Hotel Lanai

Description:

• This hotel lacks the facilities of the two Four seasons resorts, but it's perfect for families and other vacationers who can't afford to spend $345 to $445 (and up) a night. In fact, if you're looking for the old-fashioned aloha that Lanai City is famous for, this is the place to stay. Built in the 1920s for VIP plantation guests, this clapboard plantation-era relic has retained its quaint character and lives on as a country inn.

  In 2005, the entire hotel underwent renovations -- repainting, remodeling, and a general sprucing up. The guest rooms, although extremely small, are clean and newly outfitted with Hawaiian quilts, wood furniture, and ceiling fans (but no air-conditioning or TVs). The most popular are the lanai units, which feature a shared lanai with the room next door. All rooms have private shower-only bathrooms. The one-bedroom cottage, with a TV and bathtub, is perfect for a small family.

  The hotel serves as a down-home crossroads where total strangers meet local folks on the lanai to drink beer and talk story or play the ukulele and sing into the dark, tropical night. Often a curious visitor in search of an authentic experience will join the party and discover Lanai's very Hawaiian heart. Guests have the use of the complimentary shuttle to the Lodge at Koele, the golf courses (at which they get the same lower rates given to guests at the two resorts), and the beach.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010