This Remote Hawaiian Island Has No Stoplights, No Crowds, and Two Ultra-luxe Hotels

There are a few reasons that Lanai, also written as Lānaʻi, tends to fly under the radar. For starters, its landscape doesn’t align with the vision many non-Hawaiians have of the archipelago state; instead of palm trees, you get towering Cook pine trees. Its number of hotels is also significantly fewer than that of its northwestern neighbor, Oahu. There are only three on the island—and two are part of the Four Seasons brand. Then, there’s the fact that 98 percent of the island is owned by Silicon Valley billionaire Larry Ellison, who purchased the land in 2012.

But if you are lucky enough to spend a few days on this 140-square-mile island, you’ll find its appeal is layered—and not always apparent upon first glance. Lanai is rugged, a bit dusty, and shockingly barren in some areas; when driving across the island, you’ll pass through the open plains of the Palawai Basin, once home to the largest pineapple plantations in the world.

As you spend more time on Lanai, immersing yourself in pursuits ranging from surfing and sailing to hiking and astronomy, the vision becomes clearer. You won’t find any flashy restaurants or clubs, superyachts, or Disney-esque attractions. There are no stoplights, and there’s only one true town, Lanai City. This is a place that encourages you to slow down and breathe deeply.

“You can visit here and see the beauty of the island by looking around and going about your day. However, it’s deeper than you can see,” Shayne Kunimitsu, a Lanai cultural advisor and holoholo guide, tells Travel + Leisure. “What’s missed is the stories told, so seek out our history and our roots, then you will truly understand.” Below, we’re sharing a few ways you can do just that, plus the inside scoop on where to stay, eat, and explore on Lanai.

Best Hotels & Resorts

Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort

If you’re seeking both wellness and relaxation, you’ll find that it doesn’t get much better than Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort. Co-founded by Ellison and author Dr. David Agus, the adults-only property bills itself as a “wellness enclave,” and each guest’s experience is personalized to their unique needs and preferences. Fill your days with nutrition and sleep consultations, yoga, meditation, stretching classes, and spa appointments inside your own private hale, equipped with an infrared sauna, an outdoor shower, and soaking pools.

Four Seasons Resort Lanai

For a more beach-and-pool type of vacation with all of the perks and amenities associated with a Four Seasons, stay at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai. A winner in the 2025 World’s Best Awards, the property overlooks Hulopoe Bay on the southeastern end of the island. Unlike Sensei Lanai, younger travelers are welcome, and they’re sure to enjoy the family-friendly lagoon pool (and everyone in your party will appreciate the extra space the residential-style suites afford).

Hotel Lanai

Hotel Lanai is a more affordable option for travelers, but it’s still full of personality and all of the modern comforts you’d need, including Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, and luxury linens. The 10 guest rooms are uniquely decorated to convey “vintage Hawaiian charm,” and select accommodations share a porch with views of Lanai City.

Best Things to Do

Take a guided tour of the island.

There’s technically nothing wrong with lounging by the beach or pool all day, but a guided tour of Lanai will provide a better picture of your surroundings. “The Four Seasons Resort Lanai holoholo tour is actually the best way to travel and understand Lanai,” says Kunimitsu. “The tour touches [on] cultural and historical locations with a guide.” Those destinations include the Kaunolu Heritage Site (an ancient fishing community) and Shipwreck Beach, an area with quite a few grounded vessels. “A Jeep guide ahead will escort you to these destinations with info shared by two-way radios, so you feel like you’re on a mission,” he adds. “Off-roading in a Jeep can’t get any more local than that.”

Visit the Lāna’i Culture and Heritage Center.

If you’d rather save off-road exploring for another day, but you still want to learn more about the island’s history, Kunimitsu recommends stopping by the Lāna’i Culture and Heritage Center in Lanai City. “It is a local hidden gem of a museum [with] tons of artifacts and photos, and the culture staff love to share the story of the island,” he says. Here, you can learn more about the events prior to Ellison’s $300 million acquisition—from when the first Hawaiian settlers arrived in the 1200s to the final pineapple harvest in 1992.

Enjoy a day on or off the coast.

Kunimitsu says it’s “easy to explore the beaches” of Lanai as “most of them are empty.” If you have your own means of transportation, there’s the option to drive out to Polihua Beach, although the waters here are not safe for swimming. Guests of either of the Four Seasons properties more commonly make their way down to the resort’s lounge chairs and umbrellas on Hulopoe Bay. If you do go to Hulopoe Beach Park, Lanai’s most popular beach, pack a pair of sneakers or sturdy sandals. You’ll need them to embark on the short hike up to one of the island’s most recognizable landmarks, the 80-foot-tall Pu’upehe, also called “Sweetheart Rock.” The elevated landing at the top gives you better views of the surfers down below.

