Hello everyone it has been great reading your forum over the last 6 months or so, you've been a great help in my decision of accomodation and places I want to visit while I'm there. We're off on the 15th May and staying for 2 days at Mount Hay Retreat then moving to Coconut Heights in the Beach House, Castara (I haven't noticed any reports on this accomodation and will definately let you all know how it was for us). I suppose I just want to pick your brains as to a few last minute things I've thought of:-)
Are there any local shops in Castara that would sell basics ie milk, water, juice, fruit, bread, loo roll etc??? Or do we need to stop en-route at a supermarket???
We don't want to hire a car straight away - Is there a bus service and what is the route??? Is my idea of hopping on a bus to Englishmans Bay for the day realistic???
Jellyfish - they scare me, please tell me Tobago doesn't have any or many!
And lastly a rough guide to what to expect to pay for a lunch and dinner.
Look forward to hearing your replies
Ruth
1st Time Tobago/Castara
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Alexandra Taylor Presslan
Luckey you i am just about to book to go back to tobago an will be going to the beachouse.
There is a small local shop where you can buy provisions just like you stated.
As fa as getting the bus to Englishmans bay is concerned the public transport is very far and few between unfortunatly if you dont want to hire a car why not rent a scooter i can recomend sheppy, much cheaper than car rental and easy to get about on.
I didnt see any jellyfish in Tobago.
As far as eating out is concerned there is a lot of variety you can pay top england prices or you can eat for a pound or two. All the restaurants in castara are quite basic and cheap.The food is o.k but not going to make it into the next egon Ronay guide if you know what i mean. It really depends on what you want, we ate cheaply most of the time and then splashed out on a few good meals such as the one meal we had at la tarratuga my husband thought that riviled italian meals we have had in italy!!! Hope this helps
There is a small local shop where you can buy provisions just like you stated.
As fa as getting the bus to Englishmans bay is concerned the public transport is very far and few between unfortunatly if you dont want to hire a car why not rent a scooter i can recomend sheppy, much cheaper than car rental and easy to get about on.
I didnt see any jellyfish in Tobago.
As far as eating out is concerned there is a lot of variety you can pay top england prices or you can eat for a pound or two. All the restaurants in castara are quite basic and cheap.The food is o.k but not going to make it into the next egon Ronay guide if you know what i mean. It really depends on what you want, we ate cheaply most of the time and then splashed out on a few good meals such as the one meal we had at la tarratuga my husband thought that riviled italian meals we have had in italy!!! Hope this helps
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Peter Allday
Jellyfish
Ruth, I don't know whether there are any Jellyfish around Tobago, but I was stung in Jamaica last year, and so for our trip I have bought some suntan cream with anti-jellyfish sting in it. I don't know if it works, and I hope I don't find out, but I thought I would err on the side of caution.
It is called Safe Sea, if you follow the link below and search for Safe Sea in the text search (top right) you should find it.
http://www.simplyscuba.com/
It is called Safe Sea, if you follow the link below and search for Safe Sea in the text search (top right) you should find it.
http://www.simplyscuba.com/
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Thomas Riemer
Hi Ruth !!
Don`t worry. You will hardly see a jelly-fish in the Castara bay. It depends very much on the currant. We had days with plenty of them but, at least, they are not stinging.
Basic shopping in Castara is not a problem. But stopping at a supermarket while coming up should be taken into consideration when
you arrive late in the evening or on a weekend. It is nice to have something for the next morning. Discover Castara after a nice breakfast.
You will also be able to reach Englishmans bay by road transport
(P-car) for small money.
Looking forward to see you in Castara, Thomas
Don`t worry. You will hardly see a jelly-fish in the Castara bay. It depends very much on the currant. We had days with plenty of them but, at least, they are not stinging.
Basic shopping in Castara is not a problem. But stopping at a supermarket while coming up should be taken into consideration when
you arrive late in the evening or on a weekend. It is nice to have something for the next morning. Discover Castara after a nice breakfast.
You will also be able to reach Englishmans bay by road transport
(P-car) for small money.
Looking forward to see you in Castara, Thomas
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HelenH
1st time tobago/castara
Having just come back from castara i will try and answer a few questions. We did stock up at pennysavers near the airport and where glad we did. The shops do sell everyday things but it does take a while to work out what to buy where and they do run out. We found that some of the restaurants didnt always open. A reliable one was marguerites near the school- she also did take away but some things you did have to order. we didnt use the buses but spoke to people who did and they went to scarborough- i believe they bought a ticket beforehand from a local shop. There are alsorts of informal things like buying fish from the fishermen, the local ladies bake bread at the back of the school on some days. We only hired a car for a few days. We took a few boat trips- another way to get to englishmans bay. get talking to the locals they will usually put you in touch with people who can help. We were taken out by Duck our neighbour, also King david and ali baba tours operate from the village and will usually tailormake any trips to what you want. Have a great time. ask if you have any other questions
helen
helen
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PaulineC
Hello Ruth
We spent two lovely weeks in Castara in March. I agree with the other correspondents regarding shopping; there are 3 or 4 shops which stock most of the basics, but it takes a little time to get to know these. We stocked up in Pennysavers near the airpot on the way, and then topped up milk, juice, fresh fruit etc locally. If one shop doesn't have what you want, they will point you in the direction of someone who has.
Saw no sign of jellyfish and have heard no reports of these. However, be careful swimming off the little beach just in front of the Beach House (which is in a wonderful position by the way). The reef comes in very close on the right side of the beach (which makes for great snorkelling). I am sure you will take great pains to avoid touching the coral in any event, but be aware that we heard of several people getting nasty burns from fire coral very close to the beach. We found it best to go into the water on the left side of the beach and then, once we were used to the visibility and could gauge the swell, we could swim up to the reef whilst keeping a respectful distance.
Cost of meals varied quite widely. We paid as little as 80TT per couple for a simple meal with drinks, up to 240TT per couple for shrimp meals with drinks. It is a good idea to check during the day whether restaurants will be open in the evening.
I am sure you will have a wonderful time
We spent two lovely weeks in Castara in March. I agree with the other correspondents regarding shopping; there are 3 or 4 shops which stock most of the basics, but it takes a little time to get to know these. We stocked up in Pennysavers near the airpot on the way, and then topped up milk, juice, fresh fruit etc locally. If one shop doesn't have what you want, they will point you in the direction of someone who has.
Saw no sign of jellyfish and have heard no reports of these. However, be careful swimming off the little beach just in front of the Beach House (which is in a wonderful position by the way). The reef comes in very close on the right side of the beach (which makes for great snorkelling). I am sure you will take great pains to avoid touching the coral in any event, but be aware that we heard of several people getting nasty burns from fire coral very close to the beach. We found it best to go into the water on the left side of the beach and then, once we were used to the visibility and could gauge the swell, we could swim up to the reef whilst keeping a respectful distance.
Cost of meals varied quite widely. We paid as little as 80TT per couple for a simple meal with drinks, up to 240TT per couple for shrimp meals with drinks. It is a good idea to check during the day whether restaurants will be open in the evening.
I am sure you will have a wonderful time