Nicknamed "The Pineapple Isle," Lana'i is the 6th largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest island accessible to the general public. A notable characteristic of the island is that 97% of the island is privately owned by Larry Elison, the founder of Oracle. This fact does not take away from the shear beauty of the island, great for anyone looking to get away from the crowds and simply do some exploring. Just know if you want to make the trip and stay in one of the few hotels, it will not be cheap!
I always tell my mainland friends who consider visiting Hawaii, to first do it (obviously), but also if you can afford it in the way of time and money, don't just see one island. See multiple. Because each island has it's own personality-- the people are different, the landscape is different, but they are all very beautiful in their own way.
After living here for almost 2 and a half years, I've been fortunate to be able to see 5 of the Hawaiian islands (including Oahu). I walked through the other worldly Haleakala Crater on Maui, saw the mesmerizing Waimea Canyon on Kauai, explored the famous Kalauapapa Lepur Colony on Moloka'i, and even hiked the highest peak in all of Hawaii on the Big Island. However, my Hawaii journey would feel incomplete if I didn't visit the last accessible island, Lana'i. When a free long weekend came around, I packed my bag, hopped on a plane with my friend Danielle, and took off, eager to explore my final island.
Our flight touched down at Lana'i Airport around 9am. If you've island hopped before, specifically to the Big 4 (Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Big Island), you know that you can get flights pretty much any time of day. This is not the case for Lanai. There are only about 5 flights a day and they only leave from Oahu. Just a helpful hint for planning purposes.
Our first stop for our trip, to get our rental car. I highly recommend getting a Jeep to maximize your exploring ability. We rented our jeep from Dollar, but there are many places to rent from on island. The most important thing about driving here is knowing which roads are open to vehicles. Some of the dirt roads on the island can get very muddy and soft, which would make the risk of getting stuck that much higher. This is one of the most common tragedies that can happen while exploring this little rock, so be careful!
Our first adventure-- hiking the beautiful Koloiki Ridge Trail, a short ridge hike, located just north of Lanai City.
The seclusion and beauty of this area were just amazing.
A gorgeous valley, with views of both Molokai and Maui. Only a few hours in and I'm already in awe of this place. (For more on this hike, check out my full writeup).
Despite the ease of Koloiki, we had worked up an appetite, so we decided it was time for lunch. We stopped in Lanai City, which is pretty much the only place to get food on the island, outside the hotel. Despite the name, this place definitely doesn't qualify as a city, it is a town. But it is very pleasant. Right in the middle of the town is Dole Park, named after non other than Dole Pineapples. It was a beautiful grassy area filled with massive Cooke trees. It makes for a great place for a picnic.
Which is exactly what Danielle and I did. We stopped at Richard's Market for some poke bowls and some "Buch," as Danielle always calls it. No matter what island I go to, the poke always amazes me. Fresh and flavorful, without masking too much of the delicious ahi taste. Not to mention, you get so much fish! Poke has begun sprouting up on the mainland in places like DC, NYC, and the west coast. The bowls are more customizable (think Chipotle), but you only get a few pieces of fish. And it's expensive! I think Hawaii poke is one of the greatest things ever, so everyone who eats fish should try it if you visit. But be careful, poke anywhere else will never taste as good.
Enough of my poke rant. It was time for us to make our way to where we would be staying for the night, the famous Four Seasons at Manele Bay. The drive out there was intriguing enough as we were surrounded by vast fields of flat land, allowing you to see all the way to the ocean. This section was very interesting as the road was lined with these large Cook Island Pines. It was if the trees were guiding us to paradise.
Because the Four Seasons is exactly what you picture when you think of paradise. I knew instantly this would be the nicest hotel I'd ever stayed in, and probably will be for a long time. Full service towels and water by the pool, SUPs and snorkel gear to borrow, comfy robes and Nespresso in the room, and even a toilet with a bidet. What more could you want?
And of course, it wouldn't be Hawaii if we weren't greeted with Leis. We even got some pineapple-guava juice as a bonus! I felt out of place with my sweaty hiking clothes in this stunning interior.
After we dropped our stuff off at the hotel, we decided to do a little pre-dinner sunset hike in order to burn off the many calories we were about to consume. Our destination was Pu'u Pehe, more commonly called "Sweetheart Rock", a beautiful rock formation located just off the coast. Getting there is very easy from the Four Seasons, simply walk across Hulopo'e Beach and you will hit the trail.
Hulopo'e beach, I might add, is a stunning beach. The sand is very soft and the waves crash sharply near the beach, creating that soothing ocean sound. You can also camp at this beach (it does require a permit), so if you are looking for a significantly lower budget way to experience this island, I recommend that.
There it is, Pu'u Pehe. There's a lot of beauty and history to this spot, which you can read more about in my separate post.
And it makes for an absolutely stunning sunset spot.
And drone spot, if you are into that sort of thing.
We ended our night with a luxurious dinner at the ONE FORTY, American Steak Hawaiian Seafood. I won't say how much it costs, I'm far too embarrassed to admit it. Let's just say I won't be going out to eat for about 6 months to recover from that expense. But it was amazing. Bellies full and a little alcohol buzz going, we retired to our beds, ready for the next day's adventure.
We began day 2 with a bang, waking up to catch the sunrise at Pu'u Pehe. The sunrise was just as spectacular as the sunset, as the sun rose between the two peaks of Maui.
And the morning light made for some great aerial photography. This photo helps captures the layout of this part of Lana'i. The iconic Pu'u Pehe, Hulopo'e Beach, the Four Seasons and the southern coastline, all in one shot.