There is no public transportation on Lanai. You will either want to rent a car or, if you are stayin

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Now that we've taken care of housekeeping, let's get down to business! This week's feature story is on the first part of my trip to the Hawaiian island of Lanai , so say Aloha! Even though they are just nine miles (20 minutes) apart, the two plush hotels I stayed at are completely different because bus tours to mexico from san antonio of the geography. This week's hotel is The Four Seasons Resort Lana'i , The Lodge at Koele, which is in the upcountry. So if you are interested, sit back, grab a sweater, and relax. bus tours to mexico from san antonio We also have stories on fine places to eat in Chicago and Italy .
If you missed last week's stories, they were about my flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu , some cool local Oahu hangouts , the Trump Waikiki Spa , and a Waikiki boutique hotel that's a block from the beach with rooms starting at just $115 a night. Oh, and you don't want to miss reading about my three-hour jaunt to Vegas on Virgin America's private charter to hang with their Fly Girls.
To get to Lanai from the mainland, you have two choices: Fly into Honolulu's international airport and jump on one of Island Air's five flights a day (they also have one from Molokai), or fly to Maui and take the 30-minute ferry over. I wanted to do both, but I ended up just flying since it was cheaper and more convenient. However, the ferry is supposedly fantastic (when the water's not rough) in the winter/early spring so you can see the whales up close. But a taxi from the OGG (Kahului, Maui) airport to the port in Lahaina bus tours to mexico from san antonio is not cheap (probably close to $100). The ferry is $30 each way and there are five departures each day. Airfares from Honolulu start at $49 each way.
I was a little skeptical about flying an airline I had never heard of- Island bus tours to mexico from san antonio Air -and I was praying it wasn't going to be a small plane, because they scare the hell out of me. But my fears eased when I saw it wasn't a six-seater Cessna but rather a 37-seater Dash 8 (100 & 200s). My nerves got even calmer when I spotted the pilots-they weren't some young guns but men with gray hair. Woo hoo! My palms could stop sweating. Island Air has been around for 30 years and they have three aircraft. FYI: They are mileage partners with United (UA) and Continental, but my UA miles from these flights still haven't posted so I might have to follow up with them.
Check-in for Island Air was quick. It takes place in Honolulu's domestic terminal, where security is a breeze. FYI: If you are checking bags they charge $10 for the first checked bag (up to 50 lbs.) and $35 for each additional. If you have a bag that's questionable in size but normally fits in the overhead of a jet, gate check it so you can save some dollars.
There's not much in the gate area-just one bar-restaurant, a bathroom, and low ceilings-so it's best to bring food or go to the international terminal, which is a few hundred yards away. The best thing I found in the domestic terminal was free Hawaii-style coffee that Island Air offers to their customers. They also serve it onboard-it's all they serve, in fact, so don't come thirsty. But that's bus tours to mexico from san antonio still more than what most airlines serve for a 25-minute flight.
Island bus tours to mexico from san antonio Air has open seating and rows 1 and 4 have the most leg room (they are exit rows). I was told by the gate agent that on the flight from Honolulu, passengers on the left side of the plane have the best views, and they do! It was surreal seeing the propeller and then Diamond Head in the background. It looked like one of those old United Airlines Hawaii posters. On top of that I saw about 50 whales (no lie), mostly right off the coast of Oahu. And the best part?! The flight was smooth as can be since the skies were clear and calm. Big thumbs up! Or, as our reader Chuck suggests, 5 out of 5 jet planes. Woot!
I've seen the island of Lanai many times, as it's just nine miles from Maui. In fact, I've even flown over it once in a helicopter, but had never stepped foot on Lanai until last week. The first time I even heard of Lanai was in 1994, when Bill Gates got married there. I figured the place has to be special if it's good enough for the wedding of the richest man in the world.
Lanai is the least populated (3,193 residents) of Hawaii's six (Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Lanai, Molokai, Kauai) most popular islands. Lanai has a land area of 141 square miles (365 sq km), with 47 miles (75 km) of shoreline. It's the sixth-largest Hawaiian island bus tours to mexico from san antonio out of Hawaii's 18 . What's nice is that on Lanai there are no stoplights or traffic. There are just three hotels and a few bed-and-breakfasts.
bus tours to mexico from san antonio Lanai was uninhabited until the 1500s. It was a sovereign land until King Kamehameha I united all the Hawaiian Islands under his rule. Later Lanai was purchased and converted into a cattle ranch. The former manager of the ranch was George Munro, who made his mark by planting the first of what became the island's many pine trees (now they line all the major roads). After that Lanai was known as the "Pineapple Isle," since James Dole turned it into the world's foremost grower bus tours to mexico from san antonio and exporter of pineapples. Many Filipinos and Chinese came over to work on the farms, so today the island's population is 65 percent Filipino bus tours to mexico from san antonio and 25 percent Hawaiian. More on Lanai's history can be found on GoHawaii.com .
