nWelcome to Lāna‘i, a novel and lesser-known Hawaiian island famed for its serene magnificence and journey alternatives. Also known as the Pineapple Island, Lāna‘i holds historic significance as a serious pineapple plantation. Listed here are the perfect Lanai points of interest yow will discover on this quiet little island.
Aerial view of Lanai, Hawaii that includes Hulopo’e Bay and seaside, Sweetheart Rock (Pu’u Pehe), Shark’s Bay, and the mountains of Maui within the background (Shutterstock)
Introduction to Lāna‘i
A Mormon colony. A pineapple plantation. An American billionaire’s retreat. Lānaʻi’s had a curious previous.
Simply 9 miles off the coast of Maui, there’s a quiet island formed like a little bit apostrophe. That is Lāna‘i—Hawai‘i’s smallest inhabited island, residence to simply round 3,000 residents and numerous tales.
Within the mid-1800s, a gaggle of Mormon settlers made Lāna‘i their residence till about seventy years later when James Dole, founding father of the Hawaiian Pineapple Firm, bought it. Lāna‘i used to be reworked into the biggest pineapple plantation on this planet, incomes it the nickname, Pineapple Island.
Pineapples turned greater than only a crop—it was integral to Lāna‘i’s id. Outsiders not often ventured there, assuming it was little greater than rows of golden fruit and a manufacturing facility. Even immediately, many Hawai‘i locals have by no means set foot on Lāna‘i, regardless of its quiet attraction and distinctive tradition.
From Pineapples to Tourism
In 2012, tech billionaire Larry Ellison, co-founder and former CEO of Oracle Company, bought 98% of Lāna‘i for a reported $300 million. The ultimate fruit was harvested in 2008.
Ellison envisioned one thing completely new for Lāna‘i and started reshaping the island from a sleepy plantation city into an unique eco-luxury vacation spot.
Former plantation staff, now welcome vacationers who arrive by ferry from Maui or land on the island’s small airport. With a inhabitants simply shy of three,000, Lāna‘i stays deeply linked to its roots.
Although a part of Maui County—alongside Moloka‘i and uninhabited Kaho‘olawe — Lāna‘i has carved out its personal id. It’s an island of contrasts, the place off-road trails and windswept cliffs lure adventurers, whereas world-class resorts pamper these in search of tranquility and indulgence. Whether or not you come for rugged exploration or five-star luxurious, Lāna‘i has each.
Luxurious Lānaʻi Lodging and Facilities
Though Lānaʻi is a small island, there are many methods to spend your cash on luxurious and comfy lodging. The serenity and privateness of Lānaʻi seashores are splendid settings for small weddings and romantic honeymoons.
The 1920s-era Hotel Lānaʻi, the five-star Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi at Manele Bay and Four Seasons Sensei Lānaʻi in Lānaʻi Metropolis all know tips on how to pamper guests. The 4 Seasons provides particularly distinctive experiences, together with mountain climbing the Koloiki Ridge Path, which begins on the resort. There’s additionally gourmand eating and wellness-focused facilities. At Sensei, company can take pleasure in spa therapies, yoga classes, diet consultations, and curated wellness applications.
For these seeking to hit the inexperienced, the 4 Seasons can also be residence to the spectacular Manele Golf Course. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, this cliffside course ranks among the many prime golf locations in Hawai‘i. Whether or not you’re chasing birdies or soaking within the surroundings, it’s a standout expertise that showcases the island’s magnificence with each swing.
Seashore chairs and umbrellas await the customer to the island of Lanai, Hawaii (Shutterstock)
Touring to Lāna‘i
Air Journey
There’s no direct flights to Lāna‘i from the continental U.S., so that you’ll should fly to Honolulu (HNL) or Kahului Airport in Maui (OGG), the place you’ll be able to hook up with Lāna‘i Metropolis airport. (LNY) with Hawaiian Airways.
You too can constitution a non-public flight with Lāna‘i Air. They provide luxurious air service for company of the 4 Seasons Resort Lāna‘i. These flights are the quickest method to join between Honolulu and Lāna‘i, and are personalized to every visitor’s arrival time.
Ferry Service to Lāna‘i From Maui
If you’re already on Maui, you’ll be able to journey to Lāna‘i’s Mānele Harbor from Maui’s Ma‘alaea Harbor via the Expeditions Ferry Service. There are 5 day by day roundtrips with the boat experience taking about an hour. Superior reservations are required.
