Escaping From Paradise To Paradise – Lanai

Sweetheart Rock

Maui is my favorite of all the Hawaiian Islands and feels very much like paradise. Although it is hard for me to think of a reason to leave paradise, if you want to go to a more remote, less developed, exclusive, off the beaten track Hawaiian island then the island of Lanai is the place to visit. It is a privately owned island very close to Maui.

My wife Bonnie and I got up early and took the first short forty-five minute ferry boat ride from Lahaina harbor to Manele Bay. The highlight of the ride over was seeing a school of dolphins swimming all around our boat as we pulled into the dock. In the winter months you are sure to see whales on either the trip over or back.

Only 17 miles long and 13 miles wide, Lanai is a volcanic land mass. It has been said that some 10,000 native Hawaiins once populated this small island. Those natives died because of disease, war and the impact of European settlers. At the turn of the century Lanaii had become a sheep and cattle ranch. In 1922 Jim Doyle bought the island and converted everything to growing pineapples. It became the world’s largest grower and exporter of pineapples. Doyle brought over Philipino, Chinese and Japanese workers to work the fields who now make up a majority of the island’s present 3200 population. Only recently has the pineapple business been terminated and everything converted to tourism. David Murdoch purchased the Doyle Company and so became the owner of Lanai.

Lanai is generally very expensive and most people who visit stay at either the luxurious five star Manele Bay Hotel or the fantastic Lodge at Koele both run by the The Four Seasons Resort. If you are on a restricted budget and still want to spend some time on the island then I recommend staying at the “Dreams Come True” bed and breakfast.

BED AND BREAKFAST

From the boat dock we took a 15 minute shuttle to Lanai city and checked into the “Dreams Come True” bed and breakfast hideaway run by Michael Hunter and his wife Suzanne. After living in Bali and travelling the globe they settled on Lanai in 1987. They personally run this converted plantation home with great care and creativity. Fresh flowers were everywhere and a well-equipped kitchen was at our disposal. It was a great place to set up shop.

We had a large, nicely decorated room with an attached bath decorated with Italian marble. We felt very tranquil and at home in the relaxed atmosphere. There was a large veranda at the back of the property with mountain views and BBQ area. The front veranda is also very pleasant with sunset views in the evenings.

We especially appreciated walking around the beautiful gardens which are landscaped with an assortment of flowering plants and tropical fruits. Passion fruit, avocado, mango, banana, lemon, and papaya grow year round and were lovingly served to us for breakfast. I took advantage of the high speed internet and lots of books with information about things to do on Lanai.

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Hulopo’e Bay Beach

The one big drawback on Lanai is that in order to get around you really need to rent a car which is very expensive. We chose to use the shuttle that ran between Manele Bay and the Lodge. Lanai’s best beach is the golden crescent of sand at Hulopo’e Bay situated in front of the Manele Bay Hotel. The best snorkeling is to the left side of the bay. It is important to go in the morning when the sea is calmer and less wavy. You have to swim quite far out to see anything. Although most people rave about the snorkeling, I was a bit disappointed. Nearby are beautiful tidal pools and when the tide drifts down sea creatures are visible. Carved out of volcanic rock, these tide pools are well protected, keeping the waters calm for exploring and even swimming. Small organisms adapt to this changing landscape, and many hermit crabs, sea stars, and small fish are visible. We climbed up the bluff above the beach and had a great view of Maui and Kaho’olawe. A large monolithic rock sits atop of the bluff often referred to as Sweetheart Rock. Legend says a heartbroken warrior jumped from this 80-foot summit, rising from the sea, overcome with grief after his wife’s passing.

While snorkeling on the beach we were fortunate to meet up with Trilogy Tours. I struck up a conversation with the manager and they sort of adopted us and we were given floatation jackets that made snorkeling so much easier. We were invited to attend their tasty dinner and then take the catamaran ride back to Maui enjoying a beautiful sunset. Trilogy offers a guided snorkel-reef tour, a van tour of Lanai plantation town, and other fun activities.

Cavendish Golf Course is a free nine hole community golf course on the edge of Lanai City. The views are supposed to be amazing, especially at sunset. I was told you can just show up and tee off with usually no waiting at all.

Polihua Beach, about an hour’s drive from Lanai City, is the most northerly beach on the island. It is wide open, very remote and private and great for nude sunbathing or a long walk down the beach. Local fishermen fish off the coast and there is excellent surfing especially in winter.

“Shipwreck Beach” is a north shore beach that is especially picturesque. This part of the coastline is great for beach combing. A WW2 Liberty Ship, sits on the reef about a mile out and gives this beach its name.

You can also explore the old ghost town of Keomuku, situated along the coast to the East, abandoned in 1901 when sugar production was discontinued on the island. The petroglyphs of Luahiwa, have some of the best preserved rock drawings in all the islands.

Although Bonnie and I escaped only for two days, it seemed like a much longer time. Staying at “Dreams Come True”, hanging out and snorkeling at Hulopo’e Bay, seeing the dolphins and loving the sunset ride home made the whole experience a great holiday from our vacation.

Hulopo’e Bay Beach