Birdie's Nest - Review Page 4
The Beach
Great Courland Bay is over a mile in length. The eastern (Plymouth) end is largely made up of golden coral sand; the western end has a higher content of black volcanic sand. The beach is one of the longest in Tobago and consists of almost uninterrupted sand – with the exception of one rocky and untidy-looking stretch a few hundred metres from Birdie’s where visitors need to be careful of one or two rusty old steel reinforcing rods from old beach defence systems. Mind you, even here you can walk on the sand between the rocks and have no need for sandals or other footprotection. Although not quite as good a walking beach as Rockley Bay on the Atlantic Coast, it runs a close second. I shall miss my morning ‘constitutionals’ along the beach. Mind you, a two mile round-trip on soft sand is more like a 10-mile walk in British country footpaths.
Swimming conditions vary enormously. The western end, in front of Birdie’s, is the most exposed. For four of our five days the breakers were a little too active for beach-babe Jill’s preference, although we did see a few visitors and locals brave the surf. However, on our final day conditions were as calm as a pond and even young children were able to swim there. The conditions were never a problem, however as the eastern end of the beach is totally sheltered and resembles a mill pond most of the time. You simply walk along the beach until you find the level of surf that you enjoy.
The beach in Courland Bay is better know as Turtle Beach and this is the most popular nesting spot on Tobago for the beautiful, but endangered, Giant Leatherback Turtles. During the nesting season (typically March to August) these beautiful creatures can regularly be seen coming ashore during the night hours, digging a nest and laying their eggs before returning to the ocean. Even more spectacular is the sight of the tiny hatchlings scurrying back down the beach from the nest to the sea, a few weeks later.
Servicing & Catering
The apartments are serviced every 3-4 days, depending upon need, etc. Bed linen and towels are provided (although you must remember to bring 
your own beach towels). All linen was clean, in decent condition and of adequate tropical weight and quality.
Meals (breakfast and dinner) can often be arranged by prior arrangement with Prince. The catering is provided by a friendly local neighbour who happens to work in the kitchens of one of the nearby resorts, so she is well-familiar with the tastes and preferences of visitors. She provided dinner for us on our arrival night. It was excellent. The breakfast, cooked for us by the same lady a few days later, set us up for the day so well that we didn’t need lunch.
Insects
Possibly the biggest surprise of our stay was the total absence of mosquitoes and sand flies. Having only been ‘on-island’ for five days, it is difficult to know whether this is peculiar to Birdie’s. Jill received a couple of mossie bites in Crown Point and I got some 'no-see-um' bites while clambering on a grassy bank trying to get photos of Birdie's (it will teach me not to get complacent and to ALWAYS spray my legs before such activities). All in all this has been a wonderful and pleasant surprise and I would like to think that our experience was typical.
Conclusion
Right next door to Birdie’s is a new ‘luxury’ apartment house. It is very smart and it is clear that the Norwegian owner has put an awful lot of hard work into the property. However, the rates are double those of Birdie’s and the views are not as good. We sat on our balcony last evening debating whether we, personally, could justify the difference in cost. 
Yes, to some people matching décor and the glitz of the typical European/North American home matters. Birdie’s is much simpler. The fact that the wooden furniture and fittings are in every shade and colour imaginable is irrelevant and, in fact, becomes almost endearing. You pay your money and you take your choice.
So, what was our impression of Birdie’s? Was it a house we would be prepared to return to or stay in for an extended duration?
Prince and Princess Robinson represent the best of Tobago – the sort of people to whom myTobago.info is dedicated. This is the Tobago that I fell in love with 50 years ago - a Tobago that is sadly disappearing.
We loved our stay at Birdie’s. The hospitality was wonderful. The accommodation was simple but VERY comfortable. Would we return? YOU BET! Would we stay for extended period? Yes, without question. Frankly, I could even envisage living permanently in a place like this.
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