Accommodation in the region is limited, with most hotels geared more towards business people rather than to tourists and options getting very spotty "down south" on the peninsula which frames the Gulf. The highly rated Cara Suites in Pointe-A-Pierre is the only standout. The southern tip surprisingly has nothing to speak of despite its scenic space on the island.

Restaurants do not get much beyond Indian, Chinese and fast food. There's are many small bars and rum shops and the occasional club, often located in a shopping mall.

Trinidad's busy second city, San Fernando, populated predominantly by people of Indian descent,  is built on hills including the most famous in Trinidad ---San Fernado Hill. San Fernando is very much a Carnival city, experiencing a full build-up to its own wide assortment of competitions in Skinner Park as well as energetic parades.
It makes an easy connection with Port of Spain via the Uriah Butler–Solomon Hochoy Highway.

Places To Stay: Southwest

carahotels.com/ Cara Suites 659-2271 Southern Main Road, POBox 4185 Claxton Bay,  Pointe-A-Pierre Average price*: $157 minutes from San Fernando free high speed internet access throughout the hotel. Opening another hotel at the airport in 2008 Ranks #2 of 44 hotels in Trinidad in TripAdvisor's popularity index This is a beautiful hotel, the rooms with the balcony was gorgeous, the view of the pierre was quite "breathtaking". The hotel itself and bar area is quite lavish and the food was delicious,

marions-place.com Marion’s Place 13 rooms 15 Railway Avenue, Plaisance Village Pointe-A-Pierre Tel: 868 659 2584/4688 Fax: 868 659 2584 Owner/Manager: Audrey Smart Just 10 mins away from the Wild Fowl Trust and 45 mins from the Pitch Lake. Situated just 10 mins from the city of San Fernando, 5 mins north of the Petrotrin oil refinery and 8 mins south of the industrial estate of Point Lisas. Facilities include a swimming pool and conference room, television in room,

Tradewinds in St. Joseph Village (868) 652-WIND.

Aksent Villa, St. Joseph Village (868) 683-2413

pariasuites.com/ South Trunk Road, La Romain, Trinidad Tel: 1 (868) 697-1442 / 1443 64 rooms The 100 plus staff member team at Paria Suites Hotel & Conference Centre understand that small things make a big difference. Services include a business center, high-speed internet access, currency exchange, courier and taxi service and secretarial service. Other facilities include wedding and event planning, swimming pool, conferencing and banqueting facilities, restaurants and laundry service.

Gulf View, La Romaine (868) 653- 0120,796-6005.

San Fernando

royalhoteltt.com/ Royal Hotel (1978) Limited 46-54 Royal Road, San Fernando, Trinidad WI Phone/fax: 868-652-4881  60 rooms All rooms and suites are air-conditioned and outfitted with modern facilities for your every comfort, including wireless internet access. Ideally suited for weddings, cocktail parties and seminars. Restaurants available.

tradewindshotel.net Tradewinds Hotel and Members Club 36-38 London Street, St. Joseph Village San Fernando Tel/Fax: 868 652 9463 40 rooms Business visitors have the convenience of easy access to all major business centres in San Fernando, Pointe – a – Pierre, Point Lisas and Point Fortin. The hotel has complimentary safes, swimming pool, poolside grill and bar, gym and spa facilities, business centre, complimentary high-speed internet access, conference room and offers a complimentary airport shuttle.

Harry's Guest House , San Fernando, Trinidad - (868) 652-2038

Hotel Tokyo 43-45 St. James Street, San Fernando, Trinidad - (868) 652-3257

Kalke Hotel   Rooms: 7 price*: $58 60 North Street, St.Joseph Village, San Fernando, 60 868-657-4951 FAX: 868-657-4951

Royal Hotel on Royal Road (868) 652-3924 / 4481

Venus Hotel 22 Shah Street, San Fernando, Trinidad - (868) 653-3847

The fastest-growing urban area in Trinidad, Chaguanas is the heart of the sugar-belt, crowded and bustling. Novelist V. S. Naipaul's family lived in the Lion House, not far from the highway. A mile or two south, on the Southern Main Road, traditional potters produce and sell Indian craft.  As you come in on Main Road you'll think you've miraculously arrived in Calcutta. A hodgepodge of shops sell Indian clothing, jars of spicy chutney, and Bollywood music.

