“From the breeze-kissed terraces of Castara Retreats, the view sweeps around the bay, taking in the sparkling cobalt sea, the clean white curve of sandy beach and the sweetie shop – bright paintwork on the houses clambering up the hillside. It brings to mind the prelapsarian stake of a once similarly enticing Mediterranean fishing village. Have I discovered the St Tropez of the Caribbean?
…There are plenty of guest houses and holiday flats in Castara village but this is the chicest, a collection of 12 lodges and apartments cantilevered out from the lush green hillside at the southern end. No TV, no air con, just natural wood, slatted blinds, secluded terraces and simple, comfortable furniture – it’s like living in a grown up treehouse, with parrots swooping through the foliage.
…The rooms are kitted out for self-catering – buy a bonito tuna from the fisherman’s co-op on the beach for about £8, bread from the village’s traditional clay oven – but Castara Retreats has its own bar and restaurant. [It] doesn’t open for breakfast, so you have to wander down to a village café for your eggs and coconut bake – but that is exactly the point of the enterprise. Steve Felgate, founder of Castara Retreats, is determined to run it along the principles of responsible tourism, ensuring that as much cash as possible goes directly into the community.”