South Walton Beaches Wine and Food Festival

The South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival was this past weekend at Grand Boulevard outside of Sandestin. The festival is in its 2nd year and is founded by Chan Cox of Chan’s Wine World fame. Chan founded the Sandestin Wine Festival 28 years ago and it has grown year after year. I’ve attended the Sandestin Wine Fest numerous years and my wine glass collection is all the greater for it.

(photo from SoWalWine website)

The layout of the festival made great use of Grand Boulevard’s space with separate areas laid out to prevent a crowded feeling. Champagne Lane had its own champagne flutes available at the entrance along with a bubble machine providing the proper festive ambiance. There were also Godiva truffles at the champagne booths to bring out the flavors of the bubbly. The tasting tents for the typical white and red wines were spaced well enough apart that the afternoon breeze kept the crowds cool.

My sister’s favorite wine was Tin Roof Chardonnay represented by Mandie with O’Neill Vintners & Distributors. I chatted with a few of the reps throughout the festival and she was the nicest we found. Mandie also told us about living in Myrtle Beach, SC versus us living in Destin and Niceville. My sister watches a show centered in Myrtle Beach and they hit it off quite well. (Photo below of my sister Angie & Mandie)

In addition the the wines, this festival also featured an array of spirits that rivaled any that I’ve seen (in my limited knowledge of wine festivals).

This area was actually called Spirit Lane, but the majority of the spirits available to sample were whiskey or bourbon. I LOVED this portion of the festival. As much for the novelty of something more than just wine, this area really fed my adventurous side. As I went through the festival, I photographed the different beverages I enjoyed most. As you can see below, most of them were not wine.

In addition to the fine selections above, I also tried St~Germain for the first time. Wow. St~Germain is a liquor made from elder flowers handpicked during a few short weeks in spring and then bicycled(!) to a collection site in France. There are a limited number of bottles made each year and I bought one. It’s a very sweet and aromatic liquor that seems to completely capture the taste and smell of spring. I also nabbed the recipe book for it from the booth so that I can learn how to incorporate this new addition to cocktails the next time I entertain.

Now there were other parts of the festival, but I neglected to properly photograph them. There was a series of songwriters down from Nashville that performed all weekend. There was a tent filled with glorious food. (Paella, cheeses, sushi, salmon, almond ice cream, etc.)
Chans also set up a retail tent for wine accessories as well as all the wines, champagnes and spirits they featured at the festival.

I did not leave empty handed. And I can’t wait to go back next year.

What are your favorite festivals or local events?

My 10 most favorite things to do on a cruise. #SeasTheDay #RoyalCaribbean

A few short weeks ago I went on a 4 night cruise to Cozumel from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on the Liberty of the Seas. I joined 39 other bloggers to experience the bliss of a Royal Caribbean cruise through the Gulf of Mexico to the island of Cozumel. The trip was amazing and the camaraderie rejuvenating. It was the perfect winter escape to raise my spirits!

There were SO many things to do on and off the cruise and I tried to sample it all. Obviously there are only 24 hours in a day and only so many days on the ship, so here are my top 10 favorites, in no particular order.

1. Watch an Ice Skating Show. On a cruise ship in the tropics. It just sounds far fetched, but it is true and fun. Even better, find out when they have open ice skating and go do it. Here is a clip from the show I watched. I couldn’t do this on dry land, much less on ice on a cruise ship in the middle of the Gulf.

 

2. Eat. This is a given, it is a cruise ship after all. The expectation is that you will eat and in abundance. The food on the Liberty of the Seas was utterly delightful – healthful, fresh and flavorful. (Yes there are decadent, unhealthful options. I did my best not to choose them. Until dessert came around….)  One night I was torn between trying a cold soup as an appetizer or a salad, so I tried them both. They were both good and I’m glad I didn’t miss out. (In truth, I hit the stairs so much that I didn’t gain a pound on the ship!)

3. Decorate Your Door. I know this sounds a little silly, but think about it. You are utterly exhausted from swimming, surfing, shopping, and rock climbing. Not to mention the 2 million flights of stairs you took because really, who has time for an elevator? Having a little something extra on your door helps you find it soooooo much faster.

4. Go Surfing. Or Bodyboarding. The surfrider on the Liberty of the Seas was awesome and great to watch as well. The wipe outs from young and old were well… hilarious. But fun. Oh so fun.

