I have always found packing for trips stressful.
21.07.2023 - 08:45 / roughguides.com
The islands of Trinidad and Tobago both have plenty of attractions, tropical beaches, steamy rainforests and amazing wildlife but are far from identical twins.
Here we look at which island to head for on your first trip to these Caribbean siblings.
If you’re the type of traveller that packs at least three novels and a vat of sunscreen then Tobago is your best bet. Pigeon Point, a ten-minute taxi ride from the airport is one of the Caribbean’s most enticing beaches, featuring limpid turquoise water, swaying palms and a hugely photogenic pier.
Further along the Caribbean coast, Turtle Beach owes its name to the leatherback turtles that nest here; it also the scene for romantic horseback rides through the surf.
If you don’t mind brown sand, and the odd oil rig hoving into view, Trinidad offers uncrowded beaches where you won’t be bothered by touts (or anyone else for that matter). Head to Manzanilla on the east coast or Moruga in the far south.
Trinidad and Tobago coast, Parlatuvier bay © Claudio306/Shutterstock
Jamaica has jerk and Cuba criollo, but Trinidad trumps both with its unique blend of Indian heat and Caribbean soul food. The most authentic place to sample local favourites – including doubles (doughy flatbread wrapped around chickpea curry) and buss-up-shut (crab or pigtail served with roti ripped like a “busted up shirt”) – are on the streets of Port of Spain.
Here vendors set up nightly around Queen’s Park Savannah, which also has the odd distinction of being the world’s largest roundabout. For a fine-dining version of Trini cuisine try the fabulous tasting menu at Chaud.
Over on Tobago, Jemma’s, near Speyside, serves up delicious macaroni pie, fried shrimp and melt-in-the mouth plantains in a “treehouse” restaurant.
Trinidad helped define the sound of the Caribbean with the steel pan (invented in Port of Spain in the 1930s), soca and calypso. Each style can be heard during Carnival, though for calypso in particular it’s worth visiting Tobago during the island’s Heritage Festival when an X-Factor style competition takes place to crown a calpyso “monarch”.
To get to grips with the island’s deep-rooted Indian heritage head to Carapichaima, where you’ll find an impressive statue of monkey god Hanuman, as well as a striking Hindu temple built on the seabed.
Trinidad, Carapichaima. Colorful ceiling with Hindu deities at Dattatreya Temple © Danita Delimont/Shutterstock
T&T’s Carnival is one of the world’s ultimate street festivals, a blur of ear-splitting sound systems and barely there costumes that takes over Port of Spain for a fortnight each February (check out our Carnival Calendar here). The catch is the fierce competition to secure a spot in a “mas band” or to find a room anywhere near the action.
Thing
I have always found packing for trips stressful.
Among the many wonderful things about Greece is that everyone has a favorite island—and everyone is right. For veteran Forbes travel contributor Jim Dobson, that magical isle is Sifnos. Reachable by ferry from Athens in a little over two hours, Sifnos has beautiful beaches, numerous hiking trails along the Aegean Sea and a remarkable 237 churches. Here’s where to eat, stay and play on Sifnos.
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In American fiction, my state is code for outpost. Maine is where you send a character you want to get rid of, someone who goes off to raise goats, farm oysters, prep for the apocalypse — or write a novel. Apart from California, I can think of no other state in the Union that lives as strongly in the national collective imagination as a place to play out a festering dream.
In Willemstad, the capital city on the island of Curaçao, the waterfront is dotted with buildings the color of tropical fruit: mango orange, banana yellow, kiwi green. Paired with the bright blue water in nearby bays, it’s almost a full kaleidoscope of color. Originally, the structures were limestone white, but an 1817 law forbade white facades on buildings to protect islanders’ eyesight from the bright reflections of the Caribbean sun – but locals joke that it was a money-making bid on behalf of the island’s only paint supplier.