Guest Report

[Nev Bradley]

Hey! Looking for romance - a unique back-to-nature holiday far from the madding crowd? Then look no further! You won’t find better than Tobago - and “ The Lookout Villa!”

Kathie (better half) and I braved Tobago’s rainy season in late September 2011. Your plane arrives at Tobago’s southwestern tip at the slightly commercialized Crowne Point area. From there, a 45-minute drive brings you to the picturesque sleepy hamlet of Castara - gateway to Tobago’s north and northeast coasts. With picture-postcard perfect views, it is here where the true beauty, peace and romance of Tobago really start. And - ten minutes out from Castara - where in all the world can be found a more stunning and unspoiled beach than Englishman’s Bay? The location of Lookout Villa!

“The Lookout” – a wooden church-style villa amidst all the glory of the Tobagonian rain forest – far exceeded our wildest expectations. Open plan, it boasts high ceilings, space a-plenty, cool natural ventilation a huge lounge and all mod cons. It’s comfortable and quite unique - who’d have anticipated a fully stocked kitchen (fridge, cooker, electric kettle all included), English 3-pin plugs, a TV (runs DVDs), a book library (all readable!), games for a rainy day, a mobile phone and fresh running water, slam bang in the middle of the jungle? The 3 double bedrooms are comfortable and have ample wardrobe space. Each has an en-suite fun shower with a jungle outlook, great for yodelling “Tarzan” into the jungle!

Reaching Lookout Villa involves a 10min off-road adventure up a tortuous hilly track which if rainy might require 4WD vehicular access. Having safely negotiated the bumpy but fun trip into the rain forest - the woods part to reveal "The Lookout’s" simply stunning, open vista. Seclusion makes the villa safe, quiet and ideal for that romantic honeymoon - but there are steps and slopes which could prove slippery when wet. So great though the facilities are, you'd need to keep a careful eye on young children!

First morning? Alarm clock? Forget it! The cocorico - Tobago’s resident foghorn and a bird arguably with the highest decibel call in the world - will make your early wakeup call certain! No problem - because I guarantee when you step out on to the Lookout’s balcony for the first time you will be genuinely stupefied! That magisterial 1800 panoramic view of Englishman’s Bay – one of the finest beaches in the world! The rising sun playing over the endless Caribbean! The whispering susurration of the distant waves. Magic!

Apprehensive about the jungle? Initially, we were! As “townies” we’re used to our creature comforts. We worried that a holiday with a difference, isolated and miles away from anywhere might be outside our comfort zone. Well! "The Lookout" is a jungle experience. There, the denizens of the jungle come to visit you! Bats fly around at night. The sexual exploits of the resident geckos at night can get rather noisy and there are plenty of unusual insects too. We saw more wildlife at The Lookout than you pay to see on the (advertised) Gilpin Forest Trail! We were told Tobago has snakes - but that none were poisonous. Well we didn’t see any. We didn’t get bitten and we certainly didn’t feel intimidated by anything we saw.

But the forest, the flowers, the views, the accommodation and the humming birds buzzing around your head at morning coffee are unforgettable. So - Tobago and "The Lookout" - magical! There, we certainly rekindled our romance! Only downside - the bloody wife beat me at Scrabble and hasn’t stopped gloating about it since!

Our holiday overlapped that of "The Lookout’s" owners - Jane and Pete Larkin. Great company and great fun! Thanks guys! Just writing to let you know how much we enjoyed ourselves!

For readers thinking of visiting Tobago, when I get the chance I’ll put a report about the island, what there is to do and the Castara area on Trip Advisor – prob. Feb or Mar 2012.