Where to go and why...

[Paul Williams]

I have seen what I consider to be a trend with regard to peoples opinions on their stays in Tobago and the type of place and also where their accomodation was located.
It seems that a number of those who stay in the medium range hotels both all inclusive and on other meal plans do not get standards that meet their aspirations, I wonder if this is because of the fact that some of the brochures and the agents who give info oversell their products and people go expecting more than can be supplied.
It seems that those who stay in the smaller guest houses and villas have less to complain about (could this also be that staff are more motivated).
I know from our recent stay in small establishments that we were able to communicate with those who worked where we were and this helped us to feel that we had become in a small way part of the community.
I know that some may think I am generalising but thats how I see it.

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Paul

I think you are spot on, to be frank. I think that a very large percentage of people who stay at All Inclusive hotels buy there package and THEN search for information on Tobago to decide what to do while they're there. On the other hand, people booking direct and/or staying at smaller non-package holiday places do the research first. I've noticed it in the forum questions. Most questions start "We are staying at AI-hotel in a few months time and want to know....." whereas independent holidaymakers tend to start "We are thinking of holidaying in Tobago and...". I think an awful lot of these visitors buy on what they perceive to be a "good deal" without really first establishing if it's what they want/need/expect.

[Kevin Hampson]

Hi Paul,
Very perceptive.
I've stayed in both large hotels and some of the smaller ones at both ends of the island. I find I prefer the smaller ones anyway, for me they have a lot more local character and that's important, the larger hotels could be anywhere sunny.

Regards
Kevin

[Anbjørn Grindheim]

One related topic that me and my girlfriend often discussed when in Tobago was that we felt that those staying in all-inclusives, especially in the south, would not be so close to the "real" Tobago that those that rented guest-houses in small villages would be. When in a guest-house or villa you're likely to meet up with locals in the village not directly working in the tourist industry. You meet people in local grocery shops, outside rum shops or you might even be invited to happenings arranged by and for locals (e.g. we were invited to a wake which was a great experience for us). Such experiences was far more than the expectations we had before arriving and made our holiday a great one.

[Andrew Prince]

We stayed in a smaller guest house and self catering accommodation this year and are going back to similar next January. I agree with everthing said about getting nearer the real Tobago by using small accomodation but would also add that the larger all inclusives tend to be owned by large corporations who do not necessarily keep their profits in Tobago.The best way to ensure developement of the local economy and to make sure our money reaches the local community is to book accommodation ,car hire and meals locally.As UK independant retailers ourselves I suppose I would say that!

[Jane H]

I'm not sure you can generalise that the type of accomodation and holiday booked is directly related to people's reactions to Tobago, and hence to the comments made about hotels etc on this site.

Our experience has been that some people just do not read brochures or travel company information carefully prior to booking/travelling and hence arrive with unreal/unlikely/improbable expectations. Let's face it - travel companies want to sell their holidays so, whilst they generally don't actually tell lies, they may be "economical" with the truth about a hotel or resort and try to present it in it's best possible light. Some companies are much better and more reliable that others - but a certain amount of interpretation is usually required to decode the truth behind even their descriptions.

This year we came across a classic case. We were staying at a hotel described as "a small family run hotel". This was exactly what it was - clean, unpretentious, friendly, food a bit variable but generally OK and sometimes very good indeed. (Excellent cocktails!) One family who arrived at the same time as us complained from day 1 - nothing was satisfactory. They had read that it was a "small family hotel" - and assumed that there would be loads of things for kids to do and special kids menus etc. There weren't - so they did nothing but moan and complain to the rep for 11 days, and they had only booked the holiday a few weeks prior to departure.

Oh yes - the people who usually complain the most about hotel facilities, food, location etc etc are the ones who have picked up a last minute chap deal. It's amazing how often they seem to expect to get everything for nothing - then complain when they don't.

OK - now I've got all that off my chest, what does anyone else think?

Jane

[David Watkins]

Jane h,I totally agree with you---the moaners are always the ones(or seem to be)who want everything to be 5*++ at 1* cost.Last winter at the Grafton a group of six didn't stop moaning about having to pay extra for 'branded'imported spirits(Glenfiddich,Gordon's etc) and believed that as they were AI it should all have been free,despite the terms in their holiday brochure stating that only local drinks were AI they still complained until one rather brave gent(me)told them to stop moaning and spoiling other people's holiday.They didn't speak to me for the rest of there stay!!!!! David(less than four weeks to go!!!! )

[Marc Jones]

There's a big difference between people wanting a great time affordable and those who would moan even if it was free.

I'm doing the Rex as it was very cheap. I'd love to have gone in a villa, but it wasn't to be, Virgin flights bundled with their accommodation was just unbeatable.

I'll not moan, I'll just go jump in the sea and look at fish and remember how lucky I am to be somewhere so beautiful.

[David Watkins]

My goodness........a chilled out Marc!!!!What happened?David

[Brian Taylor]

the legal drug he takes is called "tobago"!
slows you down emmidiately and relaxes you like nothing else.
should be taken minimum once per year.... the more, the better...