On holiday with my daughter at Grand Courlan Spa resort. From 14th April to 26th April 2007
The first night when we arrived at the hotel, we were told of a cruel instance of animal abuse by hotel staff. There was a stray dog, one of the” beach dogs” foraging for food around the hotel. She is a lovely docile black puppy about 5 months old. A party of guests were on the dance floor being taught Latin American Dancing, when the rather large bar lady decided to throw a pot of what was probably almost boiling water over the dog. The dog squealed and yelped in pain and ran off.
We were befriended by the dog the next day and gave it food and water. The dog appeared to be relatively uninjured, but the fur on her upper left leg appeared very mangy. By the second day, bald patches began to appear in this area of her legs and these patches continued to grow larger. The exposed skin appeared blistered and septic, caused by the original injury and its continued exposure of bare skin to a very strong sun. It was quite clear that the dog was in considerable pain and distress.
I found an advertisement for the Tobago S.P.C.A and contacted them about the dog. A Mrs. Phillips came promptly eventually the dog was taken to their shelter to receive veterinary attention although this took 2 days to achieve due to lack of funds for the appropriate equipment required, a donation was given to her by us at this point. She also approached the hotel management regarding this situation, and while they freely admitted that a hotel staff member was responsible, they flatly refused to take any action that would help the dog. This attitude was made worse by the fact that, after the original incident, and despite seeing that the dog was in obvious distress, we witnessed other staff members, on a number of occasions, kicking at the dog, in attempts to drive it away. Incidentally the female Hotel owner just happens to be a life member of the T.S.P.C.A.
This incident of animal abuse was not the only one that occurred at the Grand Courlan during our stay. Another guest at the hotel found a little puppy, literally dying from a broken leg, on the beach used by the hotel guests. In her compassion, she personally took the puppy to the Tobago S.P.C.A by taxi. We understand that she is presently making arrangements to bring the puppy back to the UK and has also donated a chipping device to the TS.P.C.A. We, and some other hotel guests, are in the process of sponsoring the dog who was scalded with boiling water.
It should be made clear that we did not object at all to the presence of beach dogs, (and cats), around the hotel. I would say that they probably provide a useful function in reducing the vermin near and around the hotel. What is at issue is the cruel and callous attitude demonstrated by the hotel and staff of the Grand Courlan. The fact that they told us, before our departure, that the women who threw the boiling water at the dog had been dismissed, in no way makes amends for the other acts of animal cruelty that witnessed. It was these acts of cruelty which ruined, what we had hoped would have been, an enjoyable vacation.
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Welcome to Ciao! Sorry for the lower rating and whilst I find it horrific what happened you would be better off posting this review in a different category as there's not much about Trinidad and Tobago in the review. x
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Advantages: Sun and warmth all year round, beautiful beaches, great for families or singles Disadvantages: Tourists tend to be ripped off with prices and you need a car to get around
May 14th, 2007
helpful by (75%):
somewhat helpful by (25%):
