Sean Hoess knew Turtle Bay Resort was perfect the moment he saw it in 2012. Perfect for a getaway. Perfect for his wedding. Perfect for Wanderlust, the celebration of mindful living that he had founded with business partner Jeff Krasno three years earlier.
If you go …
Wanderlust Oahu
>> Place: Turtle Bay Resort, 57-091 Kamehameha Highway, North Shore, Oahu
>> Dates: Thursday through Feb. 28
>> Admission: Free to the festival grounds, which includes an outdoor music venue (evening performances require a ticket); Kuilima Market; Food Co-op; and the Uncommons, a large, open-air space to enjoy downtime. Kids 13 and under will be admitted free with a paying adult (excluding classes that require an additional charge). One-, three- and four-day tickets range from $115 to $530 per person, including one lecture, music presentations and up to three select activities per day. Through Wednesday, kamaaina can receive a 25 percent discount on one-day tickets by presenting a valid ID.
>> Accommodations: At the hotel (call 293-6000 or book online at www.turtlebayresort.com) or vacation rentals in the area. Camping is also available at $140 per person for four nights or $150 per person for five nights.
>> Email: support@wanderlust.com
>> Website: wanderlust.com/festivals/oahu
“Turtle Bay is an hour’s drive from Honolulu, but it’s really another world,” Hoess said. “It’s in a beautiful oceanfront setting and offers surfing, hiking, biking and many other outdoors activities, which Wanderlust’s crowd loves.”
Hoess and his wife got married at the resort on Feb. 25, 2013 — his birthday — right before the first Wanderlust Oahu. The next year they went back with their new son, Jasper. This year they’ll be there with Jasper and their year-old daughter, Maia, to celebrate their anniversary, Hoess’ birthday and Wanderlust’s fourth event on Oahu’s North Shore.
Wanderlust holds nine festivals annually in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Colorado, California, Vermont, West Virginia and Hawaii, its only winter locale. According to Hoess, the events are dubbed “Wanderlust” for a reason.
“It’s sort of an old-fashioned word that describes a yearning for travel and adventure,” he said. “It relates to the goal Jeff and I have of incorporating the food, history and culture of the amazing places where we hold Wanderlust. We always invite local authors, business leaders and health and wellness experts to teach, and we often showcase local musicians.”
Participants create their own schedule from between 75 and 100 daily offerings. In addition to the usual lineup of yoga, meditation, concerts and lectures (see Highlights sidebar), this year’s Wanderlust Oahu offers scavenger hunts, sunrise acrobatics classes, stargazing on the beach, an oli (Hawaiian chant) workshop and a yoga session incorporating hoop and Maori poi dances.
“Regardless of what you choose, you’ll be enriched and inspired by new ideas, new friends and new experiences,” Hoess said. “Wanderlust offers many paths to fulfillment, and you have the freedom to design your own personal journey of discovery and transformation of mind, body and spirit.”
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
