Posts tagged "aewed"

• December 28, 2012
  Our Honeymoon in Antigua

  As I type this, I know that words are simply incapable of doing Hermitage Bay justice. I can wax poetic for hours about the wonderful views, the ridiculously relaxed vibe, the amazing five-star dining, and the loveable staff, but you truly must see it to believe it. Or better yet, go to Hermitage and experience it for yourself…

  Elena and I had considered resorts far and wide, including St. Lucia, Thailand, Bali, and Turks & Caicos, but Hermitage Bay in Antigua turned out to be the perfect choice. We met some wonderful couples, most of whom were on their honeymoons. And the staff (Roselyn, Jillian, Anthony, and Levique, we’re looking at you!) made us feel like rock stars.

  As we settle in for the cold and snowy Chicago winter, I know we’ll be looking back on these photos and our memories as often as possible. If you see me zoning out, it’s just because I’m picturing taking a dip in our plunge pool and ordering up one more round of Hermitage Gold!

  

  And what’s a view like that without a couple of panoramas…

  

  

  Bonus Video: Shot with a GoPro HD HERO3 Black Edition using a mix of 1080p, 720p, and high-resolution time-lapse. Edited in Final Cut Pro X. Music is “The Hood Internet - Houdin-o-mite (Taio Cruz x Foster The People).”

  A+E Honeymoon @ Hermitage Bay, Antigua from Andrew Stott on Vimeo.

• April 07, 2012
  Our Bach/Bach Weekend in South Beach

  Last weekend, Elena and I dragged 8 of our best friends down to Miami for a ridiculous South Beach getaway to celebrate our joint bachelor/bachelorette parties. Or, as Jeff so eloquently put it: a “pre-bachelor and bachelorette party coed bach/bach weekend vacation”… As you’d expect, it was pretty awesome.

  Of course, it’s not difficult to have a great time in Miami, especially when the trip starts off in a streeeeeetch Escalade limo… That’s right, since we flew into FLL, Jeff booked a limo for us to get to South Beach, and it wound up being an Escalade. Seriously, this thing was so long that it wouldn’t fit in the Walgreens parking lot when we made our driver stop for champagne and other alcohol-related supplies. What an epic way to kick it off.

  The basic bach/bach activity list went like this: breakfast, pool, cabana party, lunch, beach, dinner, drink, club, eat, and sleep — with plenty of mojitos and rum & cokes mixed in throughout… We hit up the usual spots like Delano, Shore Club, and Lincoln Road Mall, but most of the time was spent at our home base of the Surfcomber Hotel, a freshly-remodeled boutique Kimpton property with a sick lobby and some of the nicest hotel staff ever. My favorite dinner of the weekend was at Tudor House, a new-to-us spot in the Dream Hotel led by Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. Drinks on the roof (at Highbar) followed by an outdoor dinner for 10 w/ oysters and lamb belly? Yes, please!

  More important than any detail, though, was the simple fact that the whole thing happened. Let me just say that to have 8 friends make the trek with us is an amazing thing. It’s hard enough getting people together at home, let alone for a vacation… I mean, I’m not going to fool myself that South Beach didn’t have anything to do with their decision! But thank you to Jeff, Lisa, Jason, Angela, Colleen, Laura, Wally, and Aaron for spending their time and money to celebrate with us.

  And a special thanks to Jeff for basically putting the whole thing together, and for pushing me to finalize plans. Couldn’t have done it without you, buddy!

  

   

   

  All of my photos from the trip are available on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stottsan/sets/72157629398476172/