schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
We all enjoyed a short nap, then Tom and I got showered and changed and Tom and I headed down to the lounge where we met both new supervisors, Bryan and Carlos who both seemed very nice, although Bryan has since left since we got home, but they were very pleasant.
The lounge was fairly quiet again, we both got a drink and Tom tried the new beer and he quite liked it, but it was quite strong so he didn`t have 2 as we were going to Strong Water later. I stuck to my usual prosecco which I do prefer, although I did try the pineapple cider and it was lovely. I`m not a cider drinker as it`s usually quite a heavy drink, but this was light and very refreshing.
As most folks know we don`t eat our meals in the lounge, but we always like a sample, tonight was garlic mash and Salisbury meatballs, we had tried them and they`re quite nice, so we did have a couple each, not the mash though and I added some tabasco with mine, I like it spicy.
We got chatting to Bryan who enjoys cooking and knows his spice, and it was nice talking to him about cooking and I was impressed by his knowledge of spices. He said he had a mix that came from his uncle in South Africa and would bring some in for me to take home, I looked forward to that!!
Kyle eventually joined us and got himself a hot chocolate, I was still sipping prosecco which was very nice and even Kyle commented how quiet the lounge was tonight. He did like the hot chocolate that came from the little machine in the lounge and had a fair few over our trip.
There was a man complaining that the pool was mostly closed off tonight for a private event, there was a small area guests could use but he was extremely angry that the full pool wasn`t available. Not ideal I suppose but these things happen, he was told he could go to Sapphire or any of the other pools, but he was not going to be placated. A lady tapped him on the back and told him Sapphire had a very good pool and it was very close, but he was a little rude to her in reply.
I had sent Fernando a txt to say we`d be over around 7.30 just in case it was busy as there were some large conferences on the next two weeks, but he said he`d have a table for us, no problems. So we set off for the walk between the two hotels via the ballroom and conference centres of both hotels, it doesn`t take long, although sometimes seems longer when we have to walk back from Strong Water to RP......not sure why that is though......
It is so good to see everyone again, we have hugs galore from everyone and we thought Maggie was off, but she appeared and we were so happy to see her. It is very much a family feeling in here, they welcome everyone as though they are very special people, it really is the most amazing place.
Both Anthony and Lenny are off tonight, but we`d make sure we`d see them as they are both such superstars, but we love everyone in there and as we are seated Chef Carlos comes out to see us and tells us of the new menu coming out this week, we were very excited to hear about that as he always creates the most amazing dishes.
Maggie had already put an order in for Carole`s Punch for me as Kyle and Tom decided what they wanted and she appeared with it almost immediately.
It is slightly paler than usual due to them having to make a batch of the base ingredients due to the amount of items in the drink, it still tastes the same, later in the trip Anthony makes me a couple from scratch and it is much darker when he does that.
Carole`s Punch is the 3rd best selling cocktail in Strong Water, technically it`s the 2nd best but because they lump all the different daiquiri`s together as one sale, that makes Carole`s Punch third best seller, but even so I`m thrilled it`s selling so well. Their best seller is the Old Fashioned.
Even my son who is a non drinker wanted to taste it and he thought it was lovely, I was glad he enjoyed it.
Kyle had asked for a virgin strawberry daiquiri type drink, usually it`s a tall one like a smoothy, but they made this up which is quite girly, but he did like it and said it was tasty.
Tom went for his traditional first drink, The Fountain of Youth, one of his favourites.....although I did remind him he hadn`t actually yet ordered the drink named after his wife
.......he did say he had tasted it and loved it, I kinda grimaced at him now.......but said he would order one this trip!
We hadn`t ordered any food yet, but Chef Carlos sent out a dish that was going to be on the new menu to let us try it and see what we thought of it and it was beautiful. It was Choripan which was similar to the Choripapa dish they used to do, it came tonight with tostones but is usually served with cuban bread.
We all tasted it and we all thought it was lovely. The Tostones are very filling indeed so we didn`t eat all of them, but between the three of us, we did ok.
The food we ordered came out soon after and for the last time as it was coming off the menu, I ordered the Guava BBQ pork which came with a garlic-habanero pepper mojo which has a very strong garlic flavour!!! But the pork is delicious and incredibly tender, you have to dip it in the mojo with the tostones. I would miss this dish as it is truly gorgeous!!
