THE MAKING OF A COVER
Some places lend themselves to a photograph. South Caicos is the photograph. Three thousand feet of protected beach. A marine park with no other resort in sight. Water so blue, so still, so unreasonably clear that most people assume it has been enhanced. It has not.
The Day, In Motion.
A glimpse behind the cover — the light, the laughter, the island at its most alive.
This is what Hilary, her team, and the Sports Illustrated crew discovered over a single unforgettable day at Salterra. What follows is their itinerary — and an invitation to make it your own.
Watch on InstagramHilary's Day on the Island.
Six stops. One cover. An itinerary you can step into yourself.
Morning Light, Above the Bank.
Her day begins before the island is fully awake. In the Penthouse — one of only two at Salterra, each crowned with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Caicos Bank — the hair and makeup team sets up in the kind of soft, impossible morning light that photographers usually have to chase. Room service arrives at six: freshly brewed coffee, quiet conversation, the day unfolding with intention.
Recreate the morning — book one of our two Penthouse Suites, and begin your day with in-room service delivered at sunrise.
Reserve Your StayThree Thousand Feet of Quiet.
The first setup of the day unfolds along Salterra's private beachfront — three thousand feet of protected coastline inside a designated marine park, with no other resorts on the horizon. This is what Sports Illustrated came for, and what every family who stays with us discovers: a stretch of beach so pristine, so secluded, it feels less like a location and more like a privilege.
Your beach, your pace. Walk the full length with the kids, or find your spot and stay there all day.
Where the Pool Meets the Sea.
By late morning, the shoot moves to the lagoon — one of four expansive pools on the property, and the one where the infinity edge dissolves so completely into the ocean that the horizon becomes a single unbroken line of blue. Hilary poses at the water's edge. The team breaks briefly for frozen tropical drinks, bright and cold against the heat.
Four pools, each with its own character. Order a frozen cocktail from any of them — our pool team remembers how you like it.
Shrimp Tacos and Salt Air.
The crew scatters across Salterra's six dining venues for lunch. Hilary's order comes from Cobo Bar & Grill — our beachfront restaurant, where Latin-inspired fare meets the freshest catch of the morning, and where the shrimp tacos have quietly become the most talked-about plate on the island.
Six dining venues. One island. Reserve a table at Cobo — the shrimp tacos are, in fact, that good.
Explore Our DiningAn Oasis, Mid-Day.
In the afternoon, the day shifts registers. The crew moves to the spa — an oasis destination in its own right, with a hammam, eight treatment rooms, halotherapy, and a small universe of calming rituals. The soft scent of frangipani greets you at the entrance, and the island you were just standing on quietly falls away. Hilary shoots poolside at the spa, the day's most composed chapter.
Book a hammam ritual or a signature treatment. Arrive fifteen minutes early — the frangipani alone is worth the walk.
Discover the SpaThe Final Frame.
For the last shot of the day, the team boards jeeps and drives out to Jerry Camp — South Caicos' remote outpost, the kind of water people cross oceans to witness. Here, the Atlantic softens into shallow, glass-clear flats the color of polished turquoise. As the sun lowers, the crew airboats out to a secluded sandbar and raises a glass of wine to a day that has quietly produced a magazine cover.
Live it yourself. Our Northern Cays Guided Paddling Tour takes guests to the same sandbar, at the same golden hour. Wine upon request.
Book the Northern Cays ExperienceOur deepest thanks to Hilary Duff, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit team, and every photographer, stylist, and creative who brought this vision to the island. To welcome storytellers of this caliber is a privilege — and to watch South Caicos, in its quiet, unhurried way, become the co-author of a moment like this is something we will not soon forget.
To our guests, past and future: thank you for seeing this island the way we do. You are the reason Salterra is what it is.
— The Salterra Team
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