TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

OVERVIEW

• When: 16 March-25 March, 2024
• Where (accommodations): Tobago: The Villas at Stonehaven, Castara Retreats; Trinidad: Hyatt Regency Trinidad
• Transportation: American airlines, Caribbean Airlines
• Sights/attractions: Tobago: Stonehaven Bay, Pigeon Point Beach, Nylon Pool, No Man’s Land (Sugarlips tour), Store Bay Beach, Buccoo Point Sunday School, Englishman’s Bay, Parlatuvier Bay, Shurland’s Nature Park, Bloody Bay, Charloteville, Pirates Bay, Flagg Staff Hill, Speyside, Castara Bay; Trinidad: The Magnificent Seven, Queen’s Park, Botanical Gardens, St Ann’s church, Memorial Park, National Academy for the Performing Arts, The Holy Trinity Cathedral, Las Cuevas beach, Maracas Lookout, Maracas Beach
• Food/drinks: Tobago: The Seahorse Restaurant & Bar, Dreamsicle at the Watermill, The Pavilion Restaurant, Kenny’s Doubles, Miss Esmies’s Local Dishes, Glasgow Bar, Caribbean Kitchen, Scoops of Happiness, Cheno’s Coffee Shop, Cascreol bar; Trinidad: Lola’s Food Company, Amara Restaurant, Uncle Sam & Sons, Richard’s Bake and Shark, The Meena House, Adam’s Bagels

Another winter working from Miami Beach, means another warm vacation in March before we return to a still cold Boston. We considered a few other places, but flights popped up on American Airlines from Miami to Trinidad and without too much consideration I booked them 🙂 . I think I looked up the weather this time of year (it’s perfect!). I also saw that there are gorgeous beaches (I can attest that is very much true). I think that was enough to hit ‘buy’ button for the tickets. Before making it too long of a post, you heard it first- it was a great decision!

Before going to T&T we did not know anyone that has been there and oddly there was not too much info online. When we arrived and I posted some photos, a few people that we know reached out with advice and recommendations, so we DO know someone that’s been there, but definitely very few.

Upon a quick search I found that USA travel.state.gov website has a lovely Level 3 travel warning: “Reconsider travel to Trinidad and Tobago due to crime. Exercise increased caution in Trinidad and Tobago due to terrorism and kidnapping.” Luckily we’ve heard this before about several countries that we went to (one of them being El Salvador) and this never stopped us from traveling. I hope these warnings don’t come true, but I can assure you that we felt 100% safe for the whole week in both Trinidad and Tobago islands. I am not sure if it’s the warning, but we only met one American tourist there. Most non-locals were European. It was not crowded, we felt the authentic culture, prices were not super low, but definitely reasonable. Maybe not having Americans flood these islands is a very positive thing, because, say in Costa Rica or Aruba we felt like we are in another state of America.

All in all, we absolutely loved the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. It’s so close to Venezuela, that you can see it in the distance! In the islands two main ethnic groups predominate — Afro-Creoles of African descent and Indians of Asian descent, which is an amazing combination when it comes to the local cuisine. We did not have a bad meal there- from breakfast ‘doubles‘ to elevated Indian dinner, to Caribbean flavors – it was a real treat to our palates.

Despite being fairly small islands, there is a lot to cover. Without further adieu – here is how we spent 8 nights in T&T.

TOBAGO

From Miami we flew into Port of Spain, Trinidad, where most of the international flights come in. From there to Tobago there were 2 options- 15 min Caribbean airlines flight or a potentially rough seas 3hr ferry ride. I don’t have the strongest stomach for backseat car drives, so taking the ferry was the very last option on my mind. To be honest, there was a chance we would need to take it. American Airlines flight from Miami was almost an hour late and we were cutting VERY close to the connection. We were also seated almost in the back of the plane, so given the delay we asked flight attendants if there would be a way for us to leave first, as soon as the plane lands. They did us an even bigger favor- moved us (not together, but still) close to the front.

