Tobago Report
Tobago lies just off the coast of South America and remains less developed than some of its Caribbean neighbours. Whilst the rest of the Caribbean is offering all-inclusive rates for everyone, Tobago has remained relatively untouched by development and has only a handful of large hotels, the best of which are Coco Reef, Grafton Beach and Le Grand Courlon Spa. Masses of hiking trails lead you to breathtaking waterfalls through steep hillsides, clad with jungle teeming with wildlife. Jennie Madge visited Tobago in July 2005 for a family holiday and stayed in the Coco Reef Resort and Spa. Read Jennie’s report to find out more or call 0121 250 2211 or 0845 086 9710 to book your holiday to Tobago.
Flight
We travelled from Gatwick to Tobago with Virgin Airlines. Although the in-flight entertainment was not up to the standards we expected, the service and food more than made up for it.
Tobago Airport
After completing a landing card on the plane, we had to queue for immigration after landing. The airport is small and hot but we were quickly met by Virgin staff who transferred us swiftly to the Coco Reef Resort.
Coco Reef Resort
We were greeted with a cool, long drink and shown to our rooms. The hotel is beautiful, with lush green gardens and the entrance to the idyllic, white beach is no more than a minute’s walk from any room in the resort.
The Coco Reef Resort has room for 2,000 guests and faces the Caribbean Sea. The food, services and facilities are excellent. There are four shops selling crafts, linen and clothes, a hairdressers and a mini market.
Restaurants
The hotel has two restaurants. A buffet style restaurant, where they have Mexican, Italian and Chinese theme nights and a second restaurant where they serve a three course a la carte menu.
At breakfast there is everything you can imagine, from a full English breakfast to muffins, pancakes, croissants, fresh fruit and freshly cooked omelette. You can have your breakfast in the restaurant over looking the sea and plan your day of sunbathing or sightseeing.
Entertainment
In the day you can hire pedalos, kayaks and snorkelling equipment to explore the marine life on the beach. Trevor, our barman on the beach, came over every half an hour with our drinks orders so we kept cool in the heat.
Every night the resort has a variety of entertainment from singers, saxophone players, steel bands and cocktail parties.
Exploring Tobago
Tobago only has one main road and seven sets of traffic lights, so it is easy to get around and explore. The island is beautiful, with lots of picturesque secluded bays.
From £45 per person, there are plenty of organised trips around the island to keep you entertained. We went on a ‘Caribbean getaway’, which toured the rainforest. We saw lots of birds, crabs and spiders, but no snakes or anything dangerous. The trip finished with a tour of the island and lunch in a local restaurant and time to sunbathe and swim in a beautiful bay.
We also went on the ‘Spey side Tour’, which was fantastic as we were taken to the Argyll Waterfalls where you could jump in and have a swim. We were then taken to a lovely local restaurant and then on a glass-bottom boat and had the chance to snorkel in the sea.
Our guide pointed out fruit trees, cashew trees, local history sights and even Harrison Ford’s holiday home, the Dwight Yorke Stadium and the house where Ian Flemming wrote the James Bond books.
The hotel’s Social Director could assist in organising anything you wanted from going to church, attending local festivals, taking diving courses and hiring bikes. They even helped in decorating our room and organising a cake for my brother’s 30th birthday.
My dad and partner renewed their wedding vows at the hotel and the staff at the Coco Reef Resort were wonderful. The rings were brought at a local jeweller and the service was performed by a minister under a pagoda, just one of the four locations we could have chosen from. After the service we took a sunset cruise on a Catamaran, drank rum punch, cooked a barbeque and danced to Bob Marley while watching the sunset.
Golf
Some of our party played golf at the Hilton hotel, which was about 15 minutes away. £65 covered the cost of playing, hiring of the all the clubs, shoes and buggies. Balls cost £1.50 each, so it could be quite expensive. You are allowed to wear shorts, but it is recommended that you play early in the morning, as it can get very hot.
Summary
Tobago is a wonderful, relaxing holiday destination with plenty to see and do. As the island is not as developed as the other Caribbean islands, it is a great chance to see the Caribbean as it once was before mass tourism. It is located outside the hurricane belt and has high temperatures all year round. February to May are the driest months and June to August are the wettest.
The people at the resort were very helpful and friendly and there were always plenty of staff available on hand to help. The food was excellent and varied with the speciality being fresh fish. However, I would recommend you book all-inclusive, as it can work out expensively if you book room-only and pay for your meals.
