Cottage/ Apartment on the beach.

Birgitte · Post by **Birgitte** » Tue May 06, 2003 12:32 pm

We are a group of 3 friends planning to spend 10 days on Tobago in November. We are all loving these pages, but have still not been able to decide on which part of the Island focus on for accommodation. We would very much appreciate a word of advice from all of you.
1. We would love to stay by the beach, at least within walking distance. Sitting on the veranda with a cold beer watching the sunset, c'est la vie!
2. We are not interested in all-inclusive packages, a cottage or apartment would suit us better.
3. We prefere to stay close to one of the diving areas.
4. As we are no gourmet chef's it would be nice to have a few restaurants and bars near by.

If you have any inputs, please let us know!

Thanks, until later.
Birgitte

Post by **Steve Wooler** » Tue May 06, 2003 1:12 pm

Hi Birgitte

Forgive me for moving your message to the Accommodation section, but your question would appear to be more relevant to this section.

If you are advanced divers then you might wish to consider Speyside. This location could fit all your criteria. There are various small guesthouses, a few small restaurants and all within walking distance of beaches. Have a look at the Accommodation menu above.

For less advanced, but still brilliant, diving the Buccoo/Mount Irvine area could be a good base as it will leave you within easy reach of all the main diver operators. There are lots of restaurants in the area and various places within walking distance of the beach. A good starting point might be The Polo Bar in Buccoo. You can see our accommodation listings for brief details and information on these places.

Castara could also be a good choice for you, but I’m not sure whether there are any diving operations up there. Perhaps somebody else could comment on this because I’m not a diver.

Nick Lambert · Post by **Nick Lambert** » Tue May 06, 2003 3:43 pm

Hi Brigitte,
what about Birdies Nest at Black Rock?
Have a look:http://mytobago.info/cottage01.htm

Have fun & sun
Nick

Jorg Kilian · Post by **Jorg Kilian** » Tue May 06, 2003 4:06 pm

and what about Charlotteville? You have a diving school, different local restaurants and many accommodations close to beautiful beaches. Many people love this place for holidays. But the best spot for diving is still Speyside...

Post by **Steve Wooler** » Tue May 06, 2003 4:56 pm

Thanks Jorg - Charlotteville was high on my list but I didn't know whether there was a diving school there. We hope to research diving and produce a full article on the subject later this year, so I'll know a bit more once I've finished that.

I've heard some good reports of Top River Pearl in Charlotteville. They've recently opened a little cappuccino cafe there offering light meals and it's only 200m from the beach.

Birdie's Nest is another good possibility - thanks Nick. You couldn't be closer to the beach, but it is a bit of a work through the village to the main Black Rock road and stores. I think there's only one restaurant in walking distance. Use the search facility at the top of the page and search for Birdie's Nest - I remember posting a report after visiting the place to check it out for someone. Young Prince, who runs the place, deserves some business.

Here's a picture I took of Birdie's Nest when I checked it out. It shows just how close to the beach it is.

Louise I · Post by **Louise I** » Tue May 13, 2003 8:21 pm

I can recommend Charlotteville having been there twice in the last six months! Man o'War bay cottages are fabulous - we stayed there the first time but unfortunately thet were booked solid on the second occasion - however that allowed us to stay at Cholson Chalets which were also nice!

http://www.man-o-warbaycottages.com/ is the web site - all the cottages are very near the beach, some close than others. Next door is Man Friday diving - they are very professional and very nice. We actually stayed in cottage 12 - and from the balcony I could see the door of the dive shop so would just wander along in the morning for my dive!

Haveing been to C'ville twice, and both times self catering, I can tell you that we never cooked a meal!

There are some fabulous places to eat in the village - Sharon and Phebes, Gayles and Quality Kitchen to name a few. There are also some local women who cook on various days - Michelle on Wednesday and Saturday for example.

Believe me you would not find a problem finding somewhere to eat - each time we have been we have meant to go to Speyside to eat at Jemma's - and still have not fot round to it!

Still, that is our excuse for going again! happy to answer any questions you have on c'ville!

louise

Birgitte · Post by **Birgitte** » Wed May 14, 2003 12:52 pm

Hi Steve, Jorg and Louise

Thanks a lot for all your words of advice, I was really happy to see that Birdie's Nest and Man-O-War Bay Cottages were reccomended as I already had them on my list. Top River Pearl was new to me, looks fantastic too, thaks Steven.

We might be meeting some friends who will be sailing, does any of you know where the sailers usually end up?

Do we need to worrie about A/C in the bedrooms, or will a fan do a good enough job? (Keeping in mind we are norwegians and not used to the heat).

Again, thanks for all your great inputs.

Until later
Birgitte

Post by **Steve Wooler** » Wed May 14, 2003 7:15 pm

Hi Birgitte

All yachts arriving in Tobago need to pass through a port of entry or exit where there are customs and immigration. That means Scarborough or Charlotteville. Once the formalities are done, the yachts can moor anywhere. The only suitable overnight anchorages for visiting yachts in Tobago are :- Store Bay, Mt Irvine Bay, Scarborough harbour and Man Of War Bay (Charlotteville). There are no marinas or official moorings in Tobago for visiting yachts, so they must lay there own anchors. The east of Tobago is out as it is the windward side and not a suitable cruising area for yachts.

Therefore, your best bet to meet up with your friends is possibly Charlotteville.

Hope this helps.

Jorg Kilian · Post by **Jorg Kilian** » Wed May 14, 2003 11:10 pm

Dear Birgitte,

don't worry about A/C. A fan is doing its job in Charlotteville. You mostly have a nice breeze and in Charlotteville it is not as hot as at the Crown Point area. There are some nice beach bars and restaurants. In the evening you sometimes hear locals say: "I am going home now. It is too cold for me". Well you will laugh about this as a Norwegian. You should tell locals the story about people digging a hole in a frozen lake to take a bath...