Englishman's Bay, Tobago

[lminor26]

I saw a special on this hidden gem of a beach the other night. Let me tell you, it looks great. Very secluded and not industrialized. The hubby and I are beginning to do bit more research on it to see if we want to pursue a trip there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englishman's_Bay

[Snowparrot]

Tobago's all pretty wonderful, once you get away from the airport.
I've been there only once in real life, but many times in my daydreams, especially Charlotteville.

[Missing B'dos]

OK -- JUST NOW, you don't want to go to northern Tobago (our baby island) because they are having riots and demonstrations up in the northern towns. I believe it is mostly south of Charlotteville on the Castara, Partaluvier, etc. side. It is hardly being reported in the Trinidad papers because of the upcoming Summit of the Americas on Trinidad in a few weeks, but everyone who lives here knows. It should calm down in a while.
The lodges and small restaurants in Castara are generally rude to tourists anyway!

You would be fine if you go up the 'inside', stay in Speyside (you should stay there anyway where you are up-island), and go over to Charlotteville during the day. You will however, HAVE to rent a four-wheel-drive vehicle to go over the dirt road from the waterfront in Charlotteville to Englishman's Bay. We have never actually done it. Also, be aware you should go in a group as it is isolated, take everything you need (no toilets, not even a beach bar), and it might help to stop in the nice police station in the centre of Charlotteville (between the clinic and the customs/post office buildings facing the sports field --- it is painted pale blue) and 'ask' the police there for directions even if you do know where you are driving to, so that they are aware that there is someone over there that afternoon. And take nothing valuable over there!! Charlotteville is pretty and is a traditional active fishing village with some yacht anchorages; you will be able to smell a lot of ganja here an' dere. The whole northern end of Tobago, above the Preserve, still belongs quietly to one of the old plantation families, except the townsites. Take the road back over to Speyside before dark. There is an ATM at customs, but it is a First Citizens and I have never been able to get it to work with my stateside cash card only with my TT ScotiaBank cash card.

Speyside; the best place to stay is Blue Waters, which has snorkel trips, offshore islands, a nice bar and restaurant (service a tad slow, but if you say both Hello and Good Morning/Good Evening/Good Afternoon every time you speak to them you will get more cheery and better service, and also instead of telling them you want something such as 'I want a Carib', say 'Do you have Carib?,' you will be served more quickly), a pet parrot, tennis courts, a good swim beach, clean sand, and a good dive shop. You can also stay at Manta Lodge, which has a pool, the beach, the diving and boats, and a good restaurant and bar. There is also one more lodge up there, with a restaurant, and also on the beach, the freestanding restaurant Jemima's Treehouse, which is a 'destination', but for that make sure you have TT cash, as she doesn't take cards, call and reserve, and she is never open on Saturdays because she is a Seventh Day Adventist. Her cakes are as yum as the Bubble Room on Captiva for those of you who know what that is! It really is a tree house, too.

Speyside is clean and safe. All the places to stay are clustered on the north end of it, past the village but before you would go over the mountain to Charlotteville. The three hotels take it in turn to have live music on certain nights. Be aware that if you go in off season, only the Blue Waters may be sure to be open. All the hotels take credit cards.

Many of the islands are in various states of turmoil right now (a lot of the French ones) in reaction to the world wide recession hitting them. And theft is up. So plan to have fun, but be more careful than you would be in quieter times. We are going to Tobago next weekend April 3-6 after I get back from the States (I'm in Texas right now) but we are staying in a villa owned by friends on Bacolet Point a very nice area. We are hitting Pigeon Point, taking the boat to Buccoo Reef, which in all our trips there we somehow have never done, and doing a private two hour snorkel trip looking for rays. And a few good restaurants... If you want any restaurant recs or other information just let me know. I've lived here for nearly two years now.

[Snowparrot]

We stayed at the Blue Waters in 1990. It was wonderful then.
Now that I scuba, I'd love to go back, but even the snorkeling was amazing.

So there are riots in Tobago? Whatever for?

[Missing B'dos]

The government has decided to stop all the make-work road work contracts up in that area that provide the locals-- who are not fishermen and not in tourism (which is limited in those villages)--with their work-3-hours-a-day type welfare checks and the locals are not happy about it. They have dragged containers across the road, set fire to things, built fires in the road, cut large trees to fall across the road, etc. The Tobago Jazz Festival was also cancelled this year. Tobago is dependent on Trinidad's oil and on tourism. Tourism is down, and Trinidad is feeling the world economic pinch because the price of oil is down and because the current party in power is enamoured of large and showy skyscrapers and other projects and hasn't much interest in the rural villagers, the country folk, or the poor. Did you know that some of the slums on the hills above Port of Spain have been slums, and been there, since the 1840s?

Also, all resources are currently being thrown into the preparations for Trinidad to host the 5th annual Summit of the Americas, from about 16th to 20th of April. All 34 heads of state of all Western Hemisphere nations will be there, and this includes persons such as Raul Castro and Chavez, because Trinidad has good relations with those nations, even though the US doesn't. When it is over, POS will be the cleanest we have ever seen it! For a while anyway! Jimmy doesn't care, we live 'west', he works 'west' (of the city) and he has a two day sailing regatta that weekend ('west'). So those Tobagonians are just angry.

The riots in Guadaloupe and Martinique are over wages, but those islands are actual departments of France, just like Paris or Brittany. Tension is also seething in Reunion and in French Guiana where the satellites are tracked from. Trinidad's murder rate has risen up to just under Jamaica's and Jamaica's is the worst in the western hemisphere I think I read! The territorial government of Turks & Caicos has been suspended by the British government and a UK governor general has been sent in; the local governor is suspected of corruption (surprise!). The islands are interesting, but they are definitely not paradise! But we love 'em!!

I just want people who visit to be more careful. People who are perfectly respectable and careful at home go crazy down here, as if there weren't people who actually also live here and acting degenerate is OK. I want people to have fun, but not get hurt OR make a mess!

[Snowparrot]

Thanks for the update: I haven't paid much attention lately. Except Jamaica, where my son works, and where I'm headed again soon!

And of course, in the French Départements, they will demonstrate just like all the rest of France.

Maybe Canada will finally wake up and annex Turks and Caicos, as they have asked us to do several times. It always seems like such a good idea: our national beaches are pretty chilly about 9 months of the year!

[MIwreckdiver]

We vacationed last April for a week at the Blue Waters Inn in Speyside. The island is a beautiful extremely undeveloped old time caribbean isle. (at least in the north) The diving is absolutely world class drift, the people are friendly once they get to know you, and the restaurants in Speyside village are definately worth leaving the resorts for. However, EVERYTHING is done on "island time", the advice about making the first friendly advances to the local Tobagonians will go a long way towards getting their hospitality in return (they are fairly reserved people), and the primary folks who vacation there are Brits and folks from Trinidad on holiday. We did take a day trip over the island through the rainforests to Englishman's bay area. We had a divemaster whose company we all enjoyed that set up the trip for us and accompanied us to some spectacular falls, the rainforests, and some other cool sightseeing. I would NOT recommend making the tour through the northern part of the island on your own as the roads are narrow, not in the best of repair, and have numerous switchbacks as you climb over sheer cliffs. I cannot speak to the current situation there but the island is very poor with numerous "shanty towns", so I can see if there was some unrest the situation could be uncomfortable for visitors.