Top 25 Cigars of 2012

With all the furore, excitement and debate surrounding Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 Cigars of 2012  I decided to do my own list. Only three Cubans are included in their list and seeing that I have little or no access to the other twenty two Cigars, I thought I would compile my personal favourites of 2012.

Bearing in mind that at the start of the year I was a complete novice. I had no idea of the rituals, etiquette or do's and don'ts when it comes to truly enjoying a 100% hand rolled Cigar. Throughout 2012 I have smoked a lot, and I mean A LOT of Cigars. Some were just OK, others I will try again and some were downright terrible. Compiled below are the Top 25 Cigars that I really loved.

My list was mainly decided on smoking experience  With a few of the Cigars included, I was overwhelmed by the flavours of Chocolate, Ceder, Coffee etc.. There are also Cigars included that I couldn't find a flavour if it was on a chart in front of me yet I still enjoyed smoking. I have also included Cigars that I have enjoyed because of the situation or surroundings I was in at the time of smoking each Cigar.

Finally I have included the Cigars I truly love, the Cigars that you don't have to pay attention to, the Cigars you enjoy while sitting around with friends, enjoying good company and solving the worlds problems. The Cigars that you hold in your hand, sitting back after hearing a good joke or story or maybe you're contemplating a though or idea and only breaking the silence to say
"This is a good Cigar"

Enjoy my List!!!!

1.Montecristo EL 2012 Grand Robusto

From the first draw of my first ever Monte El 2012 I fell in love with it. Full of Chocolate and Coffee and ending with a nice spice. This Cigar is Lush from start to finish and worthy of my Number one Cigar of 2012














2.Trinidad Fundadores

Sixteen years ago this was the rarest Cigar in the world. Only handed out by Castro to visiting diplomats. Thankfully it was released to the public in 1998. I love this Cigar!! Elegant and full of flavour it is a pleasure to smoke at any time or any occasion. If it hadn't been for my first experience with the Monte El 2012 this would have been my No.1 Cigar of 2012.

3.Vegas Robiana Unicos

A Go-To Cigar for me if I had enough of them. The VR Unicos seems to take on the flavour profile of whatever you are eating or drinking at the time and amazingly complements it. Well worthy of its place in the Top 3.













4.Partagas Series P No.2

This is my Go-To Cigar. A powerful spicy stick that never disappoints.

















5.Jose Blanco 5 Wrapper Cigar

The Fudadores may have been the rarest Cigar in the World in 1997. This is probably the current one. Made by Joya de Nicaragua solely for Jose Blanco's Wrapper Seminars. I was lucky enough to be sent one and participated in the seminar online. A fantastic smoke made all the better as Jose talks you through the characteristics of each wrapper and the effect it has on the blend. If you get the opportunity to smoke this Cigar don't pass it up. I may never smoke another in my lifetime.










6.Partagas 898

I sampled my first 898 in Havana and it was that good I went out and bought a box. Typical Partagas spice and with a smaller ring gauge that brings out more elegant flavours than the P2















7.Cohiba Siglo V

Cohiba is a brand that I tend to overlook. Probably the most well known brand in the world and a price tag that matches. I wont buy a Cigar just because it is a Cohiba. The Siglo V may have changed all of that. I have tried the Robusto, Esplendido's and a few of the Siglo range. None compared to the Siglo V. Again, a smaller ring gauge cigar, full of flavour that I now recognise as Cohiba. I just may have been converted.











8.Montecristo No.2

Another Go-To Cigar for me. Milder than the P2 but doesn't fall down on flavour. A great afternoon smoke with friends. You can light a Monte 2 and on each occasion you know exactly what you will get. Probably the most consistent Cigar I have ever smoked.














9.Romeo y Julieta No.1

I had smoked so many large ring gauge cigars in 2012 that the though of smoking another was putting me off. I needed a small, short, pleasant smoke for those evening when a 50+ Cigar was too much effort. I found this baby and have never looked back. I love it so much that I think I will be buying a box as soon as I can.
















10.Montecristo Petit Edmundo

Like a few others, this Cigar is placed largely on my first experience  I had just finished off a large meal and a few glasses of wine. I sat back, lit up the Petit Edmundo and lost myself for almost an hour. Any I have had since the first have also been top notch.















11.H. Upman Magnum 50

I dont smoke many H.Upmans and I sit here wondering why not. It is a brand I always forget to buy and based on the Magnum 50 I must be mad. A smooth rich easy smoke. Creamy and spicy at the same time. I really should try some more.








