Weather and bugs in november

[Robert Rinde]

We are planning a visit to Tobago for 2 weeks in the end of november/beginning of december 2006. Since we have pretty cold weather here in Sweden by then we will be searching for suneshine. After reading several different reports (with different information) on the web I am a little worried about the rain and the bugs. We are planning to stay at Bon Accord, which I have also read is close to bug breedinggrounds.

Any information you have about the weather and bugs in late november would be much appreciated!

[Paul Tallet]

Welcome Robert

I guess the Bugs are not seasonal creatures and so you will find them all year ... they come in all shapes and sizes and 99% are harmless.

The ones with teeth and a fondness for human flesh and blood are either mosquitoes (found in the rainforest and swampy/grassy areas) and a particularly voracious sandfly that is almost microscopic and this nasty little creature frequents sandy beaches that border the rainforest like Englishmans Bay and Castara (i.e.; you won't find them on coral beaches such as Pigeon Point).

But these are fussy eaters ... you may get bitten alive in Europe but not in Tobago and vice versa ... it all depends on you and (in my case) alcohol can be a factor in how appealing you are.

As for the weather ... you are going at the end of November which is when the (alleged) rainy season moves intyo the dry season.

The month before Christmas is generally a very good time in terms of cost and weather (i.e.; you get good value all ways).

I hope this helps.

Regards

[Robert Rinde]

Thank you Paul!
Bugs in general is not a problem (unless they come in "Indiana Jones and the Tempel of Doom" proportions), it's the mosquitoes I'm worried about. Especially since I have heard that there are plenty of them around Bon Accord and since my girlfriend is usually quite liked by them.

As for the weather I hope that the month before christmas will be a good time to visit this year also. 2 weeks of rain and clouds would not be very fun.

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Robert

The Bon Accord development backs onto the mangrove swamps surrounding the Bon Accord Lagoon. There are quite a few creeks and irrigation canals, plus a lot of swampy ground in the area. An increasing amount of the land is being reclaimed from the mangrove, which is, of course, of deep environmental concern. The good news is that the sewage works down there seem to be a popular habitat with birds, for some strange reason. This sort of terrain is ideally suited to mosquitoes.

It would be wrong, however, to say that the entire Bon Accord area suffers from a problem with mosquitoes. Bon Accord covers a large area and the more established and developed areas are quite some distance from the mangroves. On the other hand, some of the new properties under development (and proposed) are too close to wet areas for comfort and I would have severe reservations about staying in them.

We spent the best part of a week in Bon Accord, at Lippy Lodge, back in March this year. This villa is situated pretty much in the middle of the development. We had absolutely no problem with mosquitoes or other bugs. We didn’t even use our trusty electric bug deterrent at nights. It was admittedly the dry season, but we go to Tobago at the same time (give or take a week or two) every year and during our eight week review tours we obviously get a good idea of whether a particular property is above or below average on subjects like this. Lippy Lodge got a totally clean bill of health on that side.

Against that, we had dinner one evening at a villa about 400m away. That villa backs on to the mangroves. Our host had citronella candles and mosquito coils right around the outside patio, where we dined, but despite this, Jill got several nasty bites.

So, I can see where your fears are coming from. There’s no simple answer. I am sure it comes down to the specific location of the villa you are staying in. We’ve already committed ourselves to another Bon Accord review next year because we are confident that like Lippy Lodge, it is not one of the ‘problem’ villas. However, without question there are others that anyone sensitive to bugs should avoid.

[Robert Rinde]

Thank you for the extensive answer!
We are going to stay at Seashell Villas, I'm not sure where in Bon Accord they are situated. But since we are not going for quite some time I guess it might be possible to call the travel agency and ask them to make sure our villa is as far from the swamps as possible.