Field Trips in Tobago

If you’re a nature lover, an ornithologist and physically fit then a field trip in Tobago is something you shouldn’t miss. You get to have a close-up view of the islands numerous exotic and rare tropical birds and also much of its wildlife and lush tropical flora. The naturalist-led field trips last 5 hours and lead through forest trails, past waterfalls, along rivers and through coconut plantations. You could even go on an excursion to two nearby islands.

The starting attraction of many trips is to climb 425 feet to Fort King George that overlooks the capital Scarborough. Originally built by the British in 1779, it changed hands often between the various colonists till nature almost destroyed it leaving a shell. The ruins of an old military hospital are still there to view.

The finest place to stay in Tobago

Tobago’s finest boutique hotel is the Bacolet Beach Club on the south-east part of the island. It is wedged between a hillside and its private beach. The Bacolet has well appointed rooms tastefully furnished with all amenities and comforts which include a 32” flat-screen TV. This beach hotel has a crowded Christmas and New Year schedule. To know more, please visit www.bacoletbeachclub.com, or better still, email info@bacoletbeachclub.com for a special seasonal tariff.

Bacolet, Tobago

Bacolet is a town on the island of Tobago which lies beneath Fort King George. Bacolet is located on the south-east part of the island very near Scarborough the capital. Bacolet is also an upscale area with many beach hotels and beach resorts for the numerous tourists who flock to Tobago. Bacolet is one of the most developed parts of the island and home to its high society.

Tobago has much natural beauty that attracts tourists and vacationers who return to the island year after year. Geographically this island of 116 square miles is like a rising hill of tropical rainforest surrounded by pristine beaches. The island has a lot to offer like a variety of beach sports, hiking and biking in the interior, snorkeling and diving and deep sea and shallow water fishing. The climate is temperate through the year and the people, like the climate, friendly and welcoming.

Bacolet’s finest Boutique Hotel

Undeniably, the Bacolet Beach Club is the islands finest beach hotel. This boutique hotel is a creation of the famed fashion model of yester-year, Gloria Jones-Knapp. This five-star hotel boasts beautifully appointed rooms, the finest amenities and friendly service. Its restaurants and bars are known for their fine-dining cuisine and exotic cocktails. Visit www.bacoletbeachclub.com for more of this extraordinary island hotel.

Christmas in Tobago

Christmas is a very joyous festival in Tobago distinguished by large gatherings of families and friends. The actual festivities that follow include sumptuous meals to which visitors are invited. These visitors include groups that visit from house to house serenading the occupants with indigenous Spanish carols commonly known as Parang. Members of these groups that sing these conventional Parang songs are called Paranderos. They carry colorful musical instruments like the cuatro, bass box, chic-chac (maracas), flutes, mandolins, tambourines and guitars. The Tobagonians are inherently musical.

Traditional Christmas fare consists of generous portions of ham, turkey, sweet bread, fruit cake and other delicacies. An appetite is assured with traditional drinks like ginger beer, sorrel, ponche de crème and copious quantities of local rum.

Christmas at the Bacolet

The Bacolet Beach Club is one of Tobago’s finest beach resorts. It is a boutique hotel located at the foothill of a lush vegetated hillside and separated from the ocean by its own private beach. The Bacolet will celebrate this Christmas in the traditional manner with a spectacularly decorated, illuminated Christmas tree. Its restaurants will provide traditional fare tinged with local delicacies. All the rooms at the Bacolet are well appointed with 32” flat-screen TVs and four-poster beds for a touch of old world luxury.

The Bacolet offers a specially discounted tariff through the festive season. For more details, please email the hotel at bacoletbeachtobago@gmail.com or visit the Bacolet website at www.bacoletbeachclub.com.

Carnival in Tobago

The event of the year in Trinidad and Tobago is the annual Carnival, celebrated two days before Ash Wednesday. Legend has it that if the islanders are not celebrating it then they are in preparation for it while reminiscing about Carnivals gone by. Traditionally Calypso was the heart of the musical celebration which in recent years has been eclipsed by Soca, the new wave in island music. Trinidad and Tobago pioneered the carnival that has since been copied and is celebrated throughout the Caribbean.

Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago originated from a blend of West African festivals and the French Catholic carnival celebrations; a period marked by masks and social visits. When the colonial masters outlawed religious practices and the use of drums, the carnival was one way in which the slaves preserved their cultural heritage.

In 2010, Carnival dates are February 15^th and 16th.

