Hey guys,
For those of you who haven’t read my ‘About Me’, I’m from this small island in the Caribbean known as Trinidad and Tobago. I’ve decided to curate a short list of things/activities one can do/enjoy, either as a ‘Trini’ or a visitor. This was based on a day of adventuring with my family whilst in the Northern part of Trinidad.
 and buffalo wings from another vendor whose name I also didn't get *sigh* but she also has sushi, if that helps as a clue (when I find out, I'll definitely update this post). My apologies for the lack of vendors' names. Since it was a 'themed day' at the Market, there were a lot of people and I don't really do well with overly crowded places.Chocolate Bar CafeI have been dying to go there and was so delighted that it was literally next door to GM. It's literally what the name suggests, chocolate-y goodness that is local. It's a nice, medium- sized cafe with dining both inside and out. We opted for dining in since it was ridiculously hot outside that day but I wanna dine out when it's cooler (you will see why from the photos). The menu is mostly local with brunch options like pancakes, bagels and paninis. The hot chocolate and ice cream is actually served in an enamel cup which is such a major throwback for us Trinis. I will include their full menu from their FB page. We had the strangest combo: pepper fries, mocha coffee and ice cream. That mocha coffee is to die for, it's one of the BEST tasting drinks I've ever had and I haven't stopped craving it since then! Final thoughts: I assumed the menu would have included a couple more chocolate items and I wished they had more cold 'hot chocolate' options but that's just my humble opinion. I truly did enjoy what I did have from their menu and I'm down for another trip!https://www.instagram.com/chocolatebartt/https://scontent.fpos2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16938543_1783199638666673_2541567736497046703_n.jpg?oh=a1ac41d36918b12aeb5394a4e780639e&oe=5A12F45Ahttps://scontent.fpos2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16864431_1783199645333339_6702934119999533309_n.jpg)
Green Market Santa Cruz
For a full review on the GMSC, there’s an entire post dedicated to it. Feel free to take a read. This particular day at GM was ‘Coconut Day’. As such, there was a variety of food, jewelry, lotions and soaps made from coconut. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, most of the special coconut items were finished. We happened to pick up some soaps from a vendor we never purchased from before, ‘The windows of heaven spa collection’. I was most intrigued by the colour of the soaps, as you can tell from the photo below. Aren’t they just the prettiest. My cousin, who was visiting, purchased a bracelet from another vendor. One of the beads was made out of coconut and you can apparently put essential oils on it for an added touch. As for the food, there were a lot of coconut desserts like cupcakes and chocolates. If you check out GM’s insta page, you would see much more things that were featured. My mom also picked up a curried duck roti with coconut chutney and fresh guava, pineapple juice from another stall. We finished off our time there with some real, fruit lollies (eatlocaltt) and buffalo wings from another vendor whose name I also didn’t get *sigh* but she also has sushi, if that helps as a clue (when I find out, I’ll definitely update this post). My apologies for the lack of vendors’ names. Since it was a ‘themed day’ at the Market, there were a lot of people and I don’t really do well with overly crowded places.
Chocolate Bar Cafe
I have been dying to go there and was so delighted that it was literally next door to GM. It’s literally what the name suggests, chocolate-y goodness that is local. It’s a nice, medium- sized cafe with dining both inside and out. We opted for dining in since it was ridiculously hot outside that day but I wanna dine out when it’s cooler (you will see why from the photos). The menu is mostly local with brunch options like pancakes, bagels and paninis. The hot chocolate and ice cream is actually served in an enamel cup which is such a major throwback for us Trinis. I will include their full menu from their FB page. We had the strangest combo: pepper fries, mocha coffee and ice cream. That mocha coffee is to die for, it’s one of the BEST tasting drinks I’ve ever had and I haven’t stopped craving it since then! Final thoughts: I assumed the menu would have included a couple more chocolate items and I wished they had more cold ‘hot chocolate’ options but that’s just my humble opinion. I truly did enjoy what I did have from their menu and I’m down for another trip!
Swipe over photos for the captions!
Menu (Part 1) and Menu (Part 2)
Check out their insta also for more delicious pics!
Safari Eco Park
Trinidad recently got a somewhat petting zoo and it’s all the rage with adults and kids alike. This was such a spur of the moment thing. We were actually heading out of Macqueripe Bay when we ended up there. It was pretty cool. There’s an entrance fee for both adults and kids and you can also purchase food to feed to the animals. Or you can book a private tour and take photos with the animals up close and personal. I’m guessing because of the insanely hot weather that day, the animals were a bit burnt out. The camel was the most interactive animal and the horse, a little. The only downside, for me, was seeing them in cages. I couldn’t help but feel sorry. However, this isn’t a sap post. It’s a nice experience since these animals aren’t at our local zoo and well, you have the opportunity to touch and feed them.
Caffé del Mare
Caffé del Mare is a part of the Crews Inn Hotel and Yacht Club. It’s described as a “quaint coffee shop”, overlooking the Chaguaramas Yacht Club. This is such a cute and relaxing spot. Quaint could not have been a better way to describe it. I’ll advise to go for breakfast or like us, around sunset, in the evening. Their menu is also mostly breakfast/ brunch and not local. I also kind of wished for just a little more diversity, in terms of the type of items. See the picks below for the items we purchased – everything tasted good – and also the impeccable views.
Macqueripe Bay
Kudos to Destination TnT for rendering not only an apt description of MB but succinctly covering its historical background:
“Situated at the base of a hill, your visit to the beach will take you down a stepped-concrete walkway from the car park to the sand below. From the walkway the view of the bay is spectacular and on a clear day you can see the Venezuelan main land in the distance. The walkway meanders through a well-cared for garden which makes the destination even more picturesque. If you are looking for a tan, this is not the beach for you, as the tropical forest covered hillside creates considerable protection from the sun. As well, the waves break high up on the narrow beach so there is very little room to lay a towel without getting wet. But Macqueripe makes up for its limited sand real estate with its generally calm, deep waters in which swimming is delightful. It is this deep water bay that made Macqueripe ideal as a US submarine station during World War II, when the Americans occupied Trinidad’s North West peninsula. Before then, the bay was the picturesque backdrop to the Macqueripe Beach Club, comprising a hotel and several cottages owned by Sir George Fredrick Huggins in 1924. During the American occupation from 1941 – 1972 the Club was run as an entertainment centre for the families of the American officers. At the beach area there are also benches. There are public toilets and changing rooms. There are hiking trails in the mountains that border the bay. The latest attraction is zip lining”.
What really differentiates Macqueripe from other bays/beaches in T&T is its intriguing past. Need I say more?
I’ll just mention that there’s a small fee to enter for use of the beach and a shop you can purchase drinks and snacks from. As for the zip lining, you’re literally gliding through the trees. Haven’t tried it as yet but I’ve only heard good things.
Hope you all enjoyed this post. It was meant to be up much earlier than this but my laptop is buggin’ out 😥
If you’ve visited these places before, let me know how your experiences were!
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