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TheBuzz
Erika Engle
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Condé Nast's readers rank Maui as No. 2 island in world, No. 1 in Pacific
IN A BLESSING of timing, new issues of two leading travel magazines bear lists likely to bolster Hawaii's visitor industry in the wake of the quakes.
Condé Nast Traveler's annual readers' poll ranks Maui as the No. 2 island in the world, beaten for the first time by the Maldives. It is the first time Maui has been beaten in the reader poll since the Islands category was created 13 years ago, the magazine said in a statement.
However, Maui is the No. 1 island in the Pacific Rim, followed by Kauai and Moorea, French Polynesia, according to the magazine's readers.
Maui Visitors Bureau Executive Director Terryl Vencl was presented an award for the honor at a gala in New York City Monday night.
Honolulu is ranked at No. 7 among the top U.S. cities. The top three were San Francisco, Santa Fe, N.M., and New York City.
The magazine's list of the top three domestic airlines puts Hawaiian at No. 3, behind JetBlue and Midwest.
The top 10 Australia and Pacific resorts include four Four Seasons Resorts properties in Hawaii. The Lodge at Koele and the Four Seasons Hualalai on the Big Island swapped places from last year's list, with the Lanai property wresting the top spot from its now second-ranked Big Island sister.
"That's OK, we're all family," chuckled Greg Pirkle, resort manager at Hualalai.
The two Four Seasons Resorts on Lanai, the Lodge at Koele and at Manele Bay, have been undergoing $100 million worth of "enhancement," said Brad Packer, director of public relations for both properties. The Manele Bay project is complete while "the Lodge will open Nov. 15."
"For Lanai, (the listing) is a particularly great thing. It's going to help put the island and the resorts on the map, being true destinations of a higher caliber than they had been in the past."
Lizard Island in Australia took the No. 3 spot, but other slots were filled by Hawaii hotels -- the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea at No. 4 followed by the Grand Hyatt Kauai, Four Seasons Resort Manele Bay on Lanai, Kahala Hotel & Resort, Halekulani, Fairmont Kea Lani on Maui and the Princeville Resort on Kauai.
The timing of the news "couldn't be better," said Julie Friedman, spokeswoman for the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea.
The November Condé Nast Traveler will hit newsstands Tuesday. The first-ever telecast of the awards ceremony will air on the Travel Channel in Hawaii at 5 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. next Wednesday on Oceanic digital channel 325.
More rankings
Travel + Leisure, another top travel magazine, has released its 2006 list of World's Best Business Hotels, and Halekulani was selected as the best in Hawaii. It is the only Hawaii hotel among the top 39 listed and based on total points, Halekulani came in at No. 14.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4747, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at:
eengle@starbulletin.com