Kyle was very easy to please tonight, he wanted the Beef Sliders, he did have fries too so he had a very filling meal too, those sliders are very nice and the beef is very tasty.
Tom went for his favourite Camarones, which the shrimps were huge tonight, it is such a tasty dish and very fresh tasting, and Chef always remembers we don`t like the extra cilantro in the dish. Maggie brought us some extra bread as there is a lot of sauce in this dish and to be honest, that bread is amazing! It`s just bread, but it it really is lovely.
Everything is just beautiful.
Kyle and I have a wander out to the firepit which has been put on, it`s so nice out here, especially when no one else is around. If there are smokers we just won`t venture out there, but it`s so quiet tonight it`s a pleasure to be there.
We have no room for dessert, but of course Kyle has been thinking about this cake since his last visit. The Mexican Chocolate cake is very rich and he does enjoy it, we were tempted to share a Tres Leche cake which is amazing, but it is so huge we know we could barely put a dent in it.
The chocolate cake however, Kyle cleared the plate. Well, no surprises there
We had given Fernando another bottle of Scottish rum something that always astounds a lot of folks that Scotland produces rum at all, but we always try to find him something unique as they have so many different rums there, but none from Scotland. Of course this is for him and not the bar but he always insists we try it together before taking it home.
We also always bring over a tonne of chocolate not only for the Club Lounge staff and certain other special folks from the hotel, but a vast amount we share with Fernando and the team and it is a huge amount!! But, they all love it so much and Fernando makes sure everyone gets some. We had a separate little gift bag made up for Maggie with some of her favourites and she is over the moon with them.
Fernando then brought over their own Strong Water Rum, which was very, very nice......
In the past when we gave Kyle alcohol to try this was his reaction.......
After 29 years of not drinking one drop of alcohol except to taste, I think our son was turning into a booze hound!!!!!
Straight rum.........something I don`t even drink except for the samples Fernando shares with us!
And he liked it. Although he did only have a few sips, well maybe more than a few sips, but it was strange to see him first enjoy fizzy then my cocktail and now straight rum.
Fernando spent about an hour with us, it`s always a pleasure to spend time with him, he is the nicest man and not only that, his knowledge of rum is incredible, we could sit and chat with him all night.
We headed outside to take in the views from the terrace and they are beautiful views.
Maggie came out and said she`s take a few pictures of us, and she takes a good picture....
It`s a shame the waterwheel isn`t working as it does look so good when it does, but it is such a lovely view and that little area is so well done.
We go back in and say our goodnights to everyone, it always takes a while as we don`t like to miss anyone, but eventually we head out and Kyle snaps a couple of pictures on the way, I forget it had been a while since he had been here.
The staircase in the centre of the lobby is very impressive and certainly one of the most photographed parts of the hotel. If you don`t take the elevator down to Amatista or the boat dock this is your other option for getting down there.
The difference in decor between the two hotels is quite startling, both very different vibes and looks, we always joked when you went back to RP it really was like going back to the 1950`s as Sapphire is so modern, and we absolutely love both of them.
Although, the RP ballroom/Convention area is undergoing a major revamp from this summer, it might start later in June but it was scheduled to start in July, so it will be very interesting to see it when it`s done, another new look for the hotel!! I know some folks never venture through this way but we certainly do and someone made the joke we`ll have to mark a new path on the new flooring when it`s down......we really will!!
It doesn`t seem long since they changed it to what it is now, but thinking back, it had been like this for quite a time now.
We were all tired so it was a very quick "goodnight john-boy" tonight and before we knew it we were out for the count. Kyle told us in the morning he fell asleep instantaneously, that rollaway was comfortable, although we did get a mattress topper put on it which helped, but anything is better than the pull out sofa in the room.
We`d had such a lovely evening.....Strong Water Bar is our most favourite place in the whole of UOR, food, drinks and especially the wonderful folks that work there, they make it what it is.
