The Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival is the premier epicurean destination event in the Pacific. Set in the lush island paradise of O‘ahu, our four-day Festival features a roster of over 50 internationally-renowned master chefs, culinary personalities, and wine and spirit producers. Co-founded by two of Hawai‘i’s own James Beard Award-winning chefs, Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong, the Festival in Honolulu and Ko Olina Resort will showcase wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, one-of-a-kind excursions, and exclusive dining opportunities with dishes highlighting the state’s bounty of local produce, seafood, beef and poultry.
Event chairs include Chef Roy Yamaguchi and Chef Alan Wong. Chef Roy Yamaguchi is the creator of “Hawaiian Fusion® Cuisine,” a combination of exotic flavors and spices mixed with the freshest of local ingredients, always with an emphasis on seafood. Born in Tokyo, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York and opened his first Roy’s in Hawai‘i in 1988. Chef Alan Wong has made a name for himself internationally with his marriage of ethnic-cooking styles with the finest island-grown ingredients, creating local dishes with a contemporary twist. A James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Northwest, he was one of 10 chefs in the United States nominated by the Wedgewood Awards for the title of World Master of Culinary Arts.
America’s diverse destinations offer extraordinary travel experiences for every type of traveler. Our advisors’ Bucket List Worthy Destinations guide highlights the US experiences that truly belong on a bucket list.
Planning Seasonal Travel: What the Timing Really Means
Thirty-five years of booking travel has taught our team at Atlas Travel Center something important about seasonal vacations: the difference between a trip that exceeds expectations and one that disappoints often comes down to how far in advance you start planning. Peak travel windows — holidays, spring break, summer school breaks — fill up faster than most travelers expect. The clients who get the best rooms, the best cabins, and the best rates are almost always the ones who called us six to twelve months ahead.
Seasonal travel also has nuances that aren’t obvious from the calendar. “Holiday pricing” at some Caribbean resorts kicks in weeks before Christmas and lasts well into January. The most atmospheric Christmas markets in Europe sell out accommodations by October. Thanksgiving weekend flights can cost three to four times what the same route costs the Tuesday before. Our advisors know these patterns deeply and help you time your booking to avoid the premiums.
What Makes Seasonal Travel Worth It
Despite the planning lead time required, seasonal travel delivers experiences that are impossible at other times of year. The atmosphere of Europe during the holiday season, the energy of Caribbean ports during New Year’s week, the blaze of color along New England’s foliage routes in October — these are genuinely once-a-year moments that justify the extra coordination. Our job is to make sure the logistics don’t get in the way of the experience.
Start Planning with Atlas Travel Center
Contact our team to discuss seasonal availability for the destinations and travel styles that interest you. Atlas Travel Center has been planning seasonal travel since 1987 — CLIA-certified, ARC-accredited, and A+ BBB-rated. The earlier you reach out, the better the options we can lock in for you.
