I was going to book into Bluewater Lodge but it was closed for renovations in early September so booked into Manta Lodge via Expedia.

I showed up at about 10:45 in the morning and the place was deserted. I yelled and finally the grandson of the owner showed up and told me the peple who ran the lodge were out. When I produced my reservation for five days, he called his father who call his mother who called the person who was supposed to be at reception who showed up about half and hour later.

After that all was well. Received a profuse apology from staff and the mother, who is an artist, sent over a gift for me. Room was comfy but the lodge needs maintenance and the place could be kept cleaner. It's not insalubrious but does leave something to be desired. Since it was low season they had no chef. Father cooked breakfast in the morning--only thing he could do was scrambled eggs but really good ones. I asked for fruit and after the first day had a variety for breakfast and lunch. I had dinner at the Speyside Inn next door which was very good but pricey. (Guests staying there were also happy with their accomodation and the place in clean and well run by Germans who also run Extra Divers.)

My heart sank when I first saw the state of the Manta Lodge boat. Their two main boats were not in service so they were using a small boat with peeling paint and fabric toon out of cushions, etc. and no sun shade. I was going to switch dive operations after that but Shaun and his team are so much fun and knowledgable about diving that I stuck with them for five days. I got to do 4 dives a day and could have done a night dive as well--just like on a live aboard! They found the mantas none of the other dive operations could and when other divers lose divers in the currents, they call Trinidad Dive Experience for help because Shaun is a commercial diver and has been diving these waters since age 7. Although the attitude is casual and laissez fair, the boat captains and DMs are good divers and professional. It was great to dive with 4 other divers max and I was often the only diver for the afternoon dives but they still gamely took me out. Dive times are 50 minutes. Diving is deep and there are currents so bring a reel and lift bag. You will have a hard time not going into deco if you dive four dives a day. Finally, make sure you have the boys get you a roti for lunch one day--they know where to buy the good ones (by the Toursit Ofice) . Delicious and filling and they have vegetarian options too.

WIFI costs $5 a day but hasn't been working for a while. Dive shop will let you use their WIFI for free if you dive with them though and you can access the signal from the hotel reception.

Although my first impressions of this place were not good, the family's charm won me over and I had a great time and enjoyed my dives. Tobago has great diving and I would stay here again despite the shortcomings.