Having returned to Trinidad from Tobago, we stayed at the Mount Plaisir Estate Hotel for three nights before flying home.
Located on the remote north-east coast, the place is run by HADCO Experiences, and earlier in our trip, we’d enjoyed two nights at their sister property, the Asa Wright Nature Centre.
The 21 rooms were each named after a turtle or animal, and Ocelot was one of twelve beach-front rooms located in a block over two floors. We had a choice of having a queen-size bed each or sharing the king-size bed with the wardrobe having plenty of spare blankets, duvets and pillows. The décor was minimalist in style, with two easy chairs and a coffee table. Tea and coffee making facilities were provided and a carafe of bottled water could be refilled at water coolers dotted around. There were plenty of plug points and as we were at the beach, the floor was a practical laminate. The air conditioning was good, but WiFi was a little slow.
The bathroom was reasonable in terms of size, but bearing in mind HADCO had recently renovated the place, the shower could have been better in terms of powerfulness and shower head. However, there was plenty of space for our toiletries, and the complimentary ones in refillable containers had a fabulous smell.
Detailed descriptions and photos of the individual rooms are online – https://hadcoexperiences.com/mt-plaisir-estate-hotel/accommodations.
However, what made the place truly stunning was a beautifully constructed wooden balcony which ran the length of the second floor. Each room had a three-seater sofa, matching chair, huge coffee table and a towel rail. Whilst there was no privacy, for two out of three nights, we were the only guests on the floor and had the entire balcony to ourselves and we could keep the blinds up during the night to allow the morning sun to wake us naturally. As the balcony overlooked the beach, the sound of the waves lulled us to sleep.
As with Asa Wright, rooms were only serviced every other day.
MEALS
Meals were included and chosen from á la carte menus.
Breakfast – on our first morning we opted for the ‘Healthy Start’ comprising of a platter of watermelon, papaya and pineapple, muesli in the absence of granola and pineapple yoghurt as the Greek yoghurt was unavailable. We then undid our good work with slices of toasted homemade bread with butter and papaya jam. The following morning, we chose from the Trinbagonian selection: excellent fried flaking herring mixed with tomatoes, onions, and peppers, and saltfish accra, moreish small balls of battered saltfish, with fried bake, a delicious round bread.
Lunch – there was plenty of choice with soups, sandwiches, main courses and pasta, but although we kept it light with a shared calamari one day and a tuna melt the next, I found it hard to resist ice cream or sorbet for dessert.
Dinner – as we were eating three meals a day with generous portion sizes, in the evening we shared a starter like garlic bread or chicken pot stickers, followed by the fish option. The salmon, kingfish, mahi mahi and shrimp, was fresh and cooked in a variety of ways with changing sides. A second single scoop of ice cream may then have passed my lips.
Afternoon tea – tea and coffee were available throughout the day, and at 3.30pm there was always a sweet and savoury snack available.
ACTIVITIES
There was a lovely plunge pool with seating all the way around and good steps and whilst it wasn’t great for swimming, it was ideal for cooling off.
The beach had coarse, soft deep sand and was a little stony in places with lots of natural flotsam, but no plastics. Sun loungers and an umbrella were put out for us daily, but there was also natural shade from the nearby coconut trees. Unfortunately, the waves were too huge for swimming at the time of our visit. Just along the beach was a river mouth, used by the local fishermen, so vultures constantly circled overhead looking for fish offcuts.
Mount Plaisir is known for its leatherback turtles, and although we were a little early for the nesting season which begins in March, at night red lights were used to avoid them going beyond the beach. This meant that the landing and stairs were a little dark and our mobile phone torches were essential.
For birders the main attraction is the Trinidad piping guan, an endemic, critically endangered bird, which could be found around Pawi Lodge, another HADCO property and a five-minute drive. Visits were at 6am, 10am and 5pm and we opted for 10am, with the option of a later visit. There was a viewing deck with lots of hummingbird feeders all around. At first, we thought we were out of luck, but our guide led us down a grassy bank and eventually we spotted a couple of the turkey-like birds high in the tree feasting on nutmeg (which are in a thick, yellow seed with the red mace lace around it and the nutmeg inside). We walked back down to Mount Plaisir, and then visited again at 5pm, when at least a dozen birds came in to eat before disappearing for the night.
There was a cupboard full of board games, but no library, and the gift shop had beautiful, but expensive turtle-themed souvenirs.
Roy celebrated his birthday and after a little reminder, the bed was decorated with Happy Birthday written out in flowers, and there was a birthday cake with a candle for dessert. And to celebrate I splashed out on a bottle of Argentinean Chardonnay at 300 TT$ or nearly £40.
This was one of my favourite locations despite the lack of turtles. However, these would have attracted a significant number of both overnight and day guests, and the peacefulness we enjoyed would not have been the same.
