The kids are back in school, and you’ve still got some vacation days left. Now comes the question: Where to go? Break the mold and really get away, journey to a lodge unlike most, on the comparatively remote Hawaiian Island of Lana’i. It’s the perfect setting for falling in love all over again.
Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele is a mid-Pacific gem, a romantic refuge from the world. Of all the places this reporter has traveled over the years, the island of Lana’i in general, and The Lodge at Koele in particular, remain unforgettable, a misty, water-color memory.
First, there’s the island itself, a former plantation that once produced three-quarter so the planet’s pineapple before closing back in the 1980s. Now Lana’i is a laid-back, quintessentially un-crowded (they’re but three hotels) enclave not a not of people know about.
The lodge is already up in the hills, but you might want to go higher, to take a two-hour hike to Lana’i’s loftiest point. Along the way let your senses drink in the plants, flowers and peaceful wildlife that inhabit these hills.
Properly tired, ring down to the front desk for an in-room massage. If you want further pampering the lodge will arrange transportation down by the water’s edge, to it’s sister hotel, The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay.
Exercised, relaxed and fully at ease it’s time for afternoon tea and hot chocolate in the Great Hall, followed up by a meal prepared by Executive Chef Kevin Erving in the Dining Room. He performs wonders, fusing imported and local foods with care and passion.
It won’t take long for you and your significant other to work up a passion for this special island, and rekindle the same for one another.
(Image: rickh710)