5. Learn to Decorate Cupcakes. The cupcake decorating class on the ship was so much fun. I don’t know that I would have tried it out on my own, but after learning more than I thought I could know about how to transfer 2 cupcakes into a dog I am hooked. Seriously, who can resist this face?

6. Order Room Service. Some mornings you just don’t want to go upstairs and eat breakfast in a room full of people. Room service is the answer. My roomie and I ordered eggs, toast, bacon and hash browns one morning and it was everything I had hoped it would be and more.

I even ended breakfast with a cup of coffee on the balcony. Pure bliss!

6. Donate a Book to the Ship Library. After you finish your book that you read on the balcony with your cup of java, donate it! Most cruise ships have a library. They can always use more books.

7.  Go Rock Climbing. This was my absolute favorite part of the ship. I went three times and would have gone back more if time had allowed. I love rock climbing and haven’t had much opportunity since having my boys. Since my family was home for this trip, I went often. I learned that I need to climb more if I want to get back to where I was many moons ago.

8. Get a Massage. Or Facial. Or Both. During our port day I decided to forgo the typical excursions and instead do a bit of shopping and head back to the ship for a little R&R. Most cruise ships have specials for port days since the majority of passengers are off the vessel for other adventures. I got the Traveler’s Special which consisted of a facial, scalp massage, neck, shoulder & back massage and a foot rub. It was heavenly. I haven’t had a massage in at least a year and it was everything I had hoped it would be. I didn’t get a photo of the spa room but here I am with my wonderful spa tech.

9. Catch a Musical. The last night on the ship, they had a performance of Saturday Night Fever. The costumes, the set, the actors were all wonderful. They did an amazing job of recreating the feeling from the original 1970’s film and brought it to life on the stage.

10. Stay Up Late and See The Quest. This is an audience participation in-room scavenger hunt. The room is divided up into 6 sections and a male and female are selected to be the leaders for each section. Summer was selected from our group and she was PERFECT.  Summer guided us through obtaining lipstick, a photo of the white house, putting men in women’s shoes and ultimately – dressing one dude as a lady.  This photo shows the outcome of each section’s offering for the final challenge. The game was irreverent, engaging and hilarious. Our announcer Jerome was super witty and made the game the event of the cruise.

 

Even though this is only 10 things – the real number of opportunities on the ship is easily in the triple digits. There is so much to do. Mini golf, arcades, swimming, hot tubs, fitness center, yoga, boxing, spinning, spa, acupuncture, etc. What are YOUR favorite things to do on a cruise ship?

 

 Cruise provided by Royal Caribbean and Brandfluential. All opinions are my own. (Always.)

I thought I hated cruises. Turns out I was doing it wrong! #SeasTheDay

Last November I went on my first cruise with my husband and two boys. The room was super cramped, the food was meh, and it honestly felt like they were trying to drain every last penny from our wallets. During the ship orientation one of the staff actually said that since we were on vacation, we needed to open our wallets. While the boys did enjoy the trip and my youngest has asked repeatedly to go back on the boat, if I knew cruising was like that experience you would never get me to step foot back on a ship.

Fast forward to last week. I was invited with 39 other bloggers to #SeasTheDay with Royal Caribbean on their vessel Liberty of the Seas. The Liberty of the Seas is a freedom class ship and the third largest cruise ship in the world. It was AMAZING.
Exhibit A:

This was the room on the previous ship. The kids slept in bunk beds over our heads. We were near the engines and could hear the stabilizers throughout the evening.

Versus Exhibit B:

This was my room on the Liberty of the Seas. I shared my room with Heather from OurKidsMom and after we were settled on the cruise, our room steward separated our bed in two twins.

There was so much to do on the ship.
A rock climbing wall…

A wave rider…

A fitness center complete with boxing ring…

Seriously, if you gain weight on a cruise it’s because you chose to, but because of a lack of things to do. I took the stairs between the decks as much as possible and that alone had my calves screaming by the end of each day.
Even the kids areas and arcade were amazing.

The promenade with shops was beautiful and the coffee shop with specialty coffees was my favorite place.

So if someone were to ask me now, “should I go on a cruise?” The answer is a resounding YES! The activities, the food, the shops and places to explore are wonderful. It’s a great reprieve from the day-to-day and even for those of us that live in vacation spots, it’s a worthwhile endeavor.

Cruise provided by Royal Caribbean and Brandfluential. All opinions are my own. (Always.)