honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, October 13, 2007

Conde Nast names Maui, Kauai top islands in Pacific

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Maui, with Fleming Beach Park seen here, was named the top island in the Pacific by Conde Nast Traveler's annual readers' choice awards. Kaua'i nabbed second place.

Advertiser library photo

spacer spacer

Conde Nast Traveler magazine awarded named Maui the top island in the Pacific, followed by Kaua'i then the Great Barrier Reef Islands in Australia in its annual readers' choice awards.

The magazine announced the awards in its November issue, available Oct. 25 on newsstands. The 20th annual Readers' Choice Awards are gleaned from what the editors describe as "the largest independent poll of consumers' preferences, the Readers' Choice Survey, second in size only to the U.S. Census."

More than 28,000 voted this year, a record for the program.

The magazine also added a new category of Hawaiian Resorts. Along with many other destinations in the Pacific Rim, Hawai'i's popularity has increased over the years and now merits its own category.

The top three spots in the Hawaiian Resorts category went to Four Seasons properties: Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Big Island, and the Four Seasons Lanai at Koele, Lana'i.

Hawaiian Airlines was ranked third best domestic route airline.

Other winners included Singapore Airlines again as the top international route airline, and San Francisco as the No. 1 U.S. City. It has held that distinction for 17 of the past 18 years. Santa Fe won the honor in 1992.

The Readers' Choice Awards gala took place on Oct. 10 in New York City at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Traveler differs from other travel publications because it does not accept free travel and accommodations, and its correspondents travel anonymously as much as possible.

Conde Nast Traveler, the 2005 Zagat Survey Best Travel Magazine, has a circulation of more than 750,000 and is published by Conde Nast Publications Inc.