Travel

Trinidad and Tobago Attracting Travelers This Winter

With hotel renovations, new activities and a number of festivals and events, Trinidad and Tobago is poised for a record-setting year

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad –  Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean’s ‘happiest’ nation is heating up with cultural festivals, hotel renovations and new eco-adventures while most of the U.S. is feeling the first ‘chill’ of winter.

Home to the largest Carnival celebration in the Caribbean, Trinbagonians know how to have a good time and invite travelers to escape the cold to ‘wine and lime.’ If unable to make “The Greatest Show On Earth,” the recent announcement of Lauryn Hill as the headliner for Tobago Jazz Experience 2016 is another not-to-be-missed opportunity to experience all the destination has to offer.

Trinidad and Tobago news, events and latest industry developments.

 Hotel News and Updates

Manta Lodge, Tobago

Located in the village of Speyside, Manta Lodge will be re-opening this spring following a complete renovation. The intimate resort, featuring 22 guest rooms, provides the perfect gateway for bird watching, fishing, hiking, snorkeling and diving. The resort features a full service dive shop on property for active guests and a reading nook/lending library for those looking to relax with a good book. For booking information and more, visit www.mantalodgetobago.com.

Miller’s Guest House, Tobago

Located in the heart of Buccoo, Miller’s Guest House has undergone major renovations to its standard rooms, which are now complete with brand new, European-style bathrooms. The guest house also has renewed the outdoor areas with new plants through Eden Nurseries. The onsite restaurant, formerly El Pescador, is also under new management as Luvinia’s Restaurant & Bar and open for business seven days a week. Rates are currently starting at US$66 per night for a standard double room.  For more information, visit www.millersguesthouse.com  or email [email protected].

 

Mt. Irvine Bay Resort, Tobago

Previously Mt. Irvine Bay Hotel and Golf Club, Mt. Irvine Bay Resort has been working diligently over the last year on a rebranding and renovation of the entire resort. Starting with the main lobby and conference rooms with plans to extend to the restaurants later this year, the resort’s continuing improvements symbolize its growth and transformation into a new era. The resort offers three bars, five restaurants and one swim-up bar for guests to take advantage of. The resort also features an award-winning 18-hole golf course, carved out from 127 acres of old sugar and coconut estate, set within a gently rolling countryside with spectacular views of the sea from every hole. Additionally, 2016 marks the tenth anniversary and return of the wildly popular “Jazz On The Beach” Tobago Jazz event, which is scheduled for April of this year. Each year the event attracts crowds upwards of 2,000 guests and is one of the most popular events on the Tobago Jazz calendar. For more information, visit www.mountirvinebay.com.

 

Shepard’s Inn, Tobago

Formerly the Toucan Inn, this newly refurbished hotel has a new owner. The hotel’s 20 rooms, which underwent extensive renovations, include eight cabana rooms surrounding the pool, 11 garden rooms and one two-bedroom garden suite. Visitors interested in watersports can take advantage of the onsite dive shop, R & Sea Divers. Rates starting at US$90 per night for double occupancy and include daily breakfast, taxes, Wi-Fi access and shuttles to and from the airport. For more information or to book, email [email protected] or visit www.shepherdsinntobago.com. For more information on R & Sea Divers, visit www.rseadivers.com or email [email protected].

 

The Tobago Great House Resort & Spa, Tobago

Opening fall 2016, Tobago Great House Resort & Spa is situated within the 260-acre Grafton Caledonian Wildlife Sanctuary and provides scenic views of the Caribbean Sea and famous Buccoo Reef. The resort will feature 20 ocean view suites, 36 garden suites overlooking the pool, a branded spa, fitness center, meeting facilities and business center. Additional resort highlights include a large lagoon-style pool, a secluded quiet pool for relaxing and a waterpark with slides for younger guests. For more information, rates and booking information, visit www.tobagogreathouse.com.

Trinidad and Tobago Cultural Celebrations and Festivals

Hyatt Regency Trinidad’s LIME Fete

February 3, 2016

Every year on Carnival Wednesday (the Wednesday before Carnival), Hyatt Regency Trinidad hosts the ultra-exclusive LIME Fete. With its white and lime green theme, Hyatt’s LIME fete combines the best of soca, classic calypso and popular music with top-shelf liquor, champagne, wine, signature cocktails and culinary treats to tempt every palate. Performances from crowd pleasers such as the soca sensation Machel Mantano, Kes The Band, David Rudder and Bunji Garlin enhance the overall experience. There are two ticket categories for the event: Diamond level for US$500; Platinum level for US$275. For more information, visit www.hyattlime.com.

Carnival

February 8 – 9, 2016

Trinidad’s Carnival
Trinidad’s Carnival

Over the past two centuries, Trinidad’s Carnival has developed into one of the most colorful and culturally diverse pre-Lenten celebrations in the world. The biggest part of its mystique lies in its unique ability to bring people from all walks of life and backgrounds together for a celebration of culture, calypso and cuisine. Carnival season starts after Christmas, with events being held in the months leading up to the main event which is held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, annually. Carnival is the most significant event on the islands’ cultural and tourism calendar.

 

Jazz Artists on the Greens

March 12, 2016

Founded in 2003, Jazz on the Greens is a signature event for jazz in Trinidad. Each year this festival-styled jazz event takes place on the beautiful and lush Greens at Farm Road in St-Joseph. Jazz performers and lovers flock from around the Caribbean and the globe to experience what has become the fastest growing jazz event of the region. This year’s lineup includes steelpan star Dane Gulston, Cuban jazz trumpeter Alexis Baro, featured vocalists Moricia Cagan and Jason ‘Fridge Seecharan backed by an all-star band led by soca jazz artist Clifford Charles and guitarist to the stars Dean Williams with members of his Trinijazz band. The event begins at 5 p.m. with gates opening at 3:30 p.m. Attendees are reminded to bring their favorite lawn chair or blanket to relax on while enjoying the music. For more information, visit http://www.jaotg.com/.

