We always get bombarded with photos of palm trees hanging over the azur blue water and white sandy beaches, but for some reason we never get to see what's further aland. The world famous photo of the pier with the thatched hut at the end of it, is actually taken at Tobago's Crown Point's Pigeon Point at the very South Eastern tip of the Caribbean Island. What the photo doesn't show is the heards of sun hungry Europeans flocking the beach as sardines in a can fighting for the best spots to catch those priceless rays of sun.
Crown point's Pigeon Point is a picturesque beach with some great facilitles, fine white sand and palm trees, but that's also where it ends. It's very very windy at the opposite end of the "entrance" and overrun by wannabe water sport fanatics that show no respect to any other beach goers. Large "fishing" boats fishing for tourists speeds back and forth very close to the beach which makes it dangerous at times to be in the water. It also seems to be very cloudy at the point as the clouds come in from the rain forrest a few kilometers away. It's almost as a band of cluods keeps hitting the beach at Pigeon Point.
A bit closer to the entrance the beach get's packed during the day and is no better (even worse) than going to Spain during the high season, where you can't see the sand for the beach towels and sturdy northern Europeans with all their equipment. Also it cost TT$ 18 (EUR 2,50) which also should (in theroy) give you some privacy from the so-ever-annoying-I'll-never-stop-hasseling-you-to-buy-something-you-don't-want beach vendors.
Over all, all the beaches in the area around Crown Point (i.e. Pigeon Point and Store Beach etc) are like this except the public beaches in this area are even much much worse. In other words, a night mare.
If you get a car, you should go for the much less exploited beaches up the island. I guess most beaches are safe, but one should always be alert for unusual behaviour and deserted beaches. There is reason for this... Englishman's bay is among the better ones with a great little restaurant and non rip off prices on batik sarongs at the restaurant. Still you can't be 100% sure of not getting hassled by the local solitary playboy chatting up women in hope of some quick romance no matter if the person is there with her husband or boyfriend.
Restaurants are cheap and quite good value for money. So is the petrol (39 Eur Cents pr. liter) and pennysavers supermarket on the way to Scarborough from Crown Point. Service is very slow and to the outside world it doesn't seem very friendly, but it is.
We stayed in Tobago for 9 days and thank God that we had a car. The southern end of Tobago is turning into a nightmare of a tourist trap as we have seen in Thailand, Spain and Greece. We also quickly learnt to not to stop for anyone waveing theyr hands at the roadside as they most likely will try and "hijack" your car to go and see something that you can do for free, but pay them a huge tip for their services. Often you won't be told by them before its too late. I refused to pay for something I never in the first place asked for but nothing arrised other than some foul language.
Was also yelled at while driving through one of the small villages which wasn't very pleasant, but maybe it was just me being to picky...
Over all, I would probably not recommend Tobago as a holiday destination. You might as well go to Southern Europe for your fun in the sun and save you a bundle of cash. Tobago does have a few qualities if you make an effort, but I feel it is by far too over rated.
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