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Despite being a tiny island, it isn't difficult to find a beach to yourself on Tobago. Not because there are so many of them - there aren't - but because this is still a largely
unspoilt and uncommercial island left untouched by the shell suited masses. You
won't get to all of Tobago's beaches in a fortnight holiday -
and the majority of them are untouched, with no facilities.
We're showing you some of the best and most popular in Tobago.
Popular doesn't mean they're all busy. On a lot of days, it
could just be you and a few parrots.....
Amongst the best have to be Englishman's Bay and Mount Irvine.
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Englishman's
Bay |
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Englishman's Bay
Englishman's Bay lies on the edge of the rain forest. A small wooden signpost off a small tarmac road in the rain forest will point you down a sun splashed tunnel of bamboo - and there it is. You'll wonder what's wrong with it. Why has no one built a big hotel here? There is nothing there but peace and photo opportunities. And just a very small snack trolley selling delicious local pies and soft drinks. |
So if you go for the day, take your picnic bag with you, and your camera, because the likelihood is, you'll have this beach to yourself or share it with only half a dozen people. The bay is long and sweeps into a picture book curve. The sand is clean and white, the water deep and clear, with palm trees fringing the whole bay. There's a good breeze wafting in from the Caribbean Sea and you can sunbathe to the fabulous sounds of wild parrots shouting from the rain forest. Snorkelling here is fantastic. A
Sunday Times report rated it one of the best beaches in the Caribbean.
Englishmans' Bay is one of Tobago's jewels. But if you like your gin and tonics large and ice cold while you sit under your beach parasol, and want to snap your fingers to request lunch on a silver tray - go to
Mount Irvine Beach. The beach and its bar officially serve the Mount Irvine Bay Hotel but it's all open to the public. You don't have to pay to get onto the beach but the facilities of loos and showers are officially for the residents and can be used for a small fee. The gins are large and cheap, and the food is reasonably priced - you can eat for between £4 - £8.....salad, toasted sandwiches, burger and chips
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Mount Irvine
The beach is small and pretty - and the water is bliss. Just a few yards in and the snorkelling is as good as anywhere on the island. You can see bright coloured parrot fish as big as your pet dog, shoals of baby squid, barracuda, orange tube sponges, lobster, fan coral and brain coral, and angel fish just yards from your beach towel. There are one or two beach vendors at
Mount Irvine, but they probably won't even approach you. They lay out their wares and wait for your trade. Tobagonians are polite in respecting tourists' peace, and if you don't want to buy one of the local crafts on the beach, you won't be pestered.
Mount Irvine also has a rather good watersports shack.
Bertrand and his wife charge very reasonable hire rates for snorkelling gear, canoes and hobie cats.
** October 2005 - the beach area is currently being
'refurbished' and may not provide the peaceful
tranquilty it usually does at the moment!**
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Mount
Irvine Bay |
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Castara |
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Castara
Another favourite but quiet and unspoilt beach is Castara. Like many of Tobago's beaches - this is a place where the locals live and work - and if they weren't so kind and pleased to see you - you might feel like you were intruding in their back yard - which you are really! Enjoy it with respect. The approach road to
Castara is another one for the photo album. You travel to it on the only road - a coast road , high above the sea, and there it is. There's a place on the beach to get cold beers, and you can sit within spitting distance of some of the local elders
enjoying their mid-day rum and cards, or watch the younger ones bringing in the day's catch.
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Pigeon
Point
If you could paint a picture of a perfect Caribbean beach it would be
Pigeon Point.
Still, turquoise water lapping onto a white beach, scattered with grass roof huts, a wooden jetty with a grass roof hut on the end of it, and swaying palms leaning over almost touching the water. That is
Pigeon Point. And you've probably seen it many times - on the front pages of many Caribbean holiday brochures.
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Pigeon
Point |
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Pigeon Point was for many years
privately owned and the subject of legal disputes, but has
just been re-purchased by the Government 'for the people'.
This is good news for locals and tourists alike and the
rejuvenation of PP is underway.
You have to pay TT$18 per
person to
get to the beach and use the facilities. Sadly, there have been a lot of changes to
Pigeon Point in recent times and it is becoming very
commercial. The officious security guards insist you wear a
day-glo wrist band to show you've paid the entrance fee and
there are several trinket shops and fast food bars at the main
end of the beach. The far end is dedicated to watersports -
windsurfing and jet skis, so swimming isn't so tranquil. Tobago
is keen on accommodating cruise ships, and when in port,
busloads of cruisers head for Pigeon Point and you literally
can't see the sand for people. Fortunately it's not a frequent
occurrance, but best to find out in advance if there's a ship
in and avoid PP for that day.
It's still a
gorgeous place to visit and you should go - but Pigeon
Point no longer typifies Tobago - Club Pigeon Point could be anywhere in the
Caribbean. Other beaches in Tobago like Englishmans Bay,
Pirates Bay and Mount Irvine are more typically Tobago. You'll
love them. The other main beaches are all at the largest hotels on the island.
The beach at the Coco Reef Hotel is man made but very pretty. The hotel makes a lovely backdrop, and the bar food and service here is excellent.
Non-residents are now charged a whopping TT$125 per couple
(about £12) to go on this beach.
The beaches at the Grafton Resort, Courland Bay and
Turtle Beach are large by Tobago standards, and have crashing waves, even though they're on the Caribbean side. The sand is clean and white and there's plenty of watersport facilities. Between March and July, these beaches are the nesting areas for the giant turtles, and staff at the hotel will , if requested, wake residents to see turtles laying eggs, or to watch the hatchlings run to the sea.
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Store Bay |
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Store Bay, near to Crown Point Airport, is usually listed as a favourite Tobago beach. If you're staying in Crown Point, then it's a great beach to jump in when you've thrown
your suitcase down and are hot and sweaty and just dying to get in the water.
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It's a popular beach for the locals, especially at weekends, and there is a range of facilities like
loos, showers and bars. There's also a small range of huts selling locally made crafts. This area has been 'developed' by Tobago
standards - it's clean and tourist friendly and as a result, has lost a little of the character it used to have, but the best reason for going here is the local
food 'bars', where you can get a slap up meal for less than £3 per person. More info in the food section of this website.
Canoe Bay
Another undeveloped and peaceful setting. Off the main road and down a long track. This beach has a small charge to cover the cost of facilities provided. You can get cold drinks and fresh fruit here.
A really lovely spot.
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Canoe Bay |
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Charlotteville and Man O War
Bay
If you venture north of the island you'll discover the most quiet and empty beaches of all.
There are some lovely beaches around the picturesque village of
Charlotteville, and Man O War Bay beach is sandy, with beach facilities and great for swimming.
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