12.Grafton Reserve Salomon

This is a cigar I smoked early on in the year.  One of the Decent Cigar Emporium's own blends and it is delicious. When you walk into a Cigar Store and are faced with the array beautifully decorated bands and boxes its easy to forget the un-banded gem in the corner.













13.Partagas Series D No.4

Before I discovered the P2 this was my Go-To Partagas. I still love it. A small fat stick than never disapoints. Apparently the best selling Cigar coming out of Cuba today.
















14.Ramon Allones El 2011 Allones Extra

Another Cigar that I tried for the first time while in Cuba. I smoked it in the idyllic surroundings of the Hotel National's terraced area in Havana. It looked great, a nice shiny oily wrapper had me excited and the taste didn't let me down either.















15.Macanudo Vintage 2000

My first Macanudo Vintage was smoked on the Champs Elysees in Paris. I loved it. I have had a few since and each one has been as good. A nice treat when you can get them.
















16.Padron 6000

I picked up a couple of these one day without even thinking. I love a torpedo and they looked good. No more thought went into it. Thankfully it was a great choice. I have been told that there are better Padrons on the market. If they are better than the 6000 I will have to pick some up.















17.Trinidad Reyes

A lovely morning Cigar is what I was informed about the Reyes. Morning, Lunch, Afternoon, Night, having a shower, I dont care. This Cigar is good at any time. Typical Trinidad. Smooth and full of flavour.















18.Ramon Allones Specially Selected

I don't know if I would call this a Go-To Cigar. What it is for me is a Cigar I reach for when I cant make up my mind what to smoke. If I spend too long routing through my humidor I will just give up and smoke a RASS. I have never had a bad one.















19.Arturo Fuente Hemingway Work of Art

Doesn't it look great. No matter what anyone tells you, most Cigar choices are based on appearance and this cigar smoked as good as it looked. I had mixed experiences when it comes to Fuente Cigars. The Ugliest looking Cigar I have ever smoked was a Fuente Cuban Corona, however the WOA was superb.















20.Bolivar Belicoso Fino

Bolivar, like Cohiba, has a stigma attached to its brand. The most powerful Cuban you can smoke, only for the true aficionado, novice beware. In someways its true, they can blow your socks off however I found the Belicoso Fino to be bordering just below Full body. Be careful of the cut though, too little and it will be very harsh, too much and you risk losing your Cigar.















21.Montecristo Edmundo

The Big brother to the Petit Edmundo. Same flavour profile and just as good. I favour the Petit purely because as soon as you light it you are into the "Sweet Spot" of the Cigar. The Edmundo is on par, you just have to wait that little bit longer.
















22.Davidoff Classic Special R

Ahh the Special "R". This Cigar will always have my affection as it was my "Starter" Cigar when I took up my journey. Subtle and very creamy. How could you not like it?

















23.Davidoff Short Perfecto

Like the WOA it looks fantastic. Davidoff are a fantastic brand and when I want a change of pace from a spicy Cigar, I would reach for one.  I picked up a small pack of these in the Airport. A pleasure to smoke but I need to smoke more to get a real feel for them. They differ from the Special "R" because as well as all the creaminess coating your tongue there is a bit of a spicy kick that follows.










24.Punch Double Corona

I have not got into Long Cigars (Lonsdales aside) purely because I dont have the time to dedicate to smoking them. I dont see the point in lighting one if you are not going to enjoy it to the end. In saying that, I have had a few of these and they were very pleasent. You just need to give it the time it deserves.









25.Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill

This Cigar puzzles me. I could light one tonight and say its the best Cigar I ever had, light another next week and say its the worst. It barely made the list but I decided to include it for one reason. If you get a good one, you will love it!!

Happy New Year!!

January the 6th is called Little Christmas in Ireland.

It is also the 12th Day of Christmas. On this day the Decorations come down as it is said to be bad luck to take them down earlier; It is traditionally the end of the school holidays for all the kids; Another tradition states that any food left over from Christmas Day should be thrown out today. It worries me that people would still be eating leftovers eleven days after it was cooked.

So the Mrs dismantled the tree and packed it up for another year. Christmas ended well before today for the two of us. The Mrs was back in work on the 27th Dec and I was back on the 28th. Last year we spent Christmas in Paris with the Byrnes. We had a great time and apart from a few Christmas Markets it didn't feel very festive. This year in Dublin was the same.

Christmas Day was spent in the In-laws and Boxing Day (St.Stephens Day) was spent with the Byrnes. The 27th we met the Byrnes again for a few sociables in the city center.

