Robert Johnson--my husband and I are goingto Tobago in June of this year (1997) for ten days, and we will be able to give information upon our return.
There are lots of information on the "Web" and also is "Islands" magazine (February 1997). E-mail me at the end of June if you still need information!

I have noticed that you are to holiday in Tobago in June ,we and our young family are going in october.we would be most gratefull of any info .Thankyou.

Tobago was great! Le Grand Corlan was expensive,
but the room was lovely. Very CLEAN> and new.
The hotel is about 3 years old. It is next to the
Grafton and owned by them. They had nightly enter-
tainment at both hotels. Food is very expensive at
the hotel. You can get all inclusive. There were
no Americans there, only Europeans. We went the
first week of May - only 10 people at the hotel.
We had the pool and the Caribbean to ourselves.
We rented a car to go sight seeing. The scenery is
exquisite. The roads off of the main road are
scary, i.e. hilly and narrow.

There was a small hotel on the beach road down the
hill from us. The Sea Horse Inn (no air conditioning).
Rooms were very inexpensive during the off season.
The food was half as expensive as The Grafton or Le Grand Corlan.
There is a condo called Sandy Point but it is about
a mile from Pigeon Point and not directly on a
swimming beach. They do have two bedrooms. Also, it
is very, very near the airport. The only place that there
may be villa's may be near the golf course. The
island is not very built up. Very slow and quiet.

For Island food we ate at the Blue Crab and the Emer-
ald. If you like fresh seafood, it was wonderful.
My husband is a shrimp or beef eater and he even
survived.

The Tobago people are very friendly. On Sunday, we
picked-up some locals and drove them to Church.

There is no fresh milk on the island. There are
no big places to shop. They did have cable TV at
our hotel.

All in all, very quiet. Surf and Sun.
Oh, I did get to see a sea turtle come ashore to
lay her eggs. Marvelous. That made my vacation.

E-mail me if you want to know more!

As promised, here is my post on Tobago. A difficult
island to get to (from MN at least), but well worth
it. We stayed at Cocoa Reef (expensive), and the grounds were beautiful as were the people. Lots of help finding places to eat and things to see. Took a day trip to Trinidad--worthwhile because except for the Carnival in February, you probably would not go back. Back in Tobago now--took a hike in the rain forest with David Rooks (funny, educational), went diving with Ellis--the most beautiful water, fish, and coral reef. Did not see a manta ray, however. True, the food at the resorts
is expensive--found two places locally that were
excellent and worth the price. Other than that (we
were there 10 days), I ordered off of the luncheon
menu at 3:00 and then kept it in our room (had a mini ref.) for dinner. Always a way to beat the
system. Slacks are not for nighttime--the Europeans always wear dresses--and you will be hard pressed to find Americans on this island! The Germans are buying up property (we have run into this all over),
and the English are in Tobago too. All in all, we would do it again, but we probably will not go back. I do have lots of information on places to stay, places to eat, and things to do. E-mail me if you need further information. I just proofed the copy and figured that no one would figure out what I
meant by would do it again, but would not go back.
I have a list--95%25 of the Caribbean we have visited plus the Bahamas which are wonderful. Each year I have to have my Caribbean "fix" as they say. On to Granada in '98.





































































'98

Since I used to live in Trinidad, I am partial to T&T. I am glad to hear the people that enjoy both islands--Tobago is very different from Trinidad. And I would hope anyone considering going would do thorough research on the islands. Carnival in Trinidad is fun esp. if you are willing to participate in the parades (there is so much to see in Trinidad that so many people never take time for). And Carnival time is a fun time to see Tobago (you always fly to Tobago on Wednesday to relax after days of all night partying during Carnival). Have fun researching your trip.

My fiancee and I are considering going to Tobago for our honeymoon in late October early November.
We would like to enjoy the beach, go snorkeling and generally relax.
We are looking for reasonably priced accommodations, restaurants, and night spots.
I understand that the further away from the airport you are the less expensive it is and the more enjoyable the experience.
Someone suggested the Speyside Inn. Any thoughts on this.
Any information or suggestions woule be greatly appreciated.

ademarco--you are correct in saying that the places to stay in the north of Tobago are less expensive.
My husband and I do not rent a car, and in this case,getting to the north is very tricky--takes about an hour from the airport--this is why the places are less expensive. We did go diving in Speyside though--that is the diving area of the island--very small quaint village--eat at Jemmas (you are overlooking the ocean because Jemmas is on stilts). We did dive with a couple who were staying at the Blue Waters Inn. Nice place (we cased the
place) but far away from anything--now this young couple rented a car and got around--youth, you know.
The people are so friendly on this island--that is one of its main attributes. We just returned about three weeks ago. Let me know if I can answer any other questions for you. Have a great time! Oh,
I posted some other information on this message board too.

J.Ryan - I wonder if you can help. We are interested in Tobago this fall or the following spring and are considering Turtle Beach or Arnos Vale. Are you familiar with either of these places? We like small and somewhat informal hotels. We are trying to decide between Tobago, Akumal or New Providence Island,Bahamas. We may also have my inlaws with us, who are in their early 70's.
I welcome any info you may have!
Denise

Mr. Ryan, My family visited Tobago about18 years ago and at the time we admired the area of Mt. Irvine Golf Course. We're looking for information on owner villa rentals (not condos, etc.) on the golf course and we're having a hard time accessing info. You mention Islands magazine and I havent been able to find it...do you have a phone number for it so that I may get a subscription...hoping for helpful classified ads..or info on rentals Casa de Campo. Thank you!!

Mr. Ryan - I was in Tobago last year for Xmas and will be returning again for Xmas this year. It is a beautiful island, the people are very friendly. I would not recommend Arnos Vale due to the older family that will be accompanying you. The hotel is very picturesque but up on a hill with "quite a set of stairs" down to the beach. I stayed at Turtle Beach 2 years in running about 5 years ago, and returned for a Sunday brunch last December. It is a well-kept hotel on a long beach, with easy access for everything. The rooms are in a two or three storey bulding (buildings are joined). The ground floor rooms have access through the sliding doors at the front of the rooms and a back door for access off the walkway. The beach is only a few hundred feet from the door. We really enjoy Tobago as it has not yet become too "touristy", the majority of the visitors are European. There is great information on the net regarding Tobago - restaurants, lodgings, eco-tours,etc. it is really worth looking at. We always rent a car - it takes defensive driving as they drive on the "wrong side of the road", the roads are not in really great shape, and the locals drive a little crazy, but the island is so beautiful, there are so many great restaurants, etc. it is well worth the money. Go and enjoy - we keep going back.

We have just gotten back from our third trip to Tobago. This time we found a lovely apartment in the Arnos Vale area, just maybe a mile from Arnos Vale
Hotel. They have three apartments 50-60 u.s. It isn't on the beach but close. You can sit on the patio of a morning and see lots of birds. Tel/fax 639-1362. Charlotteville is another good location
with several inexpensive places to stay and on a beautiful bay. Food costs much less than on most other islands.