Kunimitsu also recommends snorkeling, booking a sunset sail, or chartering a catamaran to take around the island. No matter how you choose to enjoy a beach or boat day, just be careful when getting into the water; the waves and rip currents can be dangerous.

Shop local in Lanai City.

While Kunimitsu says this is not the place to “shop ‘til you drop,” there are a few spots in Lanai City where he says you’re guaranteed to “find something very meaningful.” The Local Gentry has clothes and gifts, including Lanai T-shirts and mugs, and Lanai Hula Hut sells homemade jewelry, home decor, and a selection of unique souvenirs. Visitors who are interested in adding to their art collections should stop by Lanai Art Center and Deep Hawaii Art, a gallery set to open by the end of 2025.

Stay up late for stargazing.

“At night, you can stargaze with no special telescope needed, just look up and get wowed,” says Kunimitsu. But, he adds, you can also visit the Lanai Observatory with the Four Seasons’ Kilo Hoku Experience, an hour-long program that discusses how indigenous Hawaiians used the stars for ocean navigation.

Best Restaurants

Sensei by Nobu

As a guest of Sensei Lanai, you’ll become familiar, but never bored, with the offerings at Sensei by Nobu, a collaboration between Dr. Agus and Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. The four-course (plus dessert) omakase dinner experience is a must at least once while on the island, but the à la carte menu also includes several iconic Nobu dishes—like the black cod and the yellowtail jalapeño.

Malibu Farm

Down at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, Malibu Farm is a star in the culinary show. A Four Seasons guest-only restaurant, the eatery nails the elevated poolside menu. Think pokeviché, acai bowls, Lanai venison nachos, and catch of the day fish tacos. If you have room, you might want to order an ice cream sandwich, too.

Blue Ginger Café

Exploring the restaurant scene outside of the resorts is also encouraged. “Blue Ginger’s loco moco is hammer-sized,” says Kunimitsu, referencing the classic Hawaiian comfort food dish made with white rice, a hamburger patty, brown gravy, and a fried egg.

Ganotisi’s Pacific Rim Cuisine

“Ganotisi’s Korean chicken is full of flavor and savory and crunchy,” says Kunimitsu. Along with its standard menu—which includes Kalbi short ribs, grilled fish, and shrimp tempura—the Lanai City staple has a rotating list of lunch specials that are regularly posted on its Facebook page and Instagram account.

Lanai City Bar & Grill

Kunimitsu also suggests Lanai City Bar & Grill, a bistro that serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Start your day with the ube mochi pancakes or breakfast burrito, or swing by at lunchtime for the boom bang smash burger or mahi salad sando.

Best Time to Visit

There’s technically no bad time to visit Lanai (and Hawaii in general). The summer season, from May to October, is hotter and drier, and the winter, from November to April, is known to be cooler and wetter—although Lanai only gets about 37 inches of rain each year. Before you pack your bags, though, you should be aware of the temperatures on the island. Lanai City is about 1,700 feet above sea level, so temperatures there can be quite a bit lower than in the areas closer to the coast—expect about a 10 to 12-degree difference, with the typical range from 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hawaii’s high season runs from June to July and returns in December around the holidays. That said, there’s never a time when you need to worry about vacationing among hordes of fellow tourists on Lanai. “Honestly, our place is peaceful year-round; you are not going to run into any issue of busyness,” says Kunimitsu.

How to Get There

You can’t fly directly to Lanai Airport (LNY) from the continental U.S., so you’ll need to book the final leg of your journey from either Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG) or Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). The small island airport is served by Mokulele Airlines and Lanai Air. The latter is the more high-end option; transfer from HNY via a luxury car service is pre-arranged, and you’ll wait in a private hangar to board the Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. The flight is only about 30 minutes from takeoff to landing, and guests of the Four Seasons properties receive complimentary round-trip Lanai Air flights with reservations through December 31, 2026.

If you’d rather arrive to Lanai by boat, book a seat on the Expeditions ferry service that travels from Maui’s Lahaina Harbor to Lanai’s Manele Harbor. The voyage takes about an hour and 10 minutes each way.

How to Get Around

While Lanai City is walkable from both Sensei Lanai and Hotel Lanai, getting to other parts of the island and all of the beaches is more of a haul. You’ll either need to call a taxi, rent a car, or hop on one of the Four Seasons’ complimentary shuttles, which run hourly. Lanai Car Rental has Jeep Wrangler Saharas you can rent for $175 a day. Those who plan on off-roading—only 30 miles of the roads on Lanai are paved—will need a four-wheel-drive vehicle.