Guest Report

[Alan & Jacqueline Cole]

This is the first time in a few years we have been able to enjoy a trip such as this and Castara Cottage, Castara Village and Tobago way exceeded our expectations.

We were looking for a peaceful, simple retreat that had a flavour of how the locals live, with access to good beaches and the freedom to explore the island safely. In addition we wanted to be able to enjoy local food but also have the freedom to cater for ourselves - it certainly ticked all those boxes.

We stayed inititally in Saffron (studio) then moved downstairs to Cinammon. I have to say we would have happily stayed in Saffron.(The move was only necessary because we had to change our holiday dates and Saffron was not available for the full two weeks).

The apartments are clean, comfortable and well equipped. The shower is hot and the bed comfortable - what more do you need on holiday? We were particularly impressed with the way Brigitte called regularly to change bed linen and towels - particularly important in a humid environment.

We decided not to take any of the tours offered by Duck or Fitzroy - we really just wanted to relax. They were not the least offended and were not at all pushy when we said no.

Local restaurants serve good food at reasonable rates. The coffee shop run by Cheno and his brother do an excellent salt-fish and bake breakfast - must be tried at least once.

Ralph the fruit and veg man in the village gave us excellent advice on how to cook plantain and the fish purchased fresh from the co-operative was beyond excellent. The lady who runs the little gift shop by the beach offers excellent recipes on how to cook the fish.

All in all we really couldn't fault anything - other than the fact we had to leave.

If you are looking for a relaxing holiday, on a safe island, in authentic comfortable accommodation, in the most beautiful of surroundings, then look no further than Castara Cottage.