There is peace on earth. And it’s on Lanai.
The least populated of Hawaii’s five main islands is the place to go to escape hustle, bustle, gridlock and tension. There’s one town, two resorts, a couple golf courses and a whole lot of space.
The only thing visitors need to do is open their suitcases wide and say ahhh, with either of the two Four Seasons taking care of the luxury portion of the agenda. Even though they’re less than 10 miles apart, the Four Seasons at Manele Bay and The Lodge at Koele are vastly different properties, with weather conditions also changing as you leave the coast and head upward and inland.
“It’s a great overall experience,” said Kendric Kimizuka, the head golf professional at Manele Golf Course, a spectacular layout with three holes hugging cliffs and the ocean visible from most fairways. “It’s very simple and relaxing. It’s not for everybody, but if you want peace and quiet and some spectacular scenery, you’ll find that here.”
It’s no coincidence that Kimizuka said that while gazing at the Pacific from the patio of Views, the Manele resort’s clubhouse restaurant that overlooks Hulopo’e Bay and Pu’u Pehe, known to locals as Sweetheart Rock. Manele recently cracked Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play list, and it’s easy to see why. Built on lava outcroppings, the Jack Nicklaus Signature Design that opened in 1993 is a stout blend of holes with two of the best sharing tee space. The course’s money shot is from the box at the par-3 12th hole that requires a tee shot to carry a 150-foot deep chasm over the ocean to a green perched on a lava rock-buttressed cliff. Golfers return to the area about an hour later at No. 17, a par-4 in the opposite direction that also requires a tee shot to clear a yawning chasm to a fairway that bends to the right before sloping downhill to a cliff-side green
“That’s my favorite spot on the course,” Kimizuka said of the 12/17 combo. “We hear that a lot from guests as well.”
If gazing at the ocean and hills while on the course has you curious about other activities, the Four Seasons at Manele Bay has sailing, snorkeling, horseback riding, hiking, archery, tennis and croquet as possible options, or you can simply get ready for another day of golf with rejuvenation time at The Spa at Manele Bay.
The resort, which completed a renovation project in mid October that enlarged some rooms and reduced the overall number from 235 to 220, has five dining options ranging from casual to elegant and a pool that serves as an outdoor centerpiece and a relaxing spot to lounge.
Unlike Southern California, a trip away from the ocean to The Lodge at Koele, the Four Seasons’ other hotel in quaint Lanai City (just over 3,000 residents), brings a cooler climate and more rustic surroundings. As befitting its name, the 20-acre central-highland property with 102 rooms and suites resembles a hunting lodge, with large manicured lawns, colorful gardens, a pond and clever 18-hole putting course giving the property the simple elegance of a Norman Rockwell painting.
When The Experience at Koele, another outstanding layout that will remind golfers of North Carolina, reopens after an extensive refurbishing, the Four Seasons properties – and Lanai – will again have a 1-2 punch that can stack up to any dual-course combination in Hawaii or on the mainland.
“It’s special to us that Manele is considered an elite venue,” said Scott Ashworth, director of golf at both Four Seasons locations. “We’re really looking forward to having Koele return to the mix as well.”
