Magdalena Grand Beach Resort, Scarborough

After experiencing a horrible night's stay at another guest house, we stumbled upon the villas at this hotel, formerly known as Plantation Villas. It was such a delight, upon inquiring about the room and rates and telling the two female receptionists about our "nightmarish" ordeal the night before, they seemed empathetic and showed true concern. Even though we had no prior reservations, they went above and beyond to try to accomodate us. After many phone calls and an hour of waiting they escorted us to a villa, which was grandiose. A beachfront, airconditioned, two bedroom villa with a full bath in each room, a large kitchen with a skylight, dining room and living room all furnished appropriately. The pool was under construction, but that was the least of our worries. I was extremely impressed with this villa. The landscaping and flowers were exquisite and well kept and truly made me feel like I was at home. I am in love with these villas and will only stay at this location whenever I visit the island. The rates were extremely high, but I felt like it was worth every penny.

I have been going to this hotel for years until 2008 when Hilton closed its doors. I simply love this hotel and I look forward to the reopening which will hopefully happen by end of 2011 or early 2012. We always chose the suites that had private Jacuzzis on the balcony. These rooms have two spacious bathrooms, both designed different than the other. The room was always clean and comfortable. The bathrooms are updated and modern and the best that I have seen so far in Tobago. And as I recall, there are complimentary toiletries in the bathroom. The beach was a bit rough sometimes but you can go in when the waters are not so rough. The breakfast buffet was more than enough to eat. There is a poolside grill which was really nice place to eat something light and enjoy the scenery. The scenery is very beautiful by the way. The lunch and dinner buffets were okay. Some of the items were very good while other items were just ok. The pool is wonderful. It is so inviting and it makes you want to stay forever. In fact, I admittedly almost missed a flight back to Trinidad one year because I didn't get out of the pool on time! The spa services are good too. Yes it can get very breezy at times, especially at night. There is nightly entertainment but this could use some work as well. They do advertise water sports, but when you ask the staff about this, they all look confused and they know nothing about offering water sports. So if Magdalena plans to advertise water sports, PLEASE make that available to the customers. One huge negative: Some of the staff’s customer service leaves a lot to be desired and it is such a turn-off to be at a great hotel with terrible service. Staff seems clueless about anything that is not within their purview and they don't know who to refer you to in order to get the information. Some of them don't care. And it is not a "cultural" thing as people would like to be believe. It starts with MANAGEMENT! (Look at Hyatt and Marriott in Trinidad...excellent service.) It is my hope that this new management will spend some time not only looking for the right employees but training them as well. I eagerly await the reopening of this hotel and I will be booking as soon as they open. This hotel has so much potential and I wish them lots of luck!!

Just returned from a week at this hotel. We have stayed there many times since it opened as a Hilton in 2000. It is built right on the beach and gets sea blast constantly, making for a maintenance nightmare. The roof was built using the wrong materials, it has completely rusted through. Large sections blew off during a squall while we were there. The service is now clearly government employees, not Hilton staff. It felt a bit like Don't Stop the Carnival! They failed to mention that there was no power when we arrived, the room was warm and the freezer defrosted all over the floor. Another night they shut off the water for maintenance. The maid repeatedly forgot to leave hand towels. Our laundry was finally delivered, after many, many phone calls, 18 hours later than the same day service promised. Early one day they ran out of clean pool towels. Not at 4:00 PM, but before noon. They hadn't laundered them.... The hotel wasn't anywhere near half full. I asked for some regular bath towels, the porter said he'd be back in TEN MINUTES with bath towels! I didn't wait around to see if he delivered on that promise. The Hilton owners could not keep up with the maintenance, so they simply walked away. The T&T government considers the resort a significant asset, so they took over the operation to keep tourists coming to Tobago. Our room was very clean, but the grounds and common areas are not close to the level of excellence they had two years ago, when it was still run by Hilton. I hope they fix it, the location is superb, and the pools, grounds and beaches used to be spectacular. If you get a great price, and can tolerate service from postal workers and traffic cops instead of trained hospitality staff, have a great time! Otherwise, I recommend waiting until the maintenance issues are addressed and the hotel is sold to a private company specializing in hotel management.

I haven't been to the hotel as yet and I have already made a booking for my bf & I for early next year (2008). I have read so many reviews about the hotel that I can't wait to get there myself to see this place. Yes, to so many of the people who saw the rusted roofs and so on, but I would like to know how did the rust on the roof affect your holiday? On the other hand, management should think about re-doing the roof in clay or something like that. What do you think Hilton Management? I am eager to visit. Wish there was more to do on the Plantations/Hilton compound. I've been to Tobago a few times. Was there just 3 weeks ago. Stayed in Crown Point at one of the better hotels for that area. Now want to go to Hilton, but it is so far away from everything. Hilton, you need to do something more for us younger people. C'mon we are paying for and expecting Hilton International standards. Or has Hilton standards detoriated? I hope not. So I will be able to give me views and opinions after I have visited The Tobago Hilton. I can't wait!!! PS: I had to rate the overall experience at the hotel in order for the review to be posted. So this was rated from what I was told by people who have stayed at the hotel and what I read online on all the many websites.

