Banana Boat Inn - Reader Reports & Opinion
These reports are a combination of questions and comment posted in our Banana Boat Inn forum and visitor reports added via the 'Add Report' tab above. The votes awarded are weighted by volume and date to give a truer representation of reader satisfaction [more details].
Reader Satisfaction Ranking: 
Weighted ranking based on 10 votes = 3.5 (max 5)
Guest Report
Matthew from U.S.A. visited in December 2009 and awarded 
Upon arrival the place looked closed. It was gated and curtains were hanging out one of the windows and no one was around to check us in. After trying to find someone for about 30-45 minutes we decided to leave and not stay here. Based upon other places we stayed in Tobago, there are much nicer and affordable places than the Banana Boat. The old owner was very nice and returned some of our deposit. My thought is that the place is not run too well by the new owner. We were very excited but only disappointed.
Guest Report
Andrea from Austria visited in December 2009 and awarded 
Banana boat Inn has a new owner and a few things have changed. The wine bar downstairs ist closed and the PADI Resort Dive Centre doesn't exist any longer there. We were the only guests.
Rooms are as described, but the facilities are old and partially broken and not worth the price. There was no maid to clean up the room daily as described.
Guest Report
Colette McCalip from U.S.A. visited in April 2009 and awarded 
Caroline Hardie is an over-the-top owner/operator and so much more. Her extensive diving background, worldwide, makes her the envy of most dive centers around. Her more than a decade long affiliation with PADI as an elite member of the DM/Instructor professionals means she has the experience, skills, and training for any type of diving - whether you are vacationing or taking courses. Her natural love of diving and enthusiasm is contagious, and she exudes life and energy in everything she does. This is one lady that can't disappoint even the most sceptical diver, with her knowledge of the dive sites, conditions, visibility, and current, all taken into account prior to deciding the best place to dive at that moment. My husband and I spent an eight day dive vacation with her, and were so impressed with her knowledge and skills that we decided to pursue our own diving further by taking the Rescue Diver course with her. Thanks to Caroline, both of us are now fully confident that if we ever were to encounter an emergency situation, we are equipped with the foundation of knowledge and skills to handle it. Don't let the simplicity of the accomodations fool you, they may be simple but they are more than practical. With a fully equipped kitchen and the best shower on the island which is best experienced after a day of diving. You feel as if you are living the island experience, not visiting it. Her staff is lovely, attentive, appreciative, and as colorful and lively as the island of Tobago itself. We will be repeat visitors of Banana Boat Inn and Charlotteville Adventures Dive Center, undoubtedly. Caroline puts the "Adventure" in diving in Tobago!!!
Guest Report
J Hewett from U.K. visited in February 2009 and awarded
We really enjoyed our stay at Banana Boat. Its in a fantastic location a few steps from the beach at Man O War Bay, with an awesome bar/patio area for a few drinks in the afternoon/evening (which are fairly cheap). The room we stayed in was clean and very comfortable, with a really good ensuite bathroom and power shower. The rooms share a well-equipped kitchen where every room has its own fridge/microwave/oven/crockery etc which is great if you want to be able to throw meals together.
The staff are welcoming and helpful. You can also organise dives and hire snorkel gear on site as well, if you take a walk round to Pirate's Bay the snorkelling is OK (and the beach is amazing).
Banana Boat is really good value for money and the location is fantastic. The curried crab claws are definately worth a try as well!
Guest Report
Jenn Ifer from U.S.A. visited in December 2008 and awarded
The Banana Boat was perfect for us in Charlotteville -- Which, on a sidenote, I would recommend as a wonderful destination that we enjoyed even more than Castara or Crown Point.
The staff is friendly and accommodating. We ended up staying two nights rather than the one we had planned because we felt so comfortable and relaxed. The food was also delicious and priced pretty comparatively to any place in town we saw. Additionally, the kitchen facilities are really wonderful for cooking as you get your OWN fridge, stove, utensils, and microwave in the communal kitchen. The only negative I could imagine is that there are only four rooms and the owner seems to want to keep it that way.
The location is great -- at the end of the beach so you are away from the noise of Charlotteville (what little there is anyway!) But the walk along the beach into town is pretty and only about 5 - 10 minutes.
The owner was wonderful to us. She greeted us the night of our arrival when she got back into town and she was a wealth of information about snorkeling, beaches, and other sights to see. She gave us directions to an isolated beach which was a 30 minute walk from our door and it was amazing!
She also gave us a ride into town to the fish market, made sure we had snorkels that fit properly, and gave my bf drops for his ear when it appeared to be getting infected from the water.
Unfortunately, her boat (for diving) was broken when we were there was diving was not a possibility. However, I understand she was having it fixed and I'm sure that was a one-off sort of thing.
Overall, we LOVED the Banana Boat and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Lovely place! And we felt at home and SOOO relaxed!
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