castara retreats- rainforest lodge

[HelenH]

Just come back from this accommodation. Beautiful stting. The views are million dollar. We woke to the sound of the sea and fell asleep to the sound of the sea. It is an open plan design so you do get used to bats and birds fluing through. The main bedroom has a very comfortable bed and is very open plan.There is a well equipped kitchen with a good size fridge freezer. The smaller bedroom is more enclosed. we loved to hear the various sounds - the sea, the birds and the reggae music. It was a nice place to retreat to in the middle of the day if it got too hot. The owners had several locals who helped us. porridge picked us up from the airport, hired us his car and took us to various places. His wife cleaned and provided us with clean sheets etc. Duck our neighbour took us on two great boat trips. His girlfriend cooked us delicous Buss up shut- like an open roti. Had a great time

helen

[Terry Warner]

Helen

I am so pleased to read your report about Castara Retreats. My wife and I are going to stay in the Fishermans Lodge at Castara Retreats, on June 10th. We have never been to Tobago, or even the Caribbean before, so reports like yours make us even more excited.

Its reports like yours that make this web site so useful and takes a lot of worry about going to a new destination. Although I must say, that my chats with Steve and Sue, when booking the accomodation, gave me no worries about going to Castara Retreats at all.

We are now at the stage where we are deciding about clothing ( what to wear when it rains or when going out in the evening) what mosquito protection to use etc. Most of the answers are on this site but I may email you to ask specific questions if that is ok.

Terry and Helen Warner

[David Watkins]

Terry,
Beware of the sandflies at night they can be terrible-far worse than mosssies!!!! Steve recommends adding citronella to your sun lotion to hold them back.I've used it on horses but never on people,though I wish Ihad known before.I was eaten alive by the wee beasties!!
David

[Steve Wooler]

Just don't add too much, or you'll be scaring yourself away as much as the sandflies or mossies. Just add a few drops to a small bottle of moisturiser (baby oil has also been suggested). Shake the bottle and put some on your hand 24 hours later. If you can't smell it, add some more Citronella Oil. When you get to the point where you can smell it, but it's not off-putting, then you've probably got the best balance between protection and you own comfort (in an olfactory sense).

Best bet is to leave the beach before the sandflies become active (normally about 5.30pm) and watch the sunset from the Retreat.

[HelenH]

Hi terry
You will have a wonderful time. i had a quick look at fishermans lodge and it looked very nice. We only wore very casual things- shorts/ t-shirts/ sandals. Even when it rained we didnt need raincoats. In the rainforest lodge there are some umbrellas which are just as useful for the hot sun. You will probably get a visit from Duck the neighbour. he is very friendly and good to organize boat trips with. i tried different methods for mozzies and sandflies but I am afraid I still got bitten. Have a great time and ask if you have any questions
helen