Guest Report

[Jack, Anna & Otto]

Well... What can we say? Marys Hill Lodge is incredible.

Amazing views across the valley from its hillside perch. A spectrum of birds passing through to say hello, distant music from the church below and the chorus of lizards and crickets as darkness falls. A wonderful retreat from the heat of the beaches and the perfect place to wind down with a drink and a book, to gently strum the house guitar or to cook up a feast for the family!

We found everything we needed (and more!) for a perfect family holiday. Loads of space for tiny feet to run around and a cool balcony out back to shelter from the heat with a bucket of water and the buckets and spades. Cupboards full of games, colouring pens and papers and plenty plastic cups and little plates for smaller hands. The beach blankets and bags were a nice bonus, too!

The island truly is Paradise. We must have visited 10 different beaches and swam in half a dozen different waterfalls in our two week stay. Parlatuvier bay was fantastic with a jetty to jump off in to the turquoise sea and the east river waterfall just 10 minutes walk away to swim in the pools at the bottom (and top!) of the waterfall. A cool spot for a picnic lunch. Read Mark Puddy's book for the lowdown on waterfall walks or, better still, give him a call and go walking with him!

Mt Irvine and Pirates Bay were great for snorkelling. We even saw a (friendly) shark! The food at the surfers' bar at Mt Irvine is good value and it's a great beach for little ones to run wild (plenty of shade).

The market in Scarborough is great, especially Harriet's food stall at number 5. We cooked recipes from her book and found it very useful as a guide to shopping in the market. The freshest red snapper we ever tasted was bought from a woman out the back who'd driven down from Speyside at the crack of dawn.

All in all, we'd recommend Marys Hill Lodge to all ages. It was great to be away from the tourist areas of Store Bay and Pigeon Point and to get a true taste of the Tobagonian life. Hope to be back soon!