We stayed at Casa Cassini as a couple (we are in our mid-20s). Reservation and booking was a piece of cake. Steve, one of the owners, responded promptly to our email, talked to us on the phone and answered all our questions. He picked us up (on Christmas day!) from the airport and returned us (on New Years Day). Steve also drove us to a grocery store that was open on the holiday and waited with us until we completed our shopping. The apartment was very well appointed with all the kitchen ware we could want or need. There was also a nice collection of condiments and light groceries already in the fridge. On one hand, we loved the blessed quiet, and on the other hand we felt a little isolated.
As this was our first experience with vacation rental (rather than hotel suite), the self-catering experience took some getting used to. This is no fault of the Cassinis, but it didn’t feel quite like a vacation making our own bed, cooking our own meals, straightening our own bathroom, etc. But with the money we saved, it was worth the slight lack of luxury it in the end. Afterall, it wasn’t our honeymoon or anything. During our week stay, we had one room-cleaning which was sufficient (although we cooked daily and therefore needed to take out trash every day or so). We went to the nearly deserted beach almost daily. I swam laps in the pool and my husband took a dip every so often. Steve even loaned my husband his machete and we treated ourselves to fresh coconut water from the plentiful trees on the shore.
One note is that this is not a very accessible part of the island. We had to fight with taxi drivers daily to take us to the house as some of them [acted like they] had never heard of it, didn’t recognize the street name or even the reference landmarks. Also, most of the things we wanted to do were clear on the other end of the island (Sunday School Pan Exhibition, Restaurants, Bars) so taxis were a real expense (we sometimes spent US$70+/day). We generally intended to cook for ourselves every day, but the few times we wanted to go out to dinner, there was nothing in walking or even short driving distance and going into town was a whole big production. After dark, we didn’t feel comfortable walking down to the taxi stand, let alone waiting there for a pickup. There is a taxi stand just down the road, but most of them only go as far as Scarborough (a 5 minute drive). Once in Scarborough proper, taxis to other villages (and even back to Casa Cassini) were hard to come by. Steve did recommend a rental car company to us, but neither of us are familiar with left-hand driving and didn’t feel comfortable renting. About halfway through our stay, Jan recommended a taxi service to us and they took us to a New Years Eve party and to church on Sunday. We found them convenient, if expensive.
No complaints about the place, however if we return to Tobago again, we would likely stay on a more lively part of the island.
All bookings are direct with the owner 