Grafton Beach Resort - Review Page 5
Security
The main entrance to the hotel is secured by a barrier and the entire compound by high wire fences. Some attempt has been made at concealment of the fence by judicious planting of bougainvillea and other vibrant tropical plants, but improvement could still be made, particularly along the back of the property.
My only criticism of security is the issue of access to the beach. There are only two ways in and out of the hotel – either through the main entrance from the north coast road, or through a small gate at the rear of the property, onto the beach. The beach gate closes at 6pm and is securely padlocked. Access to the hotel after this time involves nearly a 10 minute walk to the front entrance. It is therefore impossible to sit on the beach and watch the gorgeous sunsets that occur about 6.30 pm. I would therefore strongly urge management to consider leaving this gate open until around 7pm.
All Inclusive Package
According to letter that we were given on arrival, the Grafton’s all-inclusive package includes:
- Full breakfast is served between 7:00am and 10:30am; Lunch between 12:00pm and 3:00pm; Afternoon tea between 3:00pm and 5pm, and dinner between 7:00pm and 10:00pm.
- Buccaneer’s Beach Bar 10:00am to 5pm. Lunch served 12:00pm – 4pm.
- Unlimited drinks including standard brands and house wine by the glass. The plan does not include wine or champagne by the bottle.
- Use of available non-motorised water sports equipment. (via the Dive shop)
- Complimentary beach towels and lounges for use at the resort.
- Use of tennis courts both during day or night.
- Weekly Manager’s Cocktail Party (every Wednesday evening, poolside at 6:30pm)
- Use of the hotel’s Fitness Centre at Le Grand Courlan Spa Resort.
- Any food or beverage consumed at Le Grand Courlan Spa Resort would be charged to you as this is not included in your All-inclusive package.
Although not included in Grafton’s vacation package, the following activities can be arranged through the resort’s front office staff - golfing and diving; use of Le Grand Courlan’s extensive spa facility and full-service beauty salon; the option to rent bicycles and/or cars; and an exciting array of full- and half-day island tours.
All of these activities, together with wedding arrangements, car hire, tours and excursions, etc., can be arranged through at the very helpful Guest Relations office, in the reception lobby.
The Guest Relations office also had a range of books and magazines and a computer with Internet access for guest use. Technically, wireless Internet access is available. Despite having no problem connecting to many other wireless networks in Tobago and elsewhere, I found that I although I could often connect to the network, I could never obtain a valid Internet connection. Connecting via the provided computer was adequate, but slow. There was invariably a queue of two or more people waiting to use the computer and a second machine would be a big advantage.
Conclusion
The views we express in myTobago reviews are not simply our own; they are also a summary of opinion shared with us by fellow guests during our stay at the hotel, through reports sent to us privately and, of course, through the many posts in the myTobago forum. Our personal visits only serve to confirm and validate this information.
With these factors in mind, I must start by saying that we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Grafton. The resort undoubtedly has all the basics – a stunning location, perfectly adequate and comfortable accommodation and a range of features and facilities which, if they were all fully operational and brought up to scratch, would make it a difficult hotel to beat.
The most noticeable improvement since our last visit was the improved friendliness, courtesy and efficiency of the staff. It is a sad reflection on Tobago to have to admit that the immigrant Phillipino labour force has raised standards considerably.
Against that, catering standards have slipped a little since our last visit and one gets the feeling that the team are not pulling together as well as they could. The hotel has undergone major changes in senior management during recent months and I suspect that the slightly negative sides of our experiences were largely part of the inevitable settling in process and the ongoing refurbishment program. It would therefore be unfair to criticise the hotel unduly at this time.
Taking everything into account, I can only repeat our 2004 conclusion, in which we said:
“We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would gladly have stayed longer. Our over-riding impression as we packed our bags and moved next door to more upscale sister hotel, Le Grand Courlan, was that the Grafton surely represents a damn good choice and is a hard-to-beat middle-market all-inclusive resort.”
Having stayed at every worthwhile hotel on Tobago, I think we would like to conclude with one further comment: Without doubt, we would award the Grafton our vote as the best all-round medium-grade all-inclusive hotel on Tobago.
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