Starfish Tobago Resort

I stayed at the Starfish Tobago Resort for a week with my husband and ten-year-old son in April 2025. We had a brilliant time! I cannot understand the negative reviews at all! Room: we had a family room on the upper floor (No. 229) which consisted of a main bedroom, a small single bedroom for our son and a bathroom. So many reviews on here state that the rooms are very tired, but that really wasn’t the case with our room. The furniture wasn’t brand new but was far from tatty. All the appliances were in perfect working order. The bathroom was slightly tired-looking, but really not enough to bother us. Makes me wonder what people expect from a three-star-hotel! The room was well-equipped with an A/C unit in each of the bedrooms, safe, TV, hairdryer, coffee/tea station, fridge, iron and board, and lots of storage space. The beds were comfortable. Wi-fi didn’t work in our room (at least for my son and me – it worked for my husband) but it worked well in the public areas of the hotel and on the beach. There was a balcony as well with chairs, a table, and a lovely sea view. Grounds and swimming pool: The grounds are lovely and well-kept, with many blooming plants, palm trees and a stately mango tree. The swimming pool is of a good size and very pretty as well, with a pool bar and a little island with a jacuzzi. Beach: The beach – Turtle Beach – is very beautiful. I liked it much better than famous Pigeon Point. The sand may not be as white, but Pigeon Point is small in comparison, and very crowded. Turtle Beach is in a wide bay, the water is clear, and it was so nice and relaxing just to sit there and watch the pelicans dive for fish. There are enough sunbeds with ample shade on the beach. Turtles lay their eggs there in March and April. We watched a leatherback turtle doing so and returning to the sea one night, right in front of the hotel. It was an amazing experience! Staff: All the staff were very friendly and helpful. Check-in and check-out were swift and easy. Our room was cleaned daily to an excellent standard and toiletries we had used up were always replenished. The barkeepers and servers in the restaurant were always quick to serve our drinks and food. Food: Again, I really don’t understand why anyone would say that the food wasn’t good, or that the best food was served at the D’Bay Grill. I don’t mean to say that it wasn’t good, but it was along the lines of burgers and chips, whereas the food in the Courlander Restaurant was local type and was always fresh, well-prepared and of excellent quality. Breakfast and dinner were buffet style (except for once, when dinner was served à la carte). There was a good selection of food items for breakfast including eggs made to order. The only things I missed were jam and a somewhat bigger bread selection. For dinner there were a selection of salads – this could be a bit bigger, as I’ve seen mentioned in other reviews - , soup, which was always excellent, fish, chicken and meat dishes, local type rice, a local type lentil or bean dish, vegetables, pasta, sometimes yuca or plantain. We especially liked the fresh fish, which was absolutely delicious. The chicken was good as well. We didn’t really try other meat dishes. For desert there were two or three types of mousse and pastries/cake and fresh fruit. There was one set meal served for lunch at the Courlander Restaurant the first few days we were there, because occupancy at the hotel was low, and a limited buffet afterwards. D’Bay Grill dishes could also be ordered at the Courlander Restaurant during D’Bay Grill opening times. D’Bay Grill itself was closed due to maintenance work. Drinks were generally good. We enjoyed the cocktails and they had decent wine. The coffee could have been a bit stronger. Entertainment: We listened to a guitarist, a steel drummer and a singer, who were all very good. Karaoke night was so much fun! The host was hilarious. She managed to coax all three of us into singing a song. Things to do: We enjoyed swimming in the sea and taking walks along the beach. Snorkelling is possible from the beach, and quite good. You have to walk to the left until you reach the rocks, shortly before the buildings at the end of the beach. You can enter the water before the rocky part of the beach and then snorkel along the rocks. We did so and saw lots and lots of different kinds of fish. However, I only recommend this for reasonably strong swimmers as the current is strong and there really are a lot of rocks in the water. There are several options for excursions around Tobago. We did an island tour, a waterfall and rainforest tour, and a tour to Buccoo Reef. I recommend booking with Barry from Lb’s tours, who can be found on the beach in front of the hotel. He also has a board near the pool bar with his contact information. I wrote a separate review. If we ever return to Tobago we will definitely go to the Starfish Resort again!