When we switched seats I ended up near Luke- my first met Trinidadian, born and raised in the islands. He was very kind in offering sightseeing advice, confirming that the plans we had are worthwhile etc. We follow each other on IG, so he saw my stories. Fast forward to our last day on this trip and we go to a nice breakfast spot recommended to us by a local taxi driver. We meet the owner of Adam’s Bagels, enjoy our food and I post a story about our experience. Luke messages me soon after- that is his uncle and his uncle’s restaurant! Small world? Coincidence? Or a sign that we are at the right place at the right time…

We partially ran across Trinidad airport and barely made the Caribbean airlines flight. Which actually took off BEFORE the scheduled departure! With a bit of stress and a lot of good luck we made it to Tobago!

The Villas at Stonehaven

Initially we planned on staying here most of the week, but a couple months before the trip I decided to split Tobago into two different accomodations. I am very glad I did and for a few different reasons. One of them was the distances to the places we wanted to visit. The Villas at Stonehaven were super convenient to explore Stonehaven Bay, Pigeon Point Beach, Nylon Pool, No Man’s Land , Store Bay Beach and Buccoo Point where we went to a fun Sunday School night.

It was also close from the airport, so we didn’t have to be in the car for a long time after the two flights. By the way, driving in T&T is on the left side of the road (like in UK), so we did not rent a car, but instead spent quite a lot on the taxis. Uber is non existent and we really missed that convenience. In order to get a taxi you need to set it up- we arranged our first one through the Villas, but then got the driver’s Whatsaap number and when he was not around, he would send one of his friends etc. We pulled up to the Stonehaven Villas, checked in and the staff brought us to the house- a HUGE house (one of 14 on the property). Two floors, multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, large infinity pool overlooking the ocean. All this for just the two of us! I am not sure what we were reading when we booked this, but we for sure were not expecting this.

Now comes the second part. As much as we both loved the first floor with the pool, I immediately did not like the second floor. Sean was somewhat indifferent and you might call me nuts, but it gave me creeps. I just did not like the vibe up there and refused to go up. The more time we spent in this house the more jumpy I got – maybe it was too much space, which we are not used to. Either way, the first day I said- I think this place is haunted (and Sean, as well as the person showing the house, laughed it off).

Well. Then I did some investigation. And lo and behold, on their OWN website, in the “About us” section there are some interesting details. “The 11 acres of land on which the resort sits was originally part of the Grafton Cocoa Estate. Following Hurricane Flora, in 1963, the owner of the Estate, Eleanor Alefounder, took to feeding the wild birds, whose habitat had been badly damaged. In her will, she bequeathed parcels of land to members of her family on the condition that the 260 acres of forest which adjoins the Stonehaven property remains a wildlife sanctuary. There are many wonderful stories of ‘happenings’ during the construction of Stonehaven, including several ‘visits’ from the original owner, Eleanor, who was seen riding her white horse bare back through the site with her long hair flowing!” Then they proceed to telling this tidbit: “Finally, in 2000, after three years of construction, Stonehaven Villas opened for business with a champagne celebration. Among the many invitees was Eleanor’s brother ‘Uncle Max’ who had sold the parcel of land to Stonehaven. Sadly, two weeks after this event, Arne Hasselqvist, designer and a co-investor died tragically in a fire in the Bahamas where he had gone to start his next project.”

So granted, I did not sleep well here. And actually neither did Sean. He had a headache (which was unusual for him) and was up at 3am with me one of the nights (when normally he sleeps like a rock). Maybe it’s all in my head, but if I’d known this fact we would not have booked this place.

I have to say- private heated pool was amazing. We fully enjoyed it every evening, one afternoon and the last morning.

We barely used a fraction of the huge house (while locking ourselves in the bedroom for the night :)), and I am SO glad we booked the next place, because three nights here was more than enough. I think maybe if we stayed here with a family and/or friends it would be a different experience. There is a full kitchen, grill, so much space for entertaining, and the staff is helpful and pleasant. We saw a wedding happening there too. It could be a very convenient place for some, but it did not pass my vibe/energy check and I am just being honest.

Stonehaven Bay

After checking in at the Villas we immediately wanted to see the closest beach. It’s a bit of a walk from the top of the hill to get down, but we made it right before sunset.

