Castara Retreats, Third Visit

[Sioned And Tim Sims]

Castara Retreats; our third trip

We have been home now for almost two months and the longing to be back has not left us, so much so I have just booked our fourth trip for December.

As this was our third trip we had no apprehensions, we knew that Porridge would be at the airport to pick us up, and as predicted he was there with an enormous smile and a huge hug. It was like coming home.
On the way to Castara Retreats we stopped off at Penny Saver to pick up some shopping (cases of Carib and rum top of the list).
We had booked Osprey for two weeks, having stayed there for a week last Christmas, but things had changed. The covered deck had now been extended, there is now plenty of room for a dining area and a separate area for the comfortable loungers. To one side of the deck there is a new large paved area so you can sit out and catch a few rays, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is the view, I could wax lyrical for pages about the view but all I’ll say is it is the best in Castara. It was all still there, the sea, the rain forest, the wildlife, the birds (even if they do steal your breakfast)
The only thing we were slightly concerned about was the weather. This was the only time we had been in the middle of the rainy season. We soon discovered there is no such thing as bad weather in Tobago. its just weather, We saw it all when we were there. The first week we had plenty of sun, rain, and yes we experienced Emily.
The day started as any other, blazing sunshine, but the fishermen were pulling their boats out of the water. Porridge soon arrived to tell us that there was a hurricane warning and not to worry as Osprey and Pelican (the other downstairs studio apartment ) had been built hurricane proof,” they were going nowhere”, and we were to expect guests for the night.
The party started that afternoon. Food was cooked, torches and candles were sourced, and deck furniture stowed. All was ready. We kept up to date with developments by listening to the radio but more importantly checked the My Tobago site, and Paul's updates. Thank you Paul you were fantastic.
Luckily Emily was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm,(still very dramatic ) we lost electricity, and at one stage had 15 people, locals included, snugly in our two person apartment. It could have been serious, but at no stage did we feel unsafe. We made a lot of new friends. All i can say is it was not an unpleasant experience.
The next morning dawned to brilliant sunshine, a few trees uprooted, and the odd tin roof missing, but all was well in Castara. The rest of our stay was blissful. We swam, read ,went on fantastic boat trips with Duck,ate some brilliant meals and drank a lot of rum . All in all thoroughly looked after.
We know that Tobago is special, and Castara Retreats is a little bit of paradise on earth but this two week holiday confirmed all our beliefs;
the Tobagan people are so warm and friendly. The island is both restful and exiting at the same time. Two week is not enough.
Only 88 days to go til the next two!


Regards
Sioned and Tim

[Julia C.]

Loved the report - thanks for that - can picture it all.