My wife and I just returned from a 7 night stay at the Hilton Tobago and just had a great time. Read many mixed reviews and had some trepidation, but all for naught. The two women who run guest services could not have been more helpful or more lovely. Our room on the 3rd(top) floor was perfect. The pool hanging by the edge of the see was fantastic and the golf course was top-notch and wide open....your own private course for very reasonable rates. The buffet breakfast was more than you could desire. We absolutely enjoyed eating by the side of the pool every morning just after sunrise. The fresh fruit was fabulous. Nearly every night there was some sort of entertainment which we thoroughly enjoyed. We had some good meals but like anywhere you need to get out. Some days the wind can be a little too much, but the other side is only 15 minutes away. For the most part the air movement is welcome. And really, it is not that much of a factor away from the immediate coast. The beach does have debris that washes ashore, but the water is definitely swimable and I was even able to body surf on a day when the wind was not so strong. The long beach is yours to enjoy for long walks. Just stay below the high tide line to avoid debris. Now the sea is taking a toll on the exterior of the building. Metal roof and steel construction were not the best choice. Other than those exterior blemishes, the hotel is a very good choice. Even with the breeze, we ran the air conditioning half the time. Watching the sunrise over the ocean from your bed is worth the price of admission...There is more information on Tobago...search for it.

This was a great place to stay. Safe and fun with friendly staff. The beach was great to look at but not one to enjoy a "sea bath" in. Great atmosphere. Loved the food - great variety of local and international dishes. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

I just loved the ambience. Quiet relaxing environment. Great getaway. The service was excellent, most friendly and competent hotel staff. Comfortable room with a great view of the beach. Easy access to beach and pools. Beautiful at night.

It is like the Hotel was built and Hilton walked away! The attitude of the staff was very poor in general, the pool was not kept clean nightly, the golf course was more yellow than green, and you are pretty much captive with expensive buffets where birds are sharing in your choices!

The Hilton is situated in 28 acres of ex plantation property. Beautiful grounds which include a PGA designed 18 hole Golf course. All the room overlook the sea and the beach is but 50 yards away. The rooms are well appointed with excellent air conditioning and ceiling fans. The staff were very attentive and friendly. My view is that the Hotel has the best location in Tobago, mainly because it is situated on the Atlantic side and a welcomimg warm breeze keeps you cool in the 80+ temperatures. I have visited, but not stayed in the other hotels and found that those on the Caribbean side we too hot and humid. Maid service is very good with towels changed daily and bed linen every few days. We stayed there for two weeks until 10 February 2006 on an all inclusive basis(AI). Some points that in my opinion need to be addressed were the food quality and variation. The Plantation restaurant, which served breakfast, and meals including evening buffet and a la carte lacked charm and was more like a cafe. On some eveings having gone to dinner at 9.00pm we found that the buffet food was cold and some serving dishes which were empty were not replenished. The house wine was passable, but in spite of advertising that you could have it either by the bottle or by the glass( as many glasses as you liked)we were only offered wine by the glass. This was a little frustrating as after your first glass you could wait some time for a refil. The a la carte menu did not change the whole two weeks we were there. The more elegant restaurant was the Coral Reef, which you had to book by the morning before to ensure a table. The food here was good, but again the menu did not change. For AI guests 8 dishes out the 28 had an up charge, which I though was an excessive amount of dishes. Lunch time snacks could be taken at the Friday bar, with seating outside overlooking the Atlantic. The menu here never changed but there was a daily special board. Afternoon tea, with sandwiches, scones and cream and cakes were available for AI guests. Most of the cocktails and spirits and beers were also free on the AI package. There were three pools, one central one which was reasonable large and two small satellite pool. The Hotel had its own private section of a half a mile beach. As it was off the beaten track it was deserted. The beach was filthy and it would not have taken too much trouble for the Hotel to have maintained it in a state of cleaniness, but they failed to do so. I would not advise anyone to attempt to swim in the sea because of the rubbish found floating about. The manangement team are young and enthusiastic and listen with interest to any comments made. In my opinion the hotel is only 4*, but has the potential to improve on that. I shall definitely return, the Hotel and the Island is so unspoilt and if you want to relax and make believe this your own desert Island, then Tobago is for you.

My husband and I and our two sons (3yrs &16yrs)spent 7 days at this hotel. The service was excellent, the food was excellent, our suit was big and always cleaned, the employees were great and the beach was about 10 ft from our room. We are thinking about re-living this experience again. I will not recommend it for teenagers because there is not much for them to do, however, it is wonderful romantic getaway.