We just received this glowing testimonial on the pleasures of Tobago from Tropical Sky customer Mike, with loads of great detail on the island. Here’s Mike’s post:

Planning a holiday is part of the fun for me but trying to make the booking can be a nightmare. I am pleased to say that Sarah Palmer of Tropical Sky made it very easy and I was kept well-informed of changes and our details, tickets plus vouchers arrived in good time.

The drive to Gatwick Airport was unusually stress-free with no delays and the Parking Express car park lived up to its name being only about four minutes from the South Terminal. Even the Excel Airways check-in was completed in record time.

The flight to Tobago via Grenada was reasonably comfortable and no complaints about the cabin service. Progress through Arrivals at Crown Point Airport was rapid and we were met by our taxi driver for the five minute transfer to the Toucan Inn.

For those who have never been to the Toucan Inn it is a delightful small hotel consisting of a mixture of four octagonal cabanas and 12 garden rooms. There is a reception, open-sided dining area and bar. Our own air-conditioned cabana was comfortable and cleaned every morning. The grounds resembled a tropical garden and was full of birds flying around including bananaquits and blue tanagers who provided endless entertainment particularly at breakfast.

I am happy to say that all the staff we met were very friendly and made us feel most welcome. Service, especially at breakfast, was always quick. We had several evening meals at Bonkers, their famous restaurant, and particularly enjoyed the entertainment, listening to James Ramsey playing steel pan on Fridays and the Pleasure Pirates singing on Mondays.

We quickly got into a routine of having a early swim in the pool before breakfast, walking to the beach for the day and having another dip in the pool before Happy Hour. I should mention the various types of rum punch on offer. One called Jimbo’s Special was not for the faint-hearted consisting of whisky, brandy, vodka, tequila, puncheon rum, gin, grenadine and coconut cream … wonderful!

The nearest beach was Store Bay, about ten minutes’ walk. Facilities were good with toilets and showers, choice of local food outlets, clothing and trinket stalls plus protection from trained lifeguards. It was also handy for boat trips out to the reef at Buccoo. However it could also get quite crowded so we preferred the nearby small beach called Swallow or Cable Bay. We discovered this on our way to Pigeon Point. I think most people wouldn’t give it a second glance so it never appeared to get crowded. Sunloungers could be hired from Tony who happened to be an artist. Palm trees provided shade from the sun and Bago’s Beach Bar (closed on Mondays) was excellent for lunch.

I should mention the snorkelling - an activity I never grew tired of. A breakwater of huge stones had been constructed to protect the man-made beach for guests of the Coco Reef Hotel and a vast number of fish have made it their home. We identified about 30 different types and particularly enjoyed the company of three reef squid who seemed to be as interested in us as we were in them. Varieties of coral (fortunately not fire) appear to be growing successfully so eventually it will resemble a natural reef perhaps.

A trip in a glass-bottom boat to the coral gardens at Buccoo Reef and then the Nylon Pool is worthwhile. We went on ‘Yorke’s Pride’ (yes there is a connection with the footballer Dwight) and were entertained by a lively and informative commentary. I noticed that the crew were helpful and reassuring to first-time snorkellers who were nervous of going in the water.

The famous Pigeon Point is a reasonable walk on the road that runs along the shoreline from Swallow Bay. There is an admission charge but it is well worth it for the fabulous views. Even the most inexperienced photographer can take home stunning images of one of Tobago’s most beautiful beaches. The famous thatch-roof jetty was a particularly poignant image for my wife because she had a black and white photo of herself which was taken there when she was about six years old. Naturally we had to take another picture in the same place. Should you get tired of swimming there are lots of skillful sailboarders and kite surfers to watch and the plunging pelicans never failed to entertain.

Sunday School has nothing to do with church. Instead it is a weekly vibrant street party held in Buccoo. There are numerous open-air food and craft stalls and the Buccooners Steel Band provide music from about eight until 11 when Jamaican Dance Hall played at full-blast takes over. It is great fun people-watching, especially the dancers. It is a good idea to arrive no later than seven so you can order your food and get a table before the stalls get too crowded. We went for two Sundays running and on both occasions we were entertained by Sasha (a larger-than-life lady) who is a nurse at Scarborough Hospital. Her non-stop conversation with anyone in ear-shot was highly amusing whilst the food on offer was not only excellent but a real bargain. A bonus was the knowledge that we were helping a good cause because she was trying to raise funds to buy much-needed equipment for her hospital. Fortunately her hard working daughter, Michelle, kept the food cooking when her mother became distracted by another passer-by.

