Written: 21st Feb 2010 | Last Updated: 21st Feb 2010
It’s 98% privately owned, yet feels like a natural, caring, homogenous community. Much of it is arid, rugged and barren, yet the highlands are lush, misty and emerald green. One gorgeous beach, Hulopo’e, calls swimmers and snorkelers to play, and if you’re lucky you’ll see a large pod of spinner dolphins do their athletic thing over and over again in the bay; yet the rest of the beaches, with charismatic names like Shipwreck and Polihua, are just too wild for anything other than beachcombing and whale spotting, the latter a wintertime treat as the channel between Lana’i and Moloka’i is a favourite playground for Humpbacks on holiday. Locals do fish these shores, but with the benefit of generations of experience, and if conditions allow, wander far out into the shallows to simply and patiently seek their prey. On a clear day, from various vantage points, mystical Moloka’i and magnetic Maui rise like big dreams in the distance, yet both are often invisible, shrouded in cloud, as turbulent squalls sail by. Around thirty miles of road on Lana’i are paved and very well maintained, most often flanked by soldier-straight Cook Island pines, yet the majority of tracks, perhaps one hundred miles, are dirt and rough as they come, with boulders in the way, bogging quagmires if wet, very steep descents/ascents and hair-raising hairpin bends. Without the benefit of a hired Jeep, you will miss much of the natural magic and ancient history of Lana’i, so if you plan to shift from resort to resort in a courtesy shuttle, please be aware that you will not really get to know the island intimately. Two major hotels, both run by Four Seasons, are lovely, with a choice of seaside (Manele Bay) or highlands (Lodge at Koele). Both have extraordinary golf courses, The Challenge at Manele and The Experience at Koele, regularly voted two of the best in the country. Our preference for lodging was Koele, and we were delighted by its elegance, comfort and location; the lodge building is the largest wooden structure in Hawai’i, as impressive as it sounds, and the gardens are magnificent, including koi-filled reflecting pond, orchid house, banyans and palms, fountains, Chinese pagoda and a fabulous five mile ridge hike for the fit and energetic. There’s also a serene swimming pool with fitness centre and spa adjacent to the main building, and stables and three Premiere cushion tennis courts located a short walk up the road in a perfect upcountry setting. As you’d expect of Four Seasons, staff take very good care of their guests, always doing more than expected to make one’s stay blissful and memorable. Following are photographs from our recent sojourn, posted in no particular order; hopefully, they will give you a real feel for Lana’i, its contrasts of raw and elegant, rough and smooth, ancient and new. It is the fourth Hawaiian island we have come to know, and we feel privileged to have its unique beauty stored in our hearts and minds.
ALOHA! :)