Readers will excuse my absence from the forum during these trips. The nature of my work means that I can’t just simply lock up and walk away. It takes an hour or so a day to deal with things that can’t wait and I’m very conscious that while on the island I use ‘borrowed’ local internet dial-up accounts and don’t want to run up additional bills on the subscribers account. So, the forum has to take second place. Thanks to our trusty band of regulars my input is seldom essential nowadays, but I do miss not welcoming new forum members.
Anyway, how was Tobago in 2007?
We had six glorious weeks. Well, they would have been glorious if each day had 30 hours and each week 10 days. I can’t believe how quickly the time went.
Things happen slowly on Tobago, so unlike many holiday destinations, one doesn’t expect to see huge changes, year on year. I’m delighted to say that this held true this year. However, there were a few surprises – and a few disappointments. Allow me to share a few thoughts and impressions with you.
Air Travel
Once again we flew with Excel. No jokes please – we’ve heard them all. At least our pilot didn’t commit suicide before returning to the UK (as per Virgin) and we didn’t wake up to find ourselves sat next to a dead body (as per BA). Sorry, it probably unfair and in bad taste to mention these incidents, but it does go to show that even the big boys have their problems.
During our stay, Excel suffered seriously delayed flights over a two week period. They have a small fleet and when a plane hits problems the lack of backup shows - they can’t simply whistle up a replacement. However, as far as I am concerned, no other flight to Tobago competes with the balance of cost against comfort. Yes, BA and Virgin have offered some pretty good deals on Standard Economy over the past year or so, but they are still more expensive than Excel and offer around an inch less legroom.
We travelled in Excel One, which offers incredible value in comparison to BA/Virgin. Our outbound flight left an hour late, due to security problems affecting all flights out of Gatwick, but arrived on time. Our return flight left on time, but arrived home an hour early (8 hours 10 minutes flight time). Both flights were exceptionally smooth and comfortable. The catering was excellent both ways – a very pleasant surprise because the catering out of Tobago is normally pretty cxxx. The Excel entertainment systems are still sadly lacking, but I strongly recommend asking for one of their personal entertainment viewers (£10 extra in Economy) which offer a choice of films, short programmes and games and are an excellent way of passing the time.
Accommodation
For business reasons I had to cut my visit to just six weeks this year (hee, hee!). This, in turn, meant less time for accommodation reviews.
Our 2007 reviews will start to appear over the next week or two (time permitting), but in the meantime I can confirm that we stayed at – and can recommend - the following properties. They are a very mixed bag, offering something for every pocket and taste:
- Birdie’s Nest, Black Rock – a small and friendly beachside apartment house in Black Rock
Gloucester Place – a very hospitable upscale guest house at Parlatuvier
Mangobird Villa – a pleasant modern three-bedroom villa ideally located in Bon Accord
Lookout Villa – a fascinating three-bedroom villa in the rainforest above Englishman’s Bay
Villa Pelican – a modern three-bedroom villa centrally located near Grafton Beach
Paradise Point Villa – a lovely two-villa/apartment property with stunning views over Castara
Blue Waters Inn – a re-review of one of our favourite small hotels
Blue Haven Hotel – a re-review of Tobago’s leading boutique hotel
Roads
I guess the biggest change that we noticed this year was a huge improvement in the quality of road surfaces. Considerable resurfacing has taken place over the past year, particularly along the north coast road (Moriah to Bloody Bay) and along sections of the upper east coast road. I reckon the journey from Scarborough to Castara has been cut by a good 10 minutes. For the first time ever, I am unable to go around the island saying “I remember that pothole from the ‘60s”). However, being Tobago they don’t like to make it too predictable. You will belt along several hundred metres of pool-table flat surface only to suddenly hit a 10-metre stretch of unmade road, or a huge pothole. Just to catch you out!
I also drove the L’Anse Fourm–Charlotteville road for the first time this year. I’ve been longing to experience that road since my first visit to Tobago (50 years ago this summer). The road is as good as finished now, although there are still mysterious short sections that are unmade and/or in bad condition. You no longer need a 4x4. It is an easy drive and one that I can recommend to every reader. The scenery is gorgeous. There are not as many sea views as I hoped for, but the route is bound to become a firm favourite with visitors. Of course it may be some years before it appears on the maps that visitors are given, but you can’t go wrong – simply head for Bloody Bay/ L’Anse Fourmi and keep going, if coming up the Caribbean coast, or head for Campbleton (Fort) and keep going if coming from Charlotteville.
Security
Personal security continues to be a hot topic amongst residents. Things have undoubtedly quietened down in the past year. Police presence around the island has increased dramatically. I used to say that you would be lucky to see a policeman a day in the south-west of the island and never everywhere else. This year I saw police cars on a daily basis even up as far as Parlatuvier. Clearly there is an awful lot more to do, but at least things are happening and the current high season has clearly seen far less incidents that the previous two years.
Finally, my views and thoughts about restaurants and dining out. It makes sense to file this is a separate post in the Restaurants forum.
