Mayaro Bay

Mayaro Bay curves for about nine miles, some fourteen kilometres, along the southeastern coast, which makes it the longest beach in Trinidad, backed by coconut palms and holiday houses rather than by hotels. It faces the open Atlantic, so the surf is heavy and the sand is brown rather than white, and it functions as the domestic holiday beach: Trinidadian families rent beach houses here for Carnival, Easter and August. Offshore oil platforms are visible from the sand.

What to look for

• The length - about fourteen kilometres of continuous Atlantic beach.
• The beach houses - the rented holiday houses that define the coast here.
• The surf - heavy Atlantic swell rolling in along the whole bay.
• The coconut backdrop - palms running behind the sand the length of the bay.

When to go

January to May is driest. Easter and August holidays fill the beach houses. Weekdays out of season are almost empty.

Practical notes

Currents and surf are strong and there are few lifeguards. The sand is brown and littered in places. Oil industry infrastructure is visible offshore and onshore.

Nearby

Manzanilla is north, and Moruga is west.

Key facts