OTHER ISLANDS SUGGESTION...

[Mandy H]

Hi there,

Just booked two weeks in Tobago. It will be our 3rd trip, and we love it!
We were looking at going to the Grenadines (which we absolutely love) for around 4 days in the middle of our trip, but it is working out to be very expensive with no direct flights to Union Island.
So...we're now thinking about what else we could do. I have started looking at the possibility of flying to Trinidad (which seems cheap!) but I'm not sure what we could do over there. Also Grenada is another option, as the flights are reasonable. But again...i don't know much about the island.
Has anyone been to Trinidad or Grenada and does anyone have any suggestions of where to stay, what to do etc?
We're looking at doing it relatively inexpensively, and would like to chill out, but also like nature, snorkelling and exploring!
All suggestions would be most welcomed.
Thanks!
Mandy

[Ronald]

Hi
Trinidad isn´t a tourist island, there are not to compare with Tobago, Grenada, barbados, St Lucia or any other island! Thet have beaches too but as it isn´t a tourist place, you do not find hotels nearvy or on the beaches for visitors like you do on teh islands named above.

They do have visitors and they are mostly go for shopping and than back to Tobago, or for the nature (Asa Wright Nature Centre as an example), birdwatching or they go for some places known by them outside the cities.
There are hotels in and around Port of Spain and they have pool, so shopping and some lime around the pool is a choice.
There´s aslo guided tours but they have been affected by the very high crime rate in Trinidad.

If you want to spend some time in Trinidad, see the nature, spend some time at the beach, one place is Laguna Mar, a small "eco resort" on the north side of Trinidad. It´s a safe place in the forrest between the mountain area and the sea. The owners and/or the staff can organize a tour of your choise, I know the owners since late 80´s. They have a website; http://www.lagunamar.com/

When spending only two weeks in T&T, you don´t have so much time to discover other islands. Except for Grenada you also have St Vincente and the Grenadines.
Liat has flights to St Vincente from where you take a schooner over to Bequia, a very small island with some nice beaches.
There´s hotels both in St Vincente and Becquia, beaches in St Vincent can be very dark after an vulcano eruption in the 60´s, very different compared with beaches in T&T. They also have old fortress to see, water falls and even a guided tour to their volcano is possible; http://www.svgtourism.com/

Many choises and short time, or...
Ronald

[Gisela Grell]

Hi Mandy,
I went on a sailtrip from Grenada to Martinique in 2002. Saw Bequia (really pretty houses) and Union Island (with the Tobago Keys, AMAZING snorkeling!!!). From Grenada I can't remember much, have to check my holiday diary and will let you know. Isn't there the "drive-in-volcano"?
In Trinidad you may watch the "pitch lake", funny thing where the pitch comes out of the ground and you can walk over it with a guide. But this will last only one hour. The beaches are nice but - like Ronald said - not with tourism facilities. And shopping in Trinidad is not very exciting.
Better stay in Tobago and watch all the beautiful things like beaches, rainforest, waterfalls, forts... and the Luise Kimme museum (http://www.luisekimme.com/museum.html ).

Enjoy
Gisela

PS: I will also be there in March, maybe we meet

[Ronald]

Hi Gisela & Mandy

One thing to remember is, when driving in Tobago you might sometimes feel that all aren´t as good drivers as they think, in Trinidad the traffic can be just TERRIBLE. They often drive too fast, to close to eachother too! It´s dangerous för a visitor.Traffic accident´s are quite common there.

And about the Pitch Lake, it´s true that it´s something different, there aren´t many such pitch lakes in the world. The bad thing is that these groups of visitors has been affected by armed robbery more than once during the past 4-5 years, and all accidents aren´t shown in the papers. I wouldn´t go there as the crime rate in the south get higher and higher every year.

If I had only two weeks vacation and only one week in T&T, I would rather go Alicia´s House in St Ann (nearby the Savannah Park) if I want to see Port of Spain, to Asa Wright Nature Centre for the nature, to the north (Laguna Mar) where local guides can show one around.
Ronald

[Gisela Grell]

Yes Mandy,

Ronald is quite right. Who wants to go to Trinidad when he got the opportunity to stay on Tobago I have some friends on Trinidad who I'm going to visit but only for 2 or 3 days. I don't feel really comfortable on Trinidad.
Whatever you do, just enjoy!

Cheers
Gisela

[Tony G]

Better stay in Tobago and watch all the beautiful things like beaches, rainforest, waterfalls, forts... and the Luise Kimme museum (http://www.luisekimme.com/museum.html ).

I love this place and Luise is such a character.