 

Tobago Goat Races

March 28 – 29, 2016

Tobago Goat RacesGoat Racing is a sport that originated in Buccoo, Tobago and remains one of the most popular events on the island, drawing spectators from all over the world. Originally, the activity took place on the Tuesday after Easter, known as “Easter Tuesday”, and was dubbed the Buccoo Goat Race Festival. The Bucco Goat Races still take place every year. Because of the popularity of the races, Mt. Pleasant, Tobago hosts “Mt. Pleasant Family Day and Goat Races” on the Monday after Easter.

The races are similar to horse racing, where the goats are paraded around and spectators choose who they think is going to win. After the goat races comes the less popular crab races where the blue crabs are coaxed to be the first to make it out of the circle drawn in the sand by their jockey. Both race days end in a street party which includes entertainment, street food and children’s events. For more information, visit http://www.visittobago.gov.tt/index.php/our-culture/goat-racing.

 

Tobago Jazz Experience

April 16 – 24, 2016

Tobago Jazz Experience is a nine-day music and cultural showcase that includes an eclectic mix of local, regional and international artists performing at venues along the coast of Tobago. The line-up instantly attracts music lovers from around the world. Grammy award-winning artist Lauryn Hill will be headlining this year’s event with other performances by 3Canal, Third World and Bajan saxophonist Arturo Tappin along with a number of local artists expected to have the crowd “grooving” to the music.

Festival-goers experience the culture, unique gastronomy and friendly residents of Tobago while enjoying performances with the backdrop of the beautiful beaches of Tobago, consistently rated as some of the best in the world. For more information, visit http://tobagojazzexperience.com/.

 

New Tours and Entertainment

Zoe Snorkeling Tours, Tobago

Owned and operated by popular Tobago waterman Duane Kenny, Zoe Snorkeling Tours is all about personalized service. Pickup locations vary based on the guests’ preference with tours starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 12 p.m. Guests can relax and enjoy the ride of the comfortable and covered 140 horsepower jet boat, complete with a swim platform on the back. The cost of the tour is US$80 per adult and US$40 per child under the age of 12.  Price includes a three-hour tour with snorkeling gear, non-alcoholic beverages and snacks.

For more information, visit www.snorkeltobago.com.

 

Foil Boarding at Radical Sports, Tobago

Also owned and operated by Tobago waterman Duane Kenny, Radical Sports stays ahead in the kite boarding technology evolution with the introduction of foil boarding lessons. A foil board is a kiteboard with a hydrofoil that extends from the bottom of the board. The foil causes the board to rise above the surface eliminating drag. Learners should have already learned how to kitesurf before trying foil boarding. Lessons are one on one with instructors and cost US$95 per hour.

For more information, visit www.radicalsportstobago.com.

 

Indigenous Tobago – A local slice of Tobago

This new tour offers visitors a day in the life of a local in Tobago as part of their holiday experience. The day starts with a hearty local breakfast of coconut bake, salt-fish buljol, fry fish, smoked herrings, smoked fish, flying fish, fried eggplant, grilled beans, sauté pumpkin, chocolate tea, coffee, local juices, coconut water, local fruits, and a short tour of the kitchen garden. Next, the group will head to Pigeon Point to depart for a glass-bottom boat trip to the Buccoo Reef and Nylon Pool, followed by the renowned curry crab and dumpling for lunch and relaxing on the beach. The tour costs US$88 per person and includes transfers, breakfast, lunch, drinks, entrance, guide, snorkeling. For more information or to book, email [email protected]

Eco-Adventure

Turtle Watching Season

March 1 – September 30, 2016

Trinidad and Tobago Turtle Watching SeasonBoth Trinidad and Tobago are the home to some of the most important sites for sea turtles. With 80 percent of all leatherback nesting in the insular Caribbean, one of the world’s most important leatherback turtle nesting locations, Trinidad offers a near guarantee to witness giant sea turtles on beaches.

Tobago has an important population of hawksbills living in its numerous coral reefs and many of green turtles inhabit the sea grass beds off the coast. The nesting population on these islands makes the conservation efforts critical. The best time to spot a leatherback is during a beach walk on Matura Beach or Grand Riviere during their nesting time from March through July. The hawksbills, found in the coral reeds of Tobago, nest from May to September.

 

Tobago Water Colours Adaptation Project

The Cropper Foundation, based in Trinidad and Tobago, has implemented a pilot program to combat climate change in Tobago’s popular, tourist-attracting Buccoo Reef.  The program, named Tobago Water Colours Adaptation Project, will utilize underwater sculptures as an approach to combat climate change.

Trinidadian Carnival artist Peter Minshall is creating two Carnival-themed underwater sculptures for the program, which is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). “This may help turn the tide at Buccoo. Reflecting the colors of the reef and the movement of the sea, the installation will also be a celebration of our island and our annual Carnival, which is an ancient tradition,” explained Minshall. Eventually, a larger project is expected to be funded, in which Minshall will install a complete band of Carnival sculptures in Buccoo Reef.

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South Florida Caribbean News

The SFLCN.com Team provides news and information for the Caribbean-American community in South Florida and beyond.

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