Guest Report

[Catherine & Ryan]

We stayed at Lillibets for a week in March and it was everything we expected and more. Bruce (who was very helpful) picked us up at the airport after an overnight flight from Canada and drove us along the coast to Castara. We stopped at the PennySaver where we picked up a few things, but as we were over tired we regretted later that we hadn't picked up more. While you can get the fruit, vegetables, fish and basic items at the little shops in Castara you really need to go to the Penny Saver in town for groceries.

Castara itself is a beautiful fishing village split between two beaches and Lillibets is set up on a hill above the smaller beach with a fantastic view. The climb up to Lillibets is steep so would not be good for anyone with mobility issues, but once you get up there it is well worth the effort. We stayed on the top floor and while those apartments don't have air conditioning we didn't really feel it was necessary. In the top apartments you also get the benefit of the high cathedral ceilings and I think perhaps more of a feeling of privacy.

The accommodation is rustic, but clean with plenty of room for two people and privacy. In the front is a living/kitchen area and at the back a bathroom with shower on one side and bedroom on the other. The bed has a mosquito net, but we didn't find the bugs that bothersome anyway. At night we would sit out on the balcony and eat dinner of fresh caught fish we had purchased from the fishermen on the beach in the late afternoon. In the morning we'd sit there and eat breakfast and watch the birds come to eat the fruit we'd left out for them.

Some days we would relax on the beach at Castara and go snorkelling and some days we rented a car to explore a bit more of the island. Our favourite beach was Englishman's Bay, just a few minutes drive up the coast from Castara and often almost entirely empty.

We found our holiday at Lillibets extremely relaxing and somewhat off the beaten path, but still with enough amenities around that we had our choice of several restaurants to eat at and things to do. I would recommend Lillibets as an ideal location for a couple or a group of friends. The village is quiet in the evening so would not be a good destination for someone looking for nightlife. We definitely plan to go back and will stay at Lillibets again.