Join in the fun on the Greatest Party at Sea!

Rates start at $1,875.

This is an exclusive, full-ship charter for Smooth Jazz Fans!

The amazing line-up of Smooth Jazz Festival-at-Sea Artists includes:
David Sanborn – Marcus Miller – George Benson – Jonathan Butler – Candy Dulfer – Rick Braun – Brian Culbertson – Richard Elliot – Ken Ford – Jeff Golub – Bob James – Angie Stone – Brian Simpson – Steve Cole – Paul Taylor – Raul Midon – DW3 – Dane Butcher – Pat Prescott – Alonzo Bodden – Marcus Anderson – Larry Braggs – Tom Braxton – Ellis Hall – Patches Stewart & more

Your choice of departure dates from either:

1. Week of Jan. 13-20
2. Week of Jan. 20-27

Book with Fine Living Enthusiast and receive a shipboard credit to use toward wine and cocktails, shopping, poolside bar service and more.  Book your group with us and receive even more perks!

Shipboard credit varies depending on cabin selected but ranges from $25 – $125 per stateroom

In addition to jamming with an awesome group of talented smooth jazz artists and meeting other like-minded smooth jazz fans,  you’ll as get to visit the following ports of call:

• Depart Ft. Lauderdale
• Cozumel, Mexico (overnight)
• Belize City, Belize
• Key West, FL

We have visited these exciting ports so allow us to share information with you on activities and sightseeing. We also can “hook you up” with shore excursions, many at below-cruise line prices.

Ask us about pre- and post-cruise accommodations.  We have access to great pricing for hundreds of local-area hotels and resorts.

Terms & Conditions

These prices are “cruise only” and are quoted per person based upon double occupancy, except for “Singles”, and do not include port charges, airfare, ground transportation, onboard purchases, purchased drinks onboard or excursions.

Port Charges, Taxes, Gratuities and Administrative fee – $300 per person due when remaining balance is due (September 1, 2012).

Processing Fee & Cancellation Policy – In order to secure a reservation, a $50/person processing fee will be collected at the time of the reservation.  This fee will be applied to your final balance and is fully refundable if we are unable to accommodate your cabin requests.  All other payments are non-refundable.

As an authorized seller of the Smooth Jazz Cruise, please contact us now to secure your cabin and shipboard credit on this music-themed vacation.

Rates per person for this amazing music extravaganza start at:

• $1,875 – $1,975 standard/large inside cabin
• $2,000 – $2,800 large/deluxe outside cabin
• $3,550 – $3,850 suite

Cabins are filling up quickly so call today!

Get on Board Feb. 17 – 24

Starting at $1,875

Come join the party!

We are talking about some of the best music of our times – old school R&B.  It just doesn’t get any better than this amazing line-up of artists and you know and love them all:
Patti LaBelle – The O’Jay’s – Kool and the Gang – Jeffrey Osborne – George Duke – The Spinners – War – Russell Thompkins, Jr. and The New Stylistics -Cuba Gooding Jr. and the Main Ingredient – Alonzo Bodden – The Intruders – Gerald Alston of the Manhattans – Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes

For the Hippest Trip at Sea, rates per person start at:

• $1,875 – $1,975 standard/large inside cabin
• $2,025 – $2,850 large/deluxe outside cabin
• $3,450 – $3,800 suite

Caribbean Ports of Call:

• Depart Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• Grand Turks, Turks & Caicos
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
• Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Book with us by April 30, 2012 and receive an “early bird discount” of $15 – $200 per person, depending on cabin.

- Suites receive $200 discount per person; deluxe outside cabins receive $150 discount per person; outside cabins receive $125 discount per person; inside cabins receive $125 discount per person

Book your soul music cruise with Fine Living Enthusiast and receive a shipboard credit.

- Shipboard credit varies depending on cabin selected but ranges from $25 – $125 per stateroom

We have vacationed at many of these exciting ports so allow us to share information on activities and sightseeing.  We also can hook you up with shore excursions, many at below-cruise line prices.

Ask us about pre- and post-cruise accommodations.  We have access to great pricing for more than 110,000 hotels and resorts.  We can hook you up too.

And staying true to old school, a layaway plan is available.  Just ask!

Space is limited so call today for this amazing R&B music cruise to the beautiful Caribbean.

Luxurious Girlfriend Getaway in South Africa

From $5,399 including fuel surcharges and taxes

Begin your luxurious vacation extravaganza at the posh Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa in glorious Cape Town where earth, sea and sky meet.  Poised above the Atlantic waves and flanked by majestic Table Mountain and her Twelve Apostles Mountain Range, the intimate 5-star hotel captures you with its deluxe guest rooms and spacious suites, as well as breathtaking gardens and two ocean-view pools.