It’s a beautiful beach, though pretty wavy and we actually never ended up swimming here. We were hungry, so instead of going in the water, we went to a nearby restaurant The Seahorse Restaurant & Bar. It was the closest place for dinner that was walking distance and the food was amazing. It was so good, that we came back the second time two days later.

Since The Villas are equipped with the full kitchen, usually people stock up on food on the way over. We never cook on vacation, so it did not even occur to us to go to a supermarket on the way from the airport. But I would definitely recommend that. There is The Pavilion Restaurant on premises, but it was only open Thursday to Sunday. We had one dinner there on Sunday evening and it was OK, but we preferred the Seahorse.

Luckily Seahorse Restaurant was open Monday, because otherwise we’d have to travel somewhere by taxi in order to find a place to eat. I think besides ghosts and bad sleep, the food situation was the most inconvenient while staying at The Villas at Stonehaven. Just as simple thing as finding breakfast was not simple at all. Sunday we got lucky because Dreamsicle at the Watermill was open, but it was still a drive away, so we got our taxi driver to take us there before going on an excursion.

Both the omelette and the French toast were amazing! They also had a little bathing suit/beach clothes stand and I got a nice bikini made in Trinidad 🙂 . Breakfast and shopping, can’t beat that! On Tuesday they were not open and nothing else around the Villas served breakfast until 11am. We learned this a day prior, so to have at least something with the coffee, we got a second cheesecake to take away at the Seahorse Restaurant after finishing dinner there. Moral of the story- buy some snacks/food if you stay in these accommodations.

Sugarlips Tour- Pigeon Point, Nylon Pool and No Man’s Land!

Tobago has many beautiful beaches and Pigeon Point comes at the top of the list. Around 20 min drive from The Villas at Stonehaven, at the south west of the island, this beach was definitely on our MUST visit list.

There is an entry fee of TT$20, which is around $3 USD pp and the beach is pristine. The color of the water is milky blue, there are cute shops and no crowds.

We could have easily spent several hours here, but we booked a glass bottom boat tour with Sugarlips, so we arrived a bit earlier to take a swim, walk around and get on the boat by 11.30am.

I found the tour last minute- just the day prior and luckily he had space for the two of us. We saw other excursions with a lot more people, but ours was not a packed boat. If you already are in Pigeon Point then this, or a similar excursion, should be part of your itinerary. We did a full day tour which included a snorkeling stop at Buccoo reef, then the Nylon Pool and finally a relaxing afternoon and a freshly cooked lunch on a No Man’s Land.

I was actually surprised how many nice fish/good coral you could see while snorkeling! We did not bring our underwater camera, so I have no pics, but it was actually quite impressive. The snorkeling masks were not great though. Despite it being new, Sean’s and other people’s masks kept leaking the water inside, so we did not stay long. Everyone was getting annoyed from not being able to enjoy it, so we got back on a boat and went to the Nylon Pool soon after.

This shallow, natural, knee-deep crystal clear “pool” with a sandy bottom is in the middle of the sea created by an offshore sandbar and a still lagoon. Nylon Pool was named by Britain’s Princess Margaret in 1962, who likened it to the transparency of nylon, when she spent her honeymoon there. It’s not much to do, besides enjoy the warm water, relax and chill. It’s also said to have ‘magical’ properties – scrub the body with the sand there for a 10 years younger skin (yes, we did, yes we look young of course thanks to it 🙂 ). There was a super sweet girl on the boat- Amaya. Her mom was captain’s girlfriend (and there was some drama going on there- mom was cursing out the captain for a good portion of this boat ride). So this girl played with us, danced, we built a sand castle when we docked ashore- I think she wanted to stay away from the drama and we were happy to spend time with her.

Sugarlips made delicious BBQ lunch and there was plenty of rum punch. It punched the lights out of me! I had one cup (and a beer prior) and I needed to take a nap on the beach!

I had no idea Sean was documenting this state of my No Man’s Land experience.

We were suppose to return around 5pm, but Sugarlips was chatting up with one of the German ladies and kept saying “we’ll go in 30 min, we’ll go soon”. We ended up being there until sunset (our taxi was not super thrilled to be postponed several times), but we had a great time!

