Paradise Point Villa & Hanging Garden Villa - Review Page 2
Accommodation
Paradise Point Villa is now only available as a two-bedroom house and, as such, we very highly recommend it to our readers. Until recently, the property was also available for rental as two separate self-contained one-bedroom apartments. 
We stayed at the property in ‘apartment’ configuration. We agree with Alice that the sound-proofing between the two halves of the house was not perfect and endorse her decision to only rent this house as a single unit in future. We have therefore described the house as such, rather than as the two separate apartments (Seaside and Rainforest) that some readers may be familiar with.
Hanging Garden Villa is a very different kettle of fish. The house offers a stunning one-bedroom apartment (Bamboo) on the upper floor and a two-bedroom apartment (Robinson Crusoe Studios) on the lower floor. We can thoroughly recommend this house either as a single three-bedroom unit, or as separate units, as long as renters of the lower apartment appreciate the limitations of the mini-kitchen.
We will describe each of the houses separately:
Paradise Point Villa (2-bedroom villa)
Located on a single floor beneath the main deck, Paradise Point Villa offers a gross accommodation floor area of around 725sq.ft. (38m2), excluding the balcony.
The house consists of two fully air-conditioned bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, located on either side of a central kitchen area. The two bedrooms are virtually identical.
All rooms are beautifully and tastefully decorated and furnished with totally appropriate wall hangings, decorations and other furnishings. You instantly feel ‘at home’.
Two sets of flying stairs, one at either end of the house, lead down from the main deck and onto the wide wrap-around balcony that runs around three sides of the accommodation. French doors lead from the balcony into each bedroom suite, each of which have their own cosy living areas furnished with a small dining table and a comfortable cushioned rattan sofa, armchair and matching coffee table. There is also a shelf/desk unit with a small radio/CD unit (bring your own discs), a small collection of books, novels and tourism brochures, emergency torches (power blackouts are a common feature in Tobago) and a few games like playing cards and Jenga bricks to keep occupants amused on those occasions when they have overdone the sun and need to seek respite indoors.
Each living room opens onto a bedroom area dominated by a queen-size four-poster wooden bed with decorative mosquito net. There is only enough space for a single bedside table, but each side of the bed is equipped with a flexible wall-mounted reading lamp. These were perfect for reading. The bed is quite high and the gap underneath ideal for storing empty suitcases. The bed was extremely comfortable and if it were not for the young trees in front of the property, you would be able to lie there and admire the views of Castara.
We are loathe to suggest that trees should be cut down, but the views would be so stunning that it is sad to deny them to the occupants of Paradise Point. A little judicious pruning and thinning of the trees would open the views and considerably enhance the property. We understand from Alice that this is already planned for the coming summer, so accept that this was a temporary issue.
Adjacent to the bed are a pair of built-in wardrobes with attractive wooden louvered doors and lots of hangers. They provide a little over 1.8m of full-length hanging space, plus a number of storage shelves. The doors feature narrow full-length mirrors. Additional storage cupboards run above the wardrobes and over the central door leading to the en suite bathroom.
Bathrooms are clearly a favourite with Alice. Very ‘American’ in style, the gold and chrome bathroom fittings and decorative tiles seem almost out of place in Castara. Mind you, they do provide a sense of luxury and endorse the fact that this property is very different from the average rental property in the area.
While the chrome and gold fittings are undoubtedly attractive, we felt that the strongest bathroom feature was the twin wash basins. Set into an attractive vanity unit with lots of storage space for toiletries – not to mention two supplied hair dryers – the basins are backed by charming decorative wall tiles and full width mirrors supplemented by excellent spot lights. Just as important, the sinks provide both hot and cold water. It is astonishing how many properties in the area have nothing but cold water to bathroom and kitchen sinks and rely on low-volume instantaneous water heaters for the shower.
Guests needing to use electrical shavers or charge their toothbrushes need not fear – a power point (110v) is provided in each bathroom.
As might be expected, the showers at both Paradise Point Villa and Hanging Garden Villa are enclosed fully-tiled units with modern shower heads. All plumbing was in excellent condition with no sign of the heavy corrosion so common in the tropics. The level of workmanship around the property is very high by local standards. One vital tip for first-timers to Tobago: if the water gets too hot while 
you are under the shower, do NOT dive for the blue cold water tap. Instead, jump out. The chances are that any tap will produce the opposite temperature to that indicated by the tap legend or colour coding. Given the frequency with which this syndrome is to be found, one could be excused for thinking that Tobago has only one plumber – and that he is dyslexic.
All linen and towels were of excellent quality and changed every other day. Beach towels are not supplied, so don’t forget to bring your own. The bed was extremely comfortable. We slept well. There are no neighbouring houses, so equally no dogs or cockerels (roosters) to disturb the peace. Tobago’s raucous national bird, the cocrico (chachalaca) are found in great multitude in this terrain, but disturbed our early morning slumber no more than anywhere else.
Both living areas have a door into the 3 x 2.9 metre central kitchen. The kitchen is equipped with a huge five-burner gas stove, microwave oven, toaster, coffee makers (filter and cafetière), blender, fridge-freezer and dishwasher. We didn’t at first appear to have hot water in the kitchen. It turned out that the hot tap had to be run for a VERY long time (4-5 minutes). This was rather surprising, particularly given that there was no such problem with the bathroom basins or shower.
Two sets of windows can be folded back to reveal a six-foot (1.83m) bar/serving hatch between the kitchen and external balcony. There are four tall stools on the balcony side of the bar. The adjacent semi-circular terrace, which provides stunning views of Castara Bay, is furnished with a table and chairs. This will 
undoubtedly be the dining and liming spot of choice for residents. In shade throughout the day, the terrace is almost enveloped by trees growing from the hillside beneath the property. Countless huge clay pots planted with myriad colourful tropical plants dominate every balcony and terrace of this lovely property. You truly feel that you are living within the environment.
Both bedrooms are fitted with modern split-unit air-conditioners. Ours proved both silent and efficient. In fairness, it didn’t have to work very hard. The house is so well shaded by the roof overhang and benefit from such cooling sea breezes that the indoor temperature never rose above comfortable levels. We did use the air-conditioner at night. I’m such a sour old toad that the mossies aren’t interested; sweet Jilly is another matter altogether. Fortunately, insects were almost conspicuous by their absence this year and we didn’t even contemplate using the decorative mosquito net or bother to switch on our trusty Good Knight electrical bug deterrent burner. We slept like logs every night and didn’t experience a single bite.
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