Guest Report

4 apartments in Castara (listing)
Post Reply
Caroline Dench

Guest Report

Post by Caroline Dench »

Stayed at Lillibets in March and the temperature was perfect, around 29-30 degrees. Bruce picked me up from the airport following a 24 hour delay in London! He was very welcoming and stopped off at a supermarket so i could stock up on essentials for the 2 week stay. Was meant to be staying in one of the lower apartments with air conditioning but was instead put in the top left apartment, Andrew i think, which at first was a shock without aircon especially as i had picked up some sort of bug on the plane and had sickness and a temperature for the first couple of days of my stay. The apt does have two standing fans which i spent many hours of those first two days in front of, however once i had recovered, the temperature was much more bearable and the lack of aircon was not a problem. The beautiful Cathedral type wooden roof of the apt circulates the air very well and with the height of the house there is a nice breeze much of the time which blows through the apt keeping it cool. I had the fans on most of the time and it is lovely when you are in bed having the air blowing on you. The steps up to the apartment are quite a challenge, especially when you first arrive with all your shopping to take up, but by the end of the first week, i was much fitter and the steps were not a problem. Bruce pops in occasionally to check up on you, my only concern with the apt was the presence of some droppings of some kind in the living area and kitchen but i think that is something you get used to, the apartment is set in an area surrounded by vegetation so the presence of the occasional dropping is to be expected. Bruce assisted with some anti bacterial spray to use on the worktops etc just to be on the safe side. The apartment itself is lovely, the balcony runs the full length of the house and has a half screen between the apartments to allow some privacy from your neighbours. The views are probably the best in Castara, many of the local lads popped up for a chat/coffee/lime and always admired my view. The double bed was very comfortable and was completely surrounded by a mosquito net. The maids changed my bedlinen at least three times whilst i was there which was more than i expected. I had a plug in mosquito repellent which together with the net meant i only got occasionally bitten when i was sitting outside. There is a lockable box for any valuables in the room which gives you peace of mind, especially for your passport, although there appears to be a distinct lack of crime in Castara, i felt very safe while i was there which is ideal for a single female traveller. The kitchen has all the utensils and pans you need, there is a full size oven and gas hob, full size fridge and freezer, there were no cleaning products when i was there so i did purchase some cleaning fluid and a cloth for my stay, it may be a good idea to take some with you. The bathroom is like a wet room and the shower always had plenty of hot water, i did have to buy toilet roll whilst i was there. From the first day i was adopted by a Dog, cat, kittens and chickens who all hung out on my balcony for the entire 2 weeks. It was lovely to be welcomed home everyday and Dog (he never did get a proper name) spent the 2 weeks by my side whether it was on the beach or taking a walk into the village or even when i went to a beach party on Big Beach. He was great company and very protective of me, i shall miss him greatly. The birdlife is wonderful, there is a bird feeder hanging on the balcony and the variety of birds which come to feed is amazing. My favourite was the Mot Mot which love cheese and the blue tanagers which love banana and sugar. At night there are lots of bats which come to feed and they love banana too. I had already been to Tobago previously to Turtle Beach and stayed in a hotel there, i can categorically say that staying at Castara self catering was so much more fulfilling and free and easy. I did not go on any trips this time around as i had already done a lot on my previous visit and this time just wanted to chill and that is exactly what i did. Joey from the Boathouse restaurant took me to the waterfall which is a 10 minute walk for a refreshing swim and also to the big party on the beach which i thank him for, i shall miss you. Panday works for Bruce and was also a good friend while i was there, he often drives into Scarborough or the airport and will always take you with him if you need to go to the shops, he brought me fish and chips back with him one day and whenever he popped up to my apt, always brought a beer. He will also drive you to other beaches if you wanted to go, but i just couldn't see the point of being anywhere other than Castara. Carlloy is a good guy and a great cook, he cooked for me and a couple of friends i had made from Germany at their apartment one lunchtime and he happily wrote us out a couple of his recipes before we left. Wednesday night is the best night to go to the Boathouse, there is a steel drum band playing and then after that, African drums with Joey playing and the atmosphere is really nice, with your feet in
Hugh S
Tobago Anorak
Tobago Anorak
Posts: 551
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2007 2:43 pm
Location: West Coast, USA
Contact:

Re: Guest Report

Post by Hugh S »

". . . many of the local lads popped up for a chat/coffee/lime and always admired my view. The double bed was very comfortable . . ."

Sounds like you had a very good time! (Sorry, I couldn't resist. :lol: No offense intended.)

The droppings were probably gecko (locally called "wood slave"). They eat lots of mosquitoes which accounts for the copious droppings. I find that it is a fair trade-off.

Hugh 8)
Post Reply

Return to “Lillibets”