Lana'i - what to do for day trip?

[Born2Travel]

Considering a day trip but wondering if it would be worth it. What have others done? Would we need to rent a car for the day?

 

[mjm1]

Considering a day trip but wondering if it would be worth it. What have others done? Would we need to rent a car for the day?

I assume you are talking about a day trip from Maui to Lanai.

We did that a few years back and enjoyed it. We caught the ferry from Lahaina and I believe the ride over took 45-60 minutes. When they pulled into the small dock area there were quite a few dolphins swimming around and I understand they are always there. Fun to see them.

We didn't rent a car, so we used the bus service, which charged a flat rate for their on and off service for the day. I think it was $10-15 each. They run a route from the dock to the mountain like resort at the top of the mountain, back through Lanai City and to the lower resort.

The mountain resort is like being in another world with its large trees. They serve lunch, etc there as well. We enjoyed walking around the property at a leisurely pace. There is also a golf course there.

Back in town, we got off to have lunch. A little hole in the wall type restaurant with local food. Very nice and reasonably priced. Not a lot else in town as I recall.

Then caught the bus back down to the resort overlooking the ocean. This was the highlight for us. Very nice resort. We brought our snorkeling gear from Maui and snorkeled for a while (the far left side of the beach as you look at it.)

Our main reason for going was to experience another island. One thing you have to make sure of is to not miss the ferry going back to Maui.

If you rent a jeep I understand there are some remote beaches you can visit. We decided to stick with the bus route, which limited our exploration, but we enjoyed it just the same.

I'm sure others will share their experiences too. Good luck and have fun if you go.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[Luanne]

I did a trip to Lanai on Trilogy. We went snorkeling in the morning, had a bar-be-que lunch, then a tour of the island after lunch. Wonderful day.

 

[Tamaradarann]

That is a difficult question. We spent 3 days on Lanai and it was just enough. I don't know how a 1 day trip would be sufficient.

One day we rented a jeep and spent the entire day driving on the red dirt roads all over the island. There are some spectacular areas to see including the valley of the gods and some great secluded beach areas. On one remote road we saw deer. We took a video "Lanai's Wild Deer" and will always remember that experience.

The other two days we took the Shuttle that we used to get from the airport to the Hotel Lanai. The Hotel Lanai is very small but it is about 1/3 the cost of the Four Seasons Hotels. The Hotel Lanai gives you a nice complementary breakfast each morning. They have a nice restaurant with reasonable prices where we had dinner one night with great entertainment. It is also easy walking distance to the small city of Lanai. There are some nice shops and restaurants in the small city. We had a great happy hour at this bar/restaurant one night.

Both Four Seasons Hotels are expensive to stay and to eat at. However, they are worth spending some time at. The Lodge at Koele has beautiful surroundings. There is a nice golf course on one side and a horse grazing area on the other. We had a nice happy hour waiting for the sunset on the Lanai there and then a nice dinner with entertainment. The Four Seasons on Manele Bay is right on the ocean. A nice beach. A restaurant above the resort at the golf course where we had a great lunch. It has what I always say the best view of the ocean from a restaurant in all of Hawaii.

What to do in one day? I don't know. The only thing I can say is stay at least 2 days, maybe 3 which is just enough.

 

[taffy19]

We also took the Trilogy tour and it was a fantastic trip but if you do not like snorkeling it may be better to do what Mike suggested otherwise you sit around a lot while others are snorkeling with the group, IMO.

 

[NTP66]

+1 for Trilogy's Lana'i trip. The snorkeling was outstanding (saw huge schools of Moorish Idols, many Parrotfish, and the biggest Yellow Tangs I have ever seen), and if you're going during whale season, you'll be thoroughly entertained on the ride to/back.

 

[davidvel]

Just returned from a week at FS Lanai. Note that the FS Lodge is not open, and not expected to reopen until 2018 due to a complete renovation. The beach is nice, and snorkling was good, but did not compare to spots we have been to on Maui. There is the Trilogy tour or the Ferry, that runs every 2.5 hours. Its $60pp RT.

In my opinion, I would not spend a full day going to Lanai from Maui, unless you just want to say you've been there. There is really not a lot on Lanai that you can't get in the more remote areas of Maui.

As for the FS, it was spectacular, beautiful grounds, amazing service (and costs), but just too much foo-foo food choices and not enough going on for our family.

