First Impression: La Dolce Vita

Date toured: November 2007

The 56-foot sailing yacht La Dolce Vita is part of the fleet at Regency Yacht Vacations, which is a sponsor of CharterWave. That doesn’t buy the boat any special treatment here in the editorial section, but I always make a point of mentioning any potential conflicts of interest—especially when I give a boat a good First Impression review, as is the case here.
     I toured La Dolce Vita during the annual charter yacht show in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, where I met her owner-operators Greg and Lana Hughes. They’re a charming couple from the Southern United States, he from Georgia and she from Tennessee. They bought La Dolce Vita in April 2005 and started offering charters in November 2006. During their first year, they did six weeklong charters plus a few day sails—and they say they can’t wait to do more.
     The yacht itself is older, built in 1979 but in good condition for her age. The couple have put a lot of elbow grease and money into varnish work, hatch covers, curtains, countertops, bottom paint, and the like.
     “Downstairs is comfortable,” as Greg puts it. “It’s not plastic when you take a shower, and it’s a real shower. You’re not sitting on the commode trying to rinse off.”
     Lana does the cooking during charters and describes her style as self-taught Southern. She defines that as a lot of pasta dishes, grilled fish, fresh fruits, and homemade muffins and desserts. One of her desserts, called a “cherry bomb,” is apparently a fan favorite among charter clients.
     La Dolce Vita can take as many as six guests, but because of the cabin configuration, four adults is ideal, or four adults with two children. The two forward cabins share a bathroom, and one has a smallish bed in the boat’s forepeak—the triangle-shaped area all the way up front, inside the bow. The third guest cabin has upper-lower berths, like bunk beds, and an en suite bathroom.
     There are a couple of pricing options available, including half-board rates that include breakfast and lunch aboard, but dinner ashore nightly at your own expense. For four guests, the regular inclusive weekly rate is $7,850 while the half-board rate is $6,350, a significant difference. For six guests, those rates are $9,350 and $8,350. For a full boat at the highest possible rate, you’re looking at about $1,500 per person, per week.
     Contact any reputable charter broker for booking information.—Kim Kavin