The Byrnes, due to their new arrival, had not had a night out in almost a year. A few Long Island Ice Tea's later that fact was evident. A nice relaxing night ended up with the Byrnes parting company slightly drunk and very tired, or the other way around, i'm not sure!! Maybe next time the will listen to me and go for a nice meal before hand!!!!

It was back to the grindstone after that for everyone and especially me in the lead up to New Years Eve. For the 4th year in a row, Hollywood and I watched the (Now) world famous balloon drop in the Church Bar, hugged each other (In a manly way... really....it was!!!) and quietly contemplated what 2013 had in store.

The week just passed has seen me back in the day job as well as working the door. My cigar smoking has been very muted due to the weather as well as being far too tired to really enjoy a good smoke. I had a Macanudo Vintage 2000 on Christmas night and a Sosa Churchill on one of the other nights.

I followed them two cigars up with another two when I met Hollywood during the week. We met up for "one or two"  and about eight pints of Guinness later I had smoked a Tatuaje Mini Mum and a Ramon Allones Specially Selected.

I received a parcel in the post the next morning. Three fantastic Cigars from somebody in the states. The only problem was that I didn't have a clue who they were from. A lot of hours googling and tweeting later I found out they were sent by one of my fellow BOTL (Brother of the Leaf) @MattSRoss81. Thanks again for them!!

So that just leaves me to say I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and make sure to have a prosperous and healthy New Year. Just remember, It is a new year, a clean sheet, a blank diary. The only person stopping you from doing what you want is YOU!!!

Tatuaje Mini Mum

Sosa Churchill

RASS

Macanudo Vintage 2000

Cigars recieved from @MattSRoss81

A Christmas Catch Up

A Merry Christmas to everyone and apologies for the lack of Blog posts. It has been crazy over here!!

I will give you a brief update starting where we left off, our return from Cuba.

I met Hollywood for a long arranged post-Cuba cigar night. Cigars were smoked, cocktails were consumed and little did I know, I wouldn't have many more nights like that for a while.

Next up was the Blog Awards. I was one of the finalist's in the Best Mobile Compatible Blog. I went, I didn't win but I had a great night and met some great people especially the two behind the following great blogs, Me, Mine and Other Bits and Worth Doing Badly. Real names are omitted due to legal reasons!!!

The next bit of news was the biggest of the year. The Byrnes had a baby boy called Leon. Thank Higgs Boson it was a boy as I will be the Godfather and I don't think a girl would appreciate being dragged to watch football matches.

Speaking of Football. I am now the Manager of the team I joined in the summer, South William St. Celtic FC. We wont be taking on the European stage anytime soon but we are holding our own. I could dedicate a whole other blog to their antics so I wont delve further into it here.

My New Humidor also arrived during my blogging break. It is a Adorini Habana Deluxe. It holds around 300 cigars spread among a removable tray and space for boxes of cigars. 

The humidor was needed immediately as I had to store my Cuban cigars and the packages I received in the post. Most notably from Logan Lawlor. First of all he added a few extra cigars to the 3 pack of Monte Pascals that I won on #CigarChat and then, just before Christmas  I received another fantastic bundle of Cigars from him. 

I love getting cigars from the US as the majority of sticks I receive cannot be bought over her. That is the reason when I spotted that Buttheads were doing an offer on boxes of Tatuaje Little Monsters I just had to get one. Kevin is a great guy over there and is always eager to help even though shipping to Ireland is not a common thing for him. I was saddened to hear about the School Shooting that was so close to them and must have effected many of their customers family and friends. 

On a lighter note, a very good friend of mine, Mr.Black, has found love. I met him many years ago as a young, wet behind the ears, naive but eager young fellow. As he hailed from the same part of the country as me I took him under my wing and showed him the ways of the world. It up for debate how worldly my knowledge is but he has turned out alright and just recently proposed to his, now, fiance. I wish them both the best of look in the future.

So with a wedding on the horizon  a godson to spoil and with Christmas around the corner I ended up taking on another job. A friend of mine is owner of a very successful restaurant in Dublin city center. He needed staff, I needed the money, It was only logical that I accepted. It is polar opposite to my regular job of standing on a door  but working both funnily gives me an appreciating for the other (if that makes sense)

That brings me to my absence  Working early mornings in the restaurant, late nights on the door and football in between has seriously hampered my cigar smoking, tweeting, #CigarChats etc.. On the plus side my Cigar collection has grown dramatically.

