Gourmets & Gourmands is a culinary evening of tastes and flavours where 16 restaurants team up with 16 wine farms and offer guests a unique menu and experience, all in aid of the Carpe Diem School for special needs in the Garden Route in South Africa. The evening’s events end off with a big ticket auction, where guests are encouraged to bid on items to further increase the funds raised. One of this year’s premier auction items is sponsored by the Mount Meru Hotel in collaboration with Precision Air. The Mount Meru Hotel sponsored a five night stay at the hotel and promises the winning bidder and partner a magical experience. The recently renovated hotel is set in a beautiful part of Tanzania, Arusha, at the foothills of Mount Meru.

Luxury rooms create a tranquil and private atmosphere. Guests can rest assured that all their stresses will float away on a cloud as they experience the lavishness for themselves. Boasting 4 restaurants, pristine swimming pool, cigar lounge, relaxing spa, beautifully manicured gardens and an adjacent golf course the hotel caters for every taste and whim. Precision Air was more than happy to come on board to support such a worthy cause with double return tickets from Johannesburg to Kilimanjaro. Flying with Precision Air means your holiday starts the moment you check your baggage in. They take great pride in providing only the best service, the tastiest food and snacks and an all-round flight experience that will leave you wishing they can fly you everywhere. The winning bidders will experience first-hand that a vacation starts when you leave home and not when you arrive at your destination.

The Carpe Diem school provides education to children with learning disabilities and their staff members go above and beyond the call of duty to provide a safe and motivating environment where these children can not only learn, but be empowered as well. The funds raised are used to increase the functionality of the school and add to the personal and educational value that benefits the learners directly. Last year, the school was able to purchase 4 electric wheelchairs for wheelchair bound children with the funds raised at the 2010 Gourmets & Gourmands. For 2011, the school aims to build an outside lift in order to increase the mobility of wheelchair bound students.

This auction item is truly a premier lot and the hope is that someone will scoop up this incredible prize and have a wonderful vacation in Tanzania, complements of the Mount Meru Hotel and Precision Air.