Arnos Vale or Castara?

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Patricia
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Arnos Vale or Castara?

Post by Patricia »

Hello again, myTobago. :mrgreen:

The last time I was here, I was preparing a trip to Tobago in December 2011, and it was great! I stayed in Crown Point and enjoyed the weather, beaches and need we forget the crab and dumplings at Store Bay. It was a wonderful vacation! 8)

I'm now planning a trip this summer to explore some of the other sides of Tobago. I am choosing between Castara Retreats and Top' O Tobago, both of which have excellent reviews. However, I can't seem to decide which area is best suited to stay. I will be traveling with my significant other who is up to driving but I'm not sure if road conditions around the island from Arnose Vale or Castara is better suited for a newbie driver :oops: .

Also, our accommodations at Castara Retreats risk not having A/C and I'm not sure if this will be a consideration for the summer months. That said, Castara Retreats has the views, the great restaurant and the local breakfast and lunch venues where we can meet and spend time with locals. Top O' Tobago has the more modern facilities with similar naturistic charm and opportunities to meet locals, but it doesn't seem to be in a centralized location 8-[ .

So as you can see, both places have its pros and cons for us. This will ultimately come down to location in the likely event we do not rent a car. All this to ask, is Arnose Vale or Castara better suited a vicinity to explore all Tobago has to offer?
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Steve Wooler
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Re: Arnos Vale or Castara?

Post by Steve Wooler »

Hello Patricia

Great to hear from you again.

Castara Retreats or Top O' Tobago? No contest - Castara Retreats wins hands down. It's just no contest in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, Top O' Tobago was a great place when we last stayed there, but it was under totally different management then. I haven't got the same confidence in the place since the owners took direct control. However, apart from that, there are several other factors you need to consider.

If you stay at Top O' Tobago, you MUST hire a car. There are no restaurants within walking distance - in fact the nearest are a good 10 minutes away. In Castara, you will be able to safely walk to any of the restaurants in the island, apart from the more up-market excellent 'on-site' restaurant. Castara's main beach is less than a minute's walk from the Castara Retreats accommodation units. Although you can walk from Top O' Tobago to Arnos Vale Beach, the walk is a LOT longer and for safety reasons, I would NOT advise that visitors visit that beach. Since the closure of the hotel it has become too isolated and there have been a number of incidents. Visitors should not go there except in sizeable groups.

I hope this helps.
Steve Wooler
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Brian Taylor
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Re: Arnos Vale or Castara?

Post by Brian Taylor »

not to shift you either way (living in castara and loving it :D ) but top of tobago has a german manager now whom I met personally and from what I have seen she takes excellent care of the place and her guests... the owners are on the premisses part of the year and then they work as a team. all good in that department :)
guess that did not make it easier...lol... have a great holiday!
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Patricia
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Re: Arnos Vale or Castara?

Post by Patricia »

Thanks to both of you for your insight! I have some tough decisions ahead :P
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