Coco Reef Resort and Spa, Tobago
by Paris Permenter & John Bigley

An island formerly favored primarily by scuba divers and nature lovers, Tobago also tempts couples with luxury accommodations. Coco Reef Resort attract visitors looking for pampering, plush accommodations, and seaside comforts.

From an entrance highlighted by a Classic Rolls Royce Silver Cloud parked beneath a columned porte-cochere to a breezy, open-air public area filled with wicker furniture, the mood here is one of elegance combined with a relaxed Caribbean atmosphere. The hotel requests no jeans, T-shirts, or shorts in public areas after 7 p.m.

That casually elegant atmosphere is echoed in the architecture, termed Caribbean Palladian. The property was designed using features from various properties throughout the Caribbean, from filigree spotted at a Port of Spain restaurant to Jamaican posts and columns.

Rooms

One hundred ocean view rooms make up the bulk of the property, each with Saltillo-tiled patios or balconies. Other categories include superior rooms with no ocean view, six suites, five villas, a presidential suite, and the sunset villa, with a private lawn and decks overlooking the sea.

All rooms include air conditioning, satellite TV, a mini-refrigerator, direct dial telephone, hair dryer, and twice daily maid service. Wicker furniture and walls decorated with hand stenciling emphasizing the pineapple, the theme of the hotel and the symbol for hospitality, complete a cozy look for the rooms.

Services

Service at the resort is efficient and courteous. Guest services include a beauty salon, baby-sitting, a shopping arcade, a jeep rental desk, concierge service, and a social director who can arrange day tours to Trinidad, Venezuela's Angel Falls, and the Grenadines.

Coco Reef also conducts wedding ceremonies (couples can now take advantage of the recently changed law dropping residency periods to only three days on island). The social director arranges for the marriage license, two witnesses, and the services of a local minister.

Coco Reef is located between two top Tobago beaches, but the hotel itself is situated on a small man-made beach. Protected by a breakwater, the calm waters are excellent for young swimmers. Snorkeling, windsurfing, and Sunfish sailing are offered nearby. Pool lovers will also find a freshwater pool or, for more active recreation, two Har-Tru tennis courts are lit for day or night play; lessons are available from the resort pro. Guests also have complimentary access to a fitness center, part of a complete spa facility. Two treatment rooms offer seaweed wraps, massage, facials, and Coco Reef's specialty, a mango rub body treatment. Spa treatments are available a la carte or in a spa package.

For shoppers, an arcade of boutiques including a clothing store is located just off the main lobby. The shopping arcade also includes a dive shop which can arrange excursions up to Speyside for dives with Tobago's famous manta rays. Ten minutes away at the Mount Irvine Bay Hotel golf course, guests can arrange for tee times.

During high season, daily activities for guests include kayak races, volleyball, swimming races, and demonstrations by the resort chefs on Caribbean cooking.

Reservations: 800-221-1294 or see http://www.cocoreef.com. For more on Tobago, see the Trinidad and Tobago website, http://www.visitTNT.com

Copyright Paris Permenter & John Bigley