Starfish Tobago

The food was horrible to be honest that would be the only thing I think they would need to fix in terms of a hotel location

Extremely Disappointing Stay – Never Again This was my sixth stay at Starfish Resort Tobago, but unfortunately, it will be my last. I recently visited to celebrate my son’s 3rd birthday, joined by my sister who was visiting from overseas. What was meant to be a joyful family celebration turned into a series of frustrating and disappointing encounters that no guest should have to endure—especially not a returning guest. Despite arriving on time for check-in, we were made to wait almost two hours before receiving access to our room. The reception staff were unapologetically dismissive and shockingly unprofessional—allowing guests who arrived after us to check in before us, without so much as an explanation or courtesy. Their attitude was cold at best, bordering on rude. We were placed in a second-floor room despite having indicated that this would be unsafe for our 2-year-old toddler. The room itself was barely functional—a fridge that worked intermittently, a toilet that continuously malfunctioned, and an overall sense that no care was taken to ensure our comfort or safety. The main pool—an essential feature for a family getaway—was filthy and unusable for the entirety of our stay. We watched in disbelief as the so-called pool attendant pretended to clean, only to worsen the situation by placing a visibly dirty hose directly into the pool. It was uninviting, unsanitary, and unacceptable. After losing nearly two hours due to the delayed check-in, I requested a modest one-hour late check-out. I was assured that a note would be placed on our account. Yet on the morning of check-out, I was called at 11:34 AM and sternly told by Ms. Giselle at the front desk that we needed to leave by 12 PM, as the room was already booked—though ironically, check-in for the next guests wasn’t until 3 PM. Ms. Giselle was curt, impatient, and displayed zero empathy for the inconvenience we had endured due to no fault of our own. Her handling of the situation was disgraceful. To make matters worse, we had two guests joining us for lunch, who were told they could not enter the premises—even though they were prepared to pay for their meals. This directly contradicted what another staff member had told us earlier—that day passes could be arranged. It seems staff communication is as inconsistent as their hospitality. This entire experience was a complete letdown. I have fond memories of this resort from past visits, but this recent stay was nothing short of infuriating and frankly embarrassing. The service has deteriorated drastically, and the lack of professionalism and basic courtesy is appalling. Starfish Resort Tobago, you have lost a loyal guest—and I will be strongly advising others to stay elsewhere.

Having read some reviews before we left, I was a little concerned about what had been written about this hotel, however I have to say our experience was very different and we were more than happy during our two weeks stay here. Reception Always clean and tidy, staff very welcoming and friendly. Do let them know you want to be told if a turtle has come up the beach and make it clear you don’t mind what time you are woken, that’s if you want to see them. We were lucky enough to have two different encounters of these beautiful leatherback turtles. At one point we had half the hotel looking for us as they hadn’t realised we was already on the beach. Room Our room was spacious, comfortable and very clean, not even a cobweb in the rafters. However the bathroom could have done with a refresh, mastic around the bath was not great and the shower-head could have done with being replaced. Though it was very clean and the maids done a good job cleaning up the sand we tracked in every day. The pool The pool area and pool itself were keeps clean and tidy, the pool guy was there cleaning it all day. The gardens around the pool are beautiful and again every day there was a gardener keeping them tidy. We were lucky enough to stay here during a quieter time, this meant we never had to worry about sunbeds, what ever time went to the pool. Some points in the day it was like having a private pool. Only down part was the jacuzzi didn’t work, which was a shame. Pool bar Nice size bar, kept clean and tidy, bartender there from 10am making a selection of drinks. Not the biggest drinks menu but there something for everyone and you will enjoy the service and friendly staff. Restaurants We ate most our meals in the mail restaurant which over looked the beach, again kept clean and tidy, very friendly staff. Great views and listening to the waves crashing in the evening was very peaceful. We were there when it was their quiet time so food was always the buffet with some days the fresh counter cooking a special. This was also where they had the egg station in the morning. The breakfast chefs were great, happy to cook what ever type of egg you wanted, with a smile. Food choice in the evening would always be one or two meat options, one fish option, some form of side, salad, veg and a small selection of desserts. If you are looking for a hotel where you have the choice of 20 different breakfast cereals or 20 choices for mains, this isn’t for you. The food we had was different everyday and we all enjoyed what we ate. Even my fussy children had plenty to eat, or the chef were happy to cook up some kids specific food. Yet my daughter tried the stewed goat and kept asking when it would be served again. She loved it. The other restaurant was the D grill, open from about 12 till 6. You could get a nice selection of pizza, burgers, wraps, salads and sandwiches. Everything we had was delicious and they were willing to make food personalised to your taste. As an example my son likes a b

The trip was fantastic when it came to rest and relaxation. The atmosphere was calm, clean and food available abundantly. Thought in need of modernising of the infrastructure, was still clean, comfortable and sufficient. The service was friendly and the Vice GM demonstrated a very hands on experience in managing his staff and facilities, and always welcoming of his guests.

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 ri

Another wonderful stay at the Starfish Tobago for our sixth visit. It is our favourite hotel and location in the world. The hotel may be a little worn in places but its location on the stunning Courland Bay cannot be beaten. Our room, a turtle facing room, opened out on to the beach where at night during March and April giant leatherback turtles come up to lay their eggs. The room was spacious and well laid out with efficient and quiet air-con, a comfortable bed and pillow, fridge and a separate dressing area. The beach is incredible and there were ample sunbeds with plenty of shade while we were there. The food was basic but good with one restaurant and a snack bar. There isn’t a massive choice of food but there was plenty to keep us well fed. The restaurant team were brilliant and the chef, Danny, did a fantastic job in looking after my wife’s dietary requirements. In forty years of travelling Danny was one of the most caring chefs we have encountered and ensured that my wife had freshly cooked food that suited her requirements. The rest of the team were great with special mentions for Sheryl (since sadly passed away), Patrice and Joseph. The entertainment was generally low key with local musicians but the highlights included guitarist Kiran and the thoroughly enjoyable karaoke nights. On two of these we were added to the birthday party celebrations of some Trinidadians which made for a great night. The highlight was a duet with Tenille from the bar who made a great Lady Gaga to my Bradley Cooper! The main evening entertainment during April is turtle spotting. A big shoutout to Scoutie from the SOS team who patrolled the beach at night to help look after the laying turtles and keep the onlookers at a safe distance. On one night a turtle even came up by the restaurant while everybody was eating. The lights were quickly dimmed so as not to disturb the turtle. It is good that the hotel has dispensed with straws which could blow on to the beach and be eaten by the leatherbacks. The bar staff were very attentive with the best cocktails made by Tenille. There was plenty of choice on the all-inclusive package with good quality spirits. There are lots of great excursions on Tobago. Our favourites include birdwatching with Newton George, Corbin local wildlife, the Adventure Farm and Shurlands hummingbird feeding nature park. Despite travelling all over the world this hotel keeps calling us back and each time we leave we talk about when we are going back again.