Castara Retreats revisited

[Sioned And Tim Sims]

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.