Four Seasons Resort Lana’i at Manele Bay

Wonderful place to visit with your family.
We had ocean view room with dolphins playing on the beach.
Lei making class was fun.
Kids really enjoyed feeding the koi fish.

I’ve stayed at this hotel many times over the past 15 years and I’ve always had a good time. I like how they recently renovated the pool deck and added different landscaping features. The hotel is beautiful and the view is magical.

The location of this hotel is magical, and the quiet of Lana’i makes it a wonderful, peaceful experience to stay here. The hotel overlooks a small, pretty bay and the beach is just a short walk away. One end is sandy and smooth, and the other is good for snorkeling. The hotel has a kiosk at the beach that provides chairs, towels, water, sunscreen and snorkeling gear. If that weren’t enough, there’s a spectacular sea stack just around the corner (Pu’u Pehe or Sweetheart Rock), and a hiking trail along the coast.
Yes, it’s expensