Return to Tobago as BA made a good offer. Our second visit to Coco Reef and lots of small details have been attended to by the staff led by Adrian, mostly on the health & safety aspects of the hotel. Well done. Steps to beach and the pool hand rail are much appreciated. Beach bar area renovated & extended, new seating, sun beds and umbrellas. Hotel occupancy seems much reduced this time and this is across the whole island it seems. Geopolitics is taking its toll on tourism and it’s a real shame as Tobago is a pretty peaceful place. We had no concerns going out and about seeing stuff across the island, eating in local places. Very friendly place, proud of their homeland for good reason. So…we agree that Coco Reef is a fairly faded (in parts) old lady. New shiny airport terminal is soon to be opened which in turn means new hotel investment is on its way. So we tourists will have choices: bright shiny US type hotels or heritage crumble with charm. We will vote Coco Reef every time. Ongoing maintenence / renovation is evident, a long term process needed in that climate. Plus investment in the old lady to bring her up to a competitive standard is needed. Noted the new room doors and electronic locks. 👍 Room lighting in our spacious room is dismal. I won’t describe the ‘past its best bathroom’ again. Beds are comfy and we slept well. Our fridge was having a hissy fit and chose to freeze the contents on a regular basis. Engineering checked it out but it never resolved the problem. A/C blower was stuck so chilly for occupant in nearest bed. We fiddled with everything. The solution? My duct tape off my sugar container held the offending plastic in an ideal setting. Maybe renovate a few rooms for disability tourists? Public restroom needs at least one handrail in toilet. I loathe the idea of “marketing” but realistically to compete in a tough world, this needs consideration. Hotel room folders need all the info to hand for us to consider. We only found out about the massages because chums had used the service. Apart from the slog up the stairs, Lynn was a skilled masseuse and well worth the effort. Thank you. Her facility was pretty tiny and not especially attractive. She’s an asset to CR and needs a better room, preferably downstairs. Who put the spa on the top floor?? Not a kind move when you have reduced mobility & lung function. The shops need thought. I think CR has an attractive logo. I have bought your t shirts. So would other residents I would think. Btw bless you for the last of those Easter shirts, my family will love them. Your staff are the real asset. What a lovely bunch. As I am deaf, it’s hard for me to pick up names and I ask those who I don’t directly name to forgive me. Beverley, Patrice, Oneisha, King, Xavier, the bar tender upstairs and their colleagues. All really good people. Thank you for the doubles on our last day… The breakfasts are enormous. Seriously huge. Our guest did the breakfast justice when she visited us. Impressed the staff and they have seen big eaters in the past… New chef, Lennox, nice guy and very keen to impress. Food is clearly much improved from last year, that’s obvious. Lots of locally sourced food especially seafood. My caveat would be less tweaks and flavours and let the steak / fish / chicken / lamb sing its own praises. Good ingredients don’t need lots of messing with. Well done, no crabstix! It’s a tough balancing act being the new chef, trying to impress. Sadly because of the low occupancy, lunch menus are now easy stuff (burgers, chips, salads) rather than the hot pans. The ginger shandy is tasty. As are the cocktails and the rum punch. Not much evening entertainment much to the chagrin of a number of older guests. It seems some people expect acts after dinner. I heard people whinge because the publicised managers event on a Friday didn’t take place. Personally I like peace and quiet…but support Adrian & staff meeting the guests. Hard work putting out all that kit if few attendees. Last Friday being an example. Thank you Kelton. He’s the bird guy someone ranted about on TA some weeks ago. Clearly didn’t ask about the story before tossing toys out of crib. I bang on about attracting hummingbirds to CR. I realise locals have no idea how entrancing we find these birds. Europeans love them. We have nothing remotely similar. You have a few hummers darting around an area of flowering bushes and people will be drawn in to see more. The eco farm with birds near Arnos Vale is lovely. Just saying… I left my 2 piece cossie drying on a sunbed by the pool. We hope to be back next year, if you find it, please keep it for me! Thank you to all. A lovely two weeks. Guest relations have the repository of books.