General Manager Leonard Henry for the annual anniversary celebrations. What a shindig it proved!

Dears, make no mistake about it, the hotel boasts a culinary repast that is the toast of the resort community and, after some three decades plus, that reputation has only got better.

Pumpkins, with the hint of rain in the evening air, guests gathered on the resort's roof terrace for the annual champagne/cocktail prelude and, luvs, with the ultra-fab and marvellously talented in-house Fusion Band, taking the musical honours, with the awesomely talented Althea Hewitt on vocals, y'all know we are talking something very special here!

Songbird Althea Hewitt worked the audience with a repertoire that boasted a little bit of everything fabulous - from ragtime to showtime, Hollywood to Broadway, cabaret to the classics - the stage was set for a fabulous do and nothing but!

As it was with the musical offerings, so it was with the culinary fare - a feast fit for kings and queens and, sweet things, faultlessly so! Accompanying dinner there was more musical magic with saxophonist Howard Fowls, delighting the audience. Talk about fab! Well, my darlings, this was it and then some.

Notables

After dinner, some guests repaired to the resort's grand terrace for dancing while some opted for the resorts snazzy piano bar, where they sang and sipped the night away in the company of a number of international personalities - gazing from black and white pictures from the walls of the piano bar. The pictures include the likes of Fidel Castro, Joe Lewis; Katharine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Munroe and others, alongside the late Abe Issa.

Among the notables out joining in the historic celebrations were: the patriarch of the Issa clan, Francis Issa and his companion Adell Vasquez; chairman of Couples Resorts, Lee Issa, and his fabulous wife, Jane; his twin sibling, the lovely Suzanne Issa; their sister, Carole Issa-Cartade, and her hubby, Robert Cartade; their sister-in-law, the lovely Oriente Issa; younger cousin Joey Issa and wife Asha; chief executive officer, Couples Resorts, Glenn Lawrence; vice president operations, Couples Resorts, Gary Stevens; group public relations director, the fab-looking Alex Ghisays; Custos of St Mary, Honourable Bobby and wife, Coleen; mayor of Port Maria Richard Creary; Christopher Bovell and his wife, Michelle; Earl Levy and wife Beverly Junor Levy; Anthony and Jeanne Watson and their son, James; Joy Mahfood; Onesto and Josie Maffessanti, their son, Marino Mafessanti.

Also out were Maureen Bonini, from Tuscany, Italy and Ocho Rios; Sue Henzell; Peter and Annabella Proudlock; Johnny and Rosie Marsh; Eva Myers; John Marcocchio and wife, the elegant Dr Maria Protz; Rafael and Robin De Comas; Gunvor Magarity-Groves; Bobby and Indu Chandiram; Andrew and Sarah Todd; Gerald and Julie Wright; Andrew and Caroline Grant; the lovely Carlene Lyn; multi-repeat guests: George 'Skip' Gooch and his charming wife, Marlene, Michigan United States; Gerald and Carol Bonner from Essex, United Kngdom; David and Mary Crook of New Hampshire; plus scores of others.

Oh, my dears, it was fab like that and then some and kudos all around for a truly spectacular outing!

Beverly Levy, Francis Issa and his fiance, Adell Vasquez, are caught in a happy mood.

From left: Lee and Jane Issa, Glenn Lawrence, Adelle Vasquez and Francis Issa. - photos by Carl Gilchrist