David H. Murdock, a billionaire who lives in California, acquired the company bus tours to mexico from san antonio Castle & Cooke (they owned Dole) in 1985. When the farming became too expensive, he built a couple hotels to give the plantation workers bus tours to mexico from san antonio jobs and maintain island life. If it wasn't for him Lanai would probably be off the map. For more on David Murdock see this Wikipedia entry.
The Lanai airport is small but lovely (bags come out within 10 minutes). The first thing I did besides use the loo was go to the Four Seasons check-in desk, where they assigned me to one of their shuttles. The hotel's fantastic service doesn't start until you arrive to the actual hotel. In fact, I was a little bus tours to mexico from san antonio disappointed in the initial bus tours to mexico from san antonio welcome. You would think that if the Four Seasons was going to have a check-in desk at the airport, like they do in Bora Bora , that their workers bus tours to mexico from san antonio would help guests with their bags and welcome them with a lei, cold towel, and drink. Actually, just a bottle of water once you stepped on the bus would've been perfect. The good news is that all of that happens once you get to one of their two resorts, which are just minutes away.
There is no public transportation on Lanai. You will either want to rent a car or, if you are staying at one of the Four Seasons hotels, sign up for the shuttle service. The shuttles are run by Castle & Cooke; guests pay a one-time transportation fee of $45 per person, $22.50 for children 4�12. It's complimentary for kids three and under. That fee gets you round-trip bus tours to mexico from san antonio airport transfers and unlimited travel to and from Lanai City and the Four Seasons hotels. FYI: It operates pretty much every half hour from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and they are on time, which is surprising for an island.
The first hotel I stayed at was the Four Seasons Resort Lana'i, The Lodge at Koele. It's a 10-minute drive from the airport and we made a pit stop along the way in Lanai City to drop some guests off at the car rental office.
The first thing I noticed about Lanai is that the weather is cool up in the higher elevations bus tours to mexico from san antonio where the airport and the Koele Lodge are. The other hotel, Manele Bay, is on the coast, so warm like the rest of Hawaii (more on that next week). But I was so glad I brought a sweater-being nearly 1,700 feet (518 m) above sea level makes a big difference. The average temperatures in Lanai City range from 66 to 72 F (18.8�22.2 C) depending on the season. Lanai is also one of the drier islands, with an annual average rainfall of only around bus tours to mexico from san antonio 37 inches (94 cm).
I hadn't checked out the website for the Four Seasons Resort Lana'i , The Lodge at Koele, so I had no idea what to expect. Sometimes I like it better that way, so it's a surprise, and this definitely was one (a welcome one). Driving along the Cook pine tree�lined streets reminded me of the upcountry on Maui or the Big Island and the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia . It's a unique feel that can't be described, only experienced.
When I stepped off the bus, I was greeted by two employees who addressed guests by their names and gave them a fresh lei and a warm unscented towel and led them to the Great Hall (lobby), which is a huge high-ceilinged lodge with a pair of matching monster stone fireplaces on each side, ornate chandeliers, and elegant, comfortable furniture all around. At night the Great Hall turns up the coziness as the fires are lit with Kiawe wood, Uncle Kimo plays on the grand piano, and guests listen while playing Scrabble or sipping the famous hot chocolate (guests choose dark, milk, or white chocolate, as well as which type of milk and toppings) and of course indulge in homemade s'mores. bus tours to mexico from san antonio Can you say yum?
The Lodge at Koele has 102 rooms. The interiors and exteriors are all filled with Mr. Murdock's private bus tours to mexico from san antonio art collection, which he has shipped in from all around the world. Some of it fits perfectly, and some is a bit odd[HOW SO?] (I seemed to be the only person who felt that way). But every time I looked out at the lush gardens, I had to consciously remind myself where I was, and that usually only happens when I wake up. Seeing a giant pagoda that he had brought over piece by piece from China and the reflecting pond kept making me think I was in Asia. Then guests with