Born and brought up in England, we first came to Tobago and Castara on our honeymoon and immediately fell in love with the village, its way of life and its friendly, welcoming local people.

We returned the following year and during our stay, came across a freshly painted sign nailed to a tree-stump saying "Land for sale" and a phone number..... The rest is history!

The following year we built most of our first house, Toad Hall, hiring local tradesmen for the basic structure and doing the interior work ourselves. Often starting at 6am and not finishing work until 8 at night, Toad Hall was completed after 6 weeks of back-breaking labour, during which Steve actually lost 30lbs in weight!

Toad Hall was named for a variety of reasons: The little valley where Castara Villas is located is locally known as "Crapaud Gulley" for two reasons: During the Napoleonic Wars, in which period the island of Tobago was constantly fought over, there was a French military encampment close by. The term "crapaud" is the French word for "toad" which also became a derogatory term used by the British to describe them.

Co-incidentally, there is a profusion of toads and frogs of all kinds living in the gulley which can be heard croaking in the foliage during the evening!

We also loved Kenneth Grahame's book "The Wind in the Willows" as children and so the die was cast! Subsequently, we stuck with the "froggy" theme when we named our other apartments which were completed over the following five years.

We spend about 6 months of the year "in residence" during the winter and spring season and our property is managed by our local staff for the remainder of the year.

Steve & Rita
Castara Villa Owners