Guest Report

[Richard Baldwin]

My wife and I stayed at Seascape in Castara for March Break. Upon arrival it was as expected, other than the woodwork has now been stripped of any finish lacquer from the sea air over the past few years, so it wont look quite as "polished" as the website photos show on the day of completion. The view was remarkable, in my opinion the best view in Castara, we could see people walking on the beach below looking up and pointing as if to say "Oh it would be nice to stay there!". There is a steep path to the cabin but it is not a long hike and as long as you don't have any serious mobility problems you should be able to make it up and down without too much trouble. There were a few things I felt could have been improved upon as far as amenities. For example, we were provided only 2 rolls of toilet paper for the week, a microwave would have made heating up leftovers much easier, no teapot, the blender didn't work, nor did the cell phone we had been provided. The shower head was almost completely clogged from hard water deposits and similar issues which simply showed that the owner, although quite hospitable, was definitely not around enough to ensure such supply and maintenance of the property.

Perhaps these are minor issues, but it is what held me back from giving the accommodation a perfect score.

There needs to be something said about the ambiance of Castara as well, as it is very much a part of your stay at seascape. Steve's review mentions an amusing reference to a "cacophony" of barking dogs and crowing roosters in the early morning, as well as a warning about the Wednesday night party at the boathouse bar and restaurant which can go until about 12-1. These we prepared for and were expecting, but what was not expected was the "late night lime" put on by the clay kitchen on Friday night located directly next door, which starts at around 8pm with a near deafening volume of soca music which DOES NOT STOP until 4AM.
Remember, none of the buildings are sealed or have glass windows, there is no way to block this sonic assault whilst you try to sleep. The part that bothered us the most about it is there was nobody there until after 12 midnight, but the stereo loud enough to cause a landslide carried on regardless. I have no issue with soca music being played at respectable hours but this was a serious downfall to our stay and completly destroyed an entire nights sleep on the last night before the voyage home. All I can recommend is to plan your trip to be LEAVING on Friday unless you are interested in taking part in this or are able to sleep through a bomb blast.

The locals are friendly and helpful to any needs you may want. Anything from climbing a tree to get you a coconut to taking you out for a personally guided snorkel swim. I was disappointed to see that nobody would tip them for these fine skills and I can see why they get a bit "lazy" when being requested for such favors. A few dollars goes a long way to making their day and bringing out those bright smiles. I do hope that some of you more "frugal" minded guests will keep that in mind.

Explore its variety of restaurants, but bring your own food too for in between. Be prepared for a lot of curried chicken or fish. Plan to party and have supper at the boathouse on Wednesday for sure, it will make your stay that much more full.

Snorkeling is unsurpassed. Parrot fish, stingrays, schools of colorful fish swimming around you is something you have to experience.

Please do not take my comments on some of the negative aspects to mean I did not enjoy my stay in Castara. My reviews will always be very blunt, and unbiased. This place is about as "Tobago" as you can get and if you want to really be a part of this island and it's culture while still feeling secure with a few other tourists around, then this is the place to be.