There are so many wonderful ways to start a day, and catching sunrise is my personal favourite. Matthew and I decided to set an alarm and stroll down to the beach, also in the hope that we will see some dolphins making their morning move up and down the beach.

The sunrise is incredible and as we start our walk along the beach Matthew spots a pod of dolphins who are heading the same direction as us. It’s incredible to see how they pop out and down out of the water. Seems they are a little family as we spot a smaller dolphin too.
All the while the sun is rising and being so caught up in looking at the sea it’s a shock to see the stunning colours in the sky, making it hard to turn back to watch the dolphins play.

We decide to head back for a coffee and some breakfast and are lucky enough to find some sand dollars on the beach. Something this area is famous for. They’re an incredible piece of nature.

We swing by the coffee shop on our way back and chat briefly with the barista. They’re interested to know what I think of the coffee as I’d told them in Australia what a massive coffee culture there is.
We have a fairly relaxed day ahead, and some beautiful dinner plans later on. As we make our way back to find somewhere to eat breakfast, we spot an Amish couple sitting on a bench. Matthew tells me there is quite a large Amish population around here.
The weather as always is stunning so a relax is in order as we have a quick bite to eat. Glad we have already had a nice coffee as when we asked for a coffee, my order is a latte, and when Matthew orders a ‘flat white’ the waitress says “sorry, we don’t have specialty coffees”. Rather than make the waitress feel bad, we order another latte and look at each other with a little chuckle as this really just proves the point we had made about coffee here in the USA. Nothing bad, just different to back home.
We share an omelette and in true Matthew style (which like me is quite clumsy), finds himself with a big more of a sweetener in his coffee that he should.

We burst out laughing, finish breakfast and head home for a chill out before we get ready for dinner.
The afternoon passes quickly and we have a nibble before heading out to Ophelias. We’d planned to get there to fully appreciate its incredible waterfront location so we get ready and are on the road by 4.30pm to be there for our dinner booking and happy hour.
The place is absolutely incredible. We arrive and we’re placed right by the water where we can admire the sea life under the water beneath.

We are introduced to Joel our waiter for the evening and he takes our cocktail order. The cocktail is as impressive as the view.

While we are sitting there we are treated by a dolphin and a manatee sighting. It’s truly a treat to see the dolphin in particular pop up just right next to the tables.
While we sit and take in the view a man and his wife arrive for dinner on their boat and we quickly realize the man is not very nice to the staff. I am very adamant about being kind to the wait staff, anywhere you go, so I am watching closely and totally prepared to step in if it continues. I know the staff would never mirror the rudeness but as a patron I would have no problem calling the man out on his rudeness. So when Joel swings by again I made sure he knew to let me know if anything else happens, and he assured me that won’t be needed.
We enjoy our meal and as it is nearly done, a storm rolls in and we opt to pop inside at the bar to finish our wine and enjoy one last cocktail.
I ask the bartender what is his favourite ‘off the menu’ cocktail, so he conjures up a delicious fruity cocktail for us to drink. After chatting with a couple of couples who are celebrating their anniversary we order an Uber and wait outside.
The valet in the car park chats with us while we wait. His name is Ariel and he tells us about how he looks for sharks teeth on new building sites. It’s interesting to hear that is has so many that he would have loved to show us, but unfortunately had taken them out just days earlier.
We farewell him to jump in our Uber and be entertained by a Haitian man who had all kinds of weird stories that made absolutely no sense at all.
I must say, we were grateful to arrive at the bar we were heading to where we’d spent the first night.
It ended up being a night like no other. While I was outside and Matthew popped into the bar for a drink I watched an older gentleman cross the courtyard to deliver pizza to a couple of ladies who had been sitting there enjoying each other’s company.
As he returned and walked past me, I commented on what a gentleman he was and we instantly hit it off. Jerry was his name and he had a big smile and was super friendly. After chatting with Matthew and I for a big, he excused himself to head back inside to his mate who he was drinking with, but invited us to join him if we’d like.
A kind offer, so once our drinks were done we popped inside and then met the rest of the people he was with. Turns out, the women, Kristy and Kristy, were the partner of him and Ross. We got to chatting and quickly established they were an awesome bunch. We laughed and had a few drinks together, and just before Ross headed for home, he invited Matthew and I on a boat he’s chartered in 2 days time. He said there was space for 2 more people and wanted to host us as well. We happily accepted and while Ross and Kristy decided to head for home, Jerry and Kristy hung around and chatted some more. It was fascinating to hear Kristy had a not for profit organization in Tanzania Elimu Africa that raises money to give African children an education. What an incredible woman.
We farewell our new friends, tell them we will see them Friday and quickly establish ourselves with another couple of guys who were in town for a vacation. One an ex cop and the other…..actually I don’t remember , but I thoroughly enjoyed watching Matthews interactions. His attention which he listens and engages with people Is very cool to watch indeed.

We both cap off the night with a tequila shot and head for home, which apparently I’m told included a zig zag Walk home and a climb in to bed, fully clothed and absolutely spent from the evening we’d had.