October 2004 Visit

[J F Markham]

Just returned from a lovely week in Tobago. Finally arrived after being delayed 2hrs at Gatwick with Excel Airways (more on them later).

Arrived at the hotel to a very laid back check in, but you soon learn to chill out and go with the flow. We had a garden view room, although fom there we had a good view of the sea. A very nice room, well maintained and well cleaned on a daily basis by the polite staff.

Overall we were very imprerssed with the hotel. The fact that no children are allowed appeared to suit most guests, as there are only 86 rooms you do not feel lost in some big complex. Also the food we had during the week was varied and good quality.

As per usual some fellow Brits were complaining, too Hot!, staff not helpful (not that we noticed).

The fact you had to get up at 6.30 each morning to put your towel on a lounger to ensure a parasol or a good seat was a bit of a pain, are we Brits turning into Germans? Plus the Spa was a bit of a dissapointment, the daily treatments are really only a taster and you would need extras for a good spa. The downside was they were so busy it was not possible to book the extra treatments they advertise. They either need to get extra staff or rethink their daily planning. They could make a lot more money if you could book extra treatments.

We would happily recommend the Grand Courlan and Tobago. Frankly there is not a lot to do on the island, we went on a day island tour and that was enough. However, if you want to chill out, with good weather (we had a great week and very little showers) and nice food and views this is the place.

As for Excel Airways the only thing I think they excel at is being late. The plane coming to Gatwick for us was late, we then departed late as we missed our slot. We were also advised they were to go via Grenada to deliver supplies, part way through the flight they then told no we are going straight to Tobago (late arrival anyway). On leaving we get to the airport to discover a 4 hour delay as the plane was late coming in! When we got on the plane neither the Captain or Crew made an apology and acted as though we were on time! So as far as I can see Excel cannot run an on time airline. The plane itself needed internal refurbishment, my seat was broken and the seat headset connection outbound and return was intermitent. Our advise would be to use an alternative such as BA or Virgin (BWIA got terrible reviews by some guests at the hotel).

[Roland Siebenhorn]

The fact you had to get up at 6.30 each morning to put your towel on a lounger to ensure a parasol or a good seat was a bit of a pain, are we Brits turning into Germans?

Well, this is always a big deal in the German and British yellow press
every summer......
Meanwhile we can practice it here for the next holiday:

[broken link removed]
Cheers, Roland