Magdalena Grand Beach & Golf Resort

This was my first trip to Trinidad & Tobago, and while it started a bit rough with a very unpleasant immigration officer (not part of the hotel!), the rest of my experience made up for it. The hotel itself was nice, clean, and very peaceful. The staff really made the difference — special thanks to Rhonda and Justine at the front desk who were incredibly helpful and friendly throughout our stay. There was also a lovely lady in charge of the activities who was super sweet, though I didn’t catch her name because I wasn’t feeling well at the time. I had read previous reviews mentioning a smell near the beach, and yes, it’s there. It seems to be from sea moss in the area. It’s not a deal-breaker for the hotel, but it does affect the beach experience. Luckily, the hotel offers a free shuttle to nearby beaches, which made up for it. Some parts of the hotel were under construction, including the kids’ park, which was disappointing because we were expecting more kid-friendly activities. Breakfast was okay — the banana bread stood out as my favorite. Pros: Calm, quiet environment Super friendly and helpful staff Shuttle to local beaches Clean and generally well-kept Cons: No water bottles in the room (not sure if we were supposed to ask) Hotel was fully booked, so towels were limited at times Room setup is standard even if you book for a specific number of guests — you need to request extra towels/beds/etc., but staff is very accommodating about it Overall, it was a relaxing stay, and

Nice hotel, very nice staff. The pool wasn’t the cleanest. There was caution tape on some of the stairwells and walkways.

This hotel is dilapidated and run down. It’s worst than staying at a construction site cos at least somethings get done/built there. We went from having no hot water to no water at all. The lamp shade and beds were rusted. Room service either never came or came 2 hours later. Unfortunately there are no other food outlets close enough to pop in. There is no beach! No blue waters or white sand. Just seaweed and it stinks. False advertising as nothing looks like the website. We mentioned our wedding anniversary and didn’t expect much but there was no mention of it at all from there side. These are special occasions meant to be celebrated. There are leaks all over the hotel and danger tape everywhere. I can’t believe this is what we get for the price we paid. We will go back to Tobago. But we won’t go back to this hotel even if they offered it for free.

We travelled for just over a month in the Caribbean region and this hotel was hands down the worst, despite being the most expensive that we stayed in. From the moment we arrived, there was nobody to assist with our luggage, and our room, or at least half of it was only ready at 5pm. The other side was still being cleaned at snails pace. The hot tub was empty and filthy. When we asked about, we were told to call engineering. The hotel has danger tape all over with many areas out of bounds. There was an intolerable stench from the seaweed, and we were advised on check in to keep the sliding doors closed at all times. Not their fault but not in the brochure either. My son’s bed was rusted and had rubbish underneath it. The tvs didn’t work until maintenance came to fix them. It has ‘beach resort’ in the name but there is no beach. Black sand and seaweed only. We had no water for the first 3 days! At all, for the last 2, we had no warm water. The staff could not care less. The one exception was the Crusoe bar. The staff there were excellent. The hotel looks like it was once a grand place but now, I would not stay at this hotel for free.

I recently stayed at the Magdalena Grand Resort & Spa in Tobago, and unfortunately, it was a very disappointing experience. The resort is clearly falling apart and nowhere near the standard it claims to be. Our room was in very poor condition, and to make matters worse, it was infested with ants — even on the beds. We also experienced a power outage during a storm, which, while not the resort’s fault, highlighted how unprepared they are. T&TEC had power restored in about an hour, but there was no communication or assistance from the resort staff during that time. Basic amenities were a constant struggle. Something as simple as getting ice required walking all the way to the pool bar with a bucket that literally fell apart at the bottom. At breakfast, they actually ran out of eggs and cheese at the omelette station — and staff admitted they had to track down the head chef just to get permission to buy more eggs. Even the employees said it was embarrassing, which speaks volumes. On top of this, the overwhelming smell of seaweed around the property (though not entirely their fault) made the atmosphere unpleasant.

I usually visit this hotel once or twice a year, but each stay has been progressively worse. Unfortunately, my most recent visit a few days ago will be my last—at least until major changes are made. I was prepared for the sargassum situation, so that wasn’t an issue. The staff remain as friendly and welcoming as ever, but there’s only so much they can do when management falls short. We booked an all-inclusive package, but it was far from “all-inclusive.” The pool bar offered a very limited selection of drinks—no piña coladas, and many other menu items were unavailable due to missing ingredients. At lunch in Salaka, only about five items from the entire menu were available. I managed to get a piña colada there, but my husband couldn’t because I had taken the last one. To make matters worse, the pool bar was closed for two days in a row. Guests had to leave the pool—soaking wet—and go to Pembois Restaurant for drinks, which also had a very limited selection. Having experienced true all-inclusive resorts in other countries, I can say this falls far short, and even compared to our previous visits, this stay was disappointing. we actually downgraded from all-inclusive to breakfast-only because it simply wasn’t worth the cost. I’ve been coming here since it was the Hilton, and the standard back then was much higher. This hotel has great potential and is a true asset to Tobago, but it desperately needs strong state-led management and investment. On the positive side, our room was clean and well-maintained throughout the stay. Pool towels were generally available—on the rare occasions they ran out, we were able to get them later. I sincerely hope changes are made soon, because I’d love to see this hotel return to the standard it once had.

We had a five night all inclusive stay. The hotel is set about a mile from the main road, in an old plantation. The grounds are well maintained and the golf course looks very nice too. The staff were very friendly and went out of our way to talk to us. Our room was of good size. The room probably does need a little bit of maintenance, such as the shower being able to adjust the temperature and pressure, but it was still perfectly adequate. There is a safe, fridge, TV and AC; all in good order. The food was fine, as was the service. There are four places to eat in the evening, but there are only two available at any one time. Now the drawback: seaweed. I believe this is causing problems throughout the whole Caribbean. The beach is inaccessible because of this and also it is quite rough (Atlantic side). There is also the smell. There is a free shuttle/taxi to nearby Pigeon Point Beach. Please note you have to pay to enter, hire sunbeds and parasols. But ignore a previous post which leads you to believe the prices are in US $, but they are in TT $, so the prices are not ridiculous. There is supposed to be maintenance planned and I would like to return. But please do something about the seaweed. Get the authorities involved, because the resort has so much potential and the staff so friendly.

Visited in July for a week. This was our 4th visit over about 10 years or so. We will not be returning. Only Rating 3star only because of the staff, who try their best to look after guests and overall the food was good. The seaweed smell knocked us sick (absolutely no attempt was made to clear the seaweed while we were there!). The hotel is falling apart and needs to be closed for repairs and upgrade to facilities. The staff are a credit to hotel and if they were to carry out upgrades and clean the seaweed regularly, then overall it would be a better experience. We all know that seaweed is a natural occurance, but at all other caribbean resorts they make an effort to clear it so guest can enjoy thir hard earned holiday.

It's a nice and safe place for your family. The balcony and patio gives you a wonderful scenic view, however, there was an influx of sargassum seaweed that gave a very pungent odor. The breakfast was wonderful and the pool was amazing.

This property is located on the water and has beautiful views, along with a golf course. The staff is very friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. The Wi-Fi is great. The property is a little dated and could use some serious updates but the rooms are very clean and well-kept. What would really make this property outstanding is if they would invest in removing the seaweed from the beach so guests can enjoy it and clean the windows in the main lobby especially so the ocean view is clearly visible. Other than that, I’ll definitely be visiting again.