Tomorrow, more park time
The lounge was fairly quiet again, we both got a drink and Tom tried the new beer and he quite liked it, but it was quite strong so he didn`t have 2 as we were going to Strong Water later. I stuck to my usual prosecco which I do prefer, although I did try the pineapple cider and it was lovely. I`m not a cider drinker as it`s usually quite a heavy drink, but this was light and very refreshing.
As most folks know we don`t eat our meals in the lounge, but we always like a sample, tonight was garlic mash and Salisbury meatballs, we had tried them and they`re quite nice, so we did have a couple each, not the mash though and I added some tabasco with mine, I like it spicy.
We got chatting to Bryan who enjoys cooking and knows his spice, and it was nice talking to him about cooking and I was impressed by his knowledge of spices. He said he had a mix that came from his uncle in South Africa and would bring some in for me to take home, I looked forward to that!!
Kyle eventually joined us and got himself a hot chocolate, I was still sipping prosecco which was very nice and even Kyle commented how quiet the lounge was tonight. He did like the hot chocolate that came from the little machine in the lounge and had a fair few over our trip.
There was a man complaining that the pool was mostly closed off tonight for a private event, there was a small area guests could use but he was extremely angry that the full pool wasn`t available. Not ideal I suppose but these things happen, he was told he could go to Sapphire or any of the other pools, but he was not going to be placated. A lady tapped him on the back and told him Sapphire had a very good pool and it was very close, but he was a little rude to her in reply.
I had sent Fernando a txt to say we`d be over around 7.30 just in case it was busy as there were some large conferences on the next two weeks, but he said he`d have a table for us, no problems. So we set off for the walk between the two hotels via the ballroom and conference centres of both hotels, it doesn`t take long, although sometimes seems longer when we have to walk back from Strong Water to RP......not sure why that is though......
It is so good to see everyone again, we have hugs galore from everyone and we thought Maggie was off, but she appeared and we were so happy to see her. It is very much a family feeling in here, they welcome everyone as though they are very special people, it really is the most amazing place.
Both Anthony and Lenny are off tonight, but we`d make sure we`d see them as they are both such superstars, but we love everyone in there and as we are seated Chef Carlos comes out to see us and tells us of the new menu coming out this week, we were very excited to hear about that as he always creates the most amazing dishes.
Maggie had already put an order in for Carole`s Punch for me as Kyle and Tom decided what they wanted and she appeared with it almost immediately.
It is slightly paler than usual due to them having to make a batch of the base ingredients due to the amount of items in the drink, it still tastes the same, later in the trip Anthony makes me a couple from scratch and it is much darker when he does that.
Carole`s Punch is the 3rd best selling cocktail in Strong Water, technically it`s the 2nd best but because they lump all the different daiquiri`s together as one sale, that makes Carole`s Punch third best seller, but even so I`m thrilled it`s selling so well. Their best seller is the Old Fashioned.
Even my son who is a non drinker wanted to taste it and he thought it was lovely, I was glad he enjoyed it.
Kyle had asked for a virgin strawberry daiquiri type drink, usually it`s a tall one like a smoothy, but they made this up which is quite girly, but he did like it and said it was tasty.
Tom went for his traditional first drink, The Fountain of Youth, one of his favourites.....although I did remind him he hadn`t actually yet ordered the drink named after his wife
.......he did say he had tasted it and loved it, I kinda grimaced at him now.......but said he would order one this trip!
We hadn`t ordered any food yet, but Chef Carlos sent out a dish that was going to be on the new menu to let us try it and see what we thought of it and it was beautiful. It was Choripan which was similar to the Choripapa dish they used to do, it came tonight with tostones but is usually served with cuban bread.
We all tasted it and we all thought it was lovely. The Tostones are very filling indeed so we didn`t eat all of them, but between the three of us, we did ok.
The food we ordered came out soon after and for the last time as it was coming off the menu, I ordered the Guava BBQ pork which came with a garlic-habanero pepper mojo which has a very strong garlic flavour!!! But the pork is delicious and incredibly tender, you have to dip it in the mojo with the tostones. I would miss this dish as it is truly gorgeous!!
Kyle was very easy to please tonight, he wanted the Beef Sliders, he did have fries too so he had a very filling meal too, those sliders are very nice and the beef is very tasty.
