myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Hi

My boyfriend and I have booked our wedding to take place at Le Grand Courlan in October of this year. We have spent a lot of money and time trying to find the right setting for our wedding abroad and thought Le Grand Courlan sounded ideal. However we are now more than a bit concerned that any reviews we have read on the internet on this hotel have been mixed. The majority of the reviews we have read have been bad, with rude staff, dirty rooms, bad food, and spa treatments not being available, being the main complaints. We booked the wedding package through one of the larger tour operators who describe the hotel as a First class resort.

Can anyone who has stayed at the hotel recently give us their view? (inparticular anyone who themselves have been married there)

Thanks
Fiona

Hi Fiona

As Steve W (El Presidente of this site) would tell you himself if he wasn't beating off fans on some beach in Tobago as I write, one man's meat is another's poison. Not everyone will love a large hotel, hence some poor reviews and some fab ones of the LGC and others.

My advice, now you have booked - assuming you have paid already - is to wait and see, and try not to let some bad reviews spoil your trip. Think of the good ones instead - and there are several of those right here already for you to read, under the LGC own section in this forum.

If you do end up cancelling, use this site to research again before booking the next one, or, money permitting try a quickie recon trip.

Best wishes

Hello Fiona

Jill and I are staying at Le Grand Courlan for four days in around two weeks time in order to do a full review. The report will be written while at the resort, but won't be published until we're back in the UK in March. I can only tell you that I expect to have lunch there one day next week with some people we befriended on the plane coming out last year. They love the resort so much they've gone back and suggested we get together again. NO resort/hotel is perfect for everybody but LGC has a very faithful following of regulars - so it's convincing somebody.

Thanks.

Will look forward to reading your report on LGC, will it be accessable on this website?

There are some very good reviews about LGC on this forum, the recent bad reviews we read were on a website called Trip Advisor. We're going to take Glyn's advice and wait and see as we are still very much looking forward to getting married in Tobago.

Fiona

Hi Fiona

Oh yes, it will be very much available on this site - that's what we are here for. Check our Reviews page, but there will also be a permanent announcement and link at the top of the LGC forum.

When it comes to information on Tobago, forget the rest and come to the best. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be corny, but myTobago is the definitive guide to Tobago. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for here, contact me and we’ll correct the omission immediately.

TripAdvisor is a useful site and I would prefer not to criticise others. However, like most other forums, it is not moderated and the information posted is neither vetted nor validated. That means it is regularly used in a manipulative way: by the management of hotels wishing to promote their own establishment or to criticise competitors, or by malicious patrons with real or assumed grievances. We differ from others in that we log every user, validate their email address and ask them to use their proper name. I believe that this all helps to "clean up" the forum and present a higher quality “product”. You must be the judge of that.

I can tell you that I have my ear very close to the ground as far as Tobago is concerned. The entire purpose of this site is to steer visitors to the “right” places and away from the “worst”. I have a substantial and ever-increasing circle of residents and visitors who keep me very much informed of “what’s what” and “who’s who” on the island. I read every post. Any that differs materially from perceived knowledge of the establishment concerned get very close scrutiny. I reply to any such post, redressing the balance. That does not mean that the forum is heavily edited. I only delete posts in extreme cases. I’ve deleted one this year because it was a blatant advertisement for the sale of an apartment. I think I deleted about three in the previous year, all because they were proven manipulative posts. No post is deleted without the knowledge and agreement of the author. Sometimes it is more diplomatic, and fairer, to delete a post rather than shame the author in public (e.g. someone going over-the-top about a relative’s new restaurant). I hope that this explains the difference between posts here and elsewhere.

Hi Fiona,

My boyfriend and I have just returned from 2 weeks in Tobago and we spent the first week at Le Grand Courlan. I have to say that we really enjoied our week there and I dont think you have anything to worry about. While we were there 2 couples got married and they said the location was perfect and that it was very romantic!
The staff were extremly helpful and friendly for the most part and during our week there we only experienced one member of staff who couldn't manage a smile.
The rooms are very spacious and spotlessly clean with fresh towels every day and all the othere extras that you would expect. We did find out however a day before we left that everyone else had robes in there rooms and we did not but if we had known to ask I am sure that it would not have been a problem.
I have mixed views on the food, breakfast was great and served in the top restaurant which meant you had views across the bay as you had your morning tea. Lunch was always good if not very exciting. For dinner you have the choice to go to either of the two restauarnts but I would absolutly recommend that you only eat dinner in the top one as the food and service there was of a much higher standard.I would say that half the dinners I had that week were excellant and half I was dissapointed in but I did meet people there who loved every meal so I guess it really just depends on personal preference.
The salon was nice but the free treatments that you get with your package are pre chosen and booked for you. All the treatmentswe had were good and we twice were able to make changes with our bookings. Having said that though most of the treatments you are given are basic ones like lavender baths and body scrubs but I did also get an amxing shoulder and neck massage aswell.
To sum up I would say the Grand Courlan is a lovely hotel with great facilites and our only 2 regreats were that we didn't stay there for all our time in Tobago and that we didn't go a bit closer to high season....the bar was very empty some evenings as it was low season.
I am sure you will have a fabulous time when you go and good luck with your wedding,
Lisa.