We always like to try local food so as well as Bonkers we dined at the Iguana Inn, Sea Horse Inn, Mot Mot, Fish Pot Restaurant, Kariwak Inn, Dillon’s Restaurant, Coco Cafe and Latitude 11. All were very enjoyable with good service and food in some beautiful settings. I think our favourite was Latitude 11 which you could easily pass by during the day without noticing but every evening was transformed into an intimate dining experience serving freestyle Polynesian-French-Creole dishes. It is owned by Christian who is the chef and he is ably assisted by Sasha (no relation to Sunday School Sasha). His charming wife Utisha looks after the guests and is helped by Krystal.

Apart from our many lunches at Bago’s Beach Bar we also enjoyed the local food at Colours on the Bon Accord Road, The Little Swallow on the coast road between Roxborough and Scarborough plus the Riverside in Parlatuvier. Shore Things Cafe also has stunning views and a good selection of local crafts. The Cotton Shop is worth a visit if you are looking for top-quality souvenirs.

There are many hire car companies but we asked Hurlton Blackman (known to everyone as Mr B) and he provided a proper car (not an open Jeep) at a very good price. Four days on the road gave us the chance to drive around the island in easy stages. We were able to visit the following bays … Mount Irvine (swam with a turtle and saw sting rays), Bacolet Bay (waves big enough for body-surfing), Arnos Vale (another turtle), Castara and Englishman’s. We managed to tear ourselves away long enough to see the birds (including Mot Mot and large numbers of Chachalacas) being fed in the grounds of a former coffee plantation at Grafton Caledonian Wildlife Sanctuary. One of our most memorable sights was at Adventure Farm and Nature Reserve where many different hummingbirds were attracted to feeding stations filled with a sugar solution. We were the only visitors there at the time so no crowds to disturb the birds.

We are not great fans of guided tours especially if it is by packed coach but decided to take Mr B’s Day of Birding trip. Along with two friends we had made during our stay at the Toucan Inn we set off by car at about 5.30am. Our first stop was a memorable breakfast, provided by Mr B, on the edge of the Main Ridge Forest Reserve. The day was clear so we had superb views of the north coast below. Our first walk was quite short but on the longer walk it became obvious why we were all provided with rubber boots.

Mr B’s knowledge of birds, plants and trees made our trek even more interesting but we weren’t overloaded with facts. He has the ability to summon wild hummingbirds who would suddenly appear out of nowhere, hover just in front of his face and then quickly disappear into the trees. His sharp eyes found bats, parrots and even lizards eggs. Lunch was taken at the Blue Waters Inn, Speyside and then a rather choppy boat trip took us across to Little Tobago Island. A short climb was rewarded by seeing beautiful red-billed tropic birds and marauding frigate birds trying to steal a free meal. We thought our final stop was to walk along the track to see the impressive Argyle Falls but on our way back to Crown Point we stopped by another bay to watch the setting sun and sample some of Mr B’s homemade rum punch. A long day but well worth it.

Steel bands are great to watch and listen to so we were particularly pleased when we discovered that several villages were practising for the competition held at carnival time. We found the Redemption Sound Setters Steel Orchestra at Montgomery. The sound of over 60 players performing was wonderful - we attended two practice nights and cheered them on when the judges decided they were good enough to represent Tobago at the big final on Trinidad. By way of a contrast we found some school children having a lesson at Parlatuvier … girls playing as well as boys.

All too soon our two week stay came to an end and we reluctantly said goodbye to a very special island. We were tipped off by the Destination Tobago reps that the airport check-in would open earlier than published so we took full advantage to avoid the queues.

Once back in England I realized another advantage of going away … no daily news of more financial mismanagement by banks or scandals involving the government and our MPs!

I found the following websites useful:

www.mytobago.info

www.simplytobago.com

www.meppublishers.com

www.tobagotoday.com