myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

We are looking to go to the Grafton Beach hotel next year (June) and are particularly interested in the Kids Club (we will have a 3 year old) and Diving.

If anyone has any information on either of these areas at this hotel we would be grateful to hear from you.

Thanks

Peter

Peter Allday wrote:We are looking to go to the Grafton Beach hotel next year (June) and are particularly interested in the Kids Club (we will have a 3 year old) and Diving.

If anyone has any information on either of these areas at this hotel we would be grateful to hear from you.

Thanks

Peter

we too would like up to date news on the grafton. WE have booked an xmas holiday four us and 4 kids via Virgin. In trying to do some research on the hotel we find mainly negatives. It is a quite a big risk to take to hope that all problems are solved. In addition we did not realise that the beach has strong currents and that there is a road between the hotel and the beach. We are still wondering whther or not to cancel. It seems to me that had I known what i know now I would probably not wish to take the risk and book there
Kitty

Kitty,

From reading the various postings on this site I was of the opinion that most of the negative reviews were related to an outbreak of food poisoning last Nov/Dec which appears to have been rectified. It also appears that the hotel has undergone a facelift and is now quite pleasent, with good comments on the food. We are also a bit concerned about the road and the rough seas, and would welcome the comments from anyone who has been there about either of these.

Hi Kitty & Peter

First of all, let me stress that this site is keen to ‘out’ all bad establishments on Tobago. We believe that the island has a unique “magic” and the purpose of this site is to steer visitors to the best places so that they may share that magic.

I have not stayed at the Grafton, but Jill and I did undertake a very comprehensive tour of the hotel last January and our min-report is posted in the forum at http://www.mytobago.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=318

As Peter says, the negative comment you have found almost certainly dated prior to this year. The hotel was closed and extensive renovation undertaken in late 2002. There has been a considerable shake up in management. Although we haven’t had a huge amount of feedback since the hotel re-opened, I can honestly tell you that all comment has been very positive indeed. So much so that we are considering staying there for a few days next January to fully review the hotel.

Forget about the road that passes between the back of the hotel and the beach. It was part of the main north coast road many years ago, but was bypassed some considerable time ago and is now simply an access road to a dozen or so villas and the Seahorse Inn. I don’t know how many vehicles pass down it a day, but if it averages more than one every 20 minutes, I would be surprised. Believe me, this lane really is a non-issue.

Almost EVERY bay in Tobago can experience high seas at some times of the year and seas are always at their highest around a full moon of course. Most of the time, Grafton beach is perfectly safe, but there are times when conditions can get rougher at all beaches round the island. It's also often the case that conditions can be fine at one beach and perfect in an adjacent beach. It’s impossible to give good advice here, because it’s totally dependent upon your swimming abilities, experience and strength. Having nearly drowned in the sea as a kid (not in Tobago), I am extremely conscious of how dangerous swimming in the sea can be. It is essential to know your own abilities and stay within them. Children (of any age) should ALWAYS be monitored constantly and you should NEVER let inflatable lilos and similar drift further than a few metres from the beach. With these things in mind, I have no knowledge that Grafton beach is fundamentally more dangerous than most other Caribbean beaches.

Relax and enjoy. I’m sure you’re going to have a brilliant holiday. Make sure you come back and give us a full report.

Thank you both. I have now spoken to some friends who own a villa at Stonehaven just above the grafton .. they are therefore locals. This what they say:

used to be a good family hotel , had hygieneand staff problems and now sorted. Some money spent recently on upgrade. They think it should be ok and they say that they often go to the hotel's beach barbecue on sundays with music. They also swim on that beach and say that it is perfectly ok( unlike the Hilton beach). They say that the hotel they like best ( but which is more expensive) is the Coco Reef. They would not hesitate to use the grafton however.
I hope that this helps
Kitty

Steve,

Thank you for your reply. The infomation about the road was most reassuring.

Peter

Hi folks

I have a useful tip for the Grafton Beach hotel (which is pleasant, nice little beach and as Steve says the road is more of a driveway in rare use). Some guests of ours here this week have their son and his friends staying at the Garfton for their wedding. The only gripe from the group (group gripe?) is that they booked all inclusive due to the apparent advertising of the a la carte seafood restaurant, wanting to sample seafood every night. However, the seafood bit is apparently a small part of the restaurant and must be prebooked - they arrived last Saturday and their next available table is next Monday, ie two days after they take off. My advice, as is often the case, was to start complaints procedures with their holiday package company, rep first then if that fails back in UK - such a grievance, if accurate, seems almost deceptive advertising (can anyone else confirm this?). I wonder if a devious way around this problem would be to prebook tables by email, or better still fax, quoting booking details, prior to travel??? Otherwise they are happy there and the hotel has gone to great lengths to arrange their wedding at just 3 weeks notice. Habe fun, Glyn