Most of the historical sights and shops are located on and around the Harris Promenade , a broad, elegant boulevard running west from the foot of the hill.  High Street is San Fernando's main shopping street, lined with clothes stores and street vendors. At its southern end is Happy Corner , location of a few renovated colonial buildings and King's Wharf , where you can buy fresh snapper, kingfish and shark at the local fish market. On Carib Street

stands the city's oldest building, the Carib House - an eighteenth-century Spanish colonial building - while neighbouring Coffee Street is home to many of the south's steel bands , including the highly acclaimed Fonclaire.

The population was estimated to be 62,000 as of 2002. The former Borough of San Fernando was elevated to the status of a city on November 18, 1988. The motto of San Fernando is: "Sanitas Fortis" - In a Healthy Environment We Will Find Strength.

San Fernando Hill:  now a national park of 65 acres and 200 metres high is quite a site with flattened with steep protruding points. The hill the result of past quarrying activity - overshadows the town centre and makes for a pleasant recreation area with picnic tables, a childrens' playground and panoramic views. 
The San Fernando Hill is the most popular of South Trinidad's landmarks on clear days, one can even catch a glimpse of the Northern Range and an outline of neighboring Venezuela.
The Hill, the top of which is 586 feet above sea level, was once a source of construction-grade limestone. Quarrying stopped 20 years ago when playwright James Lee Wah headed a citizens' action group to protest against its continued destruction. The Roman Catholic Church for its annual Good Friday re-enactment walk of the Stations of the Cross and it is the spot chosen by many newlyweds for wedding photos. Open 9am-6pm daily  

Villa Capri in San Fernando is the only place with good reviews in Trinidad for sex tourists according to worldsexguide.com. Price is 200TT for a 1/2 hour.

There are no buses or maxis traveling within San Fernando, and route taxis charge a flat fare of TT$2 for most journeys, with an added dollar or two for off-route drops; you can hail one on any main street. . San Fernando is the hub of the south's transport system; from here you can catch maxis, buses and taxis to Port of Spain, La Brea, Princes Town and Point Fortin.

Caroni Lagoon National Park

Caroni Bird Sanctuary   Off of Uriah Butler Highway Caroni, TT Curepe, Port-of-Spain, or San Fernando +1 868 645 1305 The third largest swamp [337 Acres] in Trinidad. At least 157 species of birds inhabit it.  Fish and Fauna abound.Visit the nesting grounds of the stunning scarlet ibis on a boat trip through eerie mangrove swamps.  In Search of the Ibis The scarlet ibis return to roost at sunset; boat tours start in the late afternoon  About 60 percent of the mangroves found in Trinidad occur in the Caroni Swamp, covering approximately 30 square kilometers. The white mangrove is found scattered among the red and black mangrove areas and rarely form distant stands. Towards the landward side, the Button mangrove (Conocarpus erectus) occurs. The brackish areas to the east are occupied by a wide variety of shrubs and herbs. The entire area is a beautiful complex of flora and fauna, water and sky. The avifauna is rich  indigenous waterfowl or wildfowl, rely on our wetlands for feeding and nesting. Temperate species use them as important migratory stopping-off areas. Many birds  including the national bird, the Scarlet Ibis, depend on them for their survival. The diet allows the feathers of the red ibis to sparkle iridescently in sunlight Caroni Lagoon National Park: This new national park was recently commissioned to help preserve Trinidad's wildlife. The Caroni River is the largest river in Trinidad and Tobago, running for 40 km (28 miles) from its origins in the Northern Range on the island of Trinidad, through the northern lowlands of the Caroni Plains and enters the Gulf of Paria at the Caroni Swamp.

Lady of Montserrat -TORUGA RC CHURCH  located in the Montserrat Hills, Gran Couva. Built by French priest and architect Father Marie Jules Dupoux at the end of the 19th century. The restored stained glass windows depicting biblical scenes were made in France between 1880 and 1890.
However the reason most visitors come is elsewhere housed in a separate shrine is the Black Virgin statue, also called the Lady of Montserrat.
 
La Vega Garden Centre
Established in 1988, La Vega now has a huge collection of tropical plants and flowers, and is a good place to relax in or picnic among the bamboo groves. It is near Gran Couva, about 45 minutes from Port of Spain. There is no admission charge to the sales area, but tours of the estate should be booked in advance (tel. 653�6120; TT$10 per person for a group of 10, children under 12 TT$6).