Because it was Sunday, we learned that there is such thing as “Sunday School“- essentially a party/local gathering in Buccoo Point. There is absolutely nothing to do around the Villas, so we organized a driver and went to check it out. It was really nice- steel drum orchestra was playing, when they finished there was a catchy dance music coming from the speakers. Local vendors sold food (‘shark and bake’) and there was even a makeshift casino (that Sean participated in playing 🙂 )!

If you are on this side of the island on a Sunday, definitely check it out! It felt like being part of the community.

Crown Point and Store Bay Beach

Another great beach/area worth exploring and pretty close driving distance from our ‘ghost house’ 🙂 . We took a taxi to Store Bay Beach, reserved the chairs and umbrella for the day and set off to find breakfast. There are food stalls/shacks right near this beach, but we wanted to try the famous traditional dish called doubles. It’s a typical street food with Indian origin and is made of fried mini roti (sort of like a tortilla) and filled with curried chickpeas and other spices. Luck would have it, Kenny’s Doubles stand was a short walk away (the guy renting the chairs pointed us to the right direction) and it was amazing! We each had at least 3 (and later on wished we had bought more).

Kenny is a super nice and busy man- get there early, because he only stays until he sells out. Everything is made fresh daily and I am salivating just looking at these pictures and remembering the taste of these doubles!

Now that we are not hungry, we can enjoy the beach for the rest of the day. I even got a massage from a local masseuse right on the beach chair, with the ocean sounds in the background and a freshly squeezed aloe to help hydrate my skin.

When we needed lunch, we just walked up to the shacks and had more of the local dishes- crab and dumplings and conch and dumplings- they were a bit salty, but still good.

And of course how would we not get ice cream on this hot beach day?! While eating lunch we chatted with Lorri- Canadian traveler that’s been to around a 100 countries. We had a nice conversation and never in a million years would have guessed that we’ll see her again 5 days later in Trinidad! We just ran into each other in Port of Spain, the city with the population of over 500 thousand in the metro area! Talk about a coincidence.

Castara Retreats

We almost didn’t book this place. Initially we had The Villas at Stonehaven for 5 nights and then last 3 nights in Trinidad. Pretty close to the trip I was checking what beaches/towns we want to visit in Tobago. Then it dawned on me that if we want to see the northern side, we will be spending a lot of time in the car by staying the whole time in the same place. Castara Retreats is about an hour north from our first accommodations, which is a lot closer to all of the northern bays. Upon first look they didn’t seem to have availability online (but were super well rated), so I emailed them anyway asking if there is something for a 2 night stay. I got a response the next day about a few options and booked it right away! We got a two bedroom Birdsong villa (we never used the downstairs bedroom) with an amazing view of the Caribbean Sea and the minute we stepped into it I fell in love.

While in The Villas at Stonehaven I felt a spooky vibe, in Castara Retreats it was completely the opposite. It was not just the amazing view, or the friendly couple running the place- Porridge and Jeanell. Or the feeling like you are in a tree house. Or the quiet village below. Not even the amazing sunsets or the incredible food at their Caribbean Kitchen, which we experienced later. It was the combination of all these things and more.

The best way to describe it is that it felt like home. Without even sleeping one night I knew that I want to spend more than two nights here. So we asked if there is availability to extend the stay (our villa was fully booked), and Jeanell gave us an option for a smaller place for the third night.

We cancelled one night in the Hyatt Trinidad, changed inner island flights to a day later and were so happy to have a little bit more time here. The only other time we’ve done this was 6 years ago in Vahine Island, French Polynesia. It was the same feeling of just being so happy and not wanting to leave. Sometimes you just have to listen to your gut (or heart) and we have no regrets we did.

I have to elaborate on the food- we had all our meals (except for one lunch) at the Caribbean Kitchen and never got bored. The menu changed slightly, but it was consistently amazing. It really has to be one of the best restaurants on the island (at least this side of the island), and people were coming from other hotels to eat here. If you are in Castara and get lucky- get some of the banana bread that Porridge’s daughter Sherayne is baking. We first tried it at a corner cafe Cheno’s Coffee Shop and then found out who the baker is.

