Take Your Thanksgiving Feast To Go

Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki is undoubtedly a first-rate resort to visitors from around the world, but it also is known as a premier dining destination for droves of locals who frequent its numerous restaurants. With a full program already lined up for Thanksgiving, the elegant hotel assures all its guests that it’s never too early to start planning for your most festive Turkey Day yet.

Located at the gateway to Waikiki, Hawaii Prince Hotel once again presents its incredibly popular Thanksgiving-To-Go packages for the 19th year. Offering convenience for those who desire a high-quality, handcrafted meal without the hassle, the process is as simple as ordering a complete Thanksgiving feast that will be fully prepared by the hotel and ready to pick up on the holiday en route to your special gathering.

Thanksgiving-To-Go bundles put a gourmet twist on classic turkey dinners. The Traditional Meal ($189; $199 when ordered after Nov. 12) is prepared under the direction of executive chef Kirby Wong, and consists of a restaurant-quality Hot Macadamia Nut Honey-Glazed Turkey complete with cornbread, sausage and chestnut stuffing, and cranberry orange sauce. The grand spread continues with garlic mashed potatoes and giblet gravy you can’t live without, while Okinawan sweet potatoes with coconut flakes, baked rolls and a sweet ending of pumpkin pie round out the package.

For the first time ever, Hawaii Prince Hotel is adding the Signature Meal ($229; $239 when ordered after Nov. 12) option to its Thanksgiving-To-Go promotion. The new selection includes the aforementioned items in the Traditional Meal as well as corn chowder, Caesar salad and bread pudding with vanilla sauce, the last of which is a popular dessert on the hotel’s regular buffet spreads.

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving is going back for seconds, and the Thanksgiving-To-Go package has you covered in this regard, as additional sides such as gravy, stuffing and mashed potatoes (starting at $12 each) may be ordered.

At Hawaii Prince Hotel, giving thanks also comes in the form of gobbling up holiday buffets. Prince Court on the third floor always is home to fanciful fusions of European and Asian cuisines, seafood and island favorites, and this Thanksgiving, the eatery will host a Thanksgiving Day Dinner Buffet ($65 adult, $32.50 children 6 to 10; 5-9 p.m.) with a Chinese Roast Pork and Kalua Pig Station, snow crab leg pupus, prime rib, a dim sum station, traditional turkey and much more. There also will be a Thanksgiving Day Brunch Buffet ($65 adults, $32.50 children 6-10; 9 a.m.-2 p.m.) with all the fixings as well as breakfast goodies, from Classic Eggs Benedict to Corned Beef Hash.

If you’d like to add some Japanese flair to your celebration, reserve a spot for the Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet at Hakone ($65 adult, $32.50 children 11-14, $22 children 6-10; 5-9 p.m.), the hotel’s special spot for traditional Japanese fare and sushi buffet.

“We do so well for dinner at Hakone that we move Hakone’s Thanksgiving dinner to the ballroom,” says Almeida. There’ll be Roasted Turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce, of course, but there also will be assorted sashimi, poke, sushi and chef Masami Shimoyama’s special creations like pork sukiyaki with vegetables and beef shabu shabu, just to name a few.

“We try to make sure everything is perfect for the guests … not only for the to-go packages, but for the ones who eat here also,” says Chef Kirby.

Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki

100 Holomoana St., Honolulu
Prince Court and Hakone reservations: 944-4494;
Order Thanksgiving-To-Go package: 952-4789 or hawaiiprincehotel.com/TTG
Prince Court Thanksgiving Day Buffets, Brunch: 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Dinner: 5-9 p.m.; Hakone Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet, 5-9 p.m.
Drive-through pickup for Thanksgiving-To-Go packages is on Nov. 26 at the port cochere on the makai side of the hotel. Guests may choose a pickup time between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.