Miller’s Guest House

Miller’s is a family-run establishment that traces its roots to the 1950s, when the current owner’s grandmother ran it as a simple room-and-board-style guest house. Two generations later, her grandson Winston Pereira took the reigns, and his outsized personality is a highlight of every visit. He expanded and renovated the guest house into its current budget-friendly incarnation. With its oceanfront location across from the fisherman’s pier, it’s no surprise that decor is nautical. The exterior is painted rich blues, big conch shells are scattered throughout the grounds, and starfish adorn the ocean-view restaurant’s pillars. There’s also a great outdoor patio that overlooks the bay. Since it’s a budget guest house, the style here is simple and guests are often backpackers and travelers who create a lively, friendly vibe. As a result, it’s easy to meet fellow travelers to trade stories and advice into the evening hours.

Miller’s Guest House is located on a hill overlooking Buccoo Point, a peninsula that pierces the beautiful Buccoo Bay, one of the island’s best snorkeling and diving spots. Just in front of the guest house, daily tours of of Buccoo Bay depart and fishermen unload and clean their day’s catch. Within a three-minute walk are restaurants serving Trinidadian cuisine, a bakery, shops, and a few bars. A four-minute walk up the road is Healing with Horses, an organization that rescues horses and offers horseback riding tours of the bay, beach, and mangroves. Sunday School, a weekly party where locals take in steel pan band performances is next to Buccoo Beach, and a five-minute walk from Miller's.

The closest swimmable, sandy beach is a five-minute walk from the guest house but also near where fishermen park their small wooden boats. Other nearby beaches include Pigeon Point, one of the island’s most popular beaches that's a 22-minute drive from the hotel. Another popular public beach (that often gets crowded with locals) is Store Bay Beach, a 17-minute drive. Millers is a 25-minute drive to the jetty for ferries to Port of Spain and a 15-minute drive to ANR Robinson International Airport.

We wouldn’t call the rooms at Miller’s stylish, but at their price point, they’re a decent value. Rooms can be small and are mixed bag when it comes to amenities and decor, but expect hardwood furniture, small TVs (only some of which are flat-screen units) with satellite channels, and air-conditioning. All units also have free Wi-Fi. Fully tiled bathrooms in all rooms are basic, with stall showers and bar soap.

Miller’s choicest offering is the Sea View Apartment, a multi-room suite with sea views. It has a king bed with a fold out twin bed, lots of light, and a large stand-up wardrobe. It also includes a kitchen stocked with a four-burner gas range and oven, full-size refrigerator, blender, and other standard amenities and gadgets. However, only the bedroom is air-conditioned in this unit.

Miller’s is a pretty bare bones when it comes to features. The oceanfront Luvinia’s Restaurant and Bar’s is named after the owner’s grandmother and run by the current owner’s daughter. The restaurant serves tasty breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and specializes in seafood, Trinidadian, and international cuisines. Happy hour drink specials are offered and on Sundays it serves a “Come On Home” breakfast of local specialties. Next to the restaurant is a great terrace with sea views. The hotel can assist in arranging car rentals, tours, and airport and ferry terminal transfers. They also rent snorkeling equipment, beach chairs, and beach towels (all for a fee). There’s a book exchange in the lobby and free gated parking out back. Laundry service is available and there's free Wi-Fi throughout.