The Bacolet Beach Club

The Bacolet Beach Club is almost as integral to Tobago as the Carnival. It is a boutique hotel wedged between its private beach and a verdant hillside. The Bacolet is a great destination from where to join the Carnival. This is a particularly busy season when tourists from Europe and North America come to watch and participate in the festivities. The Bacolet has well appointed accommodation with every room or suite overlooking the ocean from its own balcony or verandah. All the rooms have flat screen 32” TVs, four poster beds and all attendant amenities. To see more of this fabulous vacation hotel, do visit its website at www.bacoletbeachclub.com.

Re-Script your life in Tobago

When the pressures and cares of modern living bear down on you and you want to get away from it all, then Tobago is the place to go. Tobago is one Caribbean Island that has the best of both worlds. It’s enclosed in unspoiled sandy beaches with gentle hills enshrouded in tropical rainforest rising out of the center. If you wish to introspect there’s no better place than an isolated beach with only the sun and sands to intrude on your thoughts … and the occasional friendly local. Or you could hike in the interior up gentle hills to get a spectacular and inspiring vista of the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east.

The Bacolet Beach Club

The Bacolet Beach Club is the place to stay during your sojourn. It is one of the newer boutique hotels on Bacolet Bay just minutes from Scarborough the capital. The Bacolet welcomes its guests in its friendly ambience. The 22 rooms are well furnished with all modern conveniences including a flat-screen 32” TV. They are tastefully appointed with a blend of the rustic with the modern. The Café Havana at the Bacolet is renowned for exotic cocktails and a delectable fusion of Asian-Latin cuisine.

The Bacolet has featured in the article on Tobago in the November 22 issue of the New York Times Travel Magazine. For more on the Bacolet please visit its website at www.bacoletbeachclub.com. It offers a special discounted tariff, details of which will be sent when you email info@bacoletbeachclub.com.

Pirates Bay, Tobago

Pirate’s Bay beach is a typical haunt for tourists. It’s a paradise out of sight of the world by a grassy ridge and the perfect spot for snorkeling. The beach is located in the far northwest near a fishing village named Charlottesville. Hidden away from civilization, it’s an idyllic spot to rejuvenate, far from the madding crowd. A campfire on Pirate’s Bay beach barbecuing freshly caught fish? That’s Nirvana! And Pirate’s Bay is just one of the many beaches in Tobago, each with its own unique flavor and character.

Old world luxury

The New York Times Travel Magazine features Tobago in its November 22 issue. Tourism, it reports, accounts for 50 percent of the gross domestic product and employs half the island. The article is well worth a read to give you an insight into this erstwhile British colony. The Bacolet Beach Club played host to the team of the New York Times during its photo shoot. The club is one of the island’s newest beach hotels, owned by former fashion model, Gloria Knapp-Jones. The Bacolet has 22 well-appointed rooms each fitted with a 32” flat-screen TV and other conveniences for their occupant’s comfort. Knapp-Jones insisted on four-poster beds so the tourist gets a touch of old world luxury. The Café Havana, attached to the Bacolet serves an incredible array of Latin-Asian fusion cuisine.

For a specially discounted tariff that the hotel offers till the year end, please email info@bacoletbeachclub.com. The hotel’s website at www.bacoletbeachclub.com features some of its spectacular attractions.

Tobago: Jewel of the Caribbean

The Tobagonians are arguably the friendliest people on earth from a diversity of ethnic backgrounds. Though the march of progress has inevitably caught up, old values are not entirely extinct. In fact Charlotteville, the farthest community to the north-eastern side of the island on the Caribbean Sea still pride themselves on preserving what they call the ‘Tobagonian Way’. Locals say that Charlotteville is the place to go if you want to see what Tobago was like.

But though progress has tarnished old traditions, it has in no way impacted the beauty and attraction of this, the Jewel of the Caribbean. A survey indicated that 65% of the visitors to the island chose it for the sun, sea and the sand. When leaving and asked what they liked best of Tobago, 85% said the people.

The Bacolet, where friendliness tops the menu

The Bacolet Beach Club, an exclusive boutique hotel near Scarborough believes in maintaining old world traditions of hospitality. The Bacolet was developed by Gloria Jones-Knapp a former fashion model as a restful and luxurious beach property on an idyllic crescent bay. The accommodation is a blend of modernity with old world rustic charm. All rooms are appointed with the latest in conveniences which include 32” flat-screen TVs which you can enjoy while wallowing in the decadence of a four poster bed and listening to the sigh of the sea from outside your balcony. For the finest in beach accommodation stay at the Bacolet which offers a specially discounted tariff till the year end. Do visit its website at www.bacoletbeachclub.com to know more of this charming hotel and email info@bacoletbeachclub.com for a special tariff.

