Blue Haven Hotel - Review Page 1
Reviewed by Steve & Jill Wooler in February 2003
The original Blue Haven Hotel was built, during the 1940s, on the ruined remains of an outlet of Fort King George, outside Scarborough. Long before Mustique became a popular retreat for celebrities and aristocracy, the Blue Haven Hotel attracted film stars like Rita Hayworth and Robert Mitchum. Both the Queen and Princess Margaret have visited the hotel and several movies, including Swiss Family Robinson, have been filmed there.
Those halcyon days passed and the hotel closed. For twenty-five years it stood shuttered and decaying, until one day Austrian entrepreneur Karl Pilstl and his Trinidadian wife Marilyn noticed the tumbledown building. They wandered around the old shuttered hotel, increasingly fascinated by the possibilities. Despite a lack of experience in the hotel industry, they became determined to restore the hotel to its former glory and embarked upon a three year campaign to persuade the owners to sell them the property.
The fully restored, renovated and expanded Blue Haven Hotel opened its doors in December 2000. With only 55 rooms, including 8 suites, it remains Tobago’s finest luxury boutique hotel.
We first stayed at the Blue Haven in 2003 and found it hard to disagree with the Rough Guide claim that it was “the best luxury accommodation on the island”. It is now 2007 and the hotel has been open for six years. How has it fared since our last visit and what has changed?
Location
The Blue Haven Hotel is located in Bacolet, less than a mile from the centre of Tobago’s capital, Scarborough. Bacolet is a very quiet up-market residential area. Once you are ensconced in the grounds of the hotel, you will forget that you are anywhere near a town.
The hotel is perched on a 15-acre peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean and therefore almost surrounded by sea . Needless to say, it offers wonderful views of Tobago’s southern coastline – right the way across Rockly Bay.
The drive from the airport is a comfortable, but uninspiring, 20-minute journey. The Blue Haven is situated well away from the increasingly touristy Crown Point area, which is sadly and increasingly becoming an unattractive jumble of cheap boarding houses, scattered dwellings and untidy commercial premises.
The Blue Haven is just a 10-minute walk from the centre of Scarborough. It is disappointing that the town has surprisingly little to commend it. The market has a lovely Caribbean vibrancy but those looking for serious retail therapy will be sadly disappointed. However, all roads emanate from Scarborough, so the hotel is ideally positioned for touring this stunningly beautiful island.
Architecture
The original coral-pink stuccoed three-story building has been extensively modernised and, to all intents and purposes, could have been built yesterday. The restoration has been sympathetic to the original and retains a certain colonial feel, without in any way being old-fashioned. In fact, full credit must be given to Karl and Marilyn for remaining true to the original, whilst incorporating major ecological and environmental benefits, including a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant and solar water heating systems.
New annexes have been added to both sides of the original building. These new buildings defy easy description. Think of five or six rectangular wooden prefabricated houses stacked two high. Then add a flat roof on stilts, standing another story high. Paint the lot white and then wrap two blue bands around the middle. Sounds horrendous, doesn’t it? Well believe you me – it isn’t. It is surprisingly attractive!
The architectural style is unique. The mixture of pink main building and blue and white wooden wings is intriguing and very, very different. The design is also highly efficient and practical. The buildings are extremely eco-friendly and the flying roof protects the rooms from the heat of the sun.
The logo of the Blue Haven Hotel is an anchor and a naval decorative theme is used throughout the hotel. This is particularly noticeable in the new accommodation wings, where the white of the wooden buildings is attractively relieved by royal blue canvas windbreak 
between the balustrades. A similar device, in the form of royal blue canvas awnings, is used to separate the balconies and patios between rooms. All in all, we found the style attractive, fresh and clean. The buildings and grounds were all in immaculate condition, as one would expect in a hotel of this grade.
The hotel is set in fifteen acres of very pleasant landscaped grounds. The foliage around the property totally blocks any view of neighbouring properties are the entire hotel imparts a pleasant ambience of quiet solitude.
There are no rooms that have been specifically modified or equipped for the disabled, but there are ground floor rooms that would be accessible by wheelchair. However, the restaurant is on an upper floor in an adjacent building and there is no lift (elevator). The beach can only be accessed by steps and a sloping walkway. The hotel therefore might not be best suited to wheelchair users or anyone with severe mobility problems.
Clientele
The hotel seemed very much ‘busier’ than during our 2003 stay and the beach, bars and restaurant demonstrated a vibrancy that was somewhat lacking during our first visit. However, despite the activity and presence of guests, the hotel still seemed a private oasis of calm.
As in 2003, the guests seemed to fall into two main categories. The largest group might be described as 
the more mature visitor, attracted by the luxury and sophistication of the hotel. The second group tend to be young honeymooners, attracted by the romantic beauty of Bacolet Bay. The larger luxury hotels may offer a greater range of facilities, but the Blue Haven stands alone when it comes to high standards in an atmosphere of total relaxed calm.
There were no children present at the hotel during our stay. In fact, I am firmly of the opinion that the clientele most likely to be attracted to the Blue Haven would be the first to disappear if the hotels strongest feature, the relaxed calm, was jeopardised by children running around. Having said that, owners Karl and Marilyn are very family-minded and I know that children will be made extremely welcome. However, it has to be said that apart from the provision of a small play area on the beach, the hotel has little that would appeal to youngsters. Long may it last!
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