Travelers in search of peaceful serenity, friendly locals, and outdoor adventure should head to Lanai. A quiet, slow-paced paradise, with just one small town and few paved roads, Lanai isn’t known for glitz and glamor. Much more so than other destinations, Lanai is a state of mind. Though its industry now centers on two remote luxury resorts, the island was once home to the world’s largest pineapple plantation. Its 15,000 acres accounted for over 90% of total US pineapple production, and many of the island’s older residents are former field laborers. The community is small and close-knit, and people are genuinely amiable—it is considered common courtesy to wave to all oncoming drivers and pedestrians. Prices on Lanai are a bit higher than those on other islands, but if an escape from dense tourism is what you’re looking for, you’ll find it on Lanai.
Lanai has been under the control of nearby Maui since before recorded history. It is still part of Maui County, but with just over 3000 residents, it has too few voters to hold much sway in local politics. Castle & Cooke, a private company, owns 98% of the island, and Castle & Cooke resorts employ and house 80% of the population. Lanai hasn’t always enjoyed such a peaceful, simple existence. Maui chiefs believed that evil spirits inhabited the island. During his exile on Lanai, Prince Kaululaau, the unruly son of King Kakaalaneo, is said to have used trickery to rid the island of its spirits. As a reward, Kaululaau was given control of the island. Life on Lanai remained relatively calm until King Kamehameha took control and began slaughtering islanders. His wrath was so fierce that when Captain George Vancouver sailed past the island in 1792, he didn’t bother to land because of Lanai’s apparent lack of population.
Deterred by treacherous ocean swells and the lack of natural harbors, travelers to Lanai were scarce until 1861, when a group of Mormon missionaries led by Walter Murray Gibson arrived and began to build a holy city in the Palawai Basin. In 1864, it was discovered that Gibson had been using church funds to acquire land for himself, and he was excommunicated. Unfazed, he befriended King Kalakaua, who eventually appointed him Prime Minister (apparently in order to establish links with the US). As such, Gibson effectively controlled the entire kingdom. After his death in 1888, Gibson’s daughter and her husband acquired more land to form the Lanai Company, and they tried their hands at cattle ranching. New Zealander George Munro was hired as foreman in 1910, and he is credited with planting the tall pine hallways that still shade the central portion of the island. In 1917, the Baldwin Brothers bought the Lanai Company and sold it five years later to James Dole.
At Harvard University, Dole had studied agriculture and specialized in canning. He built Kamalapau Harbor and Lanai City and is also responsible for much of the island’s infrastructure. Thanks to his business savvy, the exotic pineapple became an American staple. By the late 1930s, the Great Depression and the availability of cheap land and labor in Southeast Asia lured Dole overseas, and the Castle & Cooke Company bought out his interest in the island. David Murdoch is the current CEO of Castle & Cooke, and the two Lanai resorts are his brainchildren. Murdoch himself owns the biggest house on the island, just a moment’s drive from the Four Seasons at Manele Bay.
In recent years, the hotels have experienced steady growth. Most locals doubt that Lanai’s character will change and hope that the resorts will continue to provide jobs without jeopardizing the island’s charm and hospitality.
The easiest and least expensive way to reach Lanai is on the Expeditions Ferry (☎ 808-661-3756; www.go-lanai.com), which runs from Lahaina and Maalaea on Maui to Manele Harbor (one-way $25, children ...more
Lanai City surrounds Dole Park, a large, rectangular grassy area that runs basically east-west. It is bordered by 7th Street to the north and 8th Street to the south. Most of the town’s stores and eateries ...more
From the Lanai Airport, you’ll need to rent a car, as there is no local transportation other than hotel shuttles and Rabaca’s Limousine Service. (☎ 808-565-6670. Open 24hr. From the airport to town ...more
Tourist Information: Lanai Visitors Bureau, 431 7th St. Ste. A (☎ 808-565-7600; www.visitlanai.net), near the post office, about 20 ft. from 7th St. The knowledgeable staff here carries brochures for ...more
Lanai is famous for its five-star resorts: Lodge At Koele (☎ 808-565-7700; www.fourseasons.com/manelebay). Though a room at either of these spots ($345-7000) might break the bank, a walk through their ...more
The hotel restaurants are all exorbitantly priced with the exception of Lanai City Grille , at Hotel Lanai, which serves superb American-Hawaiian fusion cuisine with prices that are within reach of a ...more
There isn’t much to do on Lanai after dark other than see a first-run movie at the Lanai Playhouse, 465 7th Ave. (☎ 808-565-7500. $8, ages 4-12 and seniors $5, under 4 free.) This one-screen theater ...more
The calm pace of life in Lanai City provides an inspiring and creative forum for the arts on the island. The few art galleries and shops that have opened around Dole Park allow visitors to peruse the ...more
Munro Trail. If you only have time for one off-road trek while on Lanai, this is the way to go. Named for the New Zealand naturalist who planted the island’s magnificent pines, the Munro trail ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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