Continue with shopping at Access Park, famous for its 50-plus factory shops and Canal Walk.  It’s hailed as one of the biggest shopping centers in the Southern Hemisphere.  Enjoy “Streetwires” a South African tradition of beading and wire art.  In this interactive workshop,  you will produce and keep three items, and then finish the afternoon with high-tea at the famed Mount Nelson Hotel.

Stroll through the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens with over 3,500 species of Flora and Fauna on a half-day tour.  Then escape to the Auberge du Quartier Francais a small, privately owned inn situated in the French Huguenot Valley of Franschhoek.  This charming inn provides high-end luxury with serene gardens surrounded by the stunning Cape Winelands.

Get pampered! During your two-night stay at Quartier Francais, you’ll spend an afternoon being spoiled at the Zevenwacht Farm near Stellenbosch where the therapists of the Mangwanani Spa have a host of relaxing massage choices for you including their African Revitalization Package.

As though this exquisite vacation getaway wasn’t enough, conclude your well-deserved retreat at the Jackalberry Lodge in Thornybush Private Game Reserve.  Adjoining the Greater Kruger National Park, Thornybush has one of the world’s premier “Big Five” game viewing areas. Experience game drives in open-safari vehicles with highly trained rangers and trackers.   Enjoy the exciting opportunity to see Africa’s “Big Five” up close and personal.

This vacation escape includes:

·  International Airfare from Washington or New York to Cape Town via Johannesburg

·  Domestic flights as indicated in itinerary

·  All services as specified

·  8 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 2 Dinners

·  High tea

·  4 Game drives

·  5-star accommodation in standard rooms

·  Transportation in luxury air-conditioned vehicles with qualified drivers

·  Sightseeing as per itinerary led by experienced, English-speaking guides

·  African Revitalization Package at Mangwanani Spa

·  Entrance fees for sightseeing as indicated

Call us today and we’ll help you plan the girlfriend getaway you’re always dreamed of.

Culinary Vacation for the Food &Wine Enthusiast

from $6,125 with many extras included

This incredible package includes 2 nights at the luxurious One & Only Hotel with its 5,000 bottle, tri-level wine loft and Michelin-starred chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa, 1 night at the Grande Roche with its award-winning cuisine, 2 nights at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and 2 nights at Lion Sands Private Game Lodge plus more…

Includes:

• Round trip coach air on South African Airways from New York (JFK) or Washington (IAD) Airport to South Africa OR Tambo International Airport
• Domestic coach air in South Africa as per the itinerary (Johannesburg – Cape Town – Nelspruit – Johannesburg)
• Accommodation as per the itinerary
• Most meals (7 x breakfast, 6 x lunch, 7 x dinner)
• Ground Transfers
• All park fees and safari activities
• Cape Peninsula Tour
• Winelands Tour

Satisfy your food, wine and adventure passions with this amazing South African vacation extravaganza. For dates and a detailed itinerary, give us a call or send us an email with your contact information.  We’ll be happy to discuss this extraordinary gourmet lovers’ vacation with you.

Starting from $2,399 including taxes, fuel surcharges and Sept. 11^th fee*

There is NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT CHARGE on this amazing vacation!

Begin your African adventure in Cape Town, the Mother City.  From your base at The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel, you may venture out to the Constantia region, home of the first vineyards in South Africa.  There will be plenty of leisure time for you to explore the history and culture of Cape Town from her natural attributes to her historical sites.    In the evenings, you may enjoy the award-winning culinary offerings from the onsite, South Africa Restaurant of the Year, The Greenhouse, or stroll along the world-renown Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, for additional dining options or shopping.

Marvel at the magnificent whales from your room at The Marine, the 5-star Relais & Chateaux Hotel set high atop the cliffs.  Spectacular views are yours from one of the best land-based observation posts in the world.  

This vacation of natural wonders includes:

• International flights: New York or Washington, DC to Johannesburg
• Domestic flights: Johannesburg/Cape Town/Johannesburg
• Accommodations as specified
• Traditional Dinner – Cape Malay Experience a unique and authentic cuisine of the Western Cape, dating bak to the 17^th century (excluding beverages)
• Picnic lunch at a local wine farm within the Hermanus area 
• A bottle of South African wine
• Singles pay same individual price as doubles/couples - no single supplement

* Pricing for the following dates:

May and Sept 2012

Additional travel dates:

• April and Aug. 11-31, 2012 (from $2,699)
• June, July and Aug 1-10, 2012 (from $2,999)

Excludes:

• Costs of obtaining a passport, gratuities, travel insurance, items of a personal nature and other services not mentioned

Restrictions apply.

