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Trinidad and Tobago: The West West Indies

Off the coast of Venezuela residing in the warm and exotic West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago are separate island locales often phrased together, and thus, visited together. With small inns painted in every color of the Caribbean rainbow and sandy inlets filled with scuba divers, snorkelers and lazing sun worshippers, Trinidad and Tobago evokes images of friendly people, affordable accommodations and a history rich in literature and diversity. Nobel prize winning author V.S. Naipul was born in Trinidad and Tobago. His famous early work, A House for Mr. Biswas, chronicles the Indian, Caribbean and British intermingling of the native past.

British West Indies Airways or BWIA (tel. 800/538-2942; www.bwee.com) flies to Trinidad and Tobago with departures and arrivals at the island of your choice. Currently, the airline offers "Winter Specials" from the United States and other international locales for discounted rates. If you book travel by February 25, 2005 and fly by April 28, 2005, you can get around 10 percent off normal rates. From Washington, D.C., for example, round-trip fare to Trinidad cost $435 ($480 normally). From New York flights are $433 and from Miami $391. Security fees and departure taxes are not included. To Tobago, flights from New York are $460.

Once you've arrived, several inns on either island can accommodate your laid back needs. Don't expect huge resorts on either of these islands. They're built for quiet drives, bicycling, and walking from beach to light jungle, and it's not uncommon to see women walking for miles with bundles on their heads and children running to and fro kicking soccer balls. The Plantation Beach Villas (tel. 868/639 9377; www.plantationbeachvillas.com) in Tobago is a quiet inn with honeymoon specials and turtle watch specials and tours. Amenities include a pool and beachside living quiet enough not to disturb the wildlife in the "Woodlands" or the beach lovers enjoying Stonehaven Bay. Rates for one of the six two-story 3,600 square foot villas are $545 dollars per night for up to four people. It's like having your own private residence on the beach right near the oldest protected rainforest in the world. Also close to larger fishing towns, this kind of communal living is typical of Trinidad and Tobago lodgings.

Similar accommodations in neighboring Trinidad are within reach with a short boat ride or even shorter puddle jump on a number of local airlines. Host homes, small bed and breakfasts with sometimes as few as two rooms, can be had for as low as $20 to $30. The Chateau Guillaume (tel. 868/667-6670; www.caribsurf.net/cguillaumme) sits far from the busy townships on a quiet landing in the foothills of Arima. Run by two "Trinis," the small property has a garden and is ideally located to much of the cultural highlights of the Caribe Centre. Either of the innkeepers can give you a rundown of what to do and what not to do on their small island. A double at the boarding house will cost $40 per night.

If you're looking for more modern accommodations in a bigger setting, Cara Hotels (tel. 868/659-2272; www.carahotels.com), a boutique Caribbean hotel chain offers ocean views in a convenient location in Pointe-a-Pierre, Trinidad just a short drive to the larger San Fernando. Located on the Gulf of Paria, on a clear day you can almost see the Eastern coast of Venezuela. Rates for a double at the Casa Suites Hotel start at $130 for a normal ocean view room.

If you feel like doing your own hotel research for Trinidad and Tobago, visit www.visittnt.com. The official Web site for the island tourism lists accommodations and restaurants as well as all transportation and travel information for both islands. And read Mr. Biswas. It's a delightful look at an old Trinidad and Tobago through a young writer's eyes.

Head over to our Trinidad & Tobago Message Boards to talk with fellow travelers.


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