Castara Retreats, Coasthanger

[Sioned And Tim Sims]

Too painful an experience to recall straight after the event. Its been weeks now, and I still shudder a wistful sigh when I have to remember that awful day we had to leave Castara Retreats and especially Coasthanger, to come home.
This was our fourth visit. Arriving in Tobago is now almost like coming home. As ever, Porridge was there to pick us up at the airport and with the formalities over (huge smiles and huge hugs) we stopped off at Penny Savers to do a siege shop for our two weeks stay.
Having stayed at most of the other accommodation we thought we would go for one of the new lodges. The pictures on the website looked fantastic. So with high expectations we arrived at Coasthanger. We were not disappointed. The first fantastic new development we experienced was the new road you drive up to get to the accommodation; no more dragging cases and shopping up the steep path from the road! My life was complete.
Coasthanger is special. It’s the only way I can describe it. When you walk in for the first time you notice an amazing sense of space. The whole building is made of red cedar - the walls, floors, shutters and the amazing vaulted roof - so as the sun moves around during the day the smell and colour of the wood is just beautiful. The living area is open plan with plenty of space for dining and just relaxing on the comfy cane suite. The shutters on two sides can be pulled up so you get uninterrupted mind-blowing views of both beaches on one side and the rugged coastline to the other. As the name suggests you do feel as though you are hanging over the sea. The well-equipped kitchen is just off this area (I wish I had one like this at home). The fridge freezer is the size of a small bungalow, so plenty of room for ice cold Carib and ice for your rum punch. The cooker is big enough to cook Christmas dinner for a medium sized army; this takes self-catering to a different level.
The bedroom is, as you would expect, airy and spacious with double doors, which open out onto a little balcony overlooking the beach. The comfortable queen-sized bed looks like a fairy tale four poster with its draping mozzy net. And there is plenty of hanging and storage space so if you’re not a light traveller you will be OK. There is also a security safe which we managed to fit all our travel money, documents and two laptop computers (12inch ibook size) into,. The ensuite shower room has a very good shower with constant hot water, (not something you get in all Tobagan accommodation.)
We really do think that Steve and Sue, the British owners of Castara Retreats, have thought of everything. On the day you reluctantly have to leave, with the long gap between vacating your Castara Retreats apartment and leaving for the airport, you don’t have to sit on the beach with your cases. They have a newly built utility block which houses a security room with safes to leave your luggage and valuables in and a shower room to wash off the sand from your last swim.
But even that doesn’t soften the blow of leaving. How do you abandon this simple red cedar palace, poised commandingly above beaches and rugged coastline, with its views framed by trees and the movement of vivid birds? How do you walk out on this airy stage for so many bright memories? Not without pain.
We were once people who believed that you should never return to the same place twice as it would never be the same; I can confirm this, IT GETS BETTER. Castara and Castara Retreats with its views, bird life and people is just stunning. Porridge and Jeanelle are perfect and caring hosts.
I think I may have now babbled too much. This place is enough to make Tobago bores of anyone. We have already booked for next Christmas; my only question now, after that wistful sigh, is what’s August like?

Regards
Sioned and Tim