Comments
Here are some extracts from the Guest Comments book at Sandcastles Holiday Apartments:
I spent a glorious fortnight at Sandcastles in March 2006. Not having had a vacation in 2005, I was beyond exhausted on arrival but a fortnight there restored me completely. The atmosphere is very welcoming yet totally unobtrusive. Castara itself is a dream – very friendly people, glorious swimming and a rainforest up the road for the energetic!
Sarah Jefferies, London, UK
My husband and I stayed at SandCastles recently for vacation away from winter life here. I had a good feeling about SandCastles via the internet but arriving and finding this haven was even more of a surprise. We so enjoyed our stay with Adam and Ria and would greatly recommend anyone to visit and stay at SandCastles. There are so many "extras" which make the stay exceptional; including, great conversation, grand food, breathtaking views of the sea and tropical forest, homelike atomsphere, welcoming and genuine hosts (whom become friends) and restful accommodations! We will definetly return and visit our friends at SandCastles – "Adam's" restaurant will be opening and I can only imagine great success and very happy customers. Tobago and Castara seem to be one of those places one earth yet still present as a reminder of a pleasant and beautiful life.........and SandCastles brings all of this home, to every guest. Thanks to Adam, Ria, Elizabeth, Alex, and the doggies for a wonderful vacation and we miss you a bunch. We will meet again. Kindest Regards, Deb and John
Deb & John Schuhmacher, Minneapolis, USA
The only reason we went to Tobago was that two of our closest friends had decided they would be married there. Via the Internet, we had arranged our own accommodations a few minutes down the road from their villa. But truthfully, we didn´t know what to expect. After a tiring 11 hours of air travel, we arrived in the dark, during a downpour. The door of our hired van opened, and I heard a cheerful cockney accent chirping, "Welcome to Tobago!" It was Adam, our host, who had prepared a delicious dinner for his weary Canadian travelers. Hot squash soup, with the hollowed-out squash serving as a bowl. Baked bonito, a tuna-like fish, fresh from the sea, presented whole on a platter, fragrant with coriander and rosemary, and artfully striped with paprika. Potatoes au gratin, roasted to crispy perfection. And a wonderful, full-bodied South African cabernet. It was like one of those high-end metropolitan restaurants where you get to interact with the chef while he prepares your meal...without the attitude, or the dress code. We sat on the covered patio and unwound from our journey over a surprising dessert combining sweet and sour, hot and cold: pancakes with coffee ice cream, smothered in passion fruit (from the garden) and maple syrup (in our honor?). We met Ria, Adam's beautiful wife, who introduced us to Elizabeth, their charming toddler. As we lounged on the patio, relaxing after dinner, we mentioned that we were dog lovers. So, out came the dogs to meet us: Xena, Marbles and Big Boy. Very sweet and playful. When Adam and Ria's adopted son, Alex, added his cheerful presence to our gathering, it felt as though we were simply hanging out with friends at the end of the day...or “liming,” as they say on the island. And that's Adam and Ria´s great gift...the ability to make you feel instantly at home, as well as properly looked after. Soon, we collapsed into a comfy bed wrapped in embroidered white linens and draped with white mosquito netting...romantic, yet functional. And we fell asleep to the soothing sounds of the yet-to-be-seen surf. We awoke to a spectacular view of the blue Caribbean breaking below us between two rainforest mountains. That day, Adam showed me where that delicious bonito came from...just at the foot of the hill was Castera Beach, where the fishermen pull in the day´s catch. Adam told us of island customs and lore. He showed us landmarks, one of which is in his own front yard. It´s a giant mango tree, several hundred years old. Below the tree, the mangos cover the ground knee-deep, and islanders come from everywhere with bushel baskets to help themselves. Every night, the sun dropped straight into the sea directly between those mountains, and every night it was gorgeous. We enjoyed Adam´s culinary skills several more times, and after the wedding we left reluctantly. Because by end of our six-day stay, we really were hanging out with our friends...our new Tobagan friends. And we´ll be back.
John Hash, Toronto, Canada
Just getting over sleep depravation from the travel from castara to the states. I do not have alot of time at the moment, but i wanted to go ahead and give my overzealous reccomendation for sandcastles. Adam and Ria are amazing hosts and we left the island knowing they will be life-long friends. The warmth and generousity they showed started at the very beg. of our trip where after several plane delays.....adam ended up at the tiny tobago airport, waiting for 3+ hrs until we landed near 12AM!!!!! (needless to say, i would expect he might not do personal pick-ups after us!!!!). He took us to our home for the week, which turned into a week 1/2....which would have turned into three if our money hadn't run thin!!!!! and promptly set out a bowl of shrimp.....a serving bowl of shrimp! crusty bread and red wine. We were brought back to life, enough to have a sound, delicious sleep. We stayed upstairs and waking, the views were incredible....the sounds from the island were rythmic, and the small walk to the beach was no inconvience.... evry day was like this, and the nites when we didn't eat with adam(highly reccomended even if you don't stay there)...we would usually meet up at the local street-side bar for some rum, and the some more rum!!! sandcastles is in the perfect location- just close enough to town so as not to be in 'the thick of it' and just far enough away so if you are desiring a quiet night, you won't be lured out by the beat of a local party. Castara and Sandcastles will stay close to my heart. tahnks adam and ria!!!! and of course, alex! we miss you guys
Barrett and Keith , Asheville, NC, USA
If you are staying in sandcastle, you have wonderful holidays. We haven`t seen a place like this before in real, only on television. The appartments are so nice, you feel if you are in paradise. When you are laying in bed, you can see the sea and the rainforest. There is also a wonderful terrace, where you can take your breakfast while looking over the sea. If you want to go to the beach you only need a few minutes. The beach in castara and englishmans bay right next are the most beautiful beaches of the island. It`s also very clean and it`s quiet,so it`s a perfect place to relax. Ria and Adam are wonderful people and they always do the best to make your holidays very comfortable. One time, Adam was cooking for us on boxing day and it was the best dinner we have had the whole holidays. We are shure, that we are coming back to enjoy this nice place! Ralf and Nicola from Germany
Nicola and Ralf, Cologne, Germany
I really enjoyed my stay at Sandcastles, Castara. The apartment was clean and airly with an amazing view. Adam and Ria were great hosts and introduced us to local life in Tobago. We ate fresh fish everyday cooked by Adam. A five minutes walk to the beach ensured a morning dip in the sea. Adam and Ria also told us about the local nightlife. Shade is the place as well as the Hilton on a Saturday night. If you are looking for a taste of the real Tobago with stunning views and a friendly welocme then I would say Sandcastles is for you. You have a hot shower inside but also a cold outside shower which is perfect for cooling down. We also watched some great DVD's from the DVD libary available at Sandcastles on the nights we wanted to chill out. They also have a book libarty if you want to sit on the terrace and read a good book. Adam introduced us to local artists, fishermen and showed us the best places to but fresh organic veg so we could make ourselves lunch. The cooking facilities ensured I could make fresh coffee every morning. I would stay at Sandcastles again.
Honey Hope, London, England
For a detailed review of Sandcastles, check out the myTobago review.