Tom went for his favourite Camarones, which the shrimps were huge tonight, it is such a tasty dish and very fresh tasting, and Chef always remembers we don`t like the extra cilantro in the dish. Maggie brought us some extra bread as there is a lot of sauce in this dish and to be honest, that bread is amazing! It`s just bread, but it it really is lovely.
Everything is just beautiful.
Kyle and I have a wander out to the firepit which has been put on, it`s so nice out here, especially when no one else is around. If there are smokers we just won`t venture out there, but it`s so quiet tonight it`s a pleasure to be there.
We have no room for dessert, but of course Kyle has been thinking about this cake since his last visit. The Mexican Chocolate cake is very rich and he does enjoy it, we were tempted to share a Tres Leche cake which is amazing, but it is so huge we know we could barely put a dent in it.
The chocolate cake however, Kyle cleared the plate. Well, no surprises there
We had given Fernando another bottle of Scottish rum something that always astounds a lot of folks that Scotland produces rum at all, but we always try to find him something unique as they have so many different rums there, but none from Scotland. Of course this is for him and not the bar but he always insists we try it together before taking it home.
We also always bring over a tonne of chocolate not only for the Club Lounge staff and certain other special folks from the hotel, but a vast amount we share with Fernando and the team and it is a huge amount!! But, they all love it so much and Fernando makes sure everyone gets some. We had a separate little gift bag made up for Maggie with some of her favourites and she is over the moon with them.
Fernando then brought over their own Strong Water Rum, which was very, very nice......
In the past when we gave Kyle alcohol to try this was his reaction.......
After 29 years of not drinking one drop of alcohol except to taste, I think our son was turning into a booze hound!!!!!
Straight rum.........something I don`t even drink except for the samples Fernando shares with us!
And he liked it. Although he did only have a few sips, well maybe more than a few sips, but it was strange to see him first enjoy fizzy then my cocktail and now straight rum.
Fernando spent about an hour with us, it`s always a pleasure to spend time with him, he is the nicest man and not only that, his knowledge of rum is incredible, we could sit and chat with him all night.
We headed outside to take in the views from the terrace and they are beautiful views.
Maggie came out and said she`s take a few pictures of us, and she takes a good picture....
It`s a shame the waterwheel isn`t working as it does look so good when it does, but it is such a lovely view and that little area is so well done.
We go back in and say our goodnights to everyone, it always takes a while as we don`t like to miss anyone, but eventually we head out and Kyle snaps a couple of pictures on the way, I forget it had been a while since he had been here.
The staircase in the centre of the lobby is very impressive and certainly one of the most photographed parts of the hotel. If you don`t take the elevator down to Amatista or the boat dock this is your other option for getting down there.
The difference in decor between the two hotels is quite startling, both very different vibes and looks, we always joked when you went back to RP it really was like going back to the 1950`s as Sapphire is so modern, and we absolutely love both of them.
Although, the RP ballroom/Convention area is undergoing a major revamp from this summer, it might start later in June but it was scheduled to start in July, so it will be very interesting to see it when it`s done, another new look for the hotel!! I know some folks never venture through this way but we certainly do and someone made the joke we`ll have to mark a new path on the new flooring when it`s down......we really will!!
It doesn`t seem long since they changed it to what it is now, but thinking back, it had been like this for quite a time now.
We were all tired so it was a very quick "goodnight john-boy" tonight and before we knew it we were out for the count. Kyle told us in the morning he fell asleep instantaneously, that rollaway was comfortable, although we did get a mattress topper put on it which helped, but anything is better than the pull out sofa in the room.
We`d had such a lovely evening.....Strong Water Bar is our most favourite place in the whole of UOR, food, drinks and especially the wonderful folks that work there, they make it what it is.
Tomorrow, more park time
even though we did have a few down days with bugs and so on, but it was still a fabulous trip.
Kyle can now tell his mates that his Mum drove him to drink! Mine say that and I don't even have a drink named after me. I don't drink but have threatened to start on several occasions. When I was young, I did imbibe a bit but it always tasted like medicine to me. Yuck. I did have a Magners Pear Cider in Vegas last year, but when no one was looking I put a packet of sugar in it. Struggled to drink it though.
)
Will be checking in again 12/1 after the cruise this year. 
