THE STORY OF A FEMALE PIONEER IN THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR IN TOBAGO -THE MATRIACH OF BUCCOO POINT : LUVINIA MILLER

Travellers throughout the world have always sought hospitable places to rest and eat. The history of the Miller’s Guest House in Tobago goes back many years but has always involved the essential concept of hospitality. Built in 1951 and substantially remodelled to meet modern day standards , the Miller’s Guest House in Tobago still captures the ambiance of a traditional guest house of long ago ,with architecture that evokes the tranquil lifestyle of people the mid-1900s. This family operated guest house was a pioneer establishment in the accommodation sector in Tobago.
The first owner Mrs Luvinia Miller , of mixed ethnicity left her home in Barataria to move to Tobago in the 1940s to visit her family members. Luivina who was fondly referred to by many as a Matriarch of Buccoo Point, while in Tobago fell in love with Dusty Miller an inter-island steamship captain and got married. Her family in Tobago , in what seems inconceivable by today’s real estate standards, sold her a plot of land near Buccoo Bay for $50.00 and together with her husband who spent most of his time at sea they built a charming home on the plot of land near the Buccoo beach front. When Winston talks of his mum, the first thing that comes to his mind is her warm spirit, kindness and hospitality.
Winston, the Miller’s son says his underlying memory of his mum is of the kitchen. Along with the many baking delights she was a great cook. They say the kitchen is the heart of the home and this was certainly the case with Luvinia. It was here she put her magical culinary skills to work by preparing mouth - watering dishes and delicious breads, cakes and pastries. "She always did make time to put good food on the table, even when there wasn't a lot of money to prepare it," Winston said.
Dunstan and Luvinia soon started welcoming and entertaining guests at their charming house. Dustan while on shore leave would often invite his colleagues on ship to have a meal prepared by his wife and offer them a place to spend the night.Now in the 1940s and 50s Tobago was not as developed as it is now .There were no restaurants as obtains today and meals were home- made . It was the era before Tobago was fully developed and tourists to its shores were limited in numbers , the days when backpackers came looking for adventures. In taking about his mom Winston claims that it was his mum’s culinary skills and hospitable nature that served as the catalyst to transform the Miller’s Home into a Guest House.
According to Winston, one day a back packer who happened to be passing through Buccoo Point on an island trek , smelt the aroma of food being cooked . He followed the sent of the aroma by tracking along the beach and stopped in front of the Miller’s Home from where the aroma of cooked food was coming . He called out to the owners and when Luvinia came out he said “ Ma , I am hungry and can’t find anything to eat . Would you be kind enough to offer me something to eat ". Being the kind hearted , hospitable person she was Luvinia invited the stranger into her home and provided him with a home cooked meal. After the meal the stranger inquired if she had a spare room he could rest for the night. Luvinia , being the compassionate soul that she was let the weary traveller spend the night in one of her rooms for which he paid a small fee the next morning on his departure. At that time the thought of converting her home into a guest house never entered her mind. But from time to time she did provide accommodation and meals to any traveller, including newly married couples seeking a retreat who wanted to stay at the Miller’s House.
After some years of marriage, Dunston her husband became ill and eventually lost his eyesight. Luvinia ‘s world changed drastically since she was now burdened with the responsibility of taking care of her ill husband as well as finding money to buy foodstuff and other basic amenities to upkeep her family . In 1951 realisation dawned on Luvinia that she could make an income by providing accommodations and meals to weary traveller or couples looking for that ideal retreat to spend their vacation.The property was ideally located on the beach front , making it even more attractive to travellers and visitors to the island. Thus the idea of establishing Miller’s Guest House for travellers and visiting tourists from other countries was born in 1951.
The newly created guest house soon became a successful enterprise due to the Mrs Miller’s cooking skills, sociable nature and friendly personality. Talk soon spread of the Miller’s Guest House in Tobago that offered delicious home cooked meals and a friendly, relaxed, easy-going, social place to stay. With the passage of time Luvinia soon earned the name as the Matriarch of Buccoo Point. With her small business enterprise, she was able to support herself and her family.
Today the manager and owner Winston Pereira, carries on his mother’s legacy. Renovations have been done to the original structure and modern amenities have been added to keep trend with modern times. The Miller’s Guest House even has an onsite restaurant a bar overlooking Buccoo Beach which is named after Luvinia. Efforts have been made by Winston, however, to retain the character of the First Miller’s Guest House. Like his mother ,he too lives in the Guest House with his family and is always around if you need to find out about places to visit in Tobago . He still retains his mother’s legacy of a communal kitchen area where guests are free to prepare their own meal if they so desire .On any given day Winston can be seen interacting with his guests making sure they are comfortable feel right at home. "My mom was amazing,” Winston said "Anyone who came to the Miller’s house was welcomed”. He remembers the warmth and hospitality she showed to anyone that came to her house and now that he is the owner he tries to follow in her footsteps . His mum was his source of inspiration and now he too is creating his own story and legacy of the MILLER’S GUEST HOUSE in Tobago.
Photo of Luvinia was shared with me by present owner and manager of Miller’s Guest House Winston Pereira. (Source: Virtual Museum of T&T, August 5, 2002)