Guest Report

[Sally and Tim Gregg]

We booked into Bijou des Caraibes for 3 weeks and we stayed for 10 weeks. That says it all!!!

Judy Gemmet, the proprietor, herself, is truly the Bijou des Caraibes (jewel of the Caribbean)! She goes to the extreme to make her guests’ stay a memorable one. This is clearly evident from the number of repeat guests that return year after year. She drives them to and from the airport, the car rental, grocery store and even rescues them when they are caught in a torrential downpour while out for a walk. She organizes barbeques and get togethers for the guests, never with any pressure to participate. Everyone’s privacy is respected. Her entire family makes the guests feel very welcome.

The 4 self-catering apartments are located on the lower level of the house and are basic, but very bright, comfortable and clean. All the kitchen essentials are provided and a gas barbeque is available for the use of all guests. Over the 10 weeks we stayed in the 2 bedroom and the 1 bedroom apartments and found the king size beds very comfortable. The rooms were cleaned daily, with fresh towels daily and linens changed regularly. There was A/C in the bedrooms, although we did not use it. Fans were also supplied. Laundry services were available for a small charge.

The staff went out of their way for us….. Sheron who kept our rooms clean and answered our endless questions about life in Tobago, Joseph who kept the gardens immaculate and Alicia whose laugh was like background music, all contributed to the wonderful ambiance. Any requests or problems were dealt with immediately by Judy.

The gardens are beautifully kept, the colourful bougainvillia and tropical plants surrounding the property provide complete privacy. The property is very secure with locking gates and alarm systems in place. Each apartment is also outfitted with a security alarm, but we never felt unsafe in Tobago.

The swimming pool is kept in tip top shape by Judy’s husband Yvon and poolside there are comfortable chairs, loungers and umbrellas for shade.

Bijou des Caraibes is perfectly located, close to beaches (a 15 minute walk), a short drive to grocery stores, fruit and vegetable stands and bakeries. Fish can be purchased every afternoon from the fishermen at Mount Irvine beach. There is a golf course a 5 minute walk down the road and for those wanting a bit of exercise there are many places to walk around the neighbourhood.Swimming and snorkeling are available at the local beaches.

Judy provides a cell phone for her guests which is very useful for those of us from foreign countries.

There is no shortage of places to explore and things to do in Tobago and one can drive around the island in a day. There are a number of good restaurants closeby. The Tobago people are very friendly and the culture has not been spoiled by tourism as on so many other Caribbean islands.

The temperature from January to April was in the high 20’s or low 30's and very comfortable. Although February this year was unusually overcast and wet, we did not find it a problem.

The photos on this website are a little out of date – the growth around the house and garden is much more impressive now as the plants have grown quite a bit from the time of these photos. The rooms have an updated decor with brighter colours.

We would highly recommend the Bijou des Caraibes for a short or long stay. It has reasonable prices and over-the-top personal attention. We have been utterly spoiled now and I can't imagine staying anywhere else. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and plan to return next winter and hope to meet up with some of the other "repeat guests". We have to keep trying new rum punch recipes until we get it “just right”!!