Winners revealed for olive's inaugural Travel&Taste awards
- Alex Crossley
Published: September 1, 2026 at 11:26 AM
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Our team of in-house experts and specialist guest judges are excited to announce this year's shortlist of the world's best food-first travel experiences and destinations
For more than 20 years, the olive team has been uncovering the best in food-led travel, so we are delighted to announce the winners of our inaugural olive Travel&Taste Awards, celebrating exceptional destinations, hotels and experiences.
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Our winning destinations and experiences include established favourites and exciting new discoveries that deserve a place on every food lover’s travel wish list. They offer genuine sense of place, strong local identity and a commitment to creating meaningful connections between travellers, food, culture and community.
The winners have been chosen by a panel of olive's editors, from the shortlist (full list here) alongside a specialist guest judge in each category (full list below).
The winners for the 2026 olive Travel&Taste awards are...
Food Destination of the Year
Winner: Spain
"This country’s regional variety gives food lovers genuine choice. The diversity in produce, dishes, culinary traditions, landscapes and communities make it a year-round destination for any kind of traveller. Whether that’s fresh seafood and zippy wine pairings in Galicia, cider and cheese-fuelled hikes in mountainous Asturias, pintxo crawls and vineyard hopping in Logroño or rice field paella feasts in rural Valencia."
Highly commended: Japan
Luxury Food Destination of the Year
Winner: Sri Lanka
"From ancient hill country to pristine coastline, Sri Lanka pairs a new generation of boutique hotel groups redefining island luxury with an exciting culinary scene and exceptional natural produce, confirming it as our top pick for the year ahead."
Highly commended: Switzerland
Emerging Food Destination of the Year (guest judge Gurdeep Loyal)
Winner: Estonia
"An exciting culinary destination filled with Baltic heartiness that’s pioneering a ‘New Nordic’ approach to dining – with hyper-local sourcing, micro seasonality and foraging at it’s heart."
Highly commended: George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Culinary Experience Destination of the Year (guest judge Verna Gao)
Winner: Oaxaca, Mexico
"Interactive experiences are engrained into every part of this vibrant Mexican city, from bustling markets and lively street food stalls to immersive cooking and mezcal tastings."
Highly commended: Istanbul, Türkiye
Sustainable Food Destination of the Year (guest judge Meera Dattani)
Joint winner: The Julian Alps, Slovenia
"A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and home to the country’s highest mountain, Mount Triglav, the Julian Alps celebrate all that’s local and seasonal about Slovenia, from the forest floor to its pristine lakes and rivers. One of the country’s richest agricultural regions, it retains a strong farming heritage, while free or subsidised public transport helps minimise car use."
Joint winner: Placencia, Belize
"This beautiful laidback beach town in Belize also tells another story, one that champions hyper-local food producers, Belizean-owned and operated bars and restaurants, and changemakers sharing the diversity and quality of Belizean cuisine including Kriol (African European), Garifuna (Black Caribbean) and Indigenous Mayan dishes."
European City Break of the Year (guest judge Gurdeep Loyal)
Winner: Antwerp, Belgium
"This understatedly cool Belgian city blends artful Michelin star fine-dining and revolutionary veg-centric cooking, with a buzzing brunch scene, sustainable craft-breweries, and some of the very best chocolate in the world."
Highly commended: Cork, Ireland
Gourmet Island Escape of the Year (guest judge Heather Steele)
Winner: Sicily, Italy
"Sicily is an island of such multitudes. From arancini to cannoli, regions have their own unique takes on classic dishes. Move around the island and you'll feel like you've travelled much more widely than you have."
Highly commended: Menorca, Spain
Coolcation Destination of the Year (guest judge Meera Dattani)
Winner: Finland
"Finland is a natural coolcation spot with its lush forests of pine and birch, shimmering waters and national sauna culture. Home to Europe’s largest lake district and hiking, wildlife and Midnight Sun in Finnish Lapland, it’s the ultimate heatwave antidote."