She had a loaf for sale and we scooped that up right away. When we were leaving Sherayne gifted us her carrot cake and we managed to bring that all the way to Boston. It made returning back to the cold just a little bit sweeter 🙂 .

Besides eating, we also did yoga, got massages and fully relaxed. I’d go back to this place in a heartbeat.

Also please note the cat Carrol. She’s been at this property for many years and now is a master at yoga and a perfect companion at a dinner table!

Island tour

We did not plan this to be a whole day tour, but it sort of evolved into one. The taxi brought us from The Villas at Stonehaven to Castara Retreats. We checked in, fell in love with the place, had amazing banana bread at the coffee shop and asked Porridge to set up a driver for us to check out some of the nearby bays. We thought we might stop by the Englishman’s Bay and then Parlatuvier. If we like one more than the other we’ll spend a few hours and come back. We also wanted to see hummingbirds, so figured stop by there on the way.

Englishman’s Bay beach

Only 9 min drive from Castara Retreats, this beach is absolutely gorgeous.

The path is lined with bamboos, there is a little restaurant and once again not many people. We liked it right away, but because we wanted to see what else is out there, we continued driving. The following day (once we knew that we are able to extend our stay in Castara) we came back to this beach and enjoyed the whole afternoon. Lunch was delicious, palm trees provided plenty of shade (you can also rent chairs if needed).

Definitely a beach to come back to.

Parlatuvier Bay

A short drive away lays another gorgeous bay- you have to stop near the Glasgow Bar and take in this view from the top.

It used to be a restaurant, now they don’t serve food (as far as we know), but you can still get a cold drink and some packaged snacks. We took a break from the drive and just took it all in for a bit.

As far as the beach goes- we went down, walked around, and it looked better from higher up. The sand was not as soft at Englishman’s Bay and it just didn’t seem as inviting. There was a fisherman cutting up fish on the pier and a big stingray was catching scraps in the water, which was pretty cool to see!

Still glad we stopped by and checked this bay out!

Shurland’s Nature Park

This open-air cafe and hummingbird sanctuary run by Shurland James was another short drive away and I would for sure recommend to stop here. Tobago has many bird species and several places to feed hummingbirds, but we were so glad we went to this one. There was a small group of people when we arrived, but they left pretty soon after.

It ended up being just us for a delicious lunch, while enjoying the view and the tiny birds flying around. We held the feeders in a palm of our hands and the hummingbirds would drink the sugar nectar right out of them. It’s a super relaxing, beautiful experience and to top it off, the home made food and the ice cream were delicious too!

The tiny wings flapping sound like a purr or a mini motor-we have so many videos from this. It’s hard to describe it, just have to go and experience for yourself!

Bloody Bay and Charlotteville

At the hummingbird sanctuary we had to decide- turn around and go back to Castara (or stay in one of the bays we just visited) or continue the tour of the island and make sort of a loop. We just had lunch, plenty of daylight left and we are pretty far from Castara. Since we knew we for sure wanted to see the Pirate’s Bay, we decided that it makes most sense to continue with the drive and do it that day. That way we don’t have to repeat the same drive again, which will leave us with more time to enjoy the resort the following day.

We only drove by the Bloody Bay and made a quick stop to see the beach at Charlotteville.

Both looked very nice and I wish we had more time to walk around Charlotteville, but we had Pirate’s Bay to reach, where we wanted to actually enjoy this gorgeous water. So back on the road we go.

Pirate’s Bay

Late afternoon we reached the place where we’re finally going to swim! But before that, there are some steps to climb. Not to worry- it’s not that bad, they look steep, but it’s not a hard hike.

What’s waiting below is SO worth it! One of the most amazing, unspoiled, uncrowded beaches we’ve ever been to. There are no facilities, so bring your own snacks/water and a towel to lay on, but it’s so amazing we did not want to leave. After all the sitting in the car it was nice to swim, lay, walk- we stayed there until it was getting close to sunset and we knew it’s time to head back, because the drive to the hotel is not a short one.

