Lanai Vacations
Lanai is a privately owned island and the island was previously owned by Dole and was devoted to the farming of pineapple. In 1991 the island was officially transferred from farming pineapple to an industry of tourism. Those workers that lost jobs were hired back on to work at the local hotels and the in tourist trade.
A Lanai Vacation means you are probably staying at one of the two Four Seasons hotels on the island. The first would be the Lodge at Koele and the second is the Four Seasons Lanai at Manele Bay. The Lodge has fantastic golf ranges and for the real outdoorsman there is the option of archery. If you are comfortable on a horse then you will be in heaven because the Lodge has a great stable of horses.
The food is fantastic and one guest said they loved the pineapple cider and the wild boar. Reviews did say that the meals were very expensive but good. There is Pilialoha's Children Activities with the focus being on the Hawaiian culture and nature. The rooms are large and beautiful, but for $300 a night that is to be expected.
The Four Seasons at Manele Bay has a reputation of pampering their guests. The hotel has wonderful spa treatments and boasts of five gardens, in and around the hotel, complete with ponds and waterfalls.
You can arrive to the island by ferry, which costs $26 one way, or you can take an inter-island puddle jumper flight. Once you arrive there are loads of fun stuff for you to do. In the bay dolphins visit daily and you can watch them jump out of the water and play with the guests. I watched Flipper as a kid and I gotta tell you, I always wanted a dolphin in the back yard like that kid on the show.
If you take a stroll along the shore you will see beautiful tide pools and you will be able to see the romantic Sweetheart Rock. Ask the locals to tell you the story. There is golf for the guy that fancies he is Tiger Woods on one of the finest golf courses you'll ever step foot on. Another option for you is that you can explore he rest of the island by horseback or Jeep.
If you are on horseback or in a Jeep, near Lanai City you can find the Luahiwa Petroglyphs. These were apparently done close to 500 years ago. Travel the Munro Trail and when you reach the top you can see a view of 5 the other islands. It seems logical when you look at how close they are on the map.
Another cool place to visit is Garden of the Gods. This is an odd place that is located in the more desert like area of Lanai. Odd shaped rocks that are an orange red color are even more vivid when the sun sets. One place that looks interesting is Shipwreck Beach. Off the coast is an old World War II supply ship that got hung up on the reef. These are shallow dangerous waters, which is largely because this area is the only barrier reef north of Australia. Further down the beach there is another ship, an oil tanker that was wrecked as well.
One thing is for sure; if you have this kind of vacation in your future try not to just sit in your room vegging out. Go check out the island of Lanai.
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