Guest Report

[Jocelyn Armstrong]

Our family visited Tobago last February and absolutely loved it. Palmhaven was every bit like the pictures shown on the website. A lovely open air home, (once you open the louvered doors) with an impressive garden and lovely pool.

We have two children that stayed in the double room and another guest who stayed in the other guest room. All the rooms are separate with en suite bathrooms, so everyone had their privacy. The beds were comfortable with nice feather pillows, all covered with mosquito netting. It was always breezy with the villa on top of the hill.

The one thing I will remark on is the loud birds next to the master bedroom, making noise at dawn. I figured out after a few days that if I made a racket, they would stay away for a day or so. But really, better than the sound of traffic or car alarms. The birds were part of the charm.

Wayne and Joyce were very nice and accommodating. They stopped in every day to clean and water the plants. They will stay as much or as little as you like. We had Joyce cook our meal on the day of arrival, which was lovely after a day of traveling.

The villa is on top of a hill. At the bottom of the hill down the street , is the food store with all you may require. It is located in a convenient area, close to the beaches and the point, boating etc. We enjoyed Mt Irving beach for a feel of the real caribbean. We felt very safe there. It is patroled by the police and there are always life guards there.

We did alot of activities that our boys enjoyed thoroughly. We went offshore fishing with Grand Slam, an excellent adventure. We caught a couple of kingfish, and barracuda, which we brought home and ate all week. We bought some delicious shark from the fisherman on the side of the road. You must be as aggressive as the natives when bargaining for fish, or there will be none left to buy before you know it!
We went on a nature tour with Peter Cox up to Speyside and Little Tobago to see the birds nesting, go snorkeling and hike into the rainforest to swim in a waterfall. That day we had lunch at Jemima's Treehouse in Speyside. Peter helped with the food served family style. The Tobogans eat their big meal in the middle of the day, which is good because we were famished from all the activity. Peter is a wonderful guide, polite, knowledgeable respectful of our natural surroundings and great with kids.

My sons learned to windsurf at Pigeon Point... spectacular! And very well priced for a lesson compared to the States. We rented a car from Sheppy, which I had arranged well in advance, which I recommend because he is really busy and seems to have the best reputation on the island. All of these people were recommended on the website by Kay O'. We were not disappointed.

One last memory...we had a wonderful meal at an Italian restaurant at Boucco Beach named, La Tartaruga. Fabulous. A tad expensive but worth it. The proprietor is a lovely ma, form Italy, who also has a pizzeria in Scarborough.

All in all, we felt safe there, but always good to keep an eye out. We found the people were friendly and helpful.

The only thing I will say is to be sure to wear bug repellent when you go into the rainforest. I forgo, and shortly after my return, I contracted Dengue fever, which was rather unpleasant for a time. Thank goodness everyone else escaped unscathed. Despite the illness, I look forward to our next visit. it was an awesome adventure!