Lānaʻi – An Ohana (Family) Visit To An Unspoiled Paradise

This Thanksgiving week, I was thankful for an ultimate relaxing nature experience that included the exclusive magnificence of the Five-Star, Five-Diamond, luxurious Four Seasons Resorts. My brother treated our family to a private secluded Lanai Island vacation. The highlight of this trip to Lānaʻi (La-nah-ee) for me was the two Four Seasons Hotels we visited. Our Ohana (family) had the best breakfast ever at Nancy Silverton’s Osteria Mozza Residency while enjoying a spectacular view of the azure Hulopoe Beach waters, one of the world’s most perfect stretches of sand. Four Seasons Lānaʻi celebrated Executive Chef Elijah Anderson says, “I cook because food is one of the few true pleasures we have in this life.” The breakfast items we loved were sure pleasurable. We dined on Big Island Ahi Tuna, seared with togarashi, lava hollandaise sauce, lemon curd with poached eggs served on multi-grain bread, and Big Island Lobster Toast: Half lobster sautéed in garlic and butter on grilled Levian bread. Topped with spinach, Boursin cheese, and Hollandaise sauce, it was the most savory breakfast I had ever enjoyed. Another fave was Overnight Oats: Rolled oats, dried papaya, milk, lilikoi juice, coconut milk, berries, and Applewood Smoked Bacon. The Mango, Guava, and Pineapple juice was fresh and delicious. We had a choice of Kona French Press Coffee or Lavazza Coffee. The service was outstanding, and the breakfast show by a wild Spinner Dolphin pod performing Cirque du Soleil stunts was fantastic.

After breakfast, while waiting for a private island tour, we wandered the lobby, appreciating the Hawaiian artifacts and a high-end clothing boutique. We were intrigued by a woman constructing a basket using traditional lauhala weaving.  Lau means leaf, and Hala is the tree that produces the long, flat, broad leaf ideal for weaving. Another artisan was creating grand chocolate sculptures of acorns for a Thanksgiving display. The sample chocolates were divine.

Author Alberta de Jetley, our tour guide from Dela Cruz Taxi (808) 649-0808, met us at the hotel and whisked us off for a historical tour of this apostrophe-shaped island. She was highly knowledgeable and a delightful raconteur as she shared her love for this private, captivating island. Currently, Lānaʻi, as of 2012, is 98% owned by Oracle Corporation founder and billionaire Larry Ellison, who purchased it for $300 million. This is not a touristy island. At the 2020 census, the population was estimated to be 3,332. The island has no stoplights, few paved roads, one school, and one gas station. The island was probably settled initially by inhabitants from Molokai and Maui who fished and grew Taro. It is only nine miles from Maui and part of the county of Maui.

In 1922, James Dole transformed it into the World’s Largest Pineapple Plantation, with 20,000 acres and a village to house more than a thousand workers and their families. The village is now Lana`i City, a small grassy spot with towering Cook pines, local eateries, Richard’s groceries, and Mike Carroll’s Gallery Lānaʻi Fine Art. He is a transplant from Chicago and a pleasure to visit with. He misses Giordano’s Pizza. There are also a few boutiques, the Blue Ginger Cafe’ and the Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center.

Early Afternoon, we embarked on a tour of the Lānaʻi Cat Sanctuary 1 Kaupilli Road by a dirt road and big rock. It was founded by Kathy Caroll, artist Mike Caroll’s wife. Both are former Chicagoans. The shelter is open to the public 365 days a year from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. It houses over seven hundred cats on 4 acres of land. Private donations entirely fund them. Please visit this free # 1 visitor attraction on Lānaʻi and donate generously. They have recently rescued two hundred unsocialized cats from the Maui Lahaina fires. We adored petting and feeding the cats while they frolicked about and hung from trees like Christmas ornaments. Many cats have been adopted, and all have a safe, well-deserved life. Another plus of sheltering and sterilizing the cats is that the native bird population is protected. 

 Late Afternoon, we visited the Four Seasons Sensei Hotel. Sensei means master; they have master consultants in wellness, spa treatments in private hale, fitness, and well-being classes. Masters in artwork surround you. Christian was a gracious host and pointed out the spectacular collection of fine art and sculptures inside the resort and in the tropical secret garden. I was intrigued by Columbian artist, painter, and sculptor Fernando Botero with his corpulent, oversized, voluptuous Donna Seduta (2001). I was entranced by Jaume Plensa’s Talia (2016), a humongous, towering white sculpture of a young girl’s head. He is the same artist who created the Chicago Millenium Park Crown Fountain (2004), which has two sixteen-meter-high stainless steel LED screens. Marc Quinn’s Burning Desire (2017), a magnificent bronze blood-red colossal orchid, is situated in the perfect setting. Other featured artists include Miya Ando, LA-based mixed media artist Brooks Shane Salzwedel, French contemporary artist Jane Puylagarde, and Japan-born Seiko Tachibana. The outdoor tropical oasis is the most beautiful, tranquil garden I have ever seen. It is a relaxing, sensual, meditative stroll surrounded by lush foliage, fragrant flowers, scenic mountains, reflecting pools, and monumental sculptures. Robert, my brother, aptly termed it the Garden of Eden.