13th Anniversary

Our trip started by checking into our Southwest flight from Baltimore to Jamaica 24 hours in advance.

And the next morning, we were on our way.

We were running a little late, so we had no time to relax (yet).

The gate was crowded and we still had about 10 minutes before our group was called…

So I had a bloody mary.

Kelli relaxed on the 3.5 hour plane ride…

And then we arrived in the Sandals hospitality suite at the airport in Jamaica.

Let the all inclusive drinking begin.

Our bags were toted to the shuttle for us…

And we got the last seats on the shuttle so we had to sit in the single, back-to-back seats (We ended up riding tandem like this a few times on the trip).

8 hours after we walked out the front door of our house we arrived at the resort.

Oh, did I tell you we have a butler?

While waiting for our room to be ready we decided to grab some grub.

See that marlin sandwich I got? We loved it so much we came back every.single.day and got it.

We have two butlers, and this is Shawn.

We were in villa #5…

Room 7213 (Scott, our other butler was on hand to greet us).

The butler service is absolutely outstanding!!! All the little touches make such a huge difference.

Kelli, happy to be in her Jamaica bubble.

Outside our balcony, we had a private pool (that we shared with the other 3 units in our villa).

We had a one bedroom, as we do for many vacations, so Kelli can get up early and do her own thing.

And I could stay in the bedroom and sleep.

The bathroom was very large…

And Kelli was looking forward to having many baths.

As I’m writing these captions, I realized I never sat in the chairs to the right.

We had a quick dip in our private pool…

And looking up at the room, decided it may be best to be a little more social…

So we headed down to the main pool.

I headed right to the pool bar and got a drink of the day for Kelli, and an Appleton and Coke for myself.

Cheers!!!

So at this point we’ve been at the pool less than an hour, and we have met the group of friends that we will end up spending the rest of the week with drinking. So we toasted, “Yachi Da!!”

Testing throwing the camera in the air to get a picture from above the pool. More on that later.

Monique, our favorite poolside (and Polo Lounge) server.

Drinking in a hot tub, always a great idea.

So as the moon rose over the Caribbean Sea we decided it was time to get ready for our night out.

While Kelli took a bath…

I worked on getting our going out shot for the night setup.

And here we are ready to go out!!

If you know Kelli, you know that she LOVES lobster.

Our first day on the resort was a lot of fun!!

We came home and found this little guy on our door.

Butler Scott brought us breakfast on the balcony the next morning.

It’s a good life, and someone has to live it, might as well be us.

The resort is actually split in two, so we rode tandem in the shuttle down from the mountain…

To the beach…

Which is where the dive shop was located.

We were given a tour of the lower part of the resort (I referred to as “downtown”) during our visit (with us living “uptown”).

A waterfall on property.

We tried the fish sandwidh “downtown”, but it sucked. “Uptown” had the butlers, and in line with that, everything at the top of the resort tended to be better.

I kicked Kelli’s butt in some shuffleboard.

And then we went to the dive shop to get ourselves ready for the first of 9 dives we did on the trip.

Lionfish are an invasive species, so you are allowed to hunt and kill them anytime, no limits.

Instead of showing you pictures from each dive, here is an assortment of pictures from the first dive.

While Kelli napped poolside, I went with some friends we met diving to hang out and drink some beer.

When we got back to the room, there was a voodoo towel on our bed…

So Kelli and I had fun with the night’s going out shot.

We headed to the pier “downtown” for a nice dinner at one of the restaurants (one in which only butlered guests are allowed).

The weather the whole time we were there was perfect.

It should have been with an “I”, not a “Y”.

Romance.

Dinner was decent…

But I must admit, I was three sheets to the wind.

Afterwards we went to a bar that overlooked the pier for some more drinks.

The next morning, and this was on our doorstep.

We decided to take the day off from diving, and went for a run to start the day.

After the run, it was back down to the main pool for some relaxing.

I’m testing throwing the camera again, but the camera I use for diving dosn’t have a wide enough lens to get what I want.

So I took a break from throwing the camera and grabbed some pizza for Kelli and I.

