Castara Retreats Lodges - Reader Reports & Opinion
Castara Retreats Revisited 09 Jan 2005
Sioned And Tim Sims from Wales
We have just come back from another a two-week stay in Castara Retreats. Last year we stayed in Pelican where you are very much in touch with everything that is going on. This year we had what we call our two-centre holiday because we spent one week in Osprey and one week in Fisherman's. Although Osprey is right next to Pelican it is a little quieter and, because of the clever planting in the garden, at times we were no more than inches away from beautiful hummingbirds which fed and drank all day long from the stunning flowers surrounding the balcony. Every so often we would notice the Mot Mot bird silently watching them from the tree next to us. We seem to have encountered dozens of different sorts of birds but don't have the knowledge or skills to identify many of them. All we can say is for bird enthusiasts this must be heaven! Fisherman's, set slightly apart, we fell in love with. There are at least three different areas to sit and laze in, each with a different view but none better than you get when you wake up in bed. It feels so open when you want it to be, with a cooling sea-breeze, and yet its easy to make it very private too.
Wherever we have stayed in Castara Retreats we've found you can gaze across the village and beaches or get riveted by the birds and the fruitbats you can attract to your balcony with a banana in the bird feeder if you choose. Its hard to go outside without spotting a lizard or even iguana scurrying away. Staying here is a brilliant way of living in the rainforest while staying in comfort!
Having stayed once before our expectations were already high so it was quite a surprise to find a lot of improvements. The track up is now firm underfoot in any weather. There is now imaginative seating strategically placed around the garden to let you watch stunning sunsets and gaze at stars and fireflies, and the new decking also lets you gaze straight down at the waves on the beach. Last year's newly planted garden has now flourished into trees, shrubs and some of the most vivid flowers you could imagine. Some of the other improvements we found were mosquito nets which are now large and spacious, most of the furniture seems to have been replaced or re-covered, new signs have been put up. It all adds up to a sense of continuing improvement and care.
What was especially nice about our second stay was the way we were welcomed back as old friends by Porridge, Jeanell and Duck and warmly recognised by other people in the village. Once again each time we bumped into Porridge in the village we got introduced to other villagers and got a real sense of the community in which we were staying.
This has now become our all-time favourite holiday destination. One of the reasons why was underlined for us by an enforced stay at a four-star hotel on the island due to a 24 hour flight delay on the way home. The rather palatial hotel with air conditioning, poolside bars and shops could have been a holiday compound anywhere in the world. No breathtaking views, no feeling of being close to the birds, wildlife and rainforest and certainly no feeling of being in the real Tobago.
Reading this back it feels a bit like a holiday brochure but that's how we feel about the place. If we have to wrack our brains for something bad to say we can only think of the sandflies but you do have to pay something for your pleasures! Can't wait til we're back next year.
Castara Retreats 13 Oct 2004
Melanie & Amanda from Wirral, UK
We were so looking forward to our stay at Castara Retreats – and for so many months – that as the holiday got closer we feared we might have built up unrealistic expectations and we desperately tried to prepare ourselves for disappointment. We actually failed in this attempt but it didn´t matter because from the moment we stepped out of the airport into the heat and sunshine we had the most fabulous time – better than we could have even imagined.
We could write a novel – each – about our stay, several chapters of which would be needed to describe the beauty of Castara Retreats – and especially ´our´ house, Fishermans´s Lodge. Looking down over the village, the forest, the bay and the ocean – with nothing between us and the horizon – is something we could never tire of...it gave us such perspective and peace. All holiday reading was cancelled ...we couldn´t take our eyes off the world we´d just discovered.
But it´s much more than a great view – the birds, the weather (heat and glorious rain!) the food, the forest, the sea, the beach ... right up until the day we left – and still since we´ve been home – we can´t quite believe it all. The wonder of it had a strange impact on us – it made us laugh and then become quiet and still, then laugh again. We felt close to tears a number of times. It was an intense but gentle experience. And the strange thing is, unlike when returning from other beautiful places and finding that ´real´ life grates a little, that your home town looks ugly, we feel like we are carrying Castara around with us – as if something beautiful has lodged itself in our eyes and hearts.
We were amazed every day by something...mostly the people who we found, without exception, to be warm, generous, funny, gentle and really good company. We tend to enjoy solitude on holiday but from the moment we arrived we were unrecognisable to ourselves...Tobago and Castara cast a spell on us!
The sights, sounds, conversations, sensations, the connecting with people, the feel of the place combined to make a deeply relaxing, sensory overload. Who´d have thought that was possible!
We make no apology for sentimentality. Our experience in Castara was much more than a holiday. We needed to relax. We wanted an adventure. We got both...and so much more.
We miss our friends and we miss our tree house and we miss Castara but we feel so lucky to have found it all. Is it really still there, all going on as normal? What a wonderful thought...
