Ocean Point Hotel

Don't stay here at Ocean Point Hotel. The five person room cost $100 TT ($16 USD) less than an entire villa we rented a year before. We were shocked at the state of the accommodations. I live in Trinidad and have been vacationing in Tobago for years. Worst ever hotel.

Dont stay at the Ocean Point Apartment Hotel- The only good thing that can be said about this property is that the web site is cleverly designed and managed by the younger members who reside in Nova Scotia, Canada whilst the older part of the family run the business in Tobago. The web site leads you to believe you will be experiencing paradise when you stay at Ocean Point but believe me it is more a "holiday from hell". From the moment we arrived we were greeted by rudeness and a common lack of curtesey, you could not believe you were a paying customer. My initial requests to use the Internet facilities generated a response of go back to the airport and use an Internet caf even though facilities were meant to be available. We were then shown to our attic room which had just had some rebuilding work done where the maid kindly showed us the towels in the bathroom and beach towels that were available for our use (threadbare and stained (I use better towels than this to clean my car at home) the very large bed which we later discovered also had sheets that were threadbare and stained and the home made safety deposit box made of plywood screwed into the wardrobe with a hasp padlock. The kitchenette was adequate although the fridge was positioned in a way that made it difficult to open and they only supplied just two of everything, which meant you had to keep washing things up. The only hot water was in the shower so you kept having to boil the kettle or fill a saucepan with tepid water from the bathroom and carry it to the kitchen sink. One of the younger members of the family visited us later; apparently over from Canada for the Christmas holidays, quite pleasant, told us how advantageous it was for them to be able to take bookings over the Internet and explained how they were going to make the attic into honeymoon rooms which seemed a good idea but there would certainly have to be a lot of changes and improvements before I would recommend it especially for a honeymoon couple. As this room had only just been extended it was quite bare but they did come in over the ten-day period while we were out and added a few pictures and a spot of varnish or two but when we left it certainly did not have the "honeymoon touch". The TV generally did not work when the accommodation was full but we noticed as people checked out the picture did improve, you could just about hear it over the noise of the air conditioning, the fridge, the sewage pump at the front of the building and the water pump at the back. One of my concerns (and there were quite a few) was that the office where the "willing and helpful staff" could assist you was always closed. It was always open to take your money when you checked in and before you saw the rooms, so we always knew when a new guest was arriving, but when you wanted assistance they were never to be seen although the times on the door said 8 am - 4 pm. The office was closed on bank holidays, Sundays and most days and generally if you needed anything at all, you had to ask the handyman to go and knock the owners up to get them to come to the office. The only phone is in the office so you are unable to call for taxis (although they advertise an "in-house" taxi driver such a person does not exist) book excursions or hire a car, if the management were out for the day you were stranded. You will need transport, as the Ocean Point is a 20-minute walk to the nearest bus route and supermarket and a 15-minute drive to either Scarborough or Crown Point. After achieving to get them to open the office on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day for a short period of time and asking them to arrange a hire car for us with no success I eventually booked a jeep through a local Tobagian we made friends with while on holiday at half the rate the management were quoting, could the car hire company they were recommending be a relation perhaps. Breakfast was an experience; we did opt for the breakfast plan but after four days of being growled at by Lynette for daring to ask for larger portions we then looked after ourselves. We only ate in the restaurant once on an evening, as again the portions were minute and overpriced. After a few days we generally left the Ocean Point at 9 am and did not return until 6 pm where we sat outside our room and had drinks with other quests that were staying there and experiencing the same problems with rudeness and total lack of customer consideration as us. We all vowed we would never return. A few weeks before we arrived at Ocean Point we received a very nice invitation to join a seemingly great night on New Years Eve at a cost of around £25 pp (paid for in advance of course) we looked forward to a great night out. Unfortunately it would appear the management relied on the tourists to fund an evening for themselves, family and friends to have a good time. There were so many of them the few guests remaining retired to their balconies but it was nice to see the family and their friends enjoying the "bubbly" at midnight. We were so pleased they had a good time. The day before we were due to leave I told one of the maids that she could have the unopened food in the fridge for herself and the other maid but when we returned even though they knew we still have one day of our holiday left they had stripped the fridge of all the food. When I complained to the management and asked then to replace some of the food so we could still have breakfast on our last day they refused. Although checkout time was noon I did ask if we could stay in the room until 4 pm but as usual was told there would be a charge, the full room rate of $90, needless to say we declined. We left at 8 am the next morning and were followed around by the handyman as though he expected us to remove something from the room that we shouldn't. Believe me there was no souvenirs from this room that I wanted. Tobago is a lovely island with very friendly locals; unfortunately the same cannot be said for the family running the hotel. They are rude, obnoxious, completely without any perception of customer consideration. Luckily the Lowlands area if being developed, and the Hilton complex is just being completed although expensive but this will mean a lot of good reasonably priced accommodation will be available to visitors. There is a very pleasant new complex just been completed in Little Rockley Bay a mile further on than Ocean Point, do yourself a favour and drive on to this one. If you would like to visit Tobago and do not want All Inclusive stay in the Crown Point area. Although it is near the airport there is not a lot of noise, accommodation ranges from as little as $30 per night per room and food can be obtained from $4 per meal per person with more than enough to eat. Beaches are good and clean with lots of water sports available. There are some good moderate to expensive restaurants within walking distance, everything you need can be found here. I did check web sites for views on this accommodation before booking and now with hindsight see that the really good reviews are from Novia Scotia and Vancouver, suggesting family and friends have visited and had a really good time, or the family wrote the reviews themselves - we did not experience any of the good times stated