What to Expect at Four Seasons' Two Lanai Resorts

Before his stay last year at Sensei Lanai, a Four Seasons Resort, longtime luxury travel advisor Chad Clark was skeptical. 

“One of the things I had in my mind going into the visit was, ‘How do you sell a Hawaii property that doesn’t have an ocean view?’” said Clark, who owns Chad Clark Travel Ventures, a Virtuoso agency located in Phoenix, Ariz.

Clark spent several nights last January at the 96-room Sensei Lanai, which sits on 24 lush acres just outside of Lanai City in the island’s upcountry Koele district. And while guests can technically see the distant Pacific from the high-end resort, Sensei Lanai is located 9 miles and a solid 25-minute drive from the nearest sandy beach.

“But I walked away being utterly pleased with the tropical sanctuary that the resort provided,” Clark said. “I loved the place. Sensei Lanai really exceeded my expectations.”

Once you hand yourself over to Lanai, the island takes you on a very special journey.

Just over 140 square miles in total size, Lanai is the smallest of Hawaii’s visitor-friendly islands and sits roughly 10 miles west of Maui. Supporting about 3,100 residents today, Lanai was home during the first half of the 20th century to one of the world’s largest pineapple plantations. In fact, much of the island was owned and operated by Dole for nearly 40 years. 

In 2012, Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison purchased 98% of Lanai for a reported $300 million, and that sale included the acquisition of the island’s two luxury resort properties — the beachside 213-guestroom Four Seasons Resort Lanai, and the upcountry Sensei Lanai. 

Ellison has since spent hundreds of millions to upgrade both properties, and today, the luxury resorts offer Lanai visitors two distinctive vacation experiences.

“The two Four Seasons properties, in my opinion, are totally different,” said Clark, who also spent several nights at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, which is just steps away from gorgeous Hulopoe Beach.

While both properties are great options for luxury clientele, Clark said the oceanfront Four Seasons Resort Lanai is a better fit for families and travelers who are really set on a more traditional sand-and-sea vacation.

“The service is amazing; the hikes and activities the resort offers are terrific,” Clark said. “The golf course is fabulous. All of the food and beverage outlets are great.”

Following the completion of a $75 million renovation and repositioning, the adults-only Sensei Lanai welcomed its first guests in the fall of 2019. Clark said he was blown away by the property’s sprawling new gardens, top-notch spa treatment facilities and comprehensive wellness program.

“I think for someone who’s looking for an escape — a wellness retreat where they can detach, do some digital detoxing and get some terrific R&R — Sensei is an awesome place for that,” Clark said. “The food was fabulous. The facility was absolutely beautiful. I loved the art. And the wellness program is second to none. It was truly a highlight of my entire trip.”

Beyond the Resorts

Travelers booked at either property are certainly in for a luxurious treat, as both resorts provide guests with first-rate food, spa and guestroom experiences. And while vacationers intent on spending their Lanai visit simply soaking up the sun on sandy Hulopoe Beach are most welcome, Four Seasons Resort Lanai general manager Avi Phookan insists the island is a terrific destination for travelers who also want to explore beyond the resorts’ boundaries.

“People who like to connect with the locale and the environment would be the ideal clientele,” Phookan said. “Lanai has an amazing landscape. It has a rich culture and a rich history, and we really provide some of the most extraordinary experiences.”

RELATED: Breathtaking Hawaii Temples Waiting to Be Explored

During my own visit last fall, the two Four Seasons properties arranged for me to snorkel off the back of an ocean catamaran, hike with a guide along the island’s forested Koloiki Ridge — where we enjoyed stunning views of Molokai — and bounce down a rocky, volcanic red dirt road in a four-wheel-drive Jeep.

David Emig, general manager for Sensei Lanai, has lived on the island for five years, and he told me that seeing Lanai’s remarkable natural beauty really requires time in a Jeep. 

“The most magnificent parts of the island are the parts you just stumble on — places you don’t go to everyday,” Emig said. “So, grab a Jeep; go see where this road goes. The beauty of being on an island is that it’s not easy to get lost. You might feel lost for a little bit, but I guarantee you’ll find your way back.”

I got to drive my own Jeep during a Four Seasons Holoholo Island Tour last fall, following behind a pair of hotel guides raised on Lanai, who were operating the activity’s lead vehicle and communicating with me via walkie-talkie as we drove. 

Routinely jostling over sizable rocks and straddling deep gullies with the Jeep’s oversize off-road tires — as well as just driving on Lanai’s backcountry dirt roads — was thrilling. But the tour also included jaw-dropping vistas of the islands of Maui and Molokai, a stop to say hello to all the cuddly cuteness at the Lanai Cat Sanctuary and visits to a handful of Lanai’s native Hawaiian historical sites.

A particularly wonderful component of the Holoholo tour was our stop at Kaunolu, a U.S. National Historic Landmark on the southern tip of Lanai where King Kamehameha routinely came to fish and recuperate around the turn of the 19th century. The visit included a close-up look at ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs, as well as the volcanic stone foundations of ancient temples and homes. We also stood atop what’s known as Kahekili’s Leap, a 60-foot sea cliff where Hawaiian warriors used to demonstrate their courage by diving into the Pacific.

“One of the wonderful things about Lanai is that it’s so safe,” Emig said. “I think the most dangerous thing on this island is a deer. There are no poisonous snakes, no poisonous spiders. There are no bears or wild cats coming after you. If you see a frog, that’s as bad as it gets. It’s really just such a wonderful spot.” 

Can’t-Miss Amenities

Clark of Travel Ventures was quick to rave about his culinary experiences last year — lauding the Nobu restaurants at both properties and describing the teppanyaki experience at the oceanfront Four Seasons Resort Lanai as “the most amazing meal I’ve ever had.”

“I don’t think a lot of people know that it’s available,” Clark said of the resort’s teppanyaki offering. “It’s a private experience for just you and your party. There are only two tables, and it’s just this wonderful treat. So, that’s definitely a must-do.” 

Clark also encourages vacationers staying at Sensei Lanai to book a treatment in one of the property’s private spa hales (or houses), where guests have access to their own indoor saunas and steam rooms, as well as outdoor showers and plunge pools. 

RELATED: How Turtle Bay Resort Offers a True Taste of Oahu

“I can’t even imagine staying at Sensei Lanai and not doing the private hale experience,” Clark said. “And I loved the complimentary classes in the morning. For me, they turned out to be private training sessions, because very few guests got up early to do them.”

And for those travelers who are intrigued by a Lanai getaway but worried about how they’ll actually get to the small island, service onboard a Lanai Air flight from Honolulu, Maui, Kauai or Hawaii Island to Lanai is included in the cost of a nightly room rate at both Sensei Lanai and Four Seasons Resort Lanai.

According to Four Seasons Resort Lanai’s Phookan, guests traveling to Lanai after a flight to Honolulu are picked up at baggage claim and then taken to the Lanai Air hangar, where there is a luxury lounge.

“The next available aircraft will whisk you away, and 20 to 25 minutes later, you are being greeted on the tarmac here in Lanai,” Phookan said. “It’s just one more of those unique experiences; once you hand yourself over to Lanai, the island takes you on a very special journey.”