Thanks Sue, Steve and Fraya for sharing Castara Retreats. We won´t forget you or our happy, happy time in Tobago.
Lots of love to you and all our new friends.
Mel and Amanda
Castara Retreats- Rainforest Lodge 19 Apr 2004
HelenH from Derby England
Just come back from this accommodation. Beautiful stting. The views are million dollar. We woke to the sound of the sea and fell asleep to the sound of the sea. It is an open plan design so you do get used to bats and birds fluing through. The main bedroom has a very comfortable bed and is very open plan.There is a well equipped kitchen with a good size fridge freezer. The smaller bedroom is more enclosed. we loved to hear the various sounds – the sea, the birds and the reggae music. It was a nice place to retreat to in the middle of the day if it got too hot. The owners had several locals who helped us. porridge picked us up from the airport, hired us his car and took us to various places. His wife cleaned and provided us with clean sheets etc. Duck our neighbour took us on two great boat trips. His girlfriend cooked us delicous Buss up shut- like an open roti. Had a great time
helen
Castara Retreats 31 Mar 2004
Pauline from England
We returned last weekend from two weeks in Osprey apartment, Castara Retreats. We had a wonderful time and would recommend Castara Retreats wholeheartedly. The apartment is one of three in a very sympathetically built wooden building and ideal for a couple. The main room has a large (queen size I think) good-quality bed with an excellent mosquito net . The kitchen area (part of the main room) is well-equipped with a full-size fridge and cooker with 4 gas rings. There was always lots of hot water for the shower, which I understand is not always the case in Tobago. A floor standing fan is provided, but we did not in fact need it because there was always a breeze which kept the temperature comfortable.
The apartments are sited up on the hillside, on the edge of the rainforest, above the road into Castara from the south. Access is up a narrow steep grassy path and steps, and so would not be suitable for anyone who has walking difficulties. (This is made clear on the website, which incidentally is very informative).
The view from the apartments is simply breathtaking. Each apartment has its own terrace/balcony with table and chairs and we spent many hours just sitting and looking at the wonderful view over the village and Castara Bay. We saw frigate birds, osprey, pelicans, humming birds, tanagers, squirrels, butterflies. We could also see manta rays swimming close to the beach. Binoculars are essential.
The owners, Sue and Steve, have built a sort of wooden lookout in the grounds which is ideal for watching the magnificent sunsets. The garden has been planted with lots of shrubs which are quickly taking hold.
The property is managed by Porridge and Jeannel and they do a tremendous job making sure guests are happy. Porridge pops by most days to check on things.
We would recommend Castara Retreats for anyone wanting a relaxed and unsophisticated holiday with comfortable accommodation in an absolutely stunning setting.
Our First Visit To Tobago...castara..a Different View? 24 Feb 2004
Joana from NYC
We recently returned from our trip to Tobago, staying in Castara for 11 days. We expected quite a lot after reading posts from this forum: friendly people, good restaurants, clean beautiful beaches. We seemed to visit a different Castara than most people here have encountered. We stayed at Sandcastles, up the hill from the town. We had a beautiful, magnificent view, amazing bird watching from the balcony, and for the most part comfortable accomodation. The bats that flew in every evening were not welcome, nor their feces. The apartment is open on the side overlooking the gorgeous view. No wall or screen. Aside from that, it was an ideal location if staying in Castara.
The town itself was rather bleak as far as food or anything else you might need. The restaurants were fair, and the service was laughable. The Boat House did provide good service, and decent food. Margarites, well, depended on who served you. Her one daughter was plain rude, and tried to charge us 20% for a tip. When I brought it up to her, she just stared at me with contempt. We self catered or took food home for the most part. The restaurants do not offer much of an ambiance, and our apartment had the best view in Castara.
Now, here is where I question what most people encountered....the friendly people??? We found the people in Castara and some of the other small villages to be anything but friendly. They do not want tourists there! They are not friendly or helpful! We did not expect the people to have conversations with us, or trade addresses. A simple good morning with a smile would have been nice. We are both well travelled, and have not encountered such scorn from the locals anywhere else. It did not matter how friendly we were, the people, for the most part, were unfriendly. And the poor dogs. We made runs nightly, feeding the starving pups right in front of their homes. Horrible!
The beaches in Castara were not the cleanest. The water was magnificent...the beach itself had litter scattered throughout. On Little Bay, the restaurant dominates the beach, and the music is always playing. That might be okay sometimes, but not okay other times. Empty beer bottles are plentiful on the tables and beach. The snorkeling was great, right off the shore. The beaches were almost empty many days, which was welcome. Englishmans Bay is lovely, but hard to swim in because of the tide/undertow.
We did have a nice stay in Tobago, we travelled around the island and took in gorgeous scenery and lush rainforests. We did not want to stay in Crown Point, we wanted to see the 'Real Tobago'. I think we did, and we would have enjoyed ourselves so much more if the locals were happier with the presence of tourists in their villages.
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