I did however find a few hours one of the evening to join the Cigars.ie/ crew at their Christmas Herf. Smoking cigars with like minded Cigar enthusiasts is always a good thing and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I had to leave early, (work in the morning), however I ended bringing home a couple of fantastic cigars, one of which was a custom roll by Hamlet, one of the best torcedors to come out of Cuba. 

Before I knew it Christmas was upon me. Running around Dublin city center looking for presents is no easy task yet I got it done well before my usual panic of shopping on Christmas Eve. The Mrs outdone herself as well. This year I received a very nice selection of cigars along with a bottle of Middleton Barry Crocket. 

That kind of brings you all up to date. If I have forgotten anything or anyone I am truly sorry. I will also en-devour to keep my updates as regular as I can. A New Years Resolution if you will.

Anyway, I hope you all are enjoying the festivities and have a great time over Christmas. I will see you all in the New Year.

The Blog Awards

Little Leon

My New Humidor

#CigarChat Bundle from Logan

Christmas Bundle from Logan

Little Monsters from Buttheads

Inside the Box

Cigars from the Herf

Christmas Present from the Mrs - Cigars

New addition to the family

Christmas Present from the Mrs - Whiskey

Christmas Present from the Mrs - Book

From the Byrnes

Cuba Day 11: The Journey Home

The last few hours of our holiday and wouldn't you know it. The sun was shining.

The Mrs in her infinite wisdom had not packed any of or "Beach Supplies" so there we were, making our way to the beach for some last minute sunbathing.

We lasted two hours on the beach. In and out from under the shelter, dodging the rain and enjoying the brief glimpses of Sun that broke through the clouds. Within the two hours we probably got an even hour of sun and hour of rain.

Time was pushing on and we had to check out of our room so we abandoned the beach for the last time and went back to finish our packing. Bags packed and checked out we headed to the buffet for lunch. That was one thing I was not going to miss.

After forcing food into me, the rain was coming down hard again. We went to the games rooms for a few games of Ping-Pong and to the lobby bar for a farewell cocktail  In reality we were just killing time. I don't think either of us we too sad to be leaving.

Our pickup arrived at 3pm and once again we were the only ones in a small mini-van. As we drove towards the airport the sun finally came out. The Mrs fell asleep, I looked out the window as Cuba passed me by. I saw people going about their everyday lives, men working, kids playing, women carrying fruits. I was going to miss Cuba. Sandals wasn't Cuba in my eyes. Havana certainly was.

We arrived at the Airport around 5pm to find out that. due to the storm, our flights was delayed until 1am. We looked around a few shops and after being told there were lots more on the other side we got in line to check in.

It took forever. The queue for our flight almost wrapped around the whole departure lounge, after shuffling on for an eternity, we got checked in. Then came the Airport Tax. We had to pay 25CUC each to be allowed to leave Cuba. That queue moved fast enough, more than could be said about Immigration  Another age was spent shuffling along, sweating and for no apparent reason wondering if they will find something wrong with your passport.

On the other side of immigration was the security checkpoint. A bottle of water and a lighter were confiscated from us, we walked through the x-ray, collected our things and were greeted by a small shop that among other things, sold Water and Lighters.

It took a few hours to get through all the checks. Its harder to get out of Cuba than it is to get in to Fort Knox.

Once in departures we realised that we were duped. There was nothing there. One big shop, two smaller ones and a very limited food counter. We were starving at this stage and ended up eating a Cheese sandwich and cold fries. We devoured it.

We walked around the "Shops", which didn't take long and bought a bottle of rum and I purchased a 3 pack of Romeo y Julieta No.1. The little cigar shop, along with the advertising all over the airport, were pushing a cigar brand called Guantanamera. I have never smoked one and they were very cheep. I asked the woman in the store about them and by the look on her face I new they were not good. They were so cheep because nobody was buying them.

I bought a single anyway. You don't know unless you try.

So that was it for departures. Now it was a case of waiting around, smoking and playing games on my phone. It was after 130am before we finally boarded the plane. Tired, Hungry and Not Amused the flight back to Paris was torture. I would rather take a boat next time.

Once in Paris we went through similar checks again. This time not as stringent thank Higgs Boson, although our rum was confiscated  I explained to the guy that it was bough in a Duty Free shop in the departures lounge in Cuba. He didn't care (It wasn't bought in Paris Duty Free). We were given the option to check it in but the walk was too far and the Rum only cost 7CUC. We let him have it.

