Holiday Report 7 - Blue Haven Hotel

55-room luxury boutique hotel in Bacolet (listing)
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Steve Wooler
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Holiday Report 7 - Blue Haven Hotel

Post by Steve Wooler »

Post Recreated: Originally posted - 05 February 2003

Leaving the Blue Waters Inn was a wrench, but the drive back down the beautiful Atlantic coast soon had Jill smiling again. A little over an hour later we arrived at the Blue Haven Hotel, on the northern outskirts of the capital Scarborough.

The Blue Haven is a 5-star luxury boutique hotel with a fascinating history. The hotel first opened in the ‘40s and became a popular retreat for film stars like Rita Hayworth and Robert Mitchum. Then, for reasons unknown, the hotel closed and fell into disrepair. 25 years later, the derelict property was bought by current owners, Karl and Marilyn Pilstl, whose dream of restoring the hotel was finally realised when the Blue Haven re-opened in December 2000.

Built on the ruins of an outlet of Fort King George which protected Scarborough Bay (an original canon is still a feature of the hotel), the Blue Haven has been tastefully restored and extended. The hotel has just 55 rooms and suites, the majority being housed in two new wings of a highly individual architectural style. The hotel’s dominant naval theme of blue and white is evident in every aspect of both the architecture, decoration and even the uniforms of the waiting staff. It would be misleading to describe the décor as old-fashioned, but it does provide a link with the past, whilst offering all the best comforts of today. It is a hotel with character and personality. You certainly won’t wake up thinking that you could be in any nameless international hotel, anywhere in the world.

The only difference between the standard rooms and the suites seem to be the extra large seating area of the latter. All rooms have sea views and a balcony providing panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. The brisk cooling ocean breezes allow you to dispense with the blast of the air-conditioner, should you wish.

Steps from the hotel lead down to beautiful crescent-shaped Bacolet Bay. The beach is about 150 metres/yards long, relatively wide by Tobago standards and very natural looking with nice soft light sand. The beach is backed by a wide sandy area of palms and the hotel provides ample sun loungers. All Tobago beaches are open to the public, but Bacolet Beach never became crowded whilst we were there - even when used by the entire Finnish national football team who were staying at the hotel.

Whilst I sit in our hotel room bashing a keyboard (it’s too bright to see the screen when sitting outside) writing the reviews and these summaries, my resident beach expert, Jill, evaluates the beaches, sunbathing and swimming facilities. Jill has declared the swimming at Bacolet Bay to be the best she has experienced this trip. She is a confident strong swimmer and relished the light rolling surf, but such conditions could be off-putting to some. However, the beach shelves very gradually, is sandy throughout and is stone and rock free. Less adventurous swimmers, including children, have plenty of room to get wet before encountering the breaking waves.

We enjoyed all our meals at the Blue Haven, although other commitments and meetings meant that we only had one opportunity to dine in the hotel’s formal restaurant, Shutters On The Bay.

It was a delight to find another “hands-on” owner/manager. The hotel is a credit to Karl and Marilyn, particularly as they are not hoteliers by trade. The Blue Haven is a luxury hotel that will not disappoint. We wish them every success and look forward to our next visit.
Steve Wooler
myTobago.info - the definitive Visitor Guide to Tobago
oonarose

Holiday Report 7 - Blue Haven Hotel

Post by oonarose »

Post Recreated: Originally posted - 06 February 2003

I'm curious. Is there a reason that you did not visit these hotels anonymously?
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Holiday Report 7 - Blue Haven Hotel

Post by Steve Wooler »

Post Recreated: Originally posted - 6 February 2003

Hello Oonarose

Your question is a valid one.

We always visit restaurants anonymously and all the best ones on more than one occasion. Accommodation is a little different, because booking under an assumed name would be deceitful. Many hotels take your credit card details on arrival, so the deception would soon be noticed.

The biggest reason, however, is that in order to see and photograph all the hotel’s facilities and different room/suite categories we need the cooperation of the hotel. Yes, knowing that we are coming does mean that they might give us special treatment or an upgraded room, but believe you me, we would soon spot tricks like that. Whilst staying at the establishment, we take every opportunity to peek in rooms, whilst the maids are cleaning, to check that our room and those we have been shown are representative.

We also go out of our way to chat to other guests and determine their views and opinions of the establishment - never mentioning myTobago unless they bring the subject up first, when is would be disingenuous not to mention our association. However, the single biggest determiner of an establishment is this forum. Our views (and the integrity of the entire site) would be worthless if our recommendations were not endorsed by the comment of readers, such as yourself, in the forum here.
Steve Wooler
myTobago.info - the definitive Visitor Guide to Tobago
Melissa

Caribbean Sea v. Atlantic Ocean

Post by Melissa »

Post Recreated: Originally posted - 17 February 2003

This may be an unfair question, but would you suggest the Blue Haven Hotel above the resorts on the Caribbean Sea? Also, does any hotel have French speaking staff?
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Caribbean Sea v. Atlantic Ocean

Post by Steve Wooler »

Post Recreated: Originally posted - 18 February 2003

Hi Melissa

Yes, a very unfair question, but we'll forgive you. During the three days we stayed at the Blue Haven swimming was good - but the rolling waves might have been unwelcome to timid swimmers, young children or the elderly. Having said that, we moved from the Blue Haven to a villa at Mt Irvine Bay on the Caribbean coast and a day or two later conditions were much rougher than at the Blue Haven as we approached a full moon. Really timid swimmers looking for a luxury hotel should consider the Coco Reef Hotel - the lagoon there gives totally protected swimming with no waves. Highly boring for the experienced swimmer, but they can get more excitement by swimming out into Cable Bay. It really isn't as simple as saying 'Caribbean' coast or 'Atlantic' coast. Yes, IN GENERAL the Atlantic Coast tends to be rougher and more wind-swept than the Caribbean coast, but the conditions of every bay are different.

I don’t know whether the Blue Haven has French-speaking staff. The owner (Karl Pilstl) is German, so he may well speak French. I would email the hotel ([email protected]) and ask. There is a well-known tour company on Tobago offering trilingual (English/German/French) services. I won’t mention their name because I’m in danger of being accused of thrusting them down people’s throats too much. Maybe I ought to talk to them about commission. Hope this all helps.
Steve Wooler
myTobago.info - the definitive Visitor Guide to Tobago
Melissa

Caribbean Sea v. Atlantic Ocean

Post by Melissa »

Post Recreated: Originally posted - 05 March 2003

Thanks for the advice. Have you mentioned this tour company before?
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