Hello
I'm new to this website, but wanted to mention a place for an overnight or even a couple nights stay in Trinidad.
I booked Papaya House for two nights last month on my way to Tobago (from the US). I live in the UK but was in the US for work so was flying from there. It was very easy to book, and the email responses from the owner were very prompt. She replied to my various emails within a few hours of me sending each one. I had been given the contact info via a friend of a friend, but the property is now online
http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p95207
I paid £36 per night for the property. On arrival at Piarco airport, the Papaya House manager, Mike, met my husband and I, and drove us the 10 or 15 minutes to the house. The airport transfers each way are complimentary.
The house itself is a simply but comfortably furnished bungalow. It has everything you might need including a pool in the backyard - ideal for that first just arrived on holiday swim! The only downside for me was that the plants in the garden are still young so the garden doesn't have that "finished" look as yet. But there are papaya trees and an orange tree as well as some ornamental plants.
I should also mention that the house is overlooked on one side but I didn't find that felt too uncomfortable or intrusive.
The house manager, Mike, lives in an apartment adjoining the house, which is very convenient for any questions you might have, and also if you decide to hire his services as your personal driver/ tour guide. He has great local knowledge and his passion is running/hiking so he's energetic and ideally placed for taking you to some of the most stunning waterfalls! (He had asked us first if we had anywhere in mind or were looking for suggestions of where to visit etc)
Our first day we just relaxed, had breakfast outside by the pool - it's a self-catering property and not a not a b&b, but the kitchen is stocked with some items that you are free to use. For breakfast I had a pomerac (a fruit that looks a bit like a pear but is bright pink with white flesh), bacon, eggs, toast and orange juice. My husband just had coffee - he's not much of a breakfast person.
Mike then took us up to the nearby Mt St Benedict - a monastery on a hill - the views are fantastic, esp if you walk to the top (about 20 mins past where the road ends) to the ridge. Later in the afternoon I wanted to check out the shops so he took us to a huge mall which is about 10 min drive away. We shopped a bit, then had dinner in the Japanese restaurant, before telephoning Mike to collect us.
I should add that that first day of taking us around was free of charge - he said it was all so nearby anyway.
The second day we paid him TT$300 (£25) for the whole day. He took us on a short hike to the beautiful Avocat Falls - the hike itself was very easy (we had requested an easy short one
, we had lunch at a cute little restaurant near the beach called Cocos Hut (the building is a former cocoa drying shed) and we spent a couple hours on the beach which we had all to ourselves!
We flew over to Tobago later that evening - of course Mike took us to the airport.
The owners of Papaya House have on the walls large photos of places in Trinidad, and I must admit that the photos certainly made me long for another day or two there to check out what I saw in the photos.
Btw, we also had a great time in Tobago!!
F
Hi!
! Rob, you will have to decide which option you prefer - the small homely B&B type places which would be undoubtedly much cheaper, or the Holiday Inn Express at 229US. You mentioned a late arrival, so be aware that the Holiday Inn Express does not have a full restaurant, so don't expect dinner at the hotel. I believe that they have a shuttle to the nearby Trincity Mall, where there are lots of eating choices from food court fast food, to a new Benihana's.