Sophisticated Living St. Louis July/August 2018

FOUR SEASONS RESORT LANA'I

Written Caylee Matthews

It might be as near as the neighbor’s house, or far away on a remote beach, but in either case, nearly every one among us has spied a property they covet and thought someday. In the case of Larry Ellison, co-founder and former CEO of Oracle Corporation, that someday moment came while flying over the island of Lāna‘i, and in 2012 he made headlines by purchasing 98% of the 140-square mile island, Hawaii’s sixth-largest by acreage. The reported $300-million sales price was a far cry from the paltry $1.1-million James Drummond Dole paid in 1922 for the same chunk of dirt to create a pineapple plantation, now defunct, that has resulted in Lāna‘i still being known as The Pineapple Island.

Enviable as one may be of Ellison’s acquisition, there is an upside: we can all partake in the amenities of the paradisiacal playground he has created on the sloping hillsides that tumble to the shores of Hulopo‘e Bay by checking into the Four Seasons Resort Lāna‘i, a luxurious retreat of unparalleled beauty with a dizzying array of amenities.

I’d been awake for more than 24 hours by the time I made it to the resort under the cover of darkness; a blur of bright colors and perfumed blooms my only fuzzy recollections of being escorted to my room. Waking just before sunrise, I finally had the chance to survey my surroundings, outfitted in a style I can best describe as tech-meets-tradition, with an abundance of teak, zebra, and mahogany woods, and a muted, monochromatic color scheme that felt both contemporary and calming.

Using the control panel to open the drapery— high-tech bells and whistles such as a 75” platinum bezel LED television, an in-room iPad Air, and fully integrated and intuitive lighting, temperature, service, and privacy controls are a given considering the ownership—I was greeted with a plethora of fragrant gardenia and hibiscus framing my view of an emerald green fairway on the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed Manele Golf Course, which ambles along lava outcroppings on a ridge above the ocean. A few swigs of KonaRed Energy from the complimentary refreshment center, followed by a shower using the resort’s exclusive Āina bath amenities, which incorporate kukui nut oil grown on nearby Alberta’s Farm, and I was ready to seize the day.

The AAA Five Diamond Four Seasons Resort Lāna‘i is comprised of 213 guest rooms and suites, each averaging an impressive 700-square-feet. Found in both public and private spaces is original art culled from Polynesia, Micronesia, and Hawaii. The open corridors on each of the floors meander through lush vegetation with seating areas and composed vignettes at the stairwells and elevator banks. At the ground level are water features, koi ponds, and tropical birds; don’t be alarmed if one of the latter says “hello there” as you amble by. If you’re lucky, you’ll encounter Bruno Amby, a Lāna‘i elder and local legend who serves as the resort’s avian expert, caring for the rescued tropical birds as part of a partnership with the Peninsula Humane Society.

Each day the resort offers a full schedule of activities, both on the property and off, allowing vacationers to assemble an itinerary as packed or lax as they choose. On my first morning, a band of pink was just becoming discernible on the horizon as I made my way to the lobby, where I spied a group headed off for what I thought was morning yoga on the beach, but to my great delight, it was a hike to “Sweetheart Rock,” one of Lāna‘i’s most recognizable landmarks.

Breaking off from the pack, I made my way to the top of a lava rock outcropping in time to watch one of the most jaw-dropping sunrises I’ve ever been privy to. I was so enraptured by the spectacle that I didn’t realize that in my haste to claim a prime position on the rock, my legs were dangling nearly 100- feet above the shore break, something my fear of heights would never let me do under normal circumstances. Once the sun was up and the spell broken, I carefully scooted back from the edge, still awestruck from what I’d just witnessed. Taking the short hike is an experience I can’t recommend highly enough at least once during your stay.

On property, there are two pools, including one reserved for adults. Pool attendants regularly make rounds offering housemade fruitsicles and agave lemonade. On-call is Dr. Shades, who is available to perform emergency procedures on sunglasses in need of some TLC, and to provide complimentary loaner shades in cases of a dire emergency.

A unique offering of the knock-your-socks-off Hāwanawana Spa and expansive fitness facility is a new Yoga Studio with gorgeous views and a dynamic spread of ten aerial yoga hammocks. Spa treatments are customized to each guest and incorporate ingredients sourced from both the sea and surrounding landscape, such as a three-hour body treatment ritual that uses wild seaweed and Undaria algae oil.

A focus on local extends to the culinary program, with the resort supporting more than 100 local farmers and fishers across an impressive array of dining options. Headlining the on-property dining is NOBU LĀNA‘I, which showcases the new-style Japanese cuisine made famous by Chef Matsuhisa, and infuses it with local creations under the direction of Executive Chef Christopher "Tex" Texeira, who worked in the kitchen at Nobu Waikiki before heading to Lāna‘i to help open the resort’s restaurant in 2012.

Named to reflect the island’s 140-square-mile radius (and the ideal temperature of a medium steak), ONE FORTY is the resort’s main dining room, serving breakfast and dinner in its ocean-view space. A highlight of my meal was a perfectly cooked bone-in ribeye accentuated with maple-braised chestnuts, apple-smoked bacon, bone marrow, caramelized Maui onions, and roasted mushrooms. It was paired with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon produced and bottled exclusively for the resort by Buccella in Napa Valley. ONE FORTY’s breakfast buffet is extensive. I enjoyed sampling international favorites from Korea and Japan alongside typical American breakfast fare.

Poolside is Malibu Farm, an outpost of the famed California farm-to-table restaurant, which serves excellent salads and grilled local fish, complemented by a refreshing cocktail lineup. VIEWS, located at the Manele Golf Course, is perfect for an après golf lunch or libation. As its name implies, the open-air Sports Bar & Grill serves upscale bar fare along with sports programming and a variety of table and pub games.

Just 3,200 people live on Lāna‘i, most of them clustered in the vicinity of quaint Lāna‘i City, not even a one-stoplight town. On-site Jeep rentals through the resort’s Adventure Desk make it easy to go exploring, with Garden of the Gods being a top destination, as it is only accessible by 4WD. Not a garden in the typical sense, but rather a vast expanse of red lava formations on the northern side of the island, Hawaiian legend says that the curious arrangements were created by the gods who dropped them to earth while tending to their own celestial plots.

With the majority of the island under private ownership, each of the offsite excursions is operated to the same exacting standards as the resort itself, with the facilities to match. A state-of-the-art 14-station shooting center and archery area offer expert, yet laid-back instructors; guided off-road Polaris tours through the island’s varied terrain are led by locals who share the island’s history and lore; fishing, snorkel, and sunset sails depart from the nearby marina with crew possessing an intimate knowledge of the ideal spots for each activity; the Lanai Ranch at Koele offers traditional trail riding experiences as well as sunset Zen horse yoga. From flight lessons to deep-sea diving, you certainly will never be at a loss for things to do! Hard as it was to leave this slice of paradise, I was pleased to find that even the journey home had a Four Seasons’ touch: a lounge for guests in the Honolulu International Airport offers a comfortable space to wait for your connecting flight both coming and going. Aloha, a hui hou!