This fabulous and famous resort known as a top wedding spot now has a new feature: a unique Butler Service that is being offered in their Concierge Suites. I recently had an opportunity to experience first hand this new service. Arriving at Sandals, Ocho Rios one is immediately taken by the lush vegetation and the manicured grounds…this fine property goes from white sand ocean front to hills overlooking the coastline, a rise of over 600’. Upon checking in, my butler, Franklyn, met me at reception, streamlined the checking in process, and had my bags delivered to my rooms. Upon my arrival I discovered that all my clothes had been expertly put away. Franklyn then sat down with me and explained the many options I had for my stay. Then I was handed a cell phone with a direct connection to him, so I could call whenever he was needed “I will make your dinner reservations for you and escort you to dinner to make sure all is in order, I will take your drink or wine order and get you settled in, if you ever need me, just call on the cell”. This Butler program has been in effect for a year now and it is very successful. Each candidate is trained by The Guild of Professional English Butlers of London, England. David Roper, General Manager, told me “The success of our program is proven by how many butlers get hired away by guests, it shows how well we train them”. So successful that Sandals is now implementing this service in other properties. Since weddings are one of the main attractions at Sandals Ocho Rios, the butler service has become very much in demand. Anyone who has been thru planning a wedding knows that there are a multitude of last minute things to do and decide. Having someone right by your side that knows everything and everyone at the resort can greatly help all go smoothly. I came in before sunset from sailing only to discover that the slacks that I had planned on wearing for dinner were wrinkled, now where is that cell phone? Called Franklyn, he came up, took my pants and shirt away and returned 15 minutes later with them pressed to perfection. Having someone to arrange all your activities, making sure you get to them on time, press your clothes, serve you coffee or meals in your room and then the absolute best, having Franklyn pack my bags. I am the world’s worst packer, so I just let Franklyn do it all and guess what? I had space left over in the same suitcase that I brought in stuffed. Have to learn to fold like that. Franklyn was also very familiar with Ocho Rios and was able to supply me with tourist tips and little known facts. During my stay, the service, the assistance and the insider information that Franklyn provided transformed my vacation experience. I felt as if I had been transported to a magical realm of luxury and opulence, where kind and courteous service had been developed into an art. Ahhhhh, thank you, Franklyn, for providing for me a taste of the good life. Sandals Ocho Rios has always been famous for its' service but this new butler service takes it to GREATER heights.

Its early morning and the sky, still streaked with pink, is reflected in the crystal clear waters of Half Moon Bay Resort. This famous resort, favorite of royalty and presidents, sits on 400 acres of the most beautiful beachfront in Jamaica, perhaps the Caribbean. Luxury villas line the beach, each with its own private bay. Here you can ride horses right out into the ocean and swim with them, you can play golf on their championship course and you can interact with Dolphins. That is what I am off to do this beautiful morning. As I arrive at the lagoon where the Dolphins live, I can hear them clicking. They have swum up to the beach and are clicking for food. What a cool sound, Dolphins make over 200 distinct sounds, all out of their blow holes. I am enthusiastically greeted by Oneil. He is an enthusiastic young man who openly shares his story with me. He tells me that when he was a little boy, he lived in a middle class neighborhood of Montego Bay. His aunt, on his 4th birthday gave him a stuffed animal, later in life Oneil would look back at that moment as a turning point in his life. Oneil studied hard and took his classes seriously but he excelled at soccer. He was on his high schools’ winning team and later went on to play professional soccer with a major Jamaican club. However 25 is a little old in the soccer world and Oneil was looking for something else that would perhaps have a more promising future. He heard about a company that was looking for people to learn to train Dolphins. He couldn’t believe his good fortune, he had read everything he could find and had studied these noble creatures for years. He applied and was immediately hired. He started his studies at the Educational Center for the Marine and Terrestrial Wild Life Animals in Kingston and then went on to work at Dolphin Cove at Ocho Rios and then eventually here at Half Moon Bay Resort. Jamaica law is very strict concerning the keeping of Dolphins. They have adopted the USA laws concerning their care and handling. He is the one who now greets me and begins the orientation. The two Dolphins are Bruno, 8 years old and Miguel 7 years old. Both came from Cuba and Oneil makes the highly questionable statement that they only understand Spanish, right. Other interesting Dolphin facts are: they can go 3 days out of water (of course they need to be regularly hosed down, this is how they transport them), they can live up to 3 times longer in captivity 50 – 60 years! They nurse their young for 18 months and they can glide thru the turquoise waters of the Caribbean at 22 miles per hour. Not only do tourists and nature lovers enjoy these Dolphins, Bruno and Miguel have played host to children from the Make A Wish Foundation who come to frolic with the boys. They have also interacted with Autistic children and children with special needs who all seem to create a special bond with these majestic creatures. The trainers tell me that the Dolphins seem to sense when there is a child with special needs and they seem to make an extra effort to communicate. Then we gather our group of 10 (never more) and float out into the lagoon. We swim out and line up and the dolphins shoot by and jump up, what power, how graceful they are…and these guys weigh in at around 500 pounds. Now they do their tricks. Miguel swims up and lays his cute Dolphin head against my cheek; he lets me run my hand down him…so smooth. Then I am positioned in the middle of the lagoon and Bruno and Miguel swim up on either side of me and I am instructed to hold on to their fins…wow what a ride, they pull me for about 50 feet and really fast.. I felt like Poseidon being pulled by his band of sea horses. Well the boys were getting tired and so was I. We headed in to shore and out of the hot sun that was reminding me I was in the tropics. I had one more chance to thank Oneil and all the guys. Oneil, “I asked”, “so what was the toy your aunt gave you back then”? “Oh yeah, mon, it was a Dolphin. Now I am the Dolphin Master of Half Moon Bay”. Somehow I knew that was coming but it still gave me a chill. His aunt had given him a gift that opened up his world. Now Oneil gives that gift to others as he has given it to me. Tonight I will sleep peacefully in my bed while I dream of Dolphins.