DESTINATION: ROMANCE!

**Hawaii Romance Festival Teams Up with Pleasant Holidays to Offer Romantic Hawaii Travel Package**

HONOLULU (February 20, 2008) – Calling all romantics ~ this is certain to bring music to your ears!  The Hawaii Romance Festival has teamed up with Pleasant Holidays to offer visitors a chance to experience Hawaii at its romantic best with a special travel package combining airfare, hotel accommodations, hotel transfers, lei greeting, breakfast and tickets to select Hawaii Romance Festival events. 

The Hawaii Romance Festival 2008 travel package includes roundtrip airfare to Honolulu on United Airlines from either San Francisco International Airport or Los Angeles International Airport (ask about other departure cities), lei greeting upon arrival, roundtrip airport/hotel transfers, four nights’ accommodations at a lovely Starwood property in Waikiki, Island Orientation breakfast, Aloha Diner’s Passport, and tickets to the Hawaii Romance Festival’s Back to Romance concert, The Rhythm of Romance – 2 concert (roundtrip transfers included) and It’s Pink Night concert.  The four-night package is for travel from May 8 to May 12, 2008.

Hosted by the Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawaii, the Hawaii Romance Festival is bringing together guest star entertainers from across the U.S. and the Islands for a series of concerts, events and festivities dedicated to love.  The Hawaii Romance Festival 2008 travel package includes tickets to the following events:

Friday, May 9, Back to Romance, 7:00 p.m., Waikiki Shell
This concert under the stars features the legendary and incomparable icon of Motown:  Mr. Smokey Robinson, who is returning to Hawaii for the first time in two decades.  This poetically romantic evening will also celebrate Hawaii’s best selling Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawaii’s Back To Romance CD, which features some of the greatest male vocalists from Hawaii.  Joining Maestro Matt Catingub on stage will be: Robert Cazimero; Cecilio & Kapono; Eric Gilliom; Nathan Aweau and Barry Flanagan of HAPA; and Kaukahi  – with more to come – for an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime music experience. 

Saturday, May 10, The Rhythm of Romance – 2, 7:30 p.m., Blaisdell Arena
R&B legend and superstar Gladys Knight, plus soul singer Aaron Neville and American Idol’s Kimberley Locke all join with Island musicians from the Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawaii and other vocalists for this second installation of “The Rhythm of Romance.” 

Sunday, May 11, It’s Pink Night Concert, 7:30 p.m., Royal Hawaiian Hotel’s Coconut Grove
Closing the 2008 Hawaii Romance Festival and in honor of Mother’s Day, the It’s Pink Night concert will star the internationally renowned Boz Scaggs, one of the most successful recording artists of the 1970s and ‘80s.  It will be Scaggs’ first-ever public performance in Hawaii. 

The Hawaii Romance Festival 2008 travel package, which includes a “2 for 1” air special from Los Angeles and San Francisco, is priced from $899 per person for the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, $1,089 per person for the Sheraton Waikiki, $1,179 per person for the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort and $1,225 for the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.  All rates are based on double occupancy and include all applicable taxes. Ask about pre and post extensions and outer island excursions.  To book the package, call Pleasant Holidays Special Events travel experts at toll free (800) 865-5699 or visit www.pleasantholidays.com. 

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Waikiki offers a variety of hotel options to Romance Festival goers. Premier luxury accommodations are available at the legendary “Pink Palace of the Pacific.” Set on ten acres of prime Waikiki beachfront, The Royal Hawaiian welcomes romance at every turn and will host the festival’s final night concert on May 11, 2008.  Guests will find relaxation and rejuvenation at Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort in an intimate setting that transforms the way couples experience love.  Families seeking activities, couples in search of romance, or weary travelers will feel a welcoming sense of comfort at the Sheraton Waikiki. Or choose the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani for your greatest vacation value.

The Hawaii Romance Festival is hosted by the Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawaii and is sponsored in part by:  Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the official hotel provider of the Hawaii Romance Festival; the Hawaii Tourism Authority; Pleasant Holidays; The House of Harry Winston; `Iolani Palace; KGMB-TV; and Paul Brown Salon & Spa.  For more information about the 2008 Hawaii Romance Festival, visit www.HawaiiRomanceFestival.com.

Package Information:
Rates shown are per person, double occupancy. Rates, inclusions, terms, conditions, availability and itinerary are subject to change without notice. Rates valid for travel 5//8/08, include Hawaii ticket tax, but do not include per segment tax of $3.40, transportation tax of $15, PFC of up to $18, and up to $10 in September 11th Security Fees. Additional airline restrictions may apply. Taxes, gratuities, transfers, airfare and excursions are additional unless otherwise indicated. Not responsible for errors or omissions. CST #1007939-10. Copyright © 2007 Pleasant Holidays, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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