Paradise On Earth

When vacation time comes around, most of us Trinidadians head over to our sister island of Tobago where the atmosphere is so much more relaxed and the waters are hundreds of times more beautiful. The resorts are so much more amazing and we get the brilliant get away for a fraction of the price that foreigners have to pay as we just use our sea bridge to get there that costs us next to nothing to use! When I say sea bridge I am referring to the ferry services between the two islands since we are considered one country. Our go to resort is the Sandy Point Beach Club on the south western tip of the island.

The view of the city from the back of the ferry.

We start off by heading to the ferry terminal in the Capital city of Port of Spain. Our ferry that we booked the tickets on would be the T&T Spirit, the T&T standing for Trinidad and Tobago. We boarded with the car and found some awesome window seats to get a nice view during the 3 hour voyage to the sister island. That’s another great thing, we can actually go on vacation with our own cars! These seats would be seldom used as we like to linger on the outside decks to take in the sea breeze and enjoy the sights. We could have taken a plane but the views of the smaller islands and the waters are so much better.

The Ferry we used on our voyage.

Another view from the back of the ferry during the sail.

I did a time lapse of the ride and this is typically the view you get from a window seat.

When we arrived at the port in Tobago, we left the ferry with the car and used Google maps to find our way to the Sandy Point Resort. It was dark as the sun had set already so we ordered some KFC, checked in, threw our bags on the floor and took a well needed sleep, ready for the exciting events of the next day. There are little events that the resort holds to welcome the newcomers as well as others during the week ahead for fun!

The next morning we got dressed and headed down to the bar where the welcome party was being held. There were a lot of people there already and we hurriedly got our free coffee and took our seats awaiting the host to give her speech. She was a very vivacious lady and gave us information about the facilities as well as tours of the island that we may be interested in and how to access them. She also informed us of brilliant landmarks and places to visit during our stay.

My girlfriend getting our morning coffee before the welcome party started.

Everyone was just beginning to take their seats!

The lady at the front was the host and she was lively and vivacious and was very infectious with her excitement!

After that, we all lined up for our complimentary breakfast that consisted of local foods of the island such as doubles (curried chickpeas and fried bread), bake and buljol (made with salt fish) as well as fruits and juices of our choice. While enjoying our breakfast at the bar areas, I noticed how beautiful the view was. We were just on the front of the beach with white sands and amazingly blue/ turquoise waters. To add to the beachy Caribbean aesthetic, there were carrot/ thatched hut umbrellas on benches. It was an amazing place to have breakfast.

Everyone was quite polite and well behaved as you expect in a line for free food.

Breakfast with the ocean and coconut trees right in front of you!

I noticed a jetty with a shed just near the bar which quickly became my favourite place to head to to just chillout, enjoy just the sound of the waves and the breeze as well as the beautiful waters. Not many people were there often and it was perfect for me as I am quite the introvert at times. The carrot shed added to the caribbean ambiance and the waters were so clear I could make out fishes and other organisms in its depths.

It just beckons to me every time I see it!

Look at those waters! You can understand why I came here a lot.

A view from just under the hut on the jetty where I spent a lot of time.

My other favourite place is one of the hot tubs that was in such a brilliant location that it was never occupied by anyone as the others were! The photo shows my girlfriend’s cousin and I chilling or should I say heating up in the tub. The best times to head to the hot tubs were at night where the temperature of the evening was perfect to enjoy the warm waters.

The largest pool was where we frequently took a dip in the morning to start the day. We were on vacation and taking a dip in the pool was the funnest way we could think of to start the day before we left the resort to sight see or visit historical locations. There are huge trees and the buildings around it and so it was always nicely shaded from the blazing sun.

You can see the grills in the background that are always perfect for poolside barbeques!

Here we are struggling to wake up after a long night of having fun before taking a dip in the pool.

Who doesn't love a good canonball?

Even the ground or the campus of the resort itself was relaxing in a way I could not explain. It just felt so calming no matter where I went during my exploration. This was particularly in the evenings when the sun had set or was about to set. There was not as much pollution here as there is in Trinidad yet the sunsets were even more amazing and filled with such character and amazing views! The clouds and their colours never failed to take my breath away.

A view of the eastern courtyard

The western courtyard with a beautiful play area and awesome grass and trees to take a stroll amongst and take in the sound of waves not too far away.

One of my favourite chairs to sit in and take in the views at the beachfront near the bar.

A breath taking view of the jetty at sunset.

Sunset view of the oceanfront from a balcony that was much frequented as well.

Another view from the balcony during the day

Because of these scenes I feel like I have never seen or experienced such a sunset like this ever since.

I could go on and on about how much I loved this place but it is true that I left my heart there. The peace and quite that comes from it being on the island of Tobago makes it the perfect getaway from the hustles and bustles of normal life. There is no pollution, no noise from cars, just the ocean, the waves and your thoughts. It really is a recharging experience and I feel like I could actually finally breathe for once when I get there. It always is a pleasure to go there with my girlfriend and shut down for a while!

We were both sitting at the back of the boat here just to be out outside as the ferry was departing to taking in the view of the city as it faded into the distance.