region

Cebu is one of the Philippines’ most dynamic islands, with coral reefs fringing the coast, mountain ridgelines shaping the interior, and city life moving with busy purpose. As the country’s primary trading hub, Cebu City’s energy is palpable; street food stalls sizzle, students spill out onto university plazas, and cafés and galleries reflect a growing creative scene. The city is dotted with 16th-century landmarks, including the must-see Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, home to Magellan’s Cross, and the triangular Fort San Pedro, today a garden and museum.

Feel the quiet strength of a proud, island-born Japan in Naha. Located over 950 miles southwest of Tokyo, on Okinawa’s southern coast, Naha is the cultural heart of the Ryukyu Islands, and once the royal seat of the Ryukyu Kingdom. A morning walk will take you to the vermilion gates of Shurijo Castle, originally built in the 14th century and recently restored, then shop for hand-dyed bingata—a textile once reserved for royalty, still used in ceremonial kimono. Traditional izakayas line the streets, so step into their shade to sip awamori, a distilled rice spirit unique to the region.

Set on the sun-drenched western edge of Hawaiʻi Island, Kona’s coast is a study in contrasts. Black lava fields stretch to white-sand beaches, and coffee groves climb the green slopes of Hualālai volcano. In the highlands, Kona’s famous crop reigns supreme; family-run farms handpick beans from trees rooted in volcanic soil. Head to a roastery for a tasting, or sample local cacao and vanilla—crops grown nowhere else in the U.S. Back at sea level, the story is equally as vivid.

Set on the Big Island’s rain-nourished eastern side, Hilo rewards those who follow its pace—gentle, grounded, and unexpectedly powerful. The town is visually striking; look one way to see rainforest and waterfalls, the other to spy the snow-dusted peak of Mauna Kea, Hawaiʻi’s sacred mountain. Begin the day with a stroll along the bayfront into downtown, browsing family-run shops and artist studios that carry on living traditions such as carving wood and beating kapa.

Kahului sits on storied ground, shaped by centuries of movement, trade, and transformation. Set on Maui’s northern coast, between Haleakalā and the West Maui Mountains, the region holds deep cultural significance, as it was here, in 1790, that King Kamehameha’s forces defeated Maui’s warriors in a pivotal step toward unifying the islands. Nature is especially generous in this part of Maui. Head inland to ʻĪao Valley State Park, where hiking trails wind through the rainforest for sensational views of the ʻĪao Needle, a 1,200-foot spire that rises dramatically through the mist.

The spirit of Hawaiʻi sings in unexpected places in Honolulu, from palace corridors and open-air markets to the song of the ocean itself. Certainly, the city’s beaches are legendary; paddle a board out from Ala Moana Beach Park if you want sensational coastal views, but slip away from Waikīkī’s buzz to Kakaʻako, where bold street art, farmers markets, and salty-sweet breezes reveal the city's vibrant soul. Walk the halls of ʻIolani Palace (the only royal palace on U.S. soil) or visit Bishop Museum, the historical home for Hawai’i’s ancient artifacts.

Lying more than 1,000 nautical miles south of Hawaiʻi, Fanning Island, also known as Tabuaeran (meaning “heavenly footprint” in Polynesian), feels like a secret kept by the sea; there are no big hotels, no cars, no crowds—just sandy paths, pandanus trees, and the hush of waves on coral reef. Just over 2,000 people call the island home; unsurprisingly, local life moves gently. Children greet you in Gilbertese with songs, and women weave mats from palm leaves or sell shell jewelry from market stalls. In the water, the pace picks up with tropical sealife flitting about their daily duties.

Often called the sacred heart of the South Pacific, Raiatea was once Polynesia’s spiritual and navigational center—a legacy still felt at Taputapuātea, the island’s ancient marae and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Like many of the Society Islands, its hinterland is dense with forest, home to towering mape trees, wild hibiscus, and several species of critically endangered birds. Kayak along the Faaroa River, the only navigable river in French Polynesia surrounded by pristine rainforests, and look for the elusive Tiare ʻApetahi, Raiatea’s rare, endemic flower.

Taking its name from vahine, the Tahitian word for woman, Huahine is a destination immersed in Polynesian folklore. According to legend, its topography resembles a reclining pregnant figure; low mountains and gently sloping terrain covered in coconut palms, vanilla orchids, breadfruit trees, and banana groves. This landscape stretches across two connected islands—Nui and Iti, the big and the little—which are linked by a narrow bridge over Maroe Bay.

Flower-shaped Taha’a floats in the same turquoise lagoon as Raiatea and Bora Bora—close in distance, yet a world apart. It may not share their spotlight, but the island carries its own quiet charisma. Step ashore and you’ll feel it; the scent of vanilla drifts on the breeze, and family-run estates share their stories of how each orchid is hand-pollinated in a ritual known as “marrying the vanilla.” Taste the island’s spirit—literally—in small-batch, artisanal rum distilled from heritage sugarcane and infused with vanilla or local tropical fruits.