Call or email us for details on this amazing vacation.

Join the party in Cape Town, South Africa starting Feb. 24th to March 4th.

This cosmopolitan city has plenty of  gay-friendly accommodations, restaurants, and bars.

Gay Pride in Cape Town

Cape Town is the epicenter of Gay living for all of Africa. South Africa became the first  African nation to legalize gay marriage in 2006.  Let yourself be free! Enjoy the film screenings, workshops, pool parties, a Mr. and Mrs. Pride Cape Town Pride pageant, and beach scene during this year’s festivities. Closing day culminates with main event at Cape Town Pride Parade. This experience can also include a trip out to wine country or  game drive safari.

Don’t miss out on this amazing package.  Book your Gay Pride vacation to South Africa with us now!

Packages start at $2,999 including international air from New York or Washington DC.

Call or email us for details.  Limited availability.

This package includes 2 nights in Cape Town, a stay in the Winelands, an authentic traditional cooking course and a safari to see the famed White Lion plus much more . . .

Includes:

• Round trip coach air on South African Airways from New York (JFK) or Washington (IAD) Airport to South Africa OR Tambo International Airport
• Domestic coach air in South Africa as per the itinerary (Johannesburg – Cape Town – Johannesburg)
• Accommodation as per the itinerary
• Most meals (7 x breakfasts, 6 x lunch, 7 x dinner)
• Ground Transfers
• All park fees and safari activities
• Cape Peninsula Tour
• Winelands Tour

These special Fares/Rates are valid for a limited time from May 1-31, 2012 & from Sept. 1-30, 2012.  Act now to reserve your spot.

For dates and a detailed itinerary, give us a call or send us an email with your contact information.  We’ll be happy to discuss this exciting vacation with you.

The other night I was trying to adhere to my crazy new year’s resolution of only drinking 8 ounces of wine during week nights.   My reason?  I won’t even go there in this post, but just so you know, this resolution was not made while in a drunken stupor.  Anyway, since I can only have one and one half glasses a night, I found myself agonizing over what to drink.  Let’s face it at this rate I’ll be sipping from this same bottle for two and a half nights.  Therefore, the choice I make is very critical.

Now that I’ve shared that foolish resolution aloud, I’ll let you in on something else.   I have to confess that  . . . (wait, wait, okay here it comes)  I’m having an affair.   I thought that it was just a summer fling but I just can’t end it. You see, this summer I had such a wonderful love affair with delicious and refreshing white wines such a Torrontés from Argentina, Pinot Blanc from the Okanagan Valley, and Albariño from Spain that I have not been able to give them up, although it is winter , a time typically shared with reds.  Okay, I know that winter in San Diego is not exactly Green Bay but it’s all relative.

And now that’s January, I still have strong feelings about them.  I feel like that character in Brokeback Mountain when he said “I can’t quit you.”  I know.  The shame.  It’s like wearing white after Labor Day.  Maybe I should join a support group.  There seems to be no shortage of groups these days to help you “conquer” your afflictions and addictions.

So just where did I find myself last night?  Standing over my wine captain with a bottle of Torrontés.  No waiter’s corkscrew needed as this Argentine beauty has a screwtop. Tell me I’m not crazy.  Tell me that it’s okay to carry on like this in mid-January.

Allow me to explain or at least justify my feelings. She was so lovely.  In my glass, she glowed a soft straw yellow and her scent was a beautiful floral aroma and citrus. Lovely legs too. And the taste.  OMG.  It was goddess like. Mixed with tropical fruits like pineapple, mango and zesty lemon.  So crisp with balanced acidity and the finish-heavenly.

I first meet Crios 2010 at a wine bar in downtown San Diego called Wine Steals, although I hear she hangs out at Whole Foods too.  She’s not to be confused with her namesake from the Galicia region of Spain.  No Ms. Delicious thrives in the 5,000 foot altitude of the Andés region of Salta.  She reminds me of another one of my summertime mistresses, Albariño.  There’s nothing fussy about them.  They just give me a fresh, easy drinking wine to relax with every night of the week.

If you love the grapefruit taste of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs or the acidity of a slightly aged Chenin Blanc, then you’ll also find yourself falling for this uncomplicated summertime, I mean anytime delight.

Tell me about your secret or otherwise affair with wine.