Departures in Paris was great, Shops, restaurants, massage chairs. Unfortunately / Fortunately we only had a short stop over. Our flights was again delayed but only by thirty minutes. The Mrs went off and bought bracelets and girly stuff and I went in search of Cigars.

The prices were more expensive than Cuba but cheaper than Ireland. Money was running very low at this stage so I only bought a 3 pack of Davidoff Perfecto's. (I love Davidoff)

So back on an Airplane  we were making our way back to Dublin. After enduring a hellish 9.5hr flight, this flight was a doddle.

Back in Dublin, the Mrs had a brief blonde moment as we went through Customs:
"Do we go through the Something to Declare gate" she said.
"Be quiet and just follow me" I mumbled angrily hoping nobody noticed the guilty heads on us.

Funny thing was that we were well below our allowance for Cigars and Alcohol. I just didn't want to take the chance.

Out of the Airport we went and not long after breathing in the Irish air again, we were back at home in the apartment.

Havana was fantastic and Sandals was an experience but for now, our Cuban adventurer was over!!!

Flip Flops

Watching Men Clean The Beach

Left For The Maid - Barely Used

Our Key Cards

The Mrs Bracelets 

My Cigars

Cuba Day 10: Rain Bathing

What was that? I had been so long since we had seen it. Could it be? Yes, there was a glimmer of Sunshine.

The Mrs catapulted herself out of bed and before I could even realise what was going on she had the bag packed and sun-cream on. I guess we were going to the beach!!

To her dismay, it was a better day from the inside looking out. We trundled on anyway and arrived at the beach. We got our usual spot, which wasn't hard considering there were only a handful off other people there. Towels down, sunscreen on, lounger situated for optimum sunshine, we were ready to get our tan on.

Then it rained.

We were in and out from under the cover of our parasol like a Jack in the Box. guessing when the rain would start and when it would stop. After an hour or so, shivering under our towels, we decided to give up.

We returned to the room for a shower and a change of clothes and to try to get a bit of heat back into our shivering bodies. Once recovered it was off the the buffet for lunch.

All this eating was wearing thin. I don't have a regular eating pattern at home and sometimes I even forget to eat. With the weather the way it was I had nothing to do but eat.

After Lunch we had a look around the few shops the resort had to offer. The Mrs bought a ridiculously over priced T-shirt and I flirted with the idea of buying more cigars. In the end I decided not too. Instead we went to the "Super-market" and bought a load of snacks to munch on while watching TV (Weather Channel)

It was a good job I did have the snacks as the buffet option that night was terrible. It was almost as if they brought out the leftovers from the week.

Entertainment time again and it was as bad as the buffet. Some auld granny trying to be cool while singing Beatles songs...badly!! It was so bad it was almost funny.

We met the Scots outside "Varaderos" after the show. We had a drink and a chat outside the club and were enjoying ourselves until the rain forced us to part. The Scots went off as the Mrs and I went to the lobby bar for a night cap.

When we got back to the room we started packing our clothes for our departure the next day. As the Mrs packed the clothes and I packed the cigars, Sunshine and Havana seemed a long time ago.

The Mrs Leaves Her Mark

Our View

A Little Brighter

Panoramic 

Cuba Day 9: Isaac Arrives

We awoke with a fright on Day 9, and a lot earlier than usual.

There was banging, hammering, thumping and rumbling sounds coming from out on the balcony. It was only 5:30am and we opened the curtains with alarm. It was as we feared but expected. Isaac had arrived!!

So we went back to sleep!!

When we awoke again, at a reasonable hour this time, Isaac was still raging. Is it Issac, Isaac or Isacc? I spelled it Issac in my last post but Wikipedia tells me its Isaac. Anyway, I digress.

I turned on the TV and scanned for the football (real football, not the American kind) Man Utd were playing Fulham but I failed to find it so I settled for Spurs vs West Brom. I couldn't tell you the score, I didn't really care but United ended up winning 3-2. That cheered me up a little but not so the Mrs who was once again denied her time in the sun.

After the football we went to the buffet for lunch. I got a humongous plate of prawns and while struggling to peel them, destroyed my shorts in the process. Too much hard work for not enough reward.

Lunch finished, we decided to have a look at the beach. The walkway was roped off but that wasn't going to stop us. We got to the end of the sand and the place was deserted, the sand was no longer golden and the sea looked just down right angry. It reminded me of home!

I come from a seaside town in Co.Donegal called Bundoran. It is a surfers paradise and if the people there saw what I was looking at, they would be running towards the water with a board under their arm.

