If Kariwak Village was good enough for the Dalai Lama, it was certainly good enough for our three-night stay.
The hotel owners are said to have created a holistic environment for guests’ mind, body and spirit. We thought it was a little ironic that its location on the southern tip of Tobago was literally a five-minute walk from the airport. Fortunately, the aircraft noise didn’t affect us.
There are 24 rooms and having arrived before lunch, we were pleasantly surprised to find our room ready. However, on being led away from the swimming pool and around the back of the hotel through gardens, it became apparent that this was not leading to our pool cabana. We feared the worst having been told that they were fully booked, but after a little while, we were dragging our cases back through the gardens to pool cabana 2b.
The circular cabanas were divided into two, giving each room a slightly odd shape. The comfortable king-size bed had bedside tables, but no plug points. A wooden shelf, with clip on reading lights, was above the bed head, and whilst it was useful, we had to be careful to avoid knocking our heads when getting in or out of bed. There was an empty fridge, an ice bucket, two glasses, two mugs and a kettle with such a short lead, it had to be boiled on the floor. There were no coffee sachets or tea bags which was a little odd, but we later discovered that tea and coffee was available during the day in the restaurant, so perhaps the idea was you took your own mug. There was a desk, chest of drawers and next to the bathroom, a very odd-shaped cupboard/wardrobe with iron and ironing board.
However, the biggest issue was the poor electrical sockets which were either in inconvenient places or would not keep our adapter stable. We eventually found charging phones in the bathroom was the best option. The air conditioning and WiFi were both good.
The bathroom was light and bright, and the shower had hot powerful water and sufficient towel rails. There was also a good hairdryer, but the only complimentary toiletry was a bar of soap. The loo was in a separate room within the bathroom which seemed a little unnecessary and made it very small.
There was a small patio where we could sit out.
Food
Breakfast (7.30am to 10am) was served in the open-sided restaurant. A form had to be ticked to indicate our choices: platter of watermelon, papaya and pineapple, home-made yoghurt with a guava syrup, and granola. Hot options were then suggested with examples of eggs of the day, cooked anyway with bacon or omelettes with cheese and ham. Having just completed 10 days at an all-inclusive hotel, we opted for the light option and helped ourselves to tea and coffee. A fellow guest suggested trying the hot chocolate telling me that Tobago chocolate was the best in the world – whilst it might be, in my view, it certainly doesn’t belong on the breakfast table.
The place has a good reputation for food, but the set lunch and dinner menus were simply left on the bar with no real attempt at marketing. Prices were not shown and after our food fest, the two courses offered were a little more than we wanted. When we walked past the restaurant to head into town for the evening, it looked quiet and lacking in atmosphere.
Swimming Pool
For a relatively small place, the chlorine-free swimming pool was surprisingly big with a great water temperature. Unfortunately, we found the style of sunbeds uncomfortable and there was no shade or umbrellas.
Gardens and Wellness
If we’d not been shown to the wrong room on arrival, we may not have seen the gardens and greenhouse around the back of the hotel, and where lots of their vegetables and herbs are grown. On exploring one morning, we found a thatched building which appeared to be redundant apart from a couple of tables and chairs and hammocks underneath the veranda. There was also what was described as a jacuzzi which was like a small plunge pool with a waterfall flowing into it, and a couple of nearby loungers.
The hotel is said to be an active centre for local arts, entertainment, and self-improvement and therapeutic workshops. The ajoupa, the high-ceilinged thatched round house blessed by the Dalai Lama in 1998, was said to hold classes in Hatha Yoga, Tai Qi, and Qi Gong and gentle stretching exercises three times a week. However, apart from a sign on the gate, there was little activity to be seen.
Nearby
The hotel is located in Crown Point, and a five-minute walk took us to Trims Mini Mart and after a further 15 minutes, we were in the main area which was awash with takeaway restaurants. We read that when charter flights like Monarch stopped flying to Tobago, the economy suffered and now the main visitors are Trinidadians over for the weekend, who prefer self-catering apartments.
Store Bay Beach was a 10-minute walk, and the hotel offered a complimentary shuttle bus to Pigeon Point, where entry to the beach was $3.
Unfortunately, whilst Kariwak Village promised a lot, it didn’t really hit the mark for us.
