Tobago travel guide: what to do and where to stay

A view from the sea to the coastline and Castara's Resort — There's much more to this Caribbean island than beautiful beaches

(Image credit: Castara Retreats)

Barely a day into my visit to Tobago I found myself on horseback in the shallows of Buccoo Bay. I clung on, knowing my horse may wade in even further to swim, and that I would be expected to simply go with the flow.

That was just another day in Tobago, a free-spirited Caribbean island with an uncanny habit for drawing you out of your comfort zone and into exhilarating escapades of adventure.

There's a realness to Tobago that doesn't always feature in the Caribbean resort fantasy. The coves of pearly white sand, slouching palm trees and irresistible water are all there, but it's less manicured. The more built-up areas, like the capital Scarborough, are boisterous pockets of unfiltered life, while many inland villages are little more than clusters of half-finished buildings where untethered animals roam freely around their keepers.

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But it would be a crime to limit any experience of Tobago to beaches alone. When it's not submerged between the tides, No Man's Land is an uninhabited peninsula that attracts hordes of visitors twice a day. There are schools of brilliantly coloured parrotfish in the coral reefs that can be snorkelled just a few minutes out from this ribbon of sandy coastline. Somehow the water is knee-deep out by those reefs, so you can experience the phenomenon of standing in the middle of the Caribbean Sea.

Inland Tobago engulfs you in exotic plant and animal life, an experience that peaks on the island of Little Tobago. It's reserved exclusively for nature, particularly the many seabirds that flock balletically off its verdant coastline, and none more famously than the elegant red-billed tropicbird. It's a steep, sweaty ascent to the island's observation deck, but if David Attenborough deemed the airborne spectacle that awaits you worthy of his "Trials of Life" BBC series, you might too.

Fish is both a staple and delicacy, the warm waters giving the island rich stocks of kingfish, lobster and red snapper. At the rustic Bird Watcher's Restaurant and Bar in Speyside, owner Mr Frank has been serving what many locals consider the island's finest lobster for over 20 years; I would consider it arguably the finest lobster I’ve eaten anywhere. The huge specimens are grilled simply with butter, lemon and garlic and are best eaten by hand in a ritual of shameless, messy silence, lubricated by a cleansing Carib beer.

Tobago's exotic produce is the foundation of specialties found everywhere, like hearty coconut bake, fragrant crab and dumplings, and comforting breadfruit and stewed dasheen. Fresh coconut water, drank directly from the machete-hacked opening of the fruit, never gets boring. Even the menus of the more refined dining spots, like The Seahorse at Stonehaven Bay or the Brown Cow in Pigeon Point, never stray too far from Tobago's most classic dishes, even if their zingy, rum-spiked cocktails may be a notch more flamboyant.

Castara Retreats is more like a hotel, just with fewer bad habits. Overlooking the ruggedly beautiful Castara Bay on the Caribbean coast, the complex of eco-lodges unfurls over the abundant hillside rainforest, like ivy over a castle's walls. Some of the self-catering cabins have terraces facing both the sea and the Main Ridge Forest Reserve and, if the weather turns, trust me – it's the kind of rainfall you'll enjoy being woken by.

The hotel's sustainability practices contribute to Tobago's growing reputation as an ecotourism hotspot. It is constantly fine-tuning its approach to hospitality, including its authentic restaurant, but it is already bringing its A-game to the wellness offering. Led by Judha, who conducts welcoming daily yoga classes and personalised massage therapies, it's a key reason why Castara Retreats can legitimately call itself a retreat.