gbryan84

I am going to Trinidad (Port of Spain) for Memorial Day weekend Mileage Run and am staying at the Hilton in Trinidad on points. I have been in contact with the hotel via email and they are very helpful and responsive on things to do in the area. I will try to post a trip report when I return but then again it might not help you unless you are going after Memorial Day.

rlmk

The Trinidad Hilton is a regular Business Hilton and a taxi would be your best option not to expensive as well. I can give you the number of a driver who also drove us around on the Island on our free afternoon. He will then be wating for you at the airport. Airport Hotel will take anywhere between 30 inutes and 90 minutes dependnig on what time of day your ar traveling.
We got an upgrade to the Executive room and floor. Lounge is small but breakfast is sufficient and you can sit outside

Tobago is a resort Hotel and I woudl suggest you rent a car if you are going to stay a couple of days. It is remote from anywhere (small ilands but still)
Upgrades (as we got is a room with a whirlpool on the balcony. Als we got a treat everyday round 5pm based on my diamond status. They only have about 12 of those rooms so you do need a bit of luck. Otherwise just ask for someting on the third floor (reception level) and close by. You can have a long walk if being placed in the remote wings.

nacirema

not so for me. i e-mailed twice and no reply.

btw, we will be there in mid june so any report will help. thanks and have great time and a roti

thanks, great info.

fortunately i do have a great rate for exec level room in pos so no worries there. hoping that perhaps we'll get upped to suite?

just a regular room at the tobago loc so hopefully we'll get the jacuzzi room.

i will e-mail a week before or so. i do have diamond status.

and yes, please pm the drivers number. thanks

anabolism

It's been five years...any updated experiences?

Am trying to figure out a nice place in the Caribbean besides Curaçao (which we love) to use on an RTW that is served by AA and has a Hilton. POS is a nice long ride from MIA, so lots of miles.

Barbados has a nice Hilton but wasn't so impressed by the island (which in fairness we didn't give a chance). Puerto Rico the Hilton properties are just so-so, we were feasted upon day and night by swarms of mosquitos, and the town and beaches were not pleasant. I have no problem going back to Curaçao but wanted to give other islands a try.

sospangar

My wife and I arrived at the Hotel by taxi from Port of Spain airport costing $30 US.
Check in was quick and easy and as I was a Diamond member we were upgraded to a deluxe king bedded room with a balcony overlooking the city and the ocean. A free WIFI code was also issued for each of our devices. The executive lounge was closed but we were issued with vouchers for two alcoholic drinks from the bar.

The room was spacious with a king sized bed and a desk with fast internet cable provided.

There are three bars that you can get your drinks from. One in the main lobby one downstairs and one by the pool. The pool terrace restaurant is where dinner and breakfast is taken. The dinner buffet is pretty good, lots of salads to choose from and plenty of hot items. Breakfast has a good variety of hot and cold foods and juices.

The pool area was of a good size with plenty of sunbeds available and towels were avilable. The poolbar provided snacks and drinks at a reasonable cost.

The location of the hotel is not near the City Centre and taxis should be used at all times as there are areas of the city which are not safe. An area I would recommend for night-life is the movietown area where there are an abundance of restaurants cafe/pubs and fast food outlets. Make sure you book a return taxi as there is no taxi rank at the complex.

Although I was there only a short time I enjoyed my stay at the Hilton but unfortunately due to the safety factor in the city I will not be returning to Port of Spain.

bhatnasx

I spent the weekend at the Hilton Trinidad - got in Friday night & left Sunday - here are my thoughts in no particular order. I am a Silver Elite with Hilton:

Car service from the Airport to the Hilton, using the hotel service was quoted at $45USD - I asked how much is the airport taxi & they said about the same. I opted to use the airport taxi - got in at 10:30pm & they quoted me $45USD to the Hilton - according to this, that was correct - so either would be fine - the airport taxi was a Nissan Altima that looked like a private car - pretty decent. Current fares are here - http://www.gotrinidadandtobago.com/s...FARES_2013.pdf - note that day/night fares are different.

For my return from the airport to the hotel, not wanting to pay them $45 again, I used Skype on wifi and called Broadway Taxi (number here - http://caribya.com/trinidad/taxis/) and it was $150 TT (which is about $24 USD) - I called them at 10am for an 11:30 pick up & they were there in a nice leather air conditioned Nissan Maxima - way cheaper than the hotel car & well worth it - also, since it was fixed price, I was able to budget my local currency upon leaving and have enough for the fare + tip and no local currency left over (there's an ATM at the hotel if you need it).