The Luise Kimme Sculpture Museum, Tobago

For the culturally inclined, no visit to Tobago is complete without a visit to the Luise Kimme Sculpture Museum. Professor Luise Kimme, born in Bremen, Germany fell in love with the Island and has settled there since 1979. She finds the tranquility and atmosphere inspiring and conducive to her artistic pursuit. Her sculpture gallery, called ‘The Castle’, with a magnificent view of the dazzling Caribbean Sea, overlooks the Mt. Irvine Golf Course. Her extraordinary sculptures, carved from whole tree trunks of native wood, capture the soul of the Caribbean. Many are bought by tourists and shipped home. The museum is open on Sundays from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm., and on other days by appointment. A select collection of her large carvings and murals are displayed at the Anglican Church of Transfiguration at Black Rock, nearby.

The Bacolet Beach Club

One of the best beach hotels to stay in on the island is the Bacolet Beach Club, a boutique hotel minutes from Scarborough. The Bacolet captures the flavor of Tobago with its beautiful location, wedged between the foothill of a lush hillside and a private beach. The Bacolet is known for its warm hospitality, friendly service and multi-ethnic cuisine.  The rooms are well appointed with a blend of contemporary conveniences in a rustic setting. Every room has a 32” flat-screen TV and its own balcony or verandah which overlooks the sea.

For more details please visit the Bacolet’s website at www.bacoletbeachclub.com. Email them at bacoletbeachtobago@gmail.com for a specially discounted tariff that’s on offer till the year-end.

Al Fresco Dining in Tobago

For the real flavor of the island, a tourist must dine at one of Tobago’s many open air restaurants with the smell of the sea wafting in your nostrils as the sea breeze gently sighs through the coconut palms. Understandably, fresh sea food is Tobago’s forte. The cuisine is distinctively Creole flavored with subtle sauces. Pig out on crab, lobster, kingfish, groupers and dolphin. The traditional chef’s special is curried crabs with dumpling which is served in generous quantities. Another local favorite is fish broth with cassava bread.

Local beers are good and popular, the two best known brands being Carib and Stag. However Rum is the traditional drink of Trinidad and Tobago a hangover from the colonial sugar plantation days.

Dining at the Bacolet

The Bacolet Beach Club, Tobago’s finest beach resort hotel is justifiably proud of its multi-ethnic cuisine. Dining at the Café Havana is a gastronome’s dream. The restaurant is on three levels, all of which offer spectacular views of the sea. Café Havana’s bar stewards know how to mix some of the best cocktails in the West Indies … or go traditional with a Caribbean Rum straight. The food is fragrantly-spiced Asian-Cuban-Creole. Or you could stick with the international menu. To know more of Café Havana click on www.cafehavana.org. You can even check the menu online. The Bacolet has a warm friendly ambience where each guest is special. It offers a special discounted tariff till the year end. Visit the Bacolet website at www.bacoletbeachclub.com and email them for a discounted offer.

Tobago at a discount

Virgin Atlantic has a special fare for a limited period of a week from 19^th to 26^th November. It offers an all-inclusive economy fare, London-Scarborough-London at the incredible price of GBP 468.90. This coincides with Tobago’s annual National Tourism Week.

At the best of times Tobago is an island with an abundance of attractions. It boasts unspoiled white sandy beaches from which rise gentle hills clothed in tropical rain-forest. Tobago proudly presents some of the finest fishing and dive sites in the world. Tobago is a striking example of multi-ethnic peaceful co-existence. Its amiable population of 55,000 that reside in its 300 sq. kms is made up predominantly of people of African and Asian descent with a smattering of Europeans tossed in. While each ethnic group follows its own culture in harmony and respect, the Tobagonian is united in a robust zest for life and heart-warming hospitality to tourists.

The Bacolet Beach Club near Scarborough is a great place to spend an idyllic beach vacation. It is near enough to the capital yet secluded, with its own private beach. The Bacolet offers the last word in luxury and comfort in a charming rustic ambience. All its rooms have balconies or verandahs that overlook the sparkling sea. All are equipped with 32” flat-screen TVs and other amenities. At night the rhythm of the waves lulls you to sleep in an elegant four-poster bed. The Bacolet has a specially discounted tariff that runs till the end of the year. Email the hotel at bacoletbeachtobago@gmail.com to know more and visit www.bacoletbeachclub.com to see what this fabulous beach resort has to offer.