myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Hi
Can I start by saying what a fantastic site this is Steve.
I privately message a lot of people each year and always send them the link.
The photos of the island are amazing!!
I have been going to Tobago since my honeymoon in 1986 and as and when our children (3) were born we would take them there.
Have you any memories, stories or experiences you would like to share.
Have you met anyone famous in Tobago?

Hi Ambrose

Thanks for your kind words. I'm so delighted that you enjoy the site and admire the many stunning photos - most of which were shared with us by Hugh Stickney of course.

Yes, we would be delighted to hear people's memories, stores and experiences. That's exactly what this site is here to share.

On our 3rd visit in April 1989 we flew from Heathrow to St Lucia and on to Trinidad where we had a 3.5 hour delay before reaching our hotel in Tobago 14.5 hours later!
It wasn’t until about 1993 that direct flights took place following the extension of the runway to 9000 feet.
We stayed at Turtle Beach which had recently been purchased by Rex Resorts and is now known as Starfish Tobago. Grafton Beach was just about to open and the Hilton (Magdalena) hadn’t been started. We had stayed at Crown Reef the previous year before it became Coco Reef.
A few days into our holiday I woke early and walked to Fort Bennett. I looked at the Grafton Beach hotel and just beyond I saw a passenger plane on the beach at Back Bay. I could see no people around and I headed back to the hotel.
A member of staff told me they were making a film and that they had transported the plane from Trinidad.
The film was called ‘The last island’ and starred Patricia Hayes and Paul Freeman (was in one of the Indiana Jones films)
Coincidently we ended up with them when we went on a glass bottom boat trip to Little Tobago.

Thank you both for the kind comments regarding my photos.

I have lots of stories from many visits since my first time in 1982. We stayed at Arnos Vale and had the place almost to ourselves (just us and the birds) on a wonderful lover's holiday. That's when I fell in love with Tobago and that affair is still passionate.

A recent story concerns a photo I took at the Buccoo Crab Race in 2009. I had always hoped to contact the lovely young woman to give her a print of the photo. Ten years later I saw her at the Carnbee Pennysaver, recognized her immediately and introduced myself. She now has a digital version of the image and we will stay in touch from now on.
And since times are slow I will include this link to more than 400 photos of Tobago posted on my Flickr site:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lifelover ... 2851139907

Thanks again, Hugh

Another great photo Hugh!

Arnos Vale was a great place and we enjoyed afternoon tea and watching the birds being fed.

I was talking to Mr Ottoman (originally from Germany) a couple of years ago and he was the assistant manager at Arnos Vale in 1982. He told me he had received a telephone call in March of that year from the British High Commissioner in Trinidad asking for his help in contacting a guest who had gone out bird watching that day. The guest was Michael Heseltine who was the Secretary of State for Defence and a month later the Falkland War had started.

https://www.undercurrent.org/UCnow/dive ... 01401.html

I remember hearing about this at the time.