Absolutely magical place, worth every stair climbed and every mile driven to get there. As you reach the top of the stairs, the view of the bay below is also pretty spectacular. That’s where we met the one and only American on this trip. He spends several months per year in Tobago and was glad this island is still so well kept secret!

Flagg Staff Hill

We did not know about this view point and it was never on our ‘must visit in Tobago’ list, so we were totally surprised when the driver brought us here- and perfectly timed up for sunset!

The most interesting part about this place-the view of where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic ocean meet. And if you were on top of this hill all day, you could see both the sunrise and the sunset! It’s a drive to get up there, but well worth it.

Speyside

Our last stop before it got completely dark was Speyside. The beach on this side of the island had a lot of seaweed and did not have the same color, so it was a good confirmation that we picked the right side of the island to stay at.

We drove through the rain forest and there were fireflies sparkling everywhere- not something we get to see often living in the USA. It was a long day, but we made it in time for dinner and were very happy with this impromptu tour of the west/north side of Tobago.

Village life

Since we did all the sightseeing in one day and extended our stay, we could relax and enjoy Castara Bay for a bit. After yoga and delicious breakfast we went down to the beach and spent a few hours there.

There is an ice cream shop close to the beach –Scoops of Happiness, so of course we could not pass by. For the beach itself, I think we preferred Englishman’s Bay (only 9 min drive), but this one was very convenient walking distance from the hotel and the village.

We thought it might be boring in the evenings in the quiet village, but somehow there was always something to do! We didn’t go to bed until midnight and never watched TV (I don’t even know if there was a TV in the villa:)) . One of the evenings we went to a local bar –Cascreol for a drink and to listen to the drums.

The other evening (I believe it’s every Thursday) there was a bonfire on the beach with the steel drum band playing.

We pet the island’s cute dogs, enjoyed the moonlight on the beach, and it really felt like being part of the community. Slow, but cozy village life. To say that we were sad to leave is an understatement.

TRINIDAD

Despite being in love with Tobago, we still wanted to see what the larger island- Trinidad is all about. After reducing our stay here for only two nights, we obviously did not see everything that this island has to offer. But we explored the capital Port of Spain and saw one of the nicest (maybe even THE nicest) beach of this island-Maracas Beach.

Port of Spain

Caribbean airlines flight was short and easy- 15-20min later we are in another island. Trinidad is famous for it’s Carnival, which is held on Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday every year. It brings tens of thousands of visitors each year and we sadly missed it (though it also would mean crowds and more expensive accommodations). In the airport there was one of the carnival costumes and it’s definitely super impressive. Maybe one day we’ll come to see the festivities, who knows!

For the hotel in this island we chose one of the best rated ones- Hyatt Regency Trinidad. Waterfront views, great location, comfortable room, rooftop pool, room with the balcony.

We had absolutely no complaints. But it was not Castara Retreats. We liked the hotel, but we also were glad that we were staying here for two nights and not three like initially planned. Right after arrival we needed lunch and wanted to walk around Port of Spain before it got dark. I don’t know if it’s actually not safe, but this being a big city we did not want to take our chances.

We walked over to Lola’s Food Company and had a delicious lunch. Beware- portions are huge!

We for sure did not need THAT much food. Now we walk it off!

The Magnificent Seven

The first place we went after lunch was right near the Queen’s Park Savannah. The row of 7 mansions can’t possibly be missed- the houses are beautiful and stand right next to each other. The Magnificent Seven includes Ambard’s House / Roomor, Archbishop’s Palace, Hayes Court, Killarney (Stollmeyer’s Castle), Mille Fleurs, Queen’s Royal College and Whitehall (Rosenweg).

They are all unique in their history and architecture, and I believe, some you can go inside, but we didn’t try. As we were walking down this street, we saw one other person coming up towards us. As she got closer we were shocked to see Lorri- Canadian woman we met back in Tobago 5 days ago. What an incredible coincidence!

In a pretty big city, another island- it almost felt like it’s meant to be:) !

Royal Botanic Gardens

I don’t think it’s a must visit place (and maybe it’s a lot better after a rainy season), but it was close by, so we walked though.

