Arnos Vale Waterwheel and Nature Park
Arnos Vale Waterwheel and Nature Park
3.5
About
A park established on the grounds of an old sugar plantation to preserve Tobago's wildlife.
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
3.5
23 reviews
Excellent
5
Very good
6
Average
6
Poor
4
Terrible
2
tezpil
Portsmouth, UK4,685 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
The Waterwheel is a ruin but you can wander round if you are careful. This is a natural forest setting so you can appreciate the greenery and wildlife.
Written March 28, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
klasherman
Uppsala, Sweden487 contributions
Jan 2014 • Couples
We visited in January and met the owners. The place was reopened and under restauration. It had been smashed when they lived abroad. Now they gave good tours and served delicious soup. Very special place, well worth the visit.
Written March 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Viddhisama
Orlando, FL65 contributions
There is an entrance fee of $12TTD for adults and $6TTD for children; the path to the waterwheel is simply beautiful, there is a concrete path at the beginning and then the main entrance is through a sort of antique arch and gate.
The rest of the pathway is wooden and covered.
All around there are birds whistling, the greenery is amazing -there are all different shades of green, lizards hurring by and a couple of fruit bats for the looking.
Please note you must be able to appreciate nature and history in order to accept the site for all it has to offer.
On reaching the waterwheel area there is a resturant.
The waterwheel was used in the manufacturing process of sugar from the sugar cane crops which used to be abundant throughout the island.Connected to the waterwheel are the gear crushers as well, the whole structure is clearly outlined and there are plaques thoughout the pathway telling about the the different pieces of equipment and areas which are located at the site.
They only thing is the place needs to be up kept a little more, even though it is known that leaves falling you can't escape, the tables and wooden flooring as well as the general maintenance of the sitting area and furniture can be in much better condition.
The rest of the pathway is wooden and covered.
All around there are birds whistling, the greenery is amazing -there are all different shades of green, lizards hurring by and a couple of fruit bats for the looking.
Please note you must be able to appreciate nature and history in order to accept the site for all it has to offer.
On reaching the waterwheel area there is a resturant.
The waterwheel was used in the manufacturing process of sugar from the sugar cane crops which used to be abundant throughout the island.Connected to the waterwheel are the gear crushers as well, the whole structure is clearly outlined and there are plaques thoughout the pathway telling about the the different pieces of equipment and areas which are located at the site.
They only thing is the place needs to be up kept a little more, even though it is known that leaves falling you can't escape, the tables and wooden flooring as well as the general maintenance of the sitting area and furniture can be in much better condition.
Written December 24, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stuart B
Carshalton, UK599 contributions
Dec 2015 • Couples
The waterwheel is all that remains in tact. a tumbledown chimney and a lovely stream all set in a beautiful setting. No restaurant. We only stayed to take photographs. A shame it has been vandalised as it would make a great attraction and keep the history of the island alive.
Written January 2, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Megagrumpy
Solihull, UK14 contributions
May 2014
As we walked into the dilapidated building we were surprised to see Christmas decorations still hanging from the ceiling. Fruit bats, disturbed by us, flew around our heads. There were two attendants, one was fast asleep on a chair in the sun and the other told us it would cost $30TT each to look around. I was keen to wander through the grounds as I am sure it would have been a good opportunity to see some of the wild life but the female members of the party were not. The whole place was depressingly run down but I am sure it would have still made an interesting walk.
Written May 30, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RussPet
That London19 contributions
Dec 2012 • Couples
I found this completely fascinating and went back again.
It is run down and closed, but the gate and wall only go a few meters and there is a path you can walk round. There has been no upkeep of the decking so mind your self. There are bats in many of the buildings and it has this air of mystic about it. Loved it and it would make a great movie set (Blair witch project)
recommend giving it a look
It is run down and closed, but the gate and wall only go a few meters and there is a path you can walk round. There has been no upkeep of the decking so mind your self. There are bats in many of the buildings and it has this air of mystic about it. Loved it and it would make a great movie set (Blair witch project)
recommend giving it a look
Written January 10, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RUMRZ T
Aurora, CO28 contributions
Apr 2011 • Friends
This has been well preserved and a nice tour. Be sure to bring your own water as there isn't any concessions offered here. Our tour guide gave us a great amount of stories and information about the history of the plantation owner, etc. The copper pots, smoke stack and wheel presses were incredible to see up close.
