A little down time every now and then is good. So while I primarily hopped over to Tobago
to see John Legend, it was also a bit of down time. Down time for me, as you know, is hardly ever relaxing. I just cannot sit still but I gave it a shot during my 3-day weekend.
This time around I stayed at the
Top O' Tobago Villas - a beautiful property neatly tucked away in the hills of Arnos Vale, Tobago. Let me just say to those hotels which took advantage of the "jazz" event to enforce a 5-night minimum for guests - you suck!
Anyway, I had rented a car and so forfeited the complimentary pick up from the airport, opting instead for the emailed directions. Insert laughter here as if you did not already know or did not read
THIS, I am hopelessly challenged when it comes to finding places. But kudos to Silja, the hostess on the property, for the expert directions because I made it there unscathed.
The property offers everything a person seeking a bit of peace and quiet would want. Nice views, a limited number of guests (there is one main house and three single apartments), only the sounds of the natural life around you. It's very remote; very away from everything, so be prepared for that. The pool area was a great spot for swinging back some grape juice every morning, or as some of my fellow guests had, some beer after a long day. It's a self-catering property, so you can do your own meals if you so desire. I did not so desire, but made use of the pool area to eat what little I did eat while I was on-site. Food with a view is always so much better!
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| Having a late lunch beside the pool at Top O'Tobago Villas, Tobago |
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Having pre-dinner zen session at dusk near the pool.
The pool was at the top level of the hillside property |
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| My own private terrace to read , eat and watch birds |
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| Remote. Romantic. Rustic. - Top O' Tobago Villas |
Top O'Tobago offers guests snorkelling gear and bikes to enhance the guest experience, as there is a beach a few minutes walk away - Arnos Vale Bay - which is good for snorkelling apparently. After the concert was long over, I took a little time to bond with nature. I don't usually do nature but hey, the weather was good for it that weekend. First, a quick trip to Argyle Waterfall, then a quick drive further north, to Delaford.
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| Argyle Waterfall in Tobago - gorgeous |
Let me just say though, if you can drive along the Windward Road in Tobago, you can drive anywhere. I was soon reminded why I had stopped going up that way when visiting Tobago, but it was truly an adventure.
The villa also offered a bit of a nature trail, which I decided to explore on my last morning. Well, it was more of a workout than I thought. The man made stairs made navigating the very, very steep incline much easier, but it was still slightly treacherous and challenging, especially coming back up. I also went further up the road just to see what else was in the area.
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| The sign |
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| The first layer of treachery, i.e. the first downward incline |
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| The view from the bottom of second incline |
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| Along the trail, a Mot Mot posed for photos |
The "prize" at the end of the first leg of my morning adventure was this...
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| Arnos Vale Bay, Tobago |
...then I did some more
walking hiking before the early morning humidity got the better of me. Beautiful natural and untouched landscape though.
The one thing I will say is that as a Trini, my spider sense was always tingling, and so the inadequate street lighting on the way to the property, and in Tobago in general, was my only concern. I was paranoid about driving late at night back to the property, while I saw female tourists casually walking along dark roads like nobody's business. Not cool.
Other than that though, sometimes a little down time is needed and as short as it was, it was appreciated.