The gardens were very dry and not many flowers, but it’s a nice park nonetheless.

Parks, churches and cool buildings

We continued our self guided tour and came across St Anne’s church. It was open, so we went in. Beautiful, especially the windows.

After a bit of walking in the heat we reached the Memorial Park. Right across from it is a Sydney Opera house reminding building- National Academy for the Performing Arts.

It looks a lot bigger in person and definitely beautiful. From here we went back to the hotel to enjoy the pool at sunset and walked by the The Holy Trinity Cathedral and another park.

As a city Port of Spain seemed clean, pretty quiet and fine to visit, but not something out of this world. It gets super busy during Carnival and Easter (which was a week later after we left). It does have some pretty good restaurants, once again these islands did not disappoint with food!

Dinner time

We were in Trinidad on Friday and Saturday for dinner, so we called ahead (the same day) and made reservations. One of the places was Amara –authentic Lebanese cuisine. Beautiful dining area, great food and service.

This is also where we heard about the ride app (similar to Uber) TT Ride Share. We spent a lot on taxis and were pretty shocked when our hotel called a cab and the ride to the restaurant that was less than 10 min was $15 USD. On top of that, the driver told us that after 10pm the price increases to time and a half. So we finished dinner at 9.30and called the same taxi driver. He did not pick up, did not reply to WhatsApp either. That’s when the restaurant staff told us about the app. It ended up being $3 USD to get back to the hotel! And guess what- taxi called us back at 10pm telling us he’s on the way. No, thank you 🙂 . We did not use taxis since then and definitely saved a lot.

Another nice dinner (our last one in T&T) was at The Meena House. It’s a modern Indian fusion and we absolutely loved it.

Again – both the service and the food were amazing and it would be hard to decide which restaurant we liked more. I think I’m leaning towards this one.

Beach, eat, repeat!

It would be a shame to leave Trinidad and not visit their famous beaches. We booked a driver for the day (got his contact from the taxi driver that picked us up from the airport, which was set up through Hyatt). You could easily take a bus, there are many busses going from the center of town, but because we wanted to make a few stops and to not depend on a bus schedule, we chose to pay and enjoy our last day in Trinidad. The first beach we checked out was Las Cuevas.

Big, wide beach, but when we arrived it was misting and there were no food stands, so we just saw it and decided to spend the day at one of the most famous Trinidad beaches- Maracas Beach. Slight morning rain/fog lifted, we rented the chairs and umbrella and really enjoyed the day. There are fun waves (can be dangerous at times), plenty of food options and lots of space.

As for food, we were told we must eat the famous ‘bake and shark’. There are several places that sell it, but the most known on this beach are Uncle Sam & Sons and Richard’s Bake and Shark. Locals have their favorites, so we decided to try both.

Not only we got Bake and Shark (it is supposedly shark meat!), but also we tried Aloo pie too. I was very hungry and we had Uncle Sam & Sons first, so I think that’s why it was my favorite. Sean preferred Richard’s Bake and Shark. I think both places are very good, so you can’t really go wrong.

Maracas Beach is about 45 min drive from Port of Spain (unless there is traffic) and we enjoyed it until late afternoon.

I still prefer Tobago beaches, but this one is pretty incredible too! On the way back to the city we stopped at Maracas Lookout.

Gorgeous view right off the highway.

On Sunday our flight was not till late afternoon, so we wanted to have a good breakfast that’s not an overpriced Hyatt (which was something absurd like $40 USD per person). Our driver that took us to the beach recommended Adam’s Bagels, so we went there.

Excellent food, great staff. That’s the place were I posted a story with the picture of the owner and the guy that sat near me on the plane, Luke, messaged to tell me that that’s his uncle! Another awesome coincidence that we were in the right place : ) )!

CONCLUSION

If it’s not already obvious from the whole post above- we LOVED Trinidad and Tobago. Mostly Tobago, because that’s where we spent majority of the time, and really got a good feel of the island. From the people, the food, amazing beaches and small towns/villages- we really felt connected to the place. We travel a lot and like many countries, but Tobago for sure left a feeling of being happy and a place we want to return!