Lana'i

When I fly to Hawai’i, it’s always to Oahu. I need to get out of this rut and fly to other islands.

Lanai is great if you don’t mind paying for the hotels and want somewhere really quiet and relaxing in the Hawaii archepelego. There were only two hotels when we went, both Sheratons, one on the beach and one inland. We loved our stay—doing nothing but soak up the sun and relax. Only problem is, except for the hotel, there’s no where really to eat and as we went during a bank holiday, even the hotel’s (very expensive) restaurants were not all open. No supermarkets anywhere nearby. The best value we found was the room service.
If you want to be entertained, the other islands are better, but this is the one for peace and quiet. There’s lots of golf if you’re into that kind of thing.

My friend and I took a catamaran tour from Lahaina to Lana’i. It’s really beautiful and peaceful. The snorkeling and tide pools in Manele Bay are fantastic! Would love to stay there a few days.

If you’re not looking for ANYTHING to do on a vacation..go here. there isn’t much to do except sit on the beach or by the pool and read a book and look at the beautiful surroundings. It is absolutely amazing!

The diving off Lana‘i was fantastic! It’s a wonderful island.

Incidentally, this photo is of a sunset over Lahaina, not Lana‘i. (I may have mistitled it when I first posted it on Flickr, I took the photo. :) )

Lahaina (on Maui), on the other hand, was a tourist trap. A nicer one, as those things go. But it was swarming with people, all perusing “local wares” (most made elsewhere) and eating in resort town chain restaurants. That’s not all there is in Lahaina, but after the relative seclusion of Hana and Honokowai, it was quite jarring.

This was the first leg of my honeymoon, and we had just a fabulous time at the Manele Bay Hotel. Upon landing at the local (and tiny) airport, I remember thinking that Mr. Rourke, our host, would step out any time, welcoming us to Fantasy Island. Well, Mr. Rourke never appeared (a Corinthian leather-clad limo didn’t either), but my wife and I just loved the small-island experience. We plan to return for a future anniversary trip, and would recommend the island to anyone seeking quiet, beauty, and luxury.