Life's a beach in Tobago. Here's why
 

It is a pity that Tobago’s most famous (though mythical) visitor never took the opportunity to explore his island’s beaches. Modern day successors to Robinson Crusoe should rectify his omission by hastening to discover the tremendous variety of bays, inlets, coves and strands that make Tobago unique.

The south-west of Tobago, from Plymouth to Crown Point, is where the most popular beaches are located. Pigeon Point is the beach of every tropical dream: tall coconut trees swaying gracefully over dazzling white sand, lapped by a sea of every imaginable shade of blue with a surf-fringed reef in the distance. The water is calm and warm and shallow; the thatch huts shelter you from the sun; and the little bar and restaurant provide cold drinks and an easy meal. 

Store Bay, a relatively small beach cupped on both sides by small coral cliffs, remains the traditional choice for locals (and visiting Trinidadians). Across from the beach are Store Bay’s most famous residents: the ladies who cook and serve up from their booths tasty local dishes of crab-and-dumpling, fish broth, or dolphin and bake.

From Mt Irvine north to Plymouth is Tobago’s “hotel coast”. Unlike other islands, this does not mean that beaches in the area have lost their beauty or character. Mount Irvine Bay is divided in the centre by a headland, with Old Grange Beach to the left and “Little Irvine” to the right. Most of the time the sea is like a millpond, but when the waves start to “kick”, it becomes a surfer’s paradise. Back Bay, hidden from the road and approached through a now-abandoned estate, is a wild, remote beach of golden sand. It is a beach to walk along, to admire the ruggedness of its rock formations and the wave-patterned curves of broken shells on the sand after high tide. Stonehaven Bay and Great Courland Bay lie on either side of Black Rock Village; the former is overlooked by the Grafton Beach and Le Gran Courlan hotels and the latter by Turtle Beach Hotel, but the integrity of both beaches remains largely intact.

The Leeward Coast, Tobago’s least populated and most spectacular region, offers some breath-taking beaches — from the fishing villages of Parlatuvier and Castara to the remote perfection of Englishman’s Bay. (If possible, approach from the direction of Moriah, for the best views.) Castara and Parlatuvier are safe havens for pirogues and seine fishermen, a style of West Indian community life that is fast disappearing; while Englishman’s Bay offers the chance to absorb Nature’s peace on gold sand, wrapped in a green embrace, with blue stretching out to the horizon.

The Windward Coast (Scarborough to Speyside) has dramatic beaches and bays that are subject to the whims of the Atlantic Ocean. Minister Bay is the surfers’ standby if Mt Irvine is not performing: it lies to the north of Bacolet Point. Studley Park (or Pinfold Bay) is a sheltered area where local families take their children; this was the site of Tobago’s original capital, Georgetown, and the remnants of Fort Granby can be found on the nearby headland.

While Belle Garden does have some sheltered beaches, the visitor should probably wait until King’s Bay for a safer swim. And in Charlotteville, a twenty-minute walk from the edge of the village, Pirates’ Bay is the beach-lover’s paradise. From this idyllic spot you can swim and laze and look across Man O’ War Bay to the lush green hills, and remember that view for the rest of your life.

Tobago’s beaches offer more variety than Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe’s creator) could ever have imagined. Find your own special stretch of sand — and leave your footprint there!