Highly commended: Nova Scotia, Canada
Wine Destination of the Year (guest judge Kate Hawkings)
Winner: The Douro Valley, Portugal
"The Douro Valley is among the most beautiful wine regions in the world, brought to life in a wide range of hospitality and enotourism experiences. Porto has all the cultural attractions of a vibrant, historic city, shaped around its unique port houses."
Highly commended: Margaret River, Australia
Cocktail Culture City of the Year (guest judge Millie Milliken)
Winner: Athens, Greece
"Athens' star has been rising steadily for the last decade and having meaningfully built a scene that celebrates local ingredients and has redefined Greek hospitality, its spot at the top of this list felt not only timely but long deserved."
Highly commended: Mexico City, Mexico
Culinary Cruise Route of the Year (guest judge James Litston)
Winner: HX Expeditions: In Darwins's Footsteps, Galápagos Islands
"Beyond the magical experiences that it offers in this bucket-list place, HX wins by chartering a locally owned ship for its Galapagos operation, helping to keep the nuance Ecuadorian and sustainable."
Highly commended: Oceania Cruises' Belfast to Lisbon Culinary Luminaries Cruise
Luxury Train Journey of the Year (guest judge Joanna Yee)
Winner: Belmond Andean Explorer, Peru
"The Belmond Andean Explorer offers a true bucket list experience in every sense. A journey that encompasses a unique immersion into the Andean way of life through thoughtful activities and bolstered by cuisine and comfort on board its bold blue and cream carriages."
Highly commended: Train Suite Shiki-shima, Japan
UK Restaurant with Rooms of the Year (guest judge Milly Kenny-Ryder)
Joint winner: Osip, Somerset
"Osip is Merlin Labron-Johnson’s love letter to Somerset and everything it has to offer; the attention to detail here makes every visit unforgettable."
Joint winner: Mýse, Yorkshire
"A truly memorable restaurant with rooms, Mýse is a culinary highlight in Yorkshire, worth the journey in every respect."
UK Vineyard Stay of the Year (guest judge Kate Hawkings)
Joint winner: Sandridge Barton, Devon
Joint winner: Tillingham, East Sussex
"This was such a hard category to judge as the standards across the category are so high. Sandridge Barton offers such a wide variety of activities for visitors all year round, as well as gorgeous accommodation and really thrilling wines, while Tillingham’s idyllic setting, cool vibes, beautiful food, and fascinating approach to winemaking makes it a dreamy destination for a day out or a truly relaxing getaway for a longer break."
UK Spa Retreat of the Year (guest judge Gina Jackson)
Winner: Heckfield Place, Hampshire
"A pioneering example of estate-to-plate dining, where Skye Gyngell's culinary legacy and commitment to seasonality lives on. Two restaurants turn out consistently exceptional cooking, both drawing daily from the estate's kitchen garden and biodynamic farm."
Highly commended: Middleton Lodge, Yorkshire
London Gourmet Escape of the Year (guest judge Gina Jackson)
Winner: The Connaught, Mayfair
"With everything from Michelin-starred dining to next-level patisserie and award-winning cocktail bars, this hotel has a whole ecosystem of dining and drinking under one roof. There's little reason to eat elsewhere, which is no small feat in a city like London."
Highly commended: Raffles London at The OWO, Whitehall
European Rural Retreat of the Year (guest judge Milly Kenny-Ryder)
Winner: Le Doyenné, Paris, France
"Conveniently close to Paris but blissfully remote, Le Doyenné is a magical and chic escape that brings the best produce to the table and offers charming French- farmhouse style accommodation."
Highly commended: eriro, Tyrol, Austria
All-inclusive Escape of the Year (guest judge James Litston)
Winner: Wilderness, across Africa
"With its focus on provenance, local regional cuisine and meaningful conservation initiatives, the Wilderness brand came out ahead in what was a very tight-run competition."
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Highly commended: Daios Cove, Greece
Authors
Alex CrossleyDigital Editor
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