We were given a phone for calling our butler, and she was making the arrangements for the evening.

I ran back to the room and got my GoPro, which has a wider lens.

And after about 20 tries, I got the shot I wanted.

I made quite the spectacle, and Kelli was embarrassed by my attempts to get the picture.

Our new friends were in the pool too, and Kerry and I had fun on our floats.

The pictures you think are funny when you’re drunk.

Another of the new friends, Scott. He and I were both married on Aug 15th.

Red Stripe was pretty much the only beer one could find on the island, so here is the obligitory beerporn.

Our butler Scott stopped by to restock our beer (it seems we had been drinking for almost 2 hours on the balcony), and this is the picture of the Scotts.

Getting set up for the night’s going out picture…

And when Kelli was ready she joined me.

We were eating “downtown” again, so we waited for the shuttle…

And this time didn’t have to ride tandem.

There was a beach party going on…

But we made our way up to the bar from the night before…

And found a romantic spot.

We headed back to the beach party…

Met up with our friends…

And then headed back to our top-side bar.

And proceeded to have a night of silliness.

When we arrived home at 1:30am, Kelli decided to order some room service.

The next morning, it was back to the pool to start all over again.

Happy!!!

To make sure we looked fashionable each night, we paired our outfits so we matched.

What good would staying at a resort with a spa be if you didn’t use the spa.

We were prepped…

And then given our massages.

Relaxed after a good rub down.

“Drink lots of water the rest of the day”, said the masseuse.

While I was at the pool, Kelli came home to a surprise bath drawn by the butler before she arrived (yes, it was still very hot).

Our shot before heading out for the night.

BTW, this was my going out to dinner buzz.

We headed “downtown” to meet our group at the Japanese steakhouse, Kimonos.

This restaurant requires closed-toed shoes, and it seems Scott and I bought the same shoes from the gift shop.

It was the same thing you would expect in your local Japanese steakhouse…

And the food was alright.

There was a show going on at the amphitheater…

But we opted for the piano bar.

The bar was empty when we arrived…

But an hour later things were in full swing.

The girls were really getting into the show.

Not caught in these pictures is the fact that we lost Kelli for a little bit.

She went the wrong way…

But we found her later on the shuttle to go back “uptown”.

Our break from diving was over, and it was time to get back in the water.

On our first dive back in, we had the excitment of seeing a large (4-5 foot shell) turtle.

It is always really cool to see something this big.

We weren’t able to get on the afternoon dive (it was already full), so we decided to head into the real downtown, Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Our butler service provided us with a very posh ride for the trip.

We first went to the market, which is a fun place to walk around and buy your various mementos from the trip.

It was stall after stall of tourist-minded assortments.

Beer was available too, of course, and while we drank I told Kelli to get her hair braided.

I ended up getting a couple braids, too.

$2 per braid, and she would have done her whole head if I hadn’t stopped her at 3. (they work fast, so you have to watch them)

We needed to use the restroom…

And from the upstairs area of the restroom you could see the store Diamonds Forever. Ask Kelli about that store.

The bathroom was surprisingly clean and well maintained.

Back by the market we found this guy selling local fruit, so I bought some guinep and was shown how to eat it properly. (I liked it)

Our driver, Mr Howard, had returned to take us back to the resort.

Some of the things we bought that afternoon.

After all that fun, it was time for a bath.

Getting setup for the night’s going out shot…

And this is how the camera was set.

You can just make out the beads in my hair in this picture. My beautiful island bride was ready…

So we headed out for the white party.

Our first stop was at the sushi bar, where I forgot to take pictures of the sushi.

Afterwards we headed to the Sandals returning guest party. For the record, from left to right: Scott, Liz, Kerry, Gary, Kel, and me.

Kelli decided she was stuffed and tired and was going to bed (at 8:30pm)…

But I went back for the chocolate party.

Lots of chocolate was on hand for eating.

Everything was very decadent and tasty.

We grabbed a poolside table and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

The next day after our dive, we headed to a smaller pool near the big pool to relax while our lunch was being made.

While I haven’t had a lot of pictures of this sandwich, I assure you we ate it every day.

