Guest Report

[Julie Cumberland]

A group of us (5 adults) have just spent a week at the Grand Courlan (April 2007) Hotel and Spa, sister hotel to the Grafton, at Black Rock, in Tobago.


It's a great place to go if you want a break from the kids and the daily stress of UK life – you simply have to slow down on this island.


Staff are welcoming and warm/friendly and for the most part, do the best they can to ensure you feel at home. The all-inclusive rates which include a spa treatment per day, are a great benefit and make for an easy stay – we recommend the rum punch. Staff at the spa are professional and well-trained – although the ambiance may not be all it could be, that does not detract from the quality of the treatments.


The hotel could do with the planned refurbishment (summer 2007) but rooms were comfortable and well situated – as is the resort – not for those who can't manage stairs though – it's built into a hill which makes for great views across the bay, especially from the dining area. Check with any booking that you do have a sea view. The music festival each April is well worth checking out and features many top artists (Diana Ross, Elton John).


Tours from the hotel and around the island are a lot of fun including reef snorkelling, rain forest walking and waterfalls and all manner of watery pursuits.


One upsetting aspect is that Tobago does not have a good attitude towards stray dogs, which are around the beach and the hotel area. The dogs are very friendly and not dangerous but it's not all a good story – one little puppy had been severely burnt by a staff member throwing boiling water over it – we tried out best to get this pup to the local RSPCA (see ttspca.com) but as I write, we await news on that as the puppy was not used to being handled. We heard that the member of staff had been sacked – I hope so – the pup was in constant pain and being cared for by guests – not an acceptable situation. Sadly, the hotel chains don't seem to care or it they do, it is not a situation that they handle well. The local RSPCA really need the Tobagonian government to assist with a programme of support alongside local business.


Apart from that, you will want to come back to this island many times, it has retained a magic not evident in other parts of the caribbean.


April 2007.