Guest Report
Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:25 am
My partner and I stayed in Castara Retreat's Osprey apartment for two weeks in the middle of October 2005 and loved every minute.
The apartment was quite sufficient for our needs with a modest, but well equipped kitchen and clean facilities. Osprey has a large balcony overlooking the bay which allows you to have a table to eat at one end and then a hammock and chairs to relax in the other. Furthermore, it is the opposite side to the main stairs to the 4 apartments based at Castara Retreats making it much more private. It is also within a few steps of a nice paved patio where one can sun oneself on the sunlounger in the morning whilst devouring your next book.
We loved the great views across Castara every morning come rain or shine. Although we were in the rainy season it usually rained for 10-15mins a day. Swimming in the rain is great fun in the Caribbean and different to freezing in the North Sea or Atlantic!
Castara as a village is very basic. We were supported by Porridge who was always available for advice and Duck with gossip from the village. L & M's beside the co=operative provided some tinned things (a lot of corned beef) but no much else. As long as you stock up on beer and meat when coming to Castara you can get by easily. We bought fresh grapefruits and pineapples daily from the man on the corner near Margurites. He was always ready to help and explain what some of the different vegetables were including how to cook them.
Castara was my favourite place in Tobago and is a great base to explore the rest of the island. It is a short bus ride to Englishman's bay that was the most idyllic beach I have ever visited. You have to buy bus tickets from the local shop. In Castara it is from the shop on the main road beside the fruit/veg seller I mentioned above.
The waterfall is worth a little trip when the sun is hiding one morning and you can go and swim in the local bath that is the plunge pool. Although some are clearly profiting from the new influx of tourists generally in the island, it is still a poor village and as such many houses do not have running water (unlike all tourist apartments) and use the waterfall to wash.
If you like a unique experience, Castara is top on my list of places in the world. Usually there was one other couple on the entire beach whenever we went. People are around but there is plenty of space to lose yourself in your own little world around the island. We would thoroughly recommend Castara Retreats for a comfortable self-catering stay. We only cooked about 4 times in two weeks for dinner so it was not a struggle being self-catering. Just make sure you try buying some fish as you will get a massive tuna or the like of 2 feet long or bigger for £2-3! It is a truly rural and Caribbean experience that is characteristic of the village.
The apartment was quite sufficient for our needs with a modest, but well equipped kitchen and clean facilities. Osprey has a large balcony overlooking the bay which allows you to have a table to eat at one end and then a hammock and chairs to relax in the other. Furthermore, it is the opposite side to the main stairs to the 4 apartments based at Castara Retreats making it much more private. It is also within a few steps of a nice paved patio where one can sun oneself on the sunlounger in the morning whilst devouring your next book.
We loved the great views across Castara every morning come rain or shine. Although we were in the rainy season it usually rained for 10-15mins a day. Swimming in the rain is great fun in the Caribbean and different to freezing in the North Sea or Atlantic!
Castara as a village is very basic. We were supported by Porridge who was always available for advice and Duck with gossip from the village. L & M's beside the co=operative provided some tinned things (a lot of corned beef) but no much else. As long as you stock up on beer and meat when coming to Castara you can get by easily. We bought fresh grapefruits and pineapples daily from the man on the corner near Margurites. He was always ready to help and explain what some of the different vegetables were including how to cook them.
Castara was my favourite place in Tobago and is a great base to explore the rest of the island. It is a short bus ride to Englishman's bay that was the most idyllic beach I have ever visited. You have to buy bus tickets from the local shop. In Castara it is from the shop on the main road beside the fruit/veg seller I mentioned above.
The waterfall is worth a little trip when the sun is hiding one morning and you can go and swim in the local bath that is the plunge pool. Although some are clearly profiting from the new influx of tourists generally in the island, it is still a poor village and as such many houses do not have running water (unlike all tourist apartments) and use the waterfall to wash.
If you like a unique experience, Castara is top on my list of places in the world. Usually there was one other couple on the entire beach whenever we went. People are around but there is plenty of space to lose yourself in your own little world around the island. We would thoroughly recommend Castara Retreats for a comfortable self-catering stay. We only cooked about 4 times in two weeks for dinner so it was not a struggle being self-catering. Just make sure you try buying some fish as you will get a massive tuna or the like of 2 feet long or bigger for £2-3! It is a truly rural and Caribbean experience that is characteristic of the village.