Guest Report

[Vikki Brand]

We booked our holiday to Castara Retreats in May 2005 and found the MyTobago and Castara Retreats websites to be incredibly helpful and informative, I have never been so prepared (and so ready) for a holiday! After what seemed like an eternity we arrived on the 18th August 2005 for two weeks that I don’t think either of us will forget, a holiday of a lifetime, and one that will be re-visited for many years to come.

Osprey was perfect for us, a comfortable and well-equipped apartment with everything you could need. The gardens were beautiful and attracted an exceptional amount of bird life to the feeders, and the view from our deck was simply inspiring. I miss crawling out of bed to sit on the deck with a view of the village and the bay that literally takes your breath away! It was great to meet the owners Steve and Sue along with their daughter Freya, and thanks to them we enjoyed barbeques on the deck, and a fantastic boat trip to Big Bay. Castara Retreats would however not be complete without Porridge, Jeanelle, Ovita, Carrington and Duck. We would highly recommend a trip with Duck whether on land or sea, and his cooking is exceptional!

As a couple we love to get away from it all and shun the commercial, package type holidays that are so widely available. Tobago was the perfect choice, and the village of Castara was exactly what we were looking for. It was a privilege to live among this close fishing community and to buy fresh produce, meet local characters and eat traditional fare on a daily basis. Watching the fishermen at work pulling in the Seine net was an incredible sight, be sure to get up early! Nights spent at Skipper’s Rum Bar (I forget the proper name! Too much Carib perhaps?) were a wonderful blend of locals and tourists from all over Europe, which made for great conversation and of course dancing.

Thankfully the mosquito and sand-fly bites were few and far between, no more so than on any European holiday we have been on anyway. Although I think we have the mosquito net to thank for that! The occasional rain shower did nothing to dampen our spirits either, as it usually disappeared as fast as it had appeared leaving blue skies and brilliant sunshine. Our only negative experience was one morning on the beach when we watched horrified as young local boys (with small fish tied to wire as bait) tried to hook, and bring down the Magnificent Frigatebirds.

We visited most of the island by jeep (hired from Porridge) and found so many beautiful bays and villages, our favourite disoveries were Jemma's restaurant in Speyside, the craft shop and ice-cream stall at Englishman's Bay, Pirates Bay, Little Tobago and the Argyll Waterfall.

Our next visit will unfortunately have to wait until 2007, and until then we will remember Castara and everyone we met with fond and happy memories.

Vikki & Ewan Brand