Rental Automotive: Exploring the Island
You’ll have to hire a 4-wheel drive car for those who plan to discover by your self. Of the 400 miles of roads on the island, solely 30 miles are paved. Choices embrace Greenback Lease a Automotive and Lāna‘i Low-cost Jeep & Subaru Leases in Lāna‘i Metropolis. Jeep leases usually vary from $225 to $300 per day.
With a sturdy car, you’ll be able to enterprise off the overwhelmed path and uncover hidden gems inaccessible by common automobiles. Whether or not you’re navigating the pink filth roads to Polihua Seashore or climbing the Munro Path, having a dependable 4WD ensures you received’t miss any of the island’s breathtaking sights.
Lanai, Hawaii. Backyard of the Gods (Shutterstock)
Lanai Sights
Lāna‘i is a haven for outside adventures, providing a variety of actions equivalent to mountain climbing, ziplining, and different experiences that permit guests to attach with the island’s rugged landscapes that present the proper escape from city life.
Hulopo‘e Seashore and Mānele Bay
On the southern finish of the island, probably the most celebrated locations on Lāna‘i is Hulopo‘e Seashore. This protected marine reserve boasts clear waters, golden sand, and tide swimming pools teeming with aquatic life and possibly a sea turtle or two. Simply offshore, fortunate guests can spot spinner dolphins taking part in within the bay, and through the winter months, humpback whales typically make an impressive look. Snorkeling is a exceptional, uncrowded expertise.
Pū‘u Pehe (Sweetheart Rock)
A brief hike from Hulopo‘e Seashore results in probably the most iconic landmarks on the island— Pū‘u Pehe, or Sweetheart Rock. Towering 80 toes out of the ocean between Mānele and Hulopo‘e Bay, this sea stack is steeped in legend. In line with native lore, a heartbroken warrior leapt to his loss of life after dropping his beloved, their tragic story eternally memorialized by this pure formation.
The brief path to Pū‘u Pehe provides panoramic ocean views and is very beautiful at dawn and sunset, when the colours of the sky illuminate the shoreline. It’s a must-see for romantics, photographers, and hikers alike.
Lāna‘i Metropolis
Unassuming and filled with character, Lāna‘i Metropolis is the island’s solely city and a captivating reminder of its plantation days. Constructed within the 1920s by pineapple magnate James Dole to deal with staff, the city retains its classic enchantment. Plantation-style buildings, colourful boutiques, cozy cafés, and native artwork galleries really feel like they’ve been plucked from one other period.
Guests can stroll round Dole Park, the central inexperienced area surrounded by eating places and boutiques. It’s the perfect place to get a style of native tradition and mingle with residents. The absence of visitors lights in Lanai Metropolis provides to its attraction, which make for quiet streets and a leisurely stroll. Whereas on the town, be sure that to go to Lāna‘i Tradition & Heritage Middle, which provides fascinating reveals on the island’s historical past, from historical Hawaiian settlements to the pineapple plantation period and trendy developments.
Go to the Mike Carroll Gallery
Artwork fanatics will discover inspiration on the Mike Carroll Gallery, a gem nestled within the coronary heart of Lāna‘i Metropolis. This inviting area showcases a vibrant assortment of native paintings that captures the island’s pure magnificence and cultural soul. Mike Carroll, a Chicago native who moved to Lāna‘i in 2001, shortly fell in love with its tranquil landscapes and close-knit group. His oil work mirror the island’s essence—from misty uplands to sunlit shores—with hanging element and heat. Past Carroll’s personal work, the gallery includes a curated number of work, sculptures, and one-of-a-kind items by different native artists.
Keahiakawelo (Backyard of the Gods)
Probably the most surreal and visually hanging landscapes in all of Hawai‘i awaits on the northwest aspect of Lāna‘i. Keahiakawelo, typically known as the Backyard of the Gods, is a windswept expanse the place large boulders, sculpted by time and nature, dot the crimson earth like historical relics. It’s additionally a mystical website rooted in legend. In line with Hawaiian custom, the terrain was formed by a religious showdown between two kahuna (monks), every striving to maintain their sacred hearth burning longer than the opposite. The result’s a spot that feels charged with vitality and steeped in lore.
The realm is finest visited through the late afternoon when the setting solar casts dramatic shadows and wealthy golden hues throughout the rock formations. From Keahiakawelo, you can even take pleasure in distant views of neighboring islands Maui and Moloka‘i within the distance.
