Lillibets - Review Page 1

Reviewed by Steve & Jill Wooler in February 2010

Lillibets is a two-storey house in the increasingly popular small fishing village of Castara. Located just a stone’s throw from beautiful Little Bay, the house offers 4 self-catering one-bedroom apartments.

There are now more than two dozen holiday accommodation properties in Castara. All this accommodation echoes the simple ‘back-to-basics’ ethos and ambience of the village, but even so there is still a variation of more than 7:1 in terms of the high-season rental rates of this disparate property. Despite being located within 100m of the beach, Lillibets manage to offer simple, but comfortable holiday accommodation at very affordable rates, without the huge premium prices often associated with beachside locations.

Location

Lillibets is located on the lower slopes of the hillside backing Castara’s Little Bay (more often referred to by the more glamorous,but technically incorrect, name of Heavenly Bay). Access to the property is off Depot Road, a steep lane leading from the main North Coast Road as it wends its way to Parlatuvier and Englishman’s Bay. Depot Road is narrow, steep, pitted and potholed but as long as drivers exercise care the road represents little more than a minor challenge. Lillibets is situated behind the Boat House Restaurant.

Two rocky outcrops separate Little Bay from Big Bay and the main beach. At low tide it is possible to wade waist-deep from one beach to the other, but few do. Other than the Boat House there are no shops or restaurants in Little Bay, so walking to shops and restaurants does entail a walk up the hill to the main road, then back down to the rest of the village. Best avoided in the heat of the day, it can be a pleasant walk that shouldn’t faze anyone and a cold beer always tastes so much better at the end.

As with virtually all accommodation in Tobago, I repeat my usual recommendation that visitors should budget to hire a car or jeep for at least part of their stay. The friendly local co-owner of Lillibets, Bruce Taylor, also runs a small self-drive rental agency, Taylor’s Jeep & Car Rentals, and they can supply cars and jeeps to guests on a daily or weekly basis. Although your own car is by far the best way to experience the best of Tobago, you will certainly not require transport around Castara itself.

Castara is a 50-minute drive from the airport. When making your booking we would recommend that you arrange for Bruce to provide transfer from the airport. He will then meet your incoming flight and transport you back to Lillibets. Shopping facilities in the village are limited, to say the least, so Bruce will take you via one of the main supermarkets where you can stock up with groceries. You will then probably need to plan for at least one trip per week to the main supermarkets. The golden rule of shopping in Tobago is “if it’s in stock, buy it”. Don’t assume that they will have something tomorrow just because it’s on the shelves today.

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