Guest Report

15 open-plan lodges and apartments on a steep hillside (listing)
Post Reply
Linda V. Dautreuil

Guest Report

Post by Linda V. Dautreuil »

I wanted to visit Tobago for nearly twenty years. Not Trinidad, but Tobago. I’m not sure what first attracted me to this island. Maybe it was the lack of commercialism, or maybe it was the remoteness. In other words, it wasn’t one of those high profile islands in the Caribbean. Back then, there were no websites or online reviews. Travel books had very little to say, if anything at all. So, when I began planning a surprise trip in celebration of my daughters’ graduations from Graduate School and Law School, I knew Tobago was the place I wanted to take them.

Discovering Castara Retreats wasn’t just luck – it was fate. I knew from the moment I found the website and read about the “Japanese haiku house” which described the architectural style of Coasthanger , one of the accommodations, that I need not look any further! The descriptions, the pictures, the reviews all convinced me this was the right place for the three of us to make memories that would last a lifetime.

Although the three of us would have been quite content to sit on the deck and take in the magnificent views of Castara Bay with its fishing boats bobbing in the blue-green water, or soak up the sun while on the beach, we did venture into the village each day to purchase fresh fish from the local fishermen or warm, baked bread from the village women in the schoolyard. Castara has numerous wonderful, little restaurants, as well. It was nice to always have the option of preparing our own meals, having someone prepare one for us at Castara Retreats, or eating at one of the places in the village.

I cannot say enough about the management and staff of Castara Retreats. From the initial inquiry to saying goodbye at the airport terminal, every detail was handled professionally, with ease and warmth. Jean took care of the arrangements in regards to the booking, special room requests, and airplane arrivals. Milk (everyone in Tobago seems to have a nickname) met us at the airport and chauffeured us to the nearby supermarket to stock up on groceries for the week. Jeanell welcomed us into our immaculately clean “haiku house” when we arrived. And Porridge, with his keen intuition, spotted us walking along the beach the first evening, somehow “knew” we were the newest Castara Retreats guests, and approached us with a warm welcome.

We were so fortunate to have our visit coincide with that of the owners, Steve and Sue Felgate, and their daughter, Freya. It was delightful getting to know them, and to hear the stories about how such a paradise of a place was envisioned and became reality. Even though Castara Retreats is designed for the guests’ independence, these gracious hosts really went “the extra mile” to make sure we felt included and welcome. When they realized we would be missing out on a day long boat trip scheduled for the day after we were to leave, they threw together a last minute half day trip that we could enjoy (many thanks to the captain, Shaq – Porridge and Jeanell’s son). And the bar-b-que hosted the night before we were to leave, enabled us to get to know more of the other guests staying on the property.

Family and friends, food and fun, are part of our Acadian culture, here in south Louisiana. From our spicy food to our unique music, we love living life to the fullest! In all of my travels to date, I have not found a place that embraces all of these things as much as the Cajuns do... until I found Tobago! There were many similarities between Castara and Acadiana (the region in which I live). We felt very comfortable there. Almost like coming home… to a place we’d never been before. It won’t take me twenty years to return!

Post Reply

Return to “Castara Retreats”