Booked online & checked in online and selected a room on first floor. Based on the reviews on TripAdviosr - the lower the floor number, the higher the floor. 1st floor is the top floor & the 9th floor would be towards the bottom (though I don't remember the number of floors). Arrived at 11pm, which is about what time I said I'd arrive & my room was given away & I was rebooked on the 6th floor (which is the same level as the fitness center & pool & exec lounge, but I wasn't eligible for exec lounge access. After a bit of back & forth (as I wanted a high floor as this hotel does have potentially good views if you're above the tree line), finally secured a room on the 2nd floor (what was the point of checking in online again if the room you confirm isn't available)?

Room was mediocre - pillows were oddly huge & not the best - bed was decent - though it seemed like they needed to rotate or flip the mattress as there were sagging spots in it. Ample number of plugs (same power outlet as US outlets). Internet didn't work well the first night ($20/day, I think - though this will be free for all members in August - free internet in lobby/pool area). Bathroom was good - rain shower head & telephone shower head. I believe all rooms had balconies with a couple of chairs.

As a Silver, I'm supposed to get 2 bottles of water at check-in (no water in the room - there were 2 mini-fridges, but one had a sign on it that said "THIS IS NOT A FRIDGE" - it looked like an old mini-bar that they didn't remove or service anymore. I didn't get the water at check-in, so I stopped by the desk to ask for the 2 bottles. The agent said she'd send room service up with 2 bottles right away. Sure - no problem. 45 minutes goes by, no water. I call down - they transfer me to room service who said it's on its way as we speak & the girl just left with the water. 45 minutes later - no water. I call down again - ask for a manager, none available - they'll call me back. 5 minutes later, a call back with an apology & a promise its on its way. 20 minutes later, no water. I go down to the desk, ask for a manager - manager calls over another guy in a suit who happens to be the F&B Director. F&B Director walks me to the bar & gives me 2 bottles of water from the lobby bar with minimal apologies - just says "here you go - enjoy".

-Wanted to go to Maracas Bay - asked concierge about transportation there (I prefer public transportation). She said "I cannot in good conscience recommend public transportation - it is not safe for tourists - but our car can take you, wait 2 hours for you, and bring you back" - okay, what's the price? $140 USD. (My room rate was $87/nt, plus about 26% in taxes). No way - not gonna pay that kind of money - should have just rented a car (and online reading implied driving there is very bad & difficult - didn't seem that bad at all to me). I ended up walking to downtown POS and checking out the area (really, very very little to check out within walking distance of the hotel).

Breakfast at the hotel was also mediocre. Sausage was flimsy, bacon was flimsy, made-to-order omelets were good. Yogurt was cool, not cold. Cut fruit was soggy/soft. "salad" items looked like they were there for a while. Bread was generic - pastries weren't that great. Juice was watered down as there were ice-cubes melting in the containers. Cost? a mind-boggling $33 per person - total rip-off. But, there are very little options nearby unless you walk a half-mile or so into downtown. Glad I had some Kind bars & brought a couple of apples with me for the first - bought breakfast the 2nd day - if you have lounge access, your selections may have been better, but I didn't have lounge access.

Pool was ok - had a pretty deep deep-end (like 10 feet deep maybe?). Way too many people for way too few chairs - every single chair was occupied - they had plenty of patio space and could have easily had more chairs, but didn't for some reason.

Pool bar...I had a mango margarita, shrimp ceviche, and an order of fries for lunch. Fries were good - however, the ketchup was single serve bottles (think mini-bottles of jelly at a breakfast buffet). The bartender brought me over a plate that had 3 ketchups, 1 mayo, 1 mustard, and silverware on it. 2 of the ketchup bottles had been opened & used by other guests. Gross. When he made my mango margarita, i saw him pour whatever was left in the blender into a spare cup and drink the rest of it. The pool kitchen didn't have shrimp ceviche (though it was on the menu) - they were out, so they got it from the main kitchen. Took almost 25 minutes for ceviche & fries to come out. Cevice wasn't like ceviche I've had before - wasn't bad, but large pieces of shrimp and not amazing - just mediocre, like everything else here.