Coming home from our second dive of the day, and we found this in our bedroom.

There was a butler party that we headed out to next (I bought that shirt at the market)…

But it was sorta lame…

So we changed into our evening attire and took our going out picture at the bar (another shirt I bought at the market).

My Greek goddess awaits the shuttle.

Our third time in the tandem seat.

Dinner that night was on the beach…

And then drinking with our scuba friends afterwards.

We shot some pool, but decided some fresh air would be better…

So we went for a stroll along the water.

The day of our anniversary had arrived, and this is what greeted us when we opened the door.

Back on the dive boat, and this is what the resort looks like from the water. The two orange roofs at the top center is where the running picture from earlier in the trip was taken.

Post dive and ready for….

Our favorite lunch!!!

On our second dive later that day, we saw a small stingray…

And another turtle!! This one had a 2-3 foot shell. It was also about 50-75 feet away, which is why the pictures aren’t that great.

Back in the pool and we were trying to do a funny underwater shot, but the water was too cloudy (presumably from all the drinks spilled in it)…

So we opted for an above water shot. BTW everyone poolside was watching these antics.

We moved over to the hot tub, and Gary made a drink run for everyone.

My, that is a good looking posterior.

We came back to the room and found voodoo towels that took things to a whole new level. They used our clothing, and even put my camera with my voodoo doll.

Fortunately, they had also drawn a bath for us to wash away our worries.

Our anniversary dinner was a five course wonder of deliciousness at Valentino’s.

Seated two tables behind us are Kerry and Gary, who suprised us with a celebratory song and toast.

After dinner we met up with everyone at our usual haunt.

Kelli got lost again, and just like last time, we found her at the second “downtown” stop (she had gotten on at the first stop by the dive shop).

As a group, we had developed a nightly ritual of ending the evening with drinks in the “uptown” bar The Polo Lounge.

Keep in mind, after a week of drinking, we’re all well marinated.

Our second to last dive, and we finally saw a large school of fish.

I also found a 4 foot eel.

Our butler picked us up from the dive shop and drove us back “uptown”.

From there, I relaxed in the pool.

The time had come for our last dive of the trip…

And we dove a ship wreck…

And some really cool caverns.

This was the dive we had missed the day we went into town…

So we were happy to get the chance to dive the site.

One of the best dives of the trip.

Our end of the trip dive group. It was perfect.

There is another Sandals resort next door, but you’re only allowed there if you are staying at that resort.

All units at that resort are butler units…

And we only got to go because somone on our shuttle needed to take a ride over.

With the dive portion of the trip over, it was time to take the dive gear back to the room.

Our last night on the resort, and this was our going out shot. There was a Ravens pre-season game, hence the purple.

We had a pre-dinner drink next to the pool.

And then took some time to explore a few places we never got a chance to see.

I wonder how often these get used?

We actually used the “downtown” exercise room when we went for our run, not knowing there was one “uptown” as well.

For our final dinner we ate at the same place we had dinner the first night.

Shawn the butler stopped by to serve us drinks and say hello.

Kelli was in all her glory with not one, not two, but three lobster tails. I had the swordfish.

Because one Ravens shirt isn’t enough.

In case you hadn’t noticed, a lot of the shots intentionally featured the Sandals logo (as of this photo in the set, 23 photos).

Nathan though it was funny, and wanted me to add one more (which now makes the 24th and final).

Our last voodoo towel was a turtle.

We had breakfast delivered to the room the next morning…

And then left the room for the last time.

In the butler suite in the main building, Kelli made herself a cup of coffee…

And then we left the resort as we had come, in tandem on the shuttle.

I’m not sure why, but in the 1.5 hour ride to the airport there are a LOT of unfinished buildings.

We arrived at the airport…

But our luxury trip wasn’t over yet.

We made our way to the VIP lounge for snacks.

I made Kelli a plate of treats…

And we had a few drinks before…

…doing our airport shopping.

On the plane ride home we feasted on local snacks I picked up in the VIP suite.

And 9 days after our trip began it had finally come to an end. I’m ready to go back!!!