The Tobago holiday guide. Written by tourists for tourists.

Despite being a tiny island, it isn't difficult to find a beach to yourself on Tobago. Not because there are so many of them - there aren't - but because this is still a largely unspoilt and uncommercial island left untouched by the shell suited masses. You won't get to all of Tobago's beaches in a fortnight holiday - and the majority of them are untouched, with no facilities. We're showing you some of the best and most popular in Tobago. Popular doesn't mean they're all busy. On a lot of days, it could just be you and a few parrots.....

Amongst the best have to be Englishman's Bay and Mount Irvine.

Englishman's Bay

Englishman's Bay

Englishman's Bay lies on the edge of the rain forest. A small wooden signpost off a small tarmac road in the rain forest will point you down a sun splashed tunnel of bamboo - and there it is. You'll wonder what's wrong with it. Why has no one built a big hotel here? There is nothing there but peace and photo opportunities. And just a very small snack trolley selling delicious local pies and soft drinks.

So if you go for the day, take your picnic bag with you, and your camera, because the likelihood is, you'll have this beach to yourself or share it with only half a dozen people. The bay is long and sweeps into a picture book curve. The sand is clean and white, the water deep and clear, with palm trees fringing the whole bay. There's a good breeze wafting in from the Caribbean Sea and you can sunbathe to the fabulous sounds of wild parrots shouting from the rain forest. Snorkelling here is fantastic. A Sunday Times report rated it one of the best beaches in the Caribbean.

Englishmans' Bay is one of Tobago's jewels. But if you like your gin and tonics large and ice cold while you sit under your beach parasol, and want to snap your fingers to request lunch on a silver tray - go to Mount Irvine Beach. The beach and its bar officially serve the Mount Irvine Bay Hotel but it's all open to the public. You don't have to pay to get onto the beach but the facilities of loos and showers are officially for the residents and can be used for a small fee. The gins are large and cheap, and the food is reasonably priced.

Mount Irvine

Mount Irvine Bay

The beach is small and pretty - and the water is bliss. Just a few yards in and the snorkelling is as good as anywhere on the island. You can see bright coloured parrot fish as big as your pet dog, shoals of baby squid, barracuda, orange tube sponges, lobster, fan coral and brain coral, and angel fish just yards from your beach towel. There are one or two beach vendors at Mount Irvine, but they probably won't even approach you. They lay out their wares and wait for your trade. Tobagonians are polite in respecting tourists' peace, and if you don't want to buy one of the local crafts on the beach, you won't be pestered. Mount Irvine also has a rather good watersports shack.

Castara

Castara

Another favourite but quiet and unspoilt beach is Castara. Like many of Tobago's beaches - this is a place where the locals live and work - and if they weren't so kind and pleased to see you - you might feel like you were intruding in their back yard - which you are really! Enjoy it with respect. The approach road to Castara is another one for the photo album. You travel to it on the only road - a coast road , high above the sea, and there it is. There's a place on the beach to get cold beers, and you can sit within spitting distance of some of the local elders
enjoying their mid-day rum and cards, or watch the younger ones bringing in the day's catch.

Pigeon Point

Pigeon Point

If you could paint a picture of a perfect Caribbean beach it would be Pigeon Point.
Still, turquoise water lapping onto a white beach, scattered with grass roof huts, a wooden jetty with a grass roof hut on the end of it, and swaying palms leaning over almost touching the water. That is Pigeon Point. And you've probably seen it many times - on the front pages of many Caribbean holiday brochures.

You have to pay a fee per person to get to the beach (TT$12) and use the facilities, which are extensive and well maintained. Sadly, there have been a lot of changes to Pigeon Point in recent times and it is becoming very commercial. The officious security guards insist you wear a day-glo wrist band to show you've paid the entrance fee and there are several trinket shops and fast food bars at the main end of the beach.

The far end is dedicated to watersports - windsurfing and jet skis, so swimming isn't so tranquil. Tobago is keen on accommodating cruise ships, and when in port, busloads of cruisers head for Pigeon Point and you literally can't see the sand for people. Fortunately it's not a frequent occurrance, but best to find out in advance if there's a ship in and avoid PP for that day.

It's still a gorgeous place to visit and you should go - but Pigeon Point no longer typifies Tobago - Club Pigeon Point could be anywhere in the Caribbean. Other beaches in Tobago like Englishmans Bay, Pirates Bay and Mount Irvine are more typically Tobago. You'll love them. The other main beaches are all at the largest hotels on the island.

The beaches at the Grafton Resort, Courland Bay and Turtle Beach are large by Tobago standards, and have crashing waves, even though they're on the Caribbean side. The sand is clean and white and there's plenty of watersport facilities. Between March and July, these beaches are the nesting areas for the giant turtles, and staff at the hotel will , if requested, wake residents to see turtles laying eggs, or to watch the hatchlings run to the sea.

Store Bay

Store Bay, Crown Point

This stunning beach near to Crown Point Airport, is usually listed as a favourite Tobago beach. If you're staying in Crown Point, then it's a great beach to jump in when you've thrown your suitcase down and are hot and sweaty and just dying to get in the water.

It's a popular beach for the locals, especially at weekends, and there is a range of facilities like loos, showers and bars. There's also a small range of huts selling locally made crafts. This area has been 'developed' by Tobago standards - it's clean and tourist friendly and as a result, has lost a little of the character it used to have, but the best reason for going here is the local
food 'bars', where you can get a slap up meal for less than £3 per person. More info in the food section of this website.

Canoe Bay

Canoe Bay

Another undeveloped and peaceful setting. This is quite a hidden beach, down a dirt track off the Milford Road, this scenic bay has a calm waters ideal for safe bathing. . There’s a small bar, cabanas and restroom facilities. Admission is TT$12 (children TT$6, under-fives free). This beach has a small charge to cover the cost of facilities provided. You can get cold drinks and fresh fruit here. A really lovely spot.