Pelican Villa - Review Page 4
Beach
It is a 12-minute downhill walk from Pelican Villa to the nearest beach – the mile-long Grafton Beach in Stonehaven Bay. However, the best (calmest) swimming is at the far end of the beach so you really need to add an extra few minutes to this time. The walk home is uphill and will obviously take longer. It is a hard slog, even at the coolest times of the day, and you have to pass a couple of villas where you may be harassed by guard dogs.
There is also reasonable snorkelling at the eastern end of the beach. All of Stonehaven Bay beach shelves relatively gradually. Although there are a few rocky parts, the majority of the beach consists of soft sand with no hidden “nasties”. There are no lifeguards, warning flags or other safety facilities, so visitors should obviously take great care and never, ever, exceed their capabilities and experience.
A number of traders ply the beach or have semi-permanent ‘stands’ there. None of them were in the slightest way intrusive – in fact they can become friendly beach companions if you take the trouble to pass the time of day and exchange a friendly word. Buying something is not normally a precondition. However, be aware of a well-known beach bum who approaches tourists and immediately attempts to anoint them with Aloe Vera (and/or sell them drugs) – and then demands extortionate sums for the ‘treatment’. Refuse to pay and threaten to call the police. You may get a bit of verbal abuse, but this guy has never been known to be violent.
Dining & Shopping
Pelican Villa and the Sanctuary Villa Resort are extremely well-placed from a dining point of view. A substantial percentage of Tobago’s best restaurants are within a five-minute drive.
Closest of all - just at the bottom of the hill – is Indigo. This Irish-owned and run guesthouse/restaurant/bar was one of our favourites on the island until it became far more expensive than the quality deserved. Sadly we understand that it is to close in April 2007. Hopefully new owners will be found and that it will continue as a restaurant.
Other popular restaurants are: Seahorse Inn, Pavillion Restaurant, La Tartaruga, the Mot Mot Restaurant, Patino’s, Ru-B-Lou’s, Me-Shells and Melange. Increase the drive from 5 minutes to 20 and virtually every good restaurant on the island is within your domain. Please see our Restaurants article for full details.
For a more modest offering, Pizza Boys have an outlet at the bottom of the hill – and the prices are particularly reasonable (TT$40 for a medium-sized Hawaiian pizza).
Next door to Pizza Boys is Marie’s Place. This is the best mini-mart along this section of coast and is ideal for basics. For anything more, you will need to go to Moorshead’s Gourmet Foods, just a five-minute drive away, or to the main Penny Savers supermarkets in either Canaan or Carnbee (both a 10-15 drive).
We also recommend nipping down to the Mount Irvine Beach Facilities, less than a 5-minute drive from Pelican Villa, to buy freshly caught fish (actually, always check with the fisherman – they are regularly known to supplement the ‘fresh’ fish with frozen when catches are poor). You can’t miss the fish stalls – they’re just tables beside the sea wall and you’ll know when the catch is in from the number of cars blocking the road as everyone jostles to get the best cuts. Just point to the fish you want and tell the fisherman how much you want and whether you want it filleted or cut as a steak.
Security
The Sanctuary Villa Resort has only one road in and out and this is guarded by uniformed security 24 hours a day. Pelican Villa appears perfectly secure. The villa has a small security safe large enough for documents, jewellery and currency, etc.
It cannot be denied that Tobago has suffered a worrying increase in crime in recent years. In fairness it has to be stated that it is not so much the level of crime that is worrying and which has caught the headlines, but more the rapid expansion, from virtually zero, in such a short time. However, Tobago is still very much safer than many popular Caribbean islands – including popular places like Barbados and Antigua.
The guarded compound of the Sanctuary Villa Resort will therefore be a major plus to many visitors. It can naturally ruin a holiday if concerns about security make you feel uncomfortable; or if you are concerned about something as simple as leaving doors and windows open during the day while you enjoy the pool or garden. In this respect, the Sanctuary estate has an awful lot to offer. To the best of my knowledge and belief, there has never been a burglary on the development.
Conclusion
There is no argument about the fact that Pelican Villa would make a wonderful home-from-home for a family or group of up to eight people. It is ideally located, close to the best beaches and restaurants and within easy reach of everything else. It is superbly decorated, furnished and equipped and has everything needed to maintain the highest standard of living. The villa suffers one small negative – an unattractive partial view over the uncompleted condominiums of the Sanctuary development. To be frank, I wouldn’t give this a thought.
We therefore highly commend Pelican Villa.
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