Guest Report

[Tamar Wilkinson]

Having had a very stressfull year work wise (we run our own business) we really wanted to just sit back, relax and forget everything back home, im happy to report that we succeeded! We went to Tobago with 4 friends and found the accomodation very comfortable and well equipped.It is entirely constructed from timber so fits in beautifully with the surrounding rain forest. The location of the villa is a twitchers paradise, my husband particularly enjoyed discovering the local birdlife.Sitting on the verandah in the early evening after returning from a hard day on the beach was lovely,you are surrounded by birds, butterflies, fireflys etc; the books and binoculars provided in the villa helped with identification of the many birds we saw and the sunsets were beautiful. The nearest beach is Englishmans Bay, it was gorgeous.The water was warm, blue and clear. I am not a confident swimmer and was a little nervous of snorkelling to start with, but boy am I glad I did,I was blown away by the sights to be seen just a few metres off shore, it was like having your own vast personal fish tank to explore every day! The fish were stunning, we saw bait balls, tutles, tuna, cuttle fish, angel fish,who needs deep sea diving?I could go and on there was so much to see.There was a cafe/restaurant on the beach which we ate at a few times and the food was pretty good,we had heard negative reports, but no one had a dodgy tummy! We took picnics and cold beers on other days.I would highly reccommend going out on a boat trip with King David, he is the local contact for any queries or problems, what a lovely man, and his wife Erlin is equally helpful, she met us at the airport with the hire car company and then took us to the local supermarket to buy in supplies. You most certainly need to hire a 4x4, both for getting around the island and getting up the rough track/hill to the villa. There are no local supermarkets so you do need to shop on your way from the airport, just enough for a few days anyway whilst you get your bearings. Castara is the nearest village where it is possible to buy fruit/veg and Carib, etc from the local shacks. King David can organise diving,boat trips, fishing, barbecues and jungle walks. He is very knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna. We went on a boat trip around our side of the island, we fished on the way, went snorkelling and then stopped at a secluded cove to cook the fish we caught, all the salads and beers/soft drinks were included.We did eat out a couple of times at local restuarants, the food was simple but good, dont expect fine wine dining, a lot of the restuarants dont sell alcohol, if they do its either the local brew of Carib beer or rum.I would also double check opening times, Tobago time is very different from British time, ie; if they dont feel like it they wont bother opening, thats how relaxed Tobago is! If you are looking for lively night life, clubs,bars and restuarants this is not the place for you, if you are looking for a complete escape to relax and chill it has everything.It is a bare feet,tee shirts and shorts kind of place,there was no designer gear in sight! It is the ideal location to recharge the batteries and de stress, my husband was not tempted to use his mobile phone to make contact with work once, and that's saying something! We most certainly will be returning.