Coco Reef Resort - Review Page 1
Reviewed by Steve & Jill Wooler in March 2006
The 4*-plus 135-bedroom Coco Reef Resort may not be Tobago’s largest hotel, but it is certainly the island’s most popular luxury holiday resort.
So, how has the Coco Reef changed since our reviews of 2000 and 2002? Has the hotel become a victim of its own success? Are awards like “Best Resort in the Caribbean” (2005 World Travel Awards), “Tobago’s Best Hotel”, “Tobago Leading Resort”, Caribbean World’s “Best Luxury Resort” and British Airways “Best Resort Hotel” really deserved?
It is not our place to judge. No hotel anywhere in the world is right for everyone. We can only recount our experiences and leave you, our reader, to make your own judgement.
Overview
The Coco Reef Resort is a 4*+ luxury resort boasting Tobago’s only private white sand beach. Thegeneral ethos of the resort is restrained good taste. The hotel’s stylish up-market ambience attractsa wide range of clientele from young newlyweds to mature couples.Whilst not an ideal choice for those with young children or seeking serious nightlife, the Coco Reef has a very high repeat clientele, proving satisfaction in the most eloquent and powerful way possible.
The truly wonderful staff are, without doubt, the Coco Reef’s outstanding feature. It is only the staff that can create that indefinable 'je ne sais quoi' that lifts a resort from being merely good, to being truly great. Never have we found such a combination of service, courtesy, efficiency, friendliness and hospitality. They are magic!
Location
The Coco Reef is located on Crown Point – the flat southern coral-bed tip of Tobago. The hotel is just a five-minute walk from the airport. Once inside the grounds or hotel, you are totally unaware of this proximity and the sounds of the sea and the birds are far more ‘intrusive’ than any aircraft noise. In fact for the main part, you are totally unaware of any other life or sounds of Tobago from the hotel. You could almost be the only people on the island.
Let us be totally
honest: Crown Point is not exactly a key Tobago beauty spot.
The area primarily consists of a somewhat unattractive sprawl
of cheap guesthouses, fast food outlets, small boutiques and
other minor tourist attractions. Having said that, it is only
fair to also say that Tobago is a very small island (26 miles
by 8 miles) and that within a 10-minute drive of the hotel
you can be immersed in the spectacular beauty
of the island’s
beautiful coastline and green and lush hilly interior.
With the exception of Pigeon Point and, to a lesser degree, Store Bay, there is little that will interest the average Coco Reef client in Crown Point. Mind you, the short transfer time from the airport to the hotel is an absolute blessing after a long international flight. The hotel is also perfectly situated for exploring this gorgeous island. The hotel grounds are an oasis in a desert and once you have passed through the hotel’s high walls you are in a different world; a fantasy world.
Architecture
The lush trees and foliage surrounding the hotel disguise the size of the resort and help to generate the more intimate atmosphere of a smaller property. The eclectic architectural style, described as Caribbean-Palladian, is highly pleasing and blends superbly with the surroundings. Beautiful hand-made tiles are a major feature of the hotel and enhance the cool atmosphere throughout. Two main two-storey accommodation wings extend on each side of a central, taller, main building which houses the restaurants, bars and other public rooms.
Overall, every
aspect of the architecture and décor are stylish, tasteful and
very pleasing. We totally endorse the hotel brochure’s description
of ‘understated elegance’. The only things that jars somewhat
are the bright white
statues on the sea wall. I must also confess that I have reservations
about the collection of Cuban art that dominates every corridor
and public room.
The resort is set in 10-acres of beautifully manicured and maintained grounds. These gardens are now a major and exclusive feature of the hotel. No other resort on Tobago comes close to competing in terms of ‘wow’ factor. The gardens along the beach front, in particular, are just a stunning cascade of colour. Delia Figuera, the horticulturalist responsible, and her team of smartly-attired gardeners must be given full credit for this obvious labour of love. Delia runs garden tours each Tuesday and Thursday morning and I can highly recommend these tours, which are both informative and amusing.
Clientele
During our stay, the guests were a balanced and interesting ethnic mix. The hotel is undoubtedly popular with the British and they do represent the bulk of the custom. However, we came across visitors from many parts of Europe and the Caribbean, although very few North Americans.
Our 2002 review stated “The average age of the guests was nearer fifty-five than thirty, which was probably a good thing given (or a product of) the absence of nightlife and sporting activity. The resort is probably too quiet (and expensive) for younger couples, although it is deservedly highly popular with young honeymooners wanting to ‘chill-out’ and recover from pre-wedding stress”. Since writing that review, we have stayed at and reviewed every other luxury hotel on Tobago. I have to say that these comments apply to each and all of them. They still apply to the Coco Reef. The only change I need to make is that the average age of guests has dropped dramatically.
In our 2002 review, I also stated “Although not a family hotel, inevitably there were a few young families present”. This is no longer totally accurate as the resort has becoming increasingly popular with families due to the safe beach.
In 1999, the beach frontage of the Coco Reef was washed away by storms and tidal waves resulting from a hurricane further north. A substantial sea wall was built as a defence. The lagoon thus formed provides the calmest, safest, sea conditions anywhere on Tobago: conditions ideal for toddlers and children of all ages. As a result, the hotel has become increasingly popular with families, at the expense of those patrons who choose Tobago because of its best feature - its ability to make visitors relax and “chill out”. The hotel may point to their extremely commendable repeat rate as a worthy measure of success. That success is undoubted, but I would argue that it has been somewhat at the expense of the original market. This is not an intentional ploy by the hotel and, in fact, they have started to charge for young children in the last year or two. In truth, children are only a 'problem' during school holidays and only then when they are unruly and allowed to disturb the peace of others.
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