Scarborough *
A small, hilly, hot and dusty town with various shops, a central market, mall and cinema. Loud music and busy roads define Scarborough. Nearly half the population of Tobago live in this small town. Visitors expecting serious retail therapy will be sadly disappointed.
You will find the major banks, post office, library, pharmacies and bus station at Scarborough Mall, opposite the docks in Lower Scarborough. The Court House in Upper Scarborough was built in 1825. It is now used as the meeting place of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) which handles Tobago's local government.
Scarborough Market ***
In the same area of the town as Scarborough Mall, the market specialises in fish, fruit, vegetables and local foods. The market is well worth a visit, particularly on Saturdays. It is a truly vibrant place and a wonderful way of getting some feel for local culture.
Botanical Gardens **
Further up the hill, away from the harbour is the 17-acre Botanical Gardens which represent a quiet oasis in the bustle of the town. A perfect place to relax amongst the brilliant colours of the flamboyant trees, silk cotton trees and avenues of royal palms.
Ciao Café *****
I leave the best reason to visit Scarborough until last and make no apology for the commercial plug that it represents. Ciao Café is a wonderful little Italian coffee bar and ice cream parlour. They make and sell more than two dozen different types of genuine Italian ice-cream, plus mouth-watering gateaux and the best coffee on Tobago. In fact, with the exception of maybe two other places, they serve the only good coffee on Tobago. Sadly, most Tobago hotels and restaurants use the truly awful Trinidadian apology for the product. It truly must rank as the world's worst coffee, bearing absolutely no resemblance in appearance (grey), taste ('50s ersatz coffee or first generation decaffeinated) or effect (like decaff) to the 'real' stuff we enjoy everywhere else around the world.
To find Ciao Café, turn left at the harbour and walk up Carrington Street for around 300m, keeping left (avoiding the right turn into Castries Street. As you start to go up hill, the road splits into three streets. The café will be facing you on the opposite side of right-turn Burnett Street. It's a two-minute walk from the harbour and centre. |