 

[Born2Travel]

Thanks everyone, we are not snorkelers so Trilogy is probably not the best option. We would probably take the ferry. We have been to Maui so many times we are just looking for something new that we haven't done. We always have a view of the island from our timeshare and thought we should go see what is there. We always say "next time" We wondered what there is to see and if we could see anything without renting a car.

 

[Tamaradarann]

Thanks everyone, we are not snorkelers so Trilogy is probably not the best option. We would probably take the ferry. We have been to Maui so many times we are just looking for something new that we haven't done. We always have a view of the island from our timeshare and thought we should go see what is there. We always say "next time" We wondered what there is to see and if we could see anything without renting a car.

In a previous post I mentioned that a 3 day visit to Lanai was just right for us. Since you have been to Maui many times staying there for the entire stay is not an objective for you. Therefore, if it is affordable I wold recommend that you consider a multi day trip to Lanai. Another approach could be a day trip this year without a car, and a day trip next year with a jeep. You need a 4 wheel drive vehicle to negotiate the red dirt roads. If you are going to do a multi day trip to Lanai and don't want to take away from your timeshare stay on Maui, you could consider adding a few days before or after you Maui vacation. We did that in 2015 by adding a trip to Big Island for the Merri Monarch Festival at the end of our trip to Oahu.

 

[davidvel]

Thanks everyone, we are not snorkelers so Trilogy is probably not the best option. We would probably take the ferry. We have been to Maui so many times we are just looking for something new that we haven't done. We always have a view of the island from our timeshare and thought we should go see what is there. We always say "next time" We wondered what there is to see and if we could see anything without renting a car.

The island is very barren, with only Lanai City, the FS, and few tiny boat marinas. (look at a satellite view of Lanai on Google maps). The marina where the fery lands is obviously at sea level. From there you could walk to the nearby beach, which is a public beach park. Or, you could shuttle/decent hike to the FS (they are not supposed to let visitors walk up from the beach) and pay for a drink and amazing views.

If you decide to leave this area, you would need a shuttle "up the hill." This is a 20 minute, 10 mile drive. You gain over 1000' in less than 2 miles. Lanai City is a quaint local town, with a handful of shops and good local-type restaurants in a 2 block area. Under an hour to visit them all.

If you are going I'd suggest searching the internet for a Jeep rental outfit, or guided tour. If you're more specific about what you'd hope/want to see, I could respond further.

 

[Luanne]

Thanks everyone, we are not snorkelers so Trilogy is probably not the best option. We would probably take the ferry. We have been to Maui so many times we are just looking for something new that we haven't done. We always have a view of the island from our timeshare and thought we should go see what is there. We always say "next time" We wondered what there is to see and if we could see anything without renting a car.

I had never gone snorkeling before I did the trip on the Trilogy. It was very low key and they gave us some basic instruction. It was a way to spend some time at that beautiful marine preserve. The half day tour of the island in the afternoon gave us a feel for the island, and for me, it was plenty.

The charm of the Trilogy trip, for me, was basically the entire experience. The sailing (or in our case boating under motor) over and back, the warm homemade cinnamon rolls on the way over, bar-be-que lunch, made the day.

 

[matbec]

We booked a guided tour with Veltra (https://www.hawaiiactivities.com/en/hawaii/maui/a/19231) during our Aug 2016 trip to Maui. DH doesn't snorkel, but we wanted to see what was on Lana'i. Really interesting history of the island. Our tour included the ferry to and from Lana'i, and we were met at Manele Harbour by our guide Bruce, a long-time resident. There were only the two of us (minimum number required to run the tour) so we had a private tour. Lana'i City is more of a small town, built with a central square very reminiscent of small New England towns. As a previous poster noted, the Lodge is closed for major renovations and the Greg Norman golf course is also closed, although I've heard this particular course will not be re-opening at all. Garden of the Gods had amazing and other-worldly scenery. We spent some time wandering beaches and saw many, many turtles. We enjoyed the tour and are glad we went, but not a lot to do on the island if you're not into snorkeling or other water sports. If you want to get away from it all, it's the place to go.

 

[dude-luv]

Taffy 19, I love your picture. As an animal lover and especially a cat lover, I came to Lanai to visit the Lanai Cat Sanctuary. I have to admit that I felt as if I was in heaven. At some future point, I will revisit the island and perhaps take the Trilogy trip. Lanai and Molikai are very much unlike the other major Hawaiian Islands.