Exclusive: DAYS Stars Celebrate Their Birthdays In Belize
Men Of The Hour: DAYS’s Carson Boatman (Johnny, l.) and Brandon Barash (Stefan) turned 30 and 45, respectively, in grand style.
It was a birthday extravaganza to remember for Days of our Lives stars Carson Boatman (Johnny) and Brandon Barash (Stefan) when the two actors, their significant others and a group of friends — including Leo Howard (Tate) and his wife, Natasha Hall (who filled in for Jessica Serfaty as Sloan earlier this year), took off for a memorable vacation to Belize.
Trip of a Lifetime
Recounts Boatman, “My wife [model/actress Julana Dizon] was insistent that we take a trip for my 30th birthday, which was in February,” noting that October “is just the first time we were able to get enough time to be able to go. So we found this really cool private island in Belize called Royal Belize, which is owned by Muy’Ono Resorts. They own a few different hotels and resorts around Belize, and it was incredible. I think it was 13 of us who went to this island. We all split the cost, and we just had the best time ever for four days.”
The group all stayed on this “fully private island. We rented out the whole place,” says Boatman. “We had a private chef. Julana and I had our own villa. Brandon and his wife [Isabella Devoto] had their own villa. Two other people shared a large house, and some people shared a bunk house that was on the island as well.”
The specifics of the trip were the brainchild of Boatman’s wife, who planned the whole thing. Once they’d settled on their destination, he reached out to Barash and Howard about joining in. “We just said, ‘Hey, do you guys want to come with us to Belize on these dates?’ ” recounts Boatman. “Brandon said, ‘Yeah, it’s actually my 45th birthday.’ And I was like, ‘Well, that’s great! We’ll just celebrate them together.’”
And celebrate they did — for “five days, Tuesday to Saturday,” says Boatman, who reports that one of the highlights of the trip was a guys-only excursion. “Leo, Brandon and I and a couple other buddies went on a fishing trip, which was fun. We caught some barracuda and some snapper, and ate those that night, which was cool.”
Aside from the fishing expedition, the itinerary wasn’t jam-packed with activities. “It was mostly just lounging and hanging out, although we did do some snorkeling,” Boatman says. “We work a lot, so it was good to just relax for a second. It was much needed.”
As far as souvenirs, Boatman says he really didn’t bring back anything. “Just the memories and lots of pictures and about five more pounds,” he jokes, giving a hearty endorsement to the local fare. “There were dishes that were popular there, but also things that you could get here, like snapper and fantastic chimichurri chicken.”
The trip also included finally celebrating Boatman’s and Barash’s birthdays. “It was fun. We did a dinner the last night. There was lots of food, lots of dancing,” says Boatman, noting that the entire gang “gave it our all” on the dance floor.
The only downside to the trip, perhaps, was that Boatman and his wife were traveling without their daughter, Ava. “She was with her grandparents,” he says, admitting that it was “very hard” being separated from his baby girl. “It was the first time, so there was a lot of FaceTiming going on.”
Conversation
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