Checkout was a unique experience. I had given a credit card at check-in. I told the agent I had a $50 hilton gift card. He said no problem, just let them know at checkout. At check out, not only did their computer system go down, but when it finally came back online, they said "we don't take gift cards - only credit card or cash" - I tried explaining that it's a Hilton Gift card that I got from Hilton and it's basically an Amex with $50 on it - but they wouldn't budge on their insisting that it couldn't be processes...and besides, we already charged your credit card. They told me I should use it at my next Hilton in the US as it can't be used in Trinidad. I didn't argue - wasn't worth the time as I had my taxi on the way.

Also, on the day I left, 1 of the 2 elevators was down.

Overall, IMHO, this hotel is a dump. Next time, I would stay at the Hyatt (about $30 more per night) or the Courtyard (though Im not sure where that location is). The Holiday Inn didn't have a great location.

I would *not* recommend based on my weekend there. I haven't hated a hotel in a long time, but hated this one.

365RoadWarrior

Thanks, bhatnasx. Any more recent stays...not that the most recent review is inspiring me to strongly consider this place.

JetSetDave

Bump, hoping for feedback on any recent stays at this hotel. Hope the overall experience has improved since bhatnasx's comments on here. Doing a similar weekend MR on UA in early March. Thanks!

365RoadWarrior

​​​​​in spite of warnings, I spent a week here. For me, it was okay. Keep in mind that most of my travel is non-Disney Africa (Niger, Guinea Bissau, The Gambua, Cameroon), so myexpectations are not on a United States standard, to say nothing of Europe or Asia. Port of Spain is a pretty humble place, for the most part. The hotel has a physically prestigious position, overlooking the city. (Be sure to learn about the back exit, if you plan to walk.)

My first discovery on arrival was that the fitness center had shorter hours than listed on the website. I pointed this out and was told that I could leave for a one-night penalty. In the end, the fitness center was ojay, but the condition of the equipment meant that you really shouldn't be working out alone anyway. It was a sweatbox. People, aside from the first encounter, were generally pleasant. Prices were definitely at a hotel premium (airport service, food, merchandise). I was a Diamond at the time; that didn't really get me anything, other than verbal acknowledgement, but I didn't ask for anything.

(struggling to write on my mobile. More later.)

JetSetDave

Yes, I plan on walking during the day time if possible. I expect POS to be similar to Port-au-Prince with a higher crime rate. I see the legitimate airport taxi rate is $30 before and $45 after 10pm and it seems to be safe.Thank you for sharing your experiences at the Hilton and Port of Spain.

peter1962

While I haven't been to Haiti, I'm fairly sure that you'll find POS quite different. Trinidad's oil wealth and industrial development mean that there is a much higher standard of living, services, and facilities than Haiti. Consider Trinidad as you would any Developed World major city. There are modern buildings and services, traffic jams and city noise, but also endemic petty corruption, and slum areas that you should avoid. There is an unacceptable level of murder that is largely drug gang related, but 1.6m people still live normal lives, going to school, work, restaurants, and cinemas daily. Keep your 'spidey-sense' active and avoid the same situations and areas that you would in New York, London, or Miami and you will enjoy your visit. Seek recommendations from the Hotel for guides of Nature areas or Island tours if that is your interest. If you are more adventurous you'll find a welcoming and friendly culture that is always happy to have visitors.

puchong

Fair enough, but how can I justify those crazy prices - for restaurant meals, transportation and anything else a visitor may need. I cut my visit short just to avoid these stratospheric prices, which offer absolutely no value for money.

peter1962

Prices are always relative to perceived value. Live like a local. Take the maxi-taxis or local bus system instead of taxis, eat street-food instead of in restaurants. Shop where locals shop...

All of this takes research or local contacts on the ground. It can be done, but you decide on the type of holiday that you want and then match it to your budget.

JetSetDave

Thank you for your advice! I have friends from India that really enjoyed their visit to Trinidad and Tobago and also felt very safe using your suggestions. I canceled my reservation at this Hilton and decided to stay at a boutique hotel nearby to get more of a local experience. Looking forward to visiting your country.

365RoadWarrior

From a visitor's perspective, I agree. My mention of developing countries in my comments about the Hilton were to make clear that developing country standards/expectations shouldn't be applied. I enjoyed my visit and never felt like I was in any danger (other than on some rickety Hilton exercise equipment .) Thank you for your thoughts, Peter 1962.