Lanai Travel Guide

Lana'i is the sixth largest of Hawaii's islands and the smallest of the accessible islands. It has a population of around 3,000 people. Every Hawaiian island has a nickname; Lanai's used to be 'The Pineapple Isle' because 16,000 acres (more than 90 percent of its land) were used to grow pineapples. Recently, brochures and maps have begun to refer to the island as 'The Private Isle', because of its secluded, quiet nature. The Expeditions Lanai ferry brings day-trippers from Maui regularly, and tourists pay top dollar to stay in the two major resorts - the Four Seasons Lana'i, The Lodge at Koele and the Four Seasons Resort, Lana'i at Manele Bay. Aside from those developments, the island remains fairly cut off from civilization.

Publicity brochures might lead one to believe that the island is nothing except a developed resort district. That couldn't be further from the truth. It is still 98 percent privately owned, and though the owner has allowed two hotels to be built on the island,...