Unfortunately I wasn't of that mindset so the Mrs and I headed back to the resort I decided to have a look in the Cigar Shop. I bought a few packs of cigars:

3 x Partagas Series P No.2
3 x Montecristo No.2
3 x Montecristo Petit Edmundo

Cigars in hand we headed back to the room to watch the weather channel and some movies. I had planned for a relaxing holiday but I didn't expect it to be spent watching TV in my room.

That evening it was the turn of the Seafood A La Carte. A nice meal but for me, the worst of the A La Carte options. I had Seafood Cocktail to start followed by a tepid Tomato soup. My main was a Prawn dish ( I didn't have to peel these ones) and I had Tiramisu to finish. The Mrs had a Lobster Bisque followed by a Selection of Seafood and a Chocolate Cake to finish

It was off to "Varaderos" again after dinner for the entertainment. Tonight's show was a Dance Extravaganza  The only thing extravagant was the costumes. Even a power outage and the doors flinging open from the wind outside didn't stop them. As they say "The Show Must Go On". It passed an hour though!!

The Cigar Bar was the next and final stop for the night. I lit up a Vegas Robaino and sipped on a 12yr old whiskey and watched out the window as Isaac got stronger and stronger.

The Seafood Restaurant

Selection of Seafood

Tiramisu

Extravagant Costumes

The Cigar Bar Wall

My Cigar Purchases 

Cuba Day 8: Food, Walks and Rain

Day 8 arrived and from the start it didn't look good.

Looking out to the balcony a wet and cloudy day stared back at us, we turned on the TV to hear the news that there had been a shooting at the Empire State Building and there it was, in the corner of the screen.  Issac was on his way!!

So with no sunshine and nothing else planned we decided to check out the buffet for breakfast. It wasn't great, for me anyway!! There was all the fruit you could ask for along with salads, cold meats and even a crepe station. I scoffed in the face of this fantastic selection  I am a Man, an Irish man, who has a beer belly and receding hairline, I don't eat salads for breakfast, so I went in search of the sausages and bacon.

I found them, I ate half of them, I almost got sick, I never went back for breakfast again!!

It was raining by the time I had spat half an unknown meat, pretending to be a sausage, back into my napkin. There was very little to do but go back to the room. We chilled there, watching TV (mostly the News and Weather) for a few hours.

After the shambles that was breakfast (again, only for me, you might love it) I was hungry so we decided to hit the beach bar for Lunch. The Sun was breaking through the clouds but it was still spitting rain and windy. I forget what I had for lunch but it was probably a hot-dog or a burger.

Afterwards we decided to take a walk along the beach.We ended up walking up too three resorts to the left of Sandals, turned around and walked back as far as one resort to the right. It was evident that Sandals had by far the best beach. The resort on the right had no more than 10 foot of sand from the resort to the sea!!

We returned to Sandals and went to the games room. We played a few games of Ping-Pong followed by Pool and then went to the lobby bar for a drink. A couple of Kola's later and we were back in the room to watch the weather channel for a few more hours.

We had our Italian A La Carte meal booked for that evening and as the rain started to come down harder we got dressed up and under the protection of our umbrella (We are in Cuba remember) we made our way to the restaurant.

I loved the Italian!! After my rant about salads and cold meats earlier, I couldn't get enough of the Antipasta, the Stuffed Vine Leaves especially. I had Minestrone to start, followed by Chicken Parmigiana and a nice Chocolate cake to finish. The Mrs had Mushroom soup, Penne Carbonara and Vanilla Ice Cream. I think I came out better of the two.

After dinner it was time for the evening entertainment. Sandals World Famous Rock Show. due to the weather it had to be moved inside to Sandals World Famous Nightclub, the ever originally named "Varaderos"

The show wasn't too bad actually. A few toe tappers were played and we were joined by a nice Welsh couple. The couple tried to talk to us but it was very hard shouting over the music. They were then joined by a group of people who have got to know each other, over the week, around the swimming pool. They all seemed very nice and we watched the end of the show in a large group.

Once the music finished and the "Nightclub" started, the Mrs and I headed for the lobby bar. A little more relaxed and a lot more quite (Higgs Boson I am getting old). There we met a nice Canadian couple who had just arrived. We chatted to them for a while before heading back to the room for the night.

As we climbed into bed we heard tapping at the window. Issac was calling in to say hello!!

A Walk On The Beach

Stormy Sea (For Cuba)

One of the other Resorts

The Italian Restaurant

The Rock Show