Shipwreck Seashore on the Pacific Ocean
On the northeastern coast of Lāna‘i lies an extended stretch of rugged shoreline referred to as Shipwreck Seashore. True to its identify, this eight-mile seaside is residence to the stays of a World Battle II-era oil tanker that ran aground on a reef within the 1940s. Although the waters are too tough for swimming, the seaside provides an eerie, scenic stroll and a captivating picture opp.
Shipwreck Seashore can also be an awesome place for beachcombing, mountain climbing, and recognizing native Hawaiian monk seals basking within the solar (preserve your distance!). Simply inland lies Kaunolu Village, a sacred website as soon as visited by King Kamehameha I that’s protected by the Nationwide Park Service.
Munro Path
For these in search of a fowl’s-eye view of the island, the Munro Path provides a wide ranging drive or hike via the upland forests. The 12.8-mile filth street climbs to Lāna‘ihale, the island’s highest peak at 3,366 toes. From varied lookouts, you’ll be able to see 5 of the six main islands on a transparent day: Lāna‘i, Maui, Moloka‘i, O‘ahu, and the Big Island.
The path passes via native ʻōhiʻa lehua forests and provides alternatives to identify native birds just like the ʻapapane and ʻamakihi. The terrain might be tough and muddy, so a four-wheel-drive car and durable mountain climbing boots are important.
Polihua Seashore
Should you’re on the lookout for absolute solitude, Polihua Seashore on Lāna‘i’s north shore is the proper escape. This distant, two-mile seaside is usually abandoned, a wild and windswept Lanai attraction. Whereas the waters are too harmful for swimming as a result of currents, it’s splendid for peaceable reflection and shell gathering.
Attending to Polihua requires a 4WD car, because the street is rugged and crosses via the Backyard of the Gods. The journey itself is an journey, with dramatic shifts in surroundings from pink desert-like plains to coastal sand dunes.
Koloiki Ridge Path
One other spectacular hike on Lāna‘i is the Koloiki Ridge Path, a reasonable five-mile spherical journey that begins close to the Sensei Resort. The path winds via lush forests of Prepare dinner pines and opens as much as sweeping views of Maunalei Gulch and the northern shoreline.
The Koloiki Ridge Path provides the chance to attach with Lānaʻi tradition, because the island’s magnificence and heritage are deeply intertwined. The ridge supplies a novel distinction to the arid landscapes elsewhere on the island, and it’s an awesome spot for birdwatching and plant identification. It’s accessible for many hikers and showcases the island’s shocking ecological range.
Lāna‘i Cat Sanctuary
Animal lovers adore Lāna‘i Cat Sanctuary, a 3.5-acre, open-air shelter residence to over 600 rescued cats close to the airport. Guests can cuddle, feed, and play with the cats affectionately referred to as “Hawaiian Lions.”
It’s a improbable cease for households and provides a significant method to help conservation efforts—by serving to shield endangered Hawaiian birds via the humane administration of Lāna‘i’s stray cat inhabitants. Sudden and unforgettable, it’s one of many island’s most delightfully shocking points of interest. Admission is free, although donations are inspired, and guests are welcome day by day.
Exploring the Poaiwa Petroglyphs
For a connection to Lāna‘i’s previous, go to the Poaiwa Petroglyphs—centuries-old carvings etched into lava rock by Native Hawaiians. Tucked inside a quiet, scenic valley, this sacred website provides a window into the religious lives of the island’s early inhabitants.
Reaching the petroglyphs requires a little bit of a hike, however you’ll be rewarded with sweeping views of the island. As soon as there, the petroglyphs unfold like a silent storybook, depicting human figures, animals, and symbolic shapes carved straight into stone. It’s a humbling, highly effective place—one which grounds your Lāna‘i go to within the deep roots of Hawaiian tradition.
Sundown Catamaran Sail: A Romantic Getaway
For an unforgettable romantic escape, set sail on a sundown catamaran cruise round Lāna‘i. Because the boat glides alongside the coast, you’ll be handled to sweeping views of neighboring Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific. When the solar begins its descent, the sky erupts into shade, casting a magical glow over the water.
Closing Ideas
Lāna‘i could be the least developed of Hawaii’s main islands, however that’s precisely what makes it so particular. Its quiet attraction, dramatic landscapes, and mix of journey, and luxurious create a one-of-a-kind escape. Unplug and uncover a aspect of the islands that few get to expertise.
Come to loosen up on an empty seaside. Discover historical cultural websites. Immerse your self in high-end wellness. Lanai’s points of interest provide an unforgettable escape that feels a world away from the bustle of recent life. With the varied great thing about Lānaʻi being open to an increasing number of vacationers, the Pineapple Isle may need to seek out one other nickname.