Tony

[Mandy H]

Hi everyone!
Thanks for all your replies - if anyone has any more suggestions keep them coming, but I think we're going to try Trinidad for 2 or 3 nights.
We're thinking of going to the Asa Wright Nature centre, OR Laguna Mar as Ronald suggested - maybe even both. Ronald - is the nature centre close to Laguna Mar? Just wondering if we could do the Nature Centre for one night and Laguna Mar for two.
Will taxis be expensive in Trinidad? We quite happily hire a car in Tobago, but not sure if we'll do that in Trinidad!
Thanks again everyone - most helpful!
Mandy

[Paul Tallet]

The Asa Wright Nature Reserve is Ok ... it is a variation on a rainforest trip in Tobago ... Trinidad seems to have more in the way of birdlife ... I particularly liked the mannequins but (this is a tip) you have to wait for the crowd to move on to watch these birds put on their best performances ... I enjoyed it.

The Pit Lake is fascinating but boring ... once you are there and seen it then it's time to move on ... it is fascinating though to see how it is dwindling and how the local area suffers massive subsidence.

My only remaining target for Trinidad is the north coast ... I want to walk the coast where there is no road access ... I understand that you need guides as it can be dangerous with drug smugglers etc ... one day I will do it.

If you check out Yes Tours they do a trip to the Grenadines ... daytrip on a schooner visiting many remote and uninhabited islands. It's quite expensive but it was a damned fine day out ... I did it about 5 years ago.

Another option is to travel via Barbados ... and get the LIAT to Tobago ... you can then get some time on Barbados (on route) depending how you arrange things ... I liked that too.

It's worth checking out the LIAT ... also known as the Caribbean Bus ... they can take you to many places.

There are so many options.

Regards

[Ronald]

Hi Mandy

The Asa Wright Nature Centre is not on the north coast of Trinidad, If you look at a good map of Trinidad, you see a big road "Eastern Main Road" across Trinida with start in PoS, from West to East, you see the town Arima half way direction East, nearby the mountain area.
Piarco Airport as not so far from Arima, so a taxi or car organized by Asa Wright, can take you directly to the Centre.

The Centre is situated not far from Arima, in the mountain area. They also has an own website http://www.asawright.org/ with a lot of information and many nice pictures. The Centre´s webbsite also has a road description and a basic map too, but I know that Tourist Information (in Trinidad) shall have more information too.

Laguna Mar is on the north coast of Trinidad. If you start in PoS, you drive via Maraval, over the mountain using the North Coast Road. You will pass some huge view points on teh way and the rain forrest is all the way up to the road. You pass Maracas Bay, Las Cuevas Bay, Chupara Bay and you arrive to Blanchisseuse, which is the end of Nort Coast Road.

It´s also possible to cross over from Arima using Blanchisseuse Road,wich you are using if you go to Asa Wright Centre.
But, that road isn´t paved all over and it also passing some areas where they use to have landslides sometimes during heavy rain. Do only use that road if locals tell you it´s safe to drive across the mountain. The North Coast Road is much better as it is bigger, and paved.

It is possible to stay over at Asa Wright Nature Centre, check their Visitor Information. And if you call Laguna Mar to make a reservation, I believe they can organize a driver with car to drive you across the mountain and later back to the airport.

Taxis has, like Tobago, fixed prizes from the airport to different towns/places, but I don´t know the rates. But that is something the Tourist Information in Tobago, at Crown Point Airport, should be able to help you with.
Ronald

[Susanne Thomsen]

Hi Mandy.

We were on Grenada in february, and there is very nice and beautifull, but it is become very Amarican style over the last 10 years. We meet an Danish woman who have a house there, on Gran Anse beach, and she said that after the hurricane IVAN, the island was more and morer American style, and so are the prices also.
We lived in a litle place cross the road to Gran Anse beach, and there is very beautifull, but very very many amarican tirists is coming with the Cruiseship every day. More than 1000 people coming from the cruiseship with taxi boats, and are on the beach for 3-4 hours, and then they are sailing back again, and the beach is looking very very dirty. Is very sad for Grenada, but it is the true story.

I have heard that it schould be nearly the same unspoiled as Tobago, but ohh no, you just think you are on an American Island somewhere.

So now we are just went home from Tobago again, and now i am booking next Tobago trip in February.

This night we came home, and today i booked new tickets, we cant get enough off TOBAGO.

Regards from Tobago lover Susanne

[Paul Tallet]

I agree

Having taken trips to Trinidad, Grenada, the Grenadines and Barbados I can conclude that Tobago have everything and that you will find little that Tobago can offer you elsewhere.

Tobago pretty much has it all.

Regards

[Mandy H]

Hi everyone - and a belated Merry Christmas to you all as well

Thanks for all the replies. We are weighing up our options, but it looks like we'll be spending two weeks in Tobago, with a 2/3 night stay in Trinidad. The Asa Wright nature centre is our first thought, but staying there seems quite expensive. We're reading up on it to see if it's worth it, and then we'll make our decision!! If not, then I think we'll be going to Laguna Mar. Still checking how far the nature centre is from Laguna Mar, as it may be that we'd be able to stay at Laguna Mar, and do the day trip to Asa Wright.

Thanks for all your help, and suggestions. Having been to Tobago twice already, we know how great it is, and that it's hard to beat, but we'd love to spend 2 or 3 nights in Trinidad - far away from Port of Spain, so that we are enjoying nature, and not noise!!

Thanks again