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A.N.R. Robinson International Airport

Manta Lodge

Speyside

Everything the other reviewers were spot on about Sean and Kat. Fantastic hosts. Would recommend to anyone.  The food was fantastic, and Kat hooked me up with a driver who took me all around the island to see the beaches and waterfalls to make the most of my short trip 

2 day dive trip

Before I get into the body of this review, it should be known that the Manta Lodge is actually closed. Just 50 yards up the road from the old Manta Lodge is the home of the former owners, Kat and Sean. Kat runs the apartments at their home as accommodations for persons utilizing the services of Tobago Dive Experience, which is Sean's operation. The dive shop is virtually next door to the house. Kat also places guests in an apartment complex which is about 100 meters/yards from the house. My two other dive buddies and I were originally booked into the close by apartments, but moved to the lower ground level apartment at Kat's house when she had a late cancellation. 
Our apartment was a 2 bedroom, one bathroom apartment. One of my buddies and I shared the larger ocean view room, while another dive buddy took the second room alone. We had 2 queen beds in the larger room. Both rooms were nicely air-conditioned, and the main room and kitchen had a large fan which was very comfortable. Our apartment also had a private deck/porch which we used a lot each day for relaxation and cocktails. 
The most important feature of this homey arrangement is that we were instantly adopted by Kat as a part of the family. We were given basically run of the house, which included a BBQ grill (which we used nightly). We really enjoyed conversation and music with Kat in the evenings while grilling. She really made us feel comfortable and at home the entire week. 
Kat is also an accomplished chef, and her free breakfasts were simply outstanding. We ate our breakfasts in a restaurant style open air area on the second level of Kat's home. With beautiful views of the ocean out front, and watching all sorts of birds come to the house to feed on nectar and fruit, it was otherworldly is a very positive way. If one of us was feeling poorly, then Kat was also a great nurse as well. 
I simply was enchanted by Kat and her hospitality the entire week, and I am thankful we had the experience. 
The diving around Speyside is very good, with very healthy reefs and a very aggressive lion fish eradication program helping the sustainability of the reef. Diving was easy and mostly drift diving. Bird watching is also very good here.

Love This Homey Place

Just arrived right in the middle of their main facility renovation. They actually directed me to a nearby apartment a few minutes walk away from there. Apartment was pretty decent, clean and new with more than I needed for my 2 night solo stay (3 beds + kitchen). Only complain is the wifi which that wasn't working, which they were going to fix the next day. I ended up at the main lodge to get wifi and was greeded as a good friend on visit there rather than a tourist/regular , which made the world of difference and more than made up for it. Kathleen and Sean and their dog supporters were more than welcoming and making sure everything was good. 
Was there mainly for a quick 2 dives, which didn't disappoint overall !!! A lot to see in Speyside ! Don't expect a 5* hotel in speyside but do expect to meet authentic and real people.

Feels like home

Even though the Manta Lodge is temporarily closed, we stayed in one of the owners' apartments called the "Mot-Mot House" which is located right next to the Manta Lodge building and the Tobago Dive Experience dive shop. 

Speyside is very quiet and not ideal for someone looking for exciting night life. But if you are looking for an out-of-the way location and the opportunity to meet local people and try local foods, this could be it. There are several beautiful beaches within walking distance, and even more a short drive away. Highly recommend renting a car for your stay. There are trails leading into the rain forest within walking distance of the apartment.

The best thing about the Mot-Mot House and Manta Lodge is the owners. They were incredibly welcoming and made us feel right at home. They were also very helpful with setting up excursions or offering tips on where to go and what to do. On top of that, Kathleen is a great cook! Every meal that we had with them was excellent. Breakfast was included and served on their outdoor second floor patio which we shared with a host of local birds at the feeders. There was always a cool breeze and bugs/mosquitoes were never an issue.

We traveled with our 11 and 15 year old daughters and we always felt safe in Speyside. The owners, Kathleen and Sean, also took a special interest in making sure they were always taken care of.

So much of your experience when traveling is the people you meet and at the Manta Lodge you are guaranteed to come home having met new friends and already planning your next trip back.

Tobago Dive Experience

My husband and I are avid scuba divers and like to travel at the beginning of Dec, because it’s generally fairly quiet and not crowded. We stayed at the resort for 7+ nights and had a wonderful time. The resort arranged for our transportation, Cary was our driver. What a lovely way to start the trip. Cary was friendly, helpful, and informative. The trip to the resort is about 60 min trip along narrow and winding roads. At the resort Carissa welcomed us and gave us the keys to our room.  Our room was upstairs with a balcony that overlooked the pool. The room was clean and fairly simple but had everything we needed, among other things an overhead fan, A/C, small frig, and hot water. (which our last hotel did not).
Sean took us under his wing, we got our dive gear and headed off diving. We have been diving all over the world and the reefs here are among some of the best that we have ever seen. They are extremely healthy with an amazing assortment of life. It was nice to be able to dive into dive locations that had not been trampled or abused.
Everyone in this resort treated us like part of their family and were extremely welcoming. Even Tyrica (Carissa’s young daughter) entertained us with Christmas carols that she was practicing for her school Christmas program. We also are dog people so we loved that the Sean and Kathleen’s three friendly and very social dogs also kept us company.
Some helpful hints - 
The location is fairly remote and the village of Speyside does not have a chemist, ATM, or grocery store. The closest location is at the next town about 30 min down the road, so make sure you bring what you need. We didn’t rent a car so whenever we needed to drive somewhere we hired Cary to take us.
The mosquitos are fairly bad – I think every mosquito within a 2 mile radius found me and I forgot to bring bug spray. Sean did find some citronella oil for me to use which did a fairly good job.
There are no TVs on the property or in the rooms.
Wi-Fi worked well and was consistent.

Be warned this is NOT a pretentious resort, so leave your high heels, formal gear, and bad attitude at home.

If you are looking for genuine experience with who people who care about their customers and the environment they are in, meeting new people, excellent diving, and having good conversations – this is the place. We will most definitely be back.

Manta Lodge

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