Lookout Villa - Reader Reports & Opinion
These reports are a combination of questions and comment posted in our Lookout Villa forum and visitor reports added via the 'Add Report' tab above.
Reader Satisfaction Ranking: 
Average vote of 5 readers = 4.8 (max = 5)
Guest Report - Lookout Villa
Jean Oatley from U.K. visited in January 2008 and awarded 
We had seen photographs so knew what Lookout Villa would look like. However the spaciousness and the facilities were a pleasant surprise. The fittings, wall decorations and ornaments I found very much to my liking. The view is fantastic and many hours were spent sitting on the balcony admiring the birds and the changing sky and sea.
As we were with friends who preferred to drive up, my husband and I were able to walk up the 2 kilometre track looking out for wild life.
Most of our meals were eaten at the villa where all the equipment we could've wanted was supplied. Evenings too were well catered for as there were games, some of them new to us, which provided us with much amusement. I appreciated the huge selection of books and read several by favourite authors.
The villa is situated in an attractive area with several other places well worth visiting nearby. Although we usually went to either Englishman's Bay or Heavenly Bay to swim, we also enjoyed exploring the rivers at Castara and Parlavutier and went on a 'Grand Tour' to Charlotteville and beyond, finally returning across country.
With locals that we met friendly, Tobago is a relaxing environment where, living with all the mod cons necessary to our western way of life, one can appreciate the exotic surroundings and really 'chill out'.
Guest Report - Lookout Villa
Hannah Wilkinson from U.K. visited in September 2007 and awarded
We visited Tobago at the end of September, we didn't really know what to expect other than it was a small, quite island. When we arrived at 6pm into the smallest airport i have ever seen, we knew this was going to be an interesting holiday! We met up with the hire car company, which is deffinatley recomended, We took our car (4x4) and drove to the Villa. Arrived at the villa in the dark after an amazing drive through the jungle to get there. The villa is surrounded by jungle on all sides apart from the front were it looks over Englishmans bay. Even in the dark its stunning. Next day we woke up to a beautiful morning and a beautiful Villa. The villa was perfect and nice and cool despite the hot sun. We ate breakfast on the balcony looking over Englishmans bay and planned our day. The first day of exploring the island helped us understand what to expect. Basically it is a very friendley island especially were we were staying Castara. The beach (englishmans bay) is amazing and so quite. The snorgeling was fab, although i did spend most of my time lying on the beach with ice cream, also fab. The rest of the holiday (2 weeks) consisted of sun, sea, and local food.... ! We tryed to eat out in the evenings to make the most of local cuisine. The food is really good, lots of sea food.
We ventured to the other side of the island pidgeon point were the beaches were just as nice but much busier, we had been spoilt with such quite beaches in Castara. Whilst at Pidgeon point we went to Sunday school. Lots of fun. I would highly recommend Tobgo and lookout Villa to anyone thinking about going. We enjoyed our two weeks there and can't wait to visit again.. Hannah & Andy
A Perfect Place To Chill And Relax !
Tamar Wilkinson from U.K. visited in May 2007 and awarded
Having had a very stressfull year work wise (we run our own business) we really wanted to just sit back, relax and forget everything back home, im happy to report that we succeeded! We went to Tobago with 4 friends and found the accomodation very comfortable and well equipped.It is entirely constructed from timber so fits in beautifully with the surrounding rain forest. The location of the villa is a twitchers paradise, my husband particularly enjoyed discovering the local birdlife.Sitting on the verandah in the early evening after returning from a hard day on the beach was lovely,you are surrounded by birds, butterflies, fireflys etc; the books and binoculars provided in the villa helped with identification of the many birds we saw and the sunsets were beautiful. The nearest beach is Englishmans Bay, it was gorgeous.The water was warm, blue and clear. I am not a confident swimmer and was a little nervous of snorkelling to start with, but boy am I glad I did,I was blown away by the sights to be seen just a few metres off shore, it was like having your own vast personal fish tank to explore every day! The fish were stunning, we saw bait balls, tutles, tuna, cuttle fish, angel fish,who needs deep sea diving?I could go and on there was so much to see.There was a cafe/restaurant on the beach which we ate at a few times and the food was pretty good,we had heard negative reports, but no one had a dodgy tummy! We took picnics and cold beers on other days.I would highly reccommend going out on a boat trip with King David, he is the local contact for any queries or problems, what a lovely man, and his wife Erlin is equally helpful, she met us at the airport with the hire car company and then took us to the local supermarket to buy in supplies. You most certainly need to hire a 4x4, both for getting around the island and getting up the rough track/hill to the villa. There are no local supermarkets so you do need to shop on your way from the airport, just enough for a few days anyway whilst you get your bearings. Castara is the nearest village where it is possible to buy fruit/veg and Carib, etc from the local shacks. King David can organise diving,boat trips, fishing, barbecues and jungle walks. He is very knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna. We went on a boat trip around our side of the island, we fished on the way, went snorkelling and then stopped at a secluded cove to cook the fish we caught, all the salads and beers/soft drinks were included.We did eat out a couple of times at local restuarants, the food was simple but good, dont expect fine wine dining, a lot of the restuarants dont sell alcohol, if they do its either the local brew of Carib beer or rum.I would also double check opening times, Tobago time is very different from British time, ie; if they dont feel like it they wont bother opening, thats how relaxed Tobago is! If you are looking for lively night life, clubs,bars and restuarants this is not the place for you, if you are looking for a complete escape to relax and chill it has everything.It is a bare feet,tee shirts and shorts kind of place,there was no designer gear in sight! It is the ideal location to recharge the batteries and de stress, my husband was not tempted to use his mobile phone to make contact with work once, and that's saying something! We most certainly will be returning.
