Tobago WI

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Walford

Original Poster:

2,259 posts

165 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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Anybody been lately, have heard is old school Caribbean

trickywoo

11,701 posts

229 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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I was there in November. Old school Caribbean is about right. Need to be careful where you stay as some old school can be reflected in slightly ropey surroundings. Being mountainous it can take a really long time to drive anywhere. I stayed in Castara and speyside. Saw the whole island so if you have any questions I'll try to help. Unleaded was under 30p a litre btw.

cailean

917 posts

172 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
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Certainly not Sandels'ised like most of the islands, which means (to me) total relaxation and chilling out. We go every year or so on the way to Trinidad. Love the place but if you are looking for huge all-inclusive where you don't explore and see the island, culture and people don't bother.

crispyshark

1,261 posts

144 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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I've been going every year for the last 7 or so....stayed in hotels, guest houses and private residences.

Happy to help with any tips you need, got whole travel guides written about it.

But in answer to your question, yes, it's old skool Caribbean and relatively safe. It's also very cheap and has some of the best beaches I've ever seen.

Very affordable, tropical destination.

crispyshark

1,261 posts

144 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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this is a really good website to start with....just be aware that the author is pretty biased with his reviews (places that give him free stuff get the best):

http://www.mytobago.info/

trickywoo

11,701 posts

229 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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crispyshark said:
It's also very cheap.
Wasn't my experience but then this is where accumulated knowledge comes in handy. I struggled to get anything decent to eat despite most places seeming to be £10 - £15 for a very ordinary plate of food.

Diving is also pretty pricey.

I'm comparing to uk and Barbados prices btw which I don't think anyone would describe as cheap.

There is good value accommodation available but it can be hit and miss as there are some real dives out there.

Not a reason not to visit as it's a great place but I wouldn't go with the mindset that it's going to be cheaper than other Caribbean islands.

crispyshark

1,261 posts

144 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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trickywoo said:
crispyshark said:
It's also very cheap.
Wasn't my experience but then this is where accumulated knowledge comes in handy. I struggled to get anything decent to eat despite most places seeming to be £10 - £15 for a very ordinary plate of food.

Diving is also pretty pricey.

I'm comparing to uk and Barbados prices btw which I don't think anyone would describe as cheap.

There is good value accommodation available but it can be hit and miss as there are some real dives out there.

Not a reason not to visit as it's a great place but I wouldn't go with the mindset that it's going to be cheaper than other Caribbean islands.
The food is not the best quality and the 'high end' restaurants on the island are very pricey.

You can find some good value places such as King's Bay Café (if open) and Chino's, but you have to go out of your way.

We self cater which is cheap. Veg is next to nothing and buying fish from any of the co-ops on the island is the best way to go about it.

Less than a £ for a bottle of beer.

Very high-end self catering accommodation for £680 a week is good in my opinion and flights out with Monarch are between £460 and £550 are also good (they are closing the route though frown ). Having said that, you can still fly to Trinidad and do the island skip cheaply.

Where did you dive? I dived at blue waters and it was about USD50 a dive from what I remember....not too bad bearing in mind you can use the beach facilities all day....food is expensive there though.

We take £500 which covers all our food and a couple of day's diving for me.

trickywoo

11,701 posts

229 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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crispyshark said:
You can find some good value places such as King's Bay Café (if open).

Buying fish from any of the co-ops on the island is the best way to go about it.

Less than a £ for a bottle of beer.

Flights out with Monarch are between £460 and £550 are also good

Where did you dive? I dived at blue waters and it was about USD50 a dive from what I remember.
All good points and I wouldn't want to put anyone off going. Its a destination where a little research and planning is needed to get the best out of it.

When I was at Speyside I went to King's Bay quite a lot. Never saw the cafe open. Ras and his wife (I think) do really good rotis in Charlottville just over the hill from Speyside.

Bought some really fresh snapper and dorado from the market. OK price about the same as Barbados.

Went diving with Spencer's Underwater Adventures (Speyside) and Wild Turtle at the Rex near Mt Irvine. Spencer and Richie were great guys. Was interesting when Richie's low pressure hose exploded at 15m on Divers Dream yikes

Trouble with Monarch is they are mid-week flights and you spend the flight looking at your knees due to lack of leg room. Last long haul Monarch I was on a couple of years ago didn't have any in flight entertainment. Having said that I went BA for £550 and even the stop in Antigua didn't make it too bad. Sat in traffic for about 1hr near the airport on way to Castara with over 2hr journey time through the hills. Wasn't in the best condition when I finally hauled the bags up the cliff to the villa!

Besides the generally poor food (and cost of said poor food) my biggest disappointment was the cost of rum. Not much less than UK prices. In Barbados its about £7 a litre.

Only eight petrol stations and few cash machines with cash in on the weekends on the whole island you need to plan carefully.

If I was going again I'd stay in the south near the airport and explore from there rather than stay in the middle and north.

The road through the rain forest is a must do.

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

232 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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My MiL goes to Sevenstoke WI. I could ask her if she knows about that branch if you'd like biggrin

Jasandjules

69,825 posts

228 months

Saturday 31st January 2015
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Haven't been there for a few years now but it is a great place. The diving is not as good as the Maldives but it is ok.

The people are wonderful however and you can do a weekend trip to Angel Falls, if that is your thing.