Although most folks are familiar with Trinidad because of her awesome yearly Carnival Festival – not many folks are familiar with Tobago. But they should be!

If you’re looking for a quiet spot that’s eco-friendly then you’ll definitely want to know more about Tobago. If you can’t remember your geography, Trinidad and Tobago are right off the coast of Venezuela, the last of the chain of Caribbean Islands.

An absolute nature haven (especially if you love birds like hummers), two thirds of the island is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It contains one of the oldest forest reserves in the Western Hemisphere with amazing waterfalls, trees, bromeliads, butterflies, and nature walks. And the snorkeling’s not too shabby either!

If you’re looking for fancy-shmancy digs – you won’t find them here. But if you’re into eating authentic Tobago cooking – you’ll have no trouble chowing down some lip-smacking buss-up-shut, buljol, shark & bake, chow, and benne balls. I guess you’ll just have to visit to figure out what those dishes are (or Google them). 🙂

So where to stay? Well, I would start with Kariwak Holistic Haven if you want to do yoga and offer spa services like aromatherapy, craniosacral, shiatsu, deep tissue, hot stones an/or Thai yoga massage. They have 18 poolside cabanas that are closer to their restaurant and main building and 6 garden rooms which are closer to their yoga ajoupa and hammocks.

Bird watching, sailing, horseback riding, island tours, watersports, car and bike rental can all be arranged by request. The food is homemade and they do cater to any dietary needs that your group might have.

An interesting story – the hotel’s opening auspiciously coincided with the Dalai Lama’s visit to Trinidad and Tobago in 1998 and in a fortuitous twist of fate, his lecture here was the first event held in their beautiful barefoot yoga space. Of course that was a pretty big deal for them!!

Another option if you want to connect with the locals and be a little closer to the beach, I would consider Castara Retreats. It’s a family-run eco resort overlooking the Bay of Castara with two sandy beaches and the deep green of the rainforest as its backdrop. The hotel has 14 different rooms, all with different and varied set-ups.

Castara is a small fishing village of 500 inhabitants on the Caribbean coast of the island and is a 4-5 minute walk from Castara Retreats. The folks are friendly and will often invite you to hang out **limin’ with them.

Since the hotel is above the town – sometimes you will hear them partying if something special is going on, so it might not be extremely quiet. So it depends on what kind of event you are creating whether this space would be for you or not.

**Lime: (v) hanging out/socializing in an informal relaxing environment, especially with friends, for example at a party, or on the beach. (source: UrbanDictionary.com)

All in all, it would be nice to move beyond the typical Caribbean choices of Jamaica or Puerto Rico for example and pick something a little different and more adventurous. I would definitely put Tobago on your list if you’re craving an island escape. Plus the cost of both places are really reasonable and would allow you to offer a relatively low cost retreat to your peeps.

I would take a few minutes and watch the video above and hear more about Castara! And then come on over to our Facebook community group and let me know what you think!

To your wanderlust life, Sheri

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Dr Sheri Rosenthal is known as one of the most sought after retreat strategists for coaches, speakers, and authors — and is the owner of Journeys of the Spirit Travel®, a boutique agency specializing in the planning and management of group travel.

Through her Wanderlust Entrepreneur Community and her signature course, The Retreat Blueprint Program, she has taught thousands of facilitators how to design exceptional retreats that allow them stand out in their niche. She is famous for helping clients plan, fill, and profit from transformational retreats that change lives in a huge way while adding serious income to their bottom line!