A Beautiful Villa Ideal For Relaxing
Chris West from U.K. visited in May 2007 and awarded
In May 2007, three friends and I stayed at the Lookout for two weeks. We are all in our late twenties, old friends from school, and wanted a relaxing place to relax, get away from London and top up the tan! The Lookout proved to be an ideal place to do this.
LOCATION
The Lookout is quite remote, about 5-10 minutes off the main road along a dirt track. The beautiful beach at Englishman's Bay is about 10-15 minutes away, and the small village of Castara, with its bars, restaurants and beach takes slightly longer to reach. We travelled to Scarborough frequently and also to the other end of the island to visit Roxborough, Charlottesville and Speyside – the Lookout is roughly in the middle of everything, so provides a good base for seeing the whole island.
THE VILLA
The villa itself is gorgeous. It has been built with great attention to detail and sympathy to the surrounding environment, constructed mostly from wood. Inside, the decoration is complete, cohesive and tasteful, with a fully equipped kitchen (I like to cook, and found nothing lacking here in terms of utensils, pots and pans etc.) and comfortable lounge and dining space. Once you sink into the sofas, it is very difficult to get out again! There is a TV and DVD player (which we used only once) and a CD player. One tip for future travellers – bring your own CDs, unless you're content to listen to George Michael, Sting and Backstreet Boys on repeat for a few days!! Each of the bedrooms is en suite, with comfortable (if a little short) beds and mosquito nets. There is a large and comfortable veranda on which you can sip tea in the mornings or beer in the evenings and watch the sun rise and fall (you can see the full sunrise and sun set as the villa faces roughly North into the Caribbean Sea). I can only say that after a few days, this villa felt like home.
STUFF TO DO
We found our holiday revolved mostly around the beach (always Englishman's Bay), the village of Castara (food, bars) and Scarborough (cash, supplies, shopping). In between, we also took a rainforest tour, had a barbeque, did a turtle watching tour and explored the island. The remoteness of the villa means that you HAVE to drive everywhere – if you want a party holiday walking to bars, meeting people, dancing and then stumbling home, you won't find it here. Most nights we spent in, cooking food, drinking cocktails or Caribs, talking, listening to music and playing games.
LOCAL GUIDES AND FRIENDS
Our point of contact whilst staying at the Lookout was a local businessman called King David. As well as supporting the villa, he also runs a successful tour company and construction business. We found King David to be honest, helpful and friendly who is also respected in the local community. Whenever we wanted anything, a quick call to King David was all we needed. The rainforest tour was especially good. However, one thing we should mention to future travellers – the Tobagans seem to be quite 'laid back' about money, to the point of ambivalence. For example, most places we ate or drank wouldn't keep a tab of what you had – you just tell them at the end of the night. Often there are no price lists in restaurants or bars also. If you are planning on doing a few tours or activities on your holiday, don't feel embarrassed about asking up front how much things will cost, even if it means asking a couple of times.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The villa is a great place to stay, beautiful, homely, well situated and well equipped. We had no problems whilst we stayed there and the owners were friendly, honest and helpful. This villa would be ideal for families perhaps with older children, but may not suit younger adults looking for a party holiday and easy access to bars and clubs.
April / May 2007
Barry Hawes from U.K. visited in April 2007 and awarded
We spent two relaxing weeks in the Lookout Villa in May 2007 with friends. The location overlooking Englishman´s Bay surrounded by rainforest jungle is an incredible location. Bird life was all around and sitting on the veranda watching them was better than any wild life program on the television. The rainforest wildlife was only surpassed by the fish around the reefs in the bay. We took snorkelling gear with us but it looked as if you might have been able to hire a set from the shop/restaurant on the beach (probably best to take your own though). The highlight for us was swimming with turtles, vast shoals of smaller fish and sighting some huge angel fish the size of large dinner plates! These sights can be seen just a few metres off-shore.
The accommodation was very comfortable with all modern facilities. We tended to eat in. The few meals we had out were good but Tobago is not known for its food but they do know how to cook fish well. Most of all though the location was very conducive to relaxation. You need a robust vehicle (4 x 4?)but once up there the views are stunning and you soon become part of the forest. The villa is surprisingly cool with a breeze flowing through all day so even if it becomes too hot to sit on the veranda inside is nice and cool. (There are also fans in the ceiling but we did not need them). The water supply is plentiful with 10 x 2,000 gallon tanks so even though Tobago had had an exceptionally long hot dry season we had plenty of water!
If you are reading this because you are thinking of going / have made a booking we would recommend a boat trip with King David or a guided walk around the rain forest. We did both. His knowledge of the wildlife is impressive. The boat trip finished up at a secluded beach with a BBQ on which the boatman cooked the fish we had caught on the way. Very memorable and we shall go back.
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