Written February 18, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Slade732
Brick, NJ44 contributions
The setting of the Arnos Vale Waterwheel Resteraunt is amazing... lush, tropical scenery surrounding an old sugar distillary.
The resteraunt itself, is lacking. We (a group of 6) had a 7:00 reservation. We arrived right on time and were promptly seated. At that time, there was only one other party of two people in the entire place. We ordered some drinks, which were brought to us within a few minutes. Soon after, we order appetizers and entrees. The wait for the appetizers was a bit longer than expected, but not too terrible. However it took 2 HOURS to receive our entrees! 2 HOURS!
By the time were left, the original party of two had finished eating and left, and two other parties had arrived. They were not busy enough to substantiate a 2 hour wait for the entrees.
The service was also very poor. It was very tough to get ahold of our waitress, and she never stopped back at the table to see if we needed anything.
Additionally, the food was overpriced and the portions were very small, although what we did receive was tasty.
Furthermore, the music was too loud and too obtrusive (house music, aka. pounding trance/dance beats) and it was the same cd playing over and over. I left with a headache.
Overall, I would not recommend Arnos Vale Waterwheel, nor would I return. The food was good, but small portions and overpriced. Poor service and loud music. They need a lot of work...
The resteraunt itself, is lacking. We (a group of 6) had a 7:00 reservation. We arrived right on time and were promptly seated. At that time, there was only one other party of two people in the entire place. We ordered some drinks, which were brought to us within a few minutes. Soon after, we order appetizers and entrees. The wait for the appetizers was a bit longer than expected, but not too terrible. However it took 2 HOURS to receive our entrees! 2 HOURS!
By the time were left, the original party of two had finished eating and left, and two other parties had arrived. They were not busy enough to substantiate a 2 hour wait for the entrees.
The service was also very poor. It was very tough to get ahold of our waitress, and she never stopped back at the table to see if we needed anything.
Additionally, the food was overpriced and the portions were very small, although what we did receive was tasty.
Furthermore, the music was too loud and too obtrusive (house music, aka. pounding trance/dance beats) and it was the same cd playing over and over. I left with a headache.
Overall, I would not recommend Arnos Vale Waterwheel, nor would I return. The food was good, but small portions and overpriced. Poor service and loud music. They need a lot of work...
Written April 3, 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BRiN
22 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
The place is derelict now, a real shame as the history of the island is kept alive with regard to the forts so well. I think they are government owned while this site is privately owned. It's been said that the place was ransacked while the owners were away, I think they should have employed some security, especially as labor is quite cheap.
We visited twice, once en route to Roxbourough and a second time while searching for geocaches, The first time we took our time to wander around, and were glad we had a 4x4 as the roads are all slippery. The second time we got there the gate was opened and there was a smell of fresh burning so we decided to leave as we weren't sure who was there. We were probably a bit wary as the day before a German couple had been found hacked to death on Tobago.
Worth going if you're in a fairly large group with some larger men, I wouldn't recommend visiting for single travelers or female only groups.
We visited twice, once en route to Roxbourough and a second time while searching for geocaches, The first time we took our time to wander around, and were glad we had a 4x4 as the roads are all slippery. The second time we got there the gate was opened and there was a smell of fresh burning so we decided to leave as we weren't sure who was there. We were probably a bit wary as the day before a German couple had been found hacked to death on Tobago.
Worth going if you're in a fairly large group with some larger men, I wouldn't recommend visiting for single travelers or female only groups.
Written December 30, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lalita N
Port of Spain, Trinidad17 contributions
It is an ideal tourist destination for local and foreigners. The place is really serene and is preserved. A real nature watchers paradise and so full of our heritage. Tobago is such an exotic place and is really a paradise island. The food, the culture everything about this island is really different. I like the unique way this place has been kept over the years.
Written January 4, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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