Coco Reef Resort & Spa

James Parker

Skimming through the reviews pretty much reveals the whole story. This must have been a great place, excellent location and a well-laid out facility on classic up-market Caribbean lines. However, it's all old and tired and the staff (with a few shining exceptions) really don't seem to care at all. It's sad to see how depressed they all appear, and it's clear that there is a huge management vacuum. It's really a random walk whether you get instant smiling service (which can happen occasionally), or more frequently, a surly response and no follow up. The rooms haven't been maintained for years, and they are still showing the old film of the fantastic cuisine available in the restaurant, that unfortunately bears no relation to the reality of what they serve. Some of the guests we met have been going there for fifteen years or more, but they all said the same thing and that this would be their last year. What a pity.

Lydia G

I will preface my review by saying that if you stay at coco reef, it is important to go in with reasonable expectaions. Everything is very much on caribbean time and although it is a very charming hotel, it isn't without it's faults. The hotel very much looks like it hasn't been touched/updated since it first opened. The lobby perhaps not so much, it is very charming and pretty, but the rooms and some of the dinner/bar areas really do need an uplift. For context, we went as a family of 6 (all adults) for a special holiday, as Tobago is very special to my in-laws and it was wonderful to see the island through their eyes and relive some of their memories. I will start with the highlight of this hotel, the lagoon. This is by far the crown jewel of Coco Reef. We've done a lot of snorkelling in our time but this really did take the cake. The lagoon is incredibly easy to access (we had a nervous swimmer in our party and by the end we couldn't keep him out of the water) and has a beautiful array of fish and sealife. Generally the service here is slow so do keep in mind that you will need to manage your expectations and not expect to be waited on hand and foot. The staff that welcome you to the hotel are a delight (particularly all the reception staff, there wasn't anything they weren't happy to help with!) and there were a few stand out staff for us. We had the pleasure of being served by the wonderful Ria at lunch a few times, Michael who delivers the cocktails on the beach is so friendly and always happy to help, Alicia, Beverley and Junette are all wonderful, the lady who runs the egg station at breakfast whose name escapes me is lovely, and the housekeeping staff do a brilliant job. However, dinner service on our trip was very disorganised. We suspected they happened to have a lot of trainees at the time we were there but we did have a few mishaps where our order wasn't taken, drinks didn't arrive and we waited a long old time to order dessert after our main courses. This area definitely needs work, but after the first few days of adjusting expectations we just laughed it off and took the view that we didn't have anywhere else to be - why would we be in a rush on holiday! Breakfast is fantastic. So many options of sweet and savoury in the buffet and an egg station where you can order an egg however you like it and the lady who runs that station is lovely. The lunch menu is also fantastic, you can't really go wrong with whatever you order (the fish and chips was our favourite by a mile, followed closely by all of the salads and the catch of the day). The food at dinner was generally underwhelming for me, it just didn't quite reach the expectations I had when breakfast and lunch are so good. The buffet dinners are much better than the sit down dinners, the bbq food, salads, rice dishes and chowders are pretty delicious and there is always a wide variety of dishes available. Breakfast is also accompanied by the wonderful Kelton who rescues all sorts of birds and brings the birds of prey to keep the smaller birds from becoming a nusance around the food. He knows everything there is to know about the ecosystem on the island and what all the wonderful birds, insects and animals do. If you are a nature enthusiast - he is your guy! I cannot recommend the staff who manage the water activites enough - Derek, Ellis and George. If you are visiting this resort - I highly recommend you book to go out for even just an afternoon with Ellis and George to the special spots such as turtles, nylon pool, and the reef for a snorkel! Generally I think the island doesn't have a large amount of financial investment and this is where the hotel could use some support to be able to make the necessary changes to give it a bit of a face lift, improve customer service and make a few tweaks that would really boost the customer experience.

Leo Page-Blau

Unfortunately, this hotel suffers from two primary issues. First, they have not maintained the rooms at all. There were stains all over the tub and wallpaper was peeling and it had a terrible smell. This seems like it used to be a beautiful hotel, but it really needs a lot more TLC and regular maintenance. When I mentioned the stains to the front desk, they directed me to fill out a comment form. Would definitely never waste my money on this sort of poor quality room. The second issue is the customer service. Trinidad and Tobago is known to have friendly, caring people, but it really just felt like none of the staff wanted to be there. They also tried to nickel and dime you for everything. I would strongly recommend that folks stay at another hotel, or even just get an Airbnb. On the bright side, the breakfast tasted pretty good and was included in our rate, but definitely not worth a stay for this.

Shellby Lynn

I was extremely excited to introduce my BFF to Tobago for the first time. The initial person that was supposed to pick us up from the airport had an attitude (Onika)She didn’t have a sign that said our names nor did she have a sign saying CocoReef. I had to call the resort to ask who I should be looking for. Once we found her she said my first name and then pointed to a white van and said Go that way. Never a Welcome to Tobago not even a Good Afternoon. We got to the resort and finally the guy at the front desk welcomed us to the island and resort. Once we got to our room we realized EVERYTHING was old, outdated and below the level of expectation for the cost of the room. The TV was so old it had 3 working channels. We couldn’t even pair our phones to it to allow some other form of entertainment . The breakfast and staff in the dining hall was fantastic. The beach was absolutely beautiful. The beach towels had holes and showed signs of bleach stains. We asked if they could give us wash cloths for the room and was informed they didn’t have any/offer that, I was taken back by this being that it’s 2025. The property needs better lighting once the sun goes down, especially since you’re literally footsteps away from off ground entertainment/food. The darkness doesn’t make you feel safe,the saving grace in that way is knowing that you soon have to pass the guards booth ( they were friendly). We called front desk to ask for an extra pillow and was informed that house keeping has gone for the night and they would leave a note for them to bring the next day (it was 730pm). The next day I called again to ask for the pillow around noon and was told they would bring it later. Around 7pm I called again the front desk and was told that house keeping is gone for the day, but if I wanted I could walk to the front desk to get it. I refused to go there because If that was an option why wasn’t it offered the night before when we called. The guy then told me I would have to wait an hour when his supervisor comes back from dinner break. They finally brought the pillows 15 mins later with an attitude I guess because I didn’t want to come to the front desk to retrieve it. At check out we realized now they are looking to charge for a transportation ride to the airport. Which should have already been included. To make matters worse the driver was the same woman from before. She had an attitude I thanked her for the ride and she didn’t even respond after I paid her. These folks that you have representing Coco Reef left a terrible taste in my mouth. I would NEVER recommend this resort to anyone. They will never get another dime of my hard earned Money. If your facilities are so old and ancient then at least let the customer service be warm and welcoming.

Andrei Petrescu

I did a one-day trip to Tobago from Trinidad and needed a nice spot to hang out before my afternoon flight back. The closest public beach to Crown Point airport is only about 4 minutes walking distance, but right next to it is Coco Reef Resort & Spa, and choosing that was honestly an amazing decision. The beach itself looked really good: clean sand, beautiful clear turquoise water that stayed calm and was perfect for swimming. They had plenty of chairs and loungers set up under the palms, outdoor showers to rinse off the salt and sand, easy access to toilets, and a beach restaurant/bar area just steps away where you could grab drinks, snacks, or a proper meal without having to leave the beach. Everything felt well-organized and made it super easy to just relax and chill for the day. The vibe was calm and laid-back, exactly what I needed for a short stopover. If you're in the same situation (quick day in Tobago near the airport), this place is definitely worth it. Made my short visit feel like a proper mini-vacation!