Guest Report
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:46 pm
I greatly enjoyed the week (March 21-28, 2007) I spent at Alibaba's Seabreeze. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a peaceful, relaxed and unconventional stay in lush tropical surroundings. The owners Steph and Brian are really most hospitable and helpful and do whatever the can in order to make their guests feel at home. Pickup service at the airport can be arranged as well as transport to other destinations on the island.
The room I stayed in was the family appartment which consists of a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen/living room and a balcony with a gorgeous view across the bay. There is a very welcome mosquito netting covering the lower double bed, although there were less mosquitoes than I expected; sand flies on the beach are a greater problem or are they called sand fleas?
There was a ceiling fan plus a small fan mounted on a shelf on the bedroom wall which was quite sufficient in terms of cooling.
Since there are no meals provided at Alibaba's Seabreeze it is impotant to do some shopping before you arrive in Castara since the local opportunities are somewhat limited (although I remember lots of fresh fruit in the local shops). Best consider what you might need before you arrive (for example I bought far too much coffee). For dinner the Boathouse is just a few steps away. I had mainly fish there; the tables at the front have a nice view across the bay. The other restaurants (I tried Cascreole and Marguerite's) require a little walk into town which is no great distance but involves quite some uphill and downhill walking (good exercise after a day at the beach).
Rainforest tours or snorkelling excursions can be arranged on request. Be prepared to meet all kinds of bird life (there are feeding places on the balcony which attracts pigeons and bananaquits, you can see hummingbirds in the rainforest). For snorkelling the beach at Little Bay is quite good (I saw some French Angelfish as well as two giant Stingrays) although the water can be a bit murky after rainy periods. A short walk takes you to the Castara waterfall where I met an enormous blue butterfly.
The room I stayed in was the family appartment which consists of a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen/living room and a balcony with a gorgeous view across the bay. There is a very welcome mosquito netting covering the lower double bed, although there were less mosquitoes than I expected; sand flies on the beach are a greater problem or are they called sand fleas?
There was a ceiling fan plus a small fan mounted on a shelf on the bedroom wall which was quite sufficient in terms of cooling.
Since there are no meals provided at Alibaba's Seabreeze it is impotant to do some shopping before you arrive in Castara since the local opportunities are somewhat limited (although I remember lots of fresh fruit in the local shops). Best consider what you might need before you arrive (for example I bought far too much coffee). For dinner the Boathouse is just a few steps away. I had mainly fish there; the tables at the front have a nice view across the bay. The other restaurants (I tried Cascreole and Marguerite's) require a little walk into town which is no great distance but involves quite some uphill and downhill walking (good exercise after a day at the beach).
Rainforest tours or snorkelling excursions can be arranged on request. Be prepared to meet all kinds of bird life (there are feeding places on the balcony which attracts pigeons and bananaquits, you can see hummingbirds in the rainforest). For snorkelling the beach at Little Bay is quite good (I saw some French Angelfish as well as two giant Stingrays) although the water can be a bit murky after rainy periods. A short walk takes you to the Castara waterfall where I met an enormous blue butterfly.