Local Knowledge

Carlton-Savannah is located on the beautiful Caribbean island of Trinidad in the Port of Spain, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Trinidad, just seven miles off the coast of Venezuela, is as South American as it is Caribbean. It blends the astounding variety of wildlife and jungle plants of the continent with the easygoing friendliness and laid-back beaches of the islands.

This charming island still maintains an aura of an undiscovered tropical island overflowing with an incredible array of exotic flora and fauna. If you are looking for a relaxing haven, sandy beaches and wonderful friendly, forever smiling people, then this is the place for you. Choose to snorkel in the crystal clear waters and play with the turtles, scuba dive and take a closer look at the schools of colourful fish found in the deep sea canyons, take a hike through the rainforests rich in bird life or simply lay on one of the superb beaches taking in nothing but the sound of the gently lapping waves.

Thanks in large part to its fine natural harbour, Port of Spain became Trinidad's capital in 1757. The downtown area is the oldest section of the city, and despite its run-down appearance is the shopping and finance centre of the capital. Within the compact grid of streets surrounding broad Brian Lara Promenade/Independence Square and bustling Frederick Street, internationally known shops jostle for space with old Spanish warehouses, offices, shops and the paraphernalia of the docks.

Tumbling down the hills to the east of the city are the less developed suburbs of Laventille and Belmont. West of the city centre lies Woodbrook, an elegant middle-class suburb settled in the early twentieth century. Established by Indian immigrants in the 19th Century, the St James district further west still has streets named after the settlers home towns. North of the city at the base of the Northern Range are the districts of St Ann's and Maraval, which have fast become the centre of the city's expanding hotel trade. In addition, settlers from China, Portugal, Venezuela and Syria all came to Trinidad to try their luck. Descendants of these groups, and those of the French, Spanish, British, African and Indian communities, ensure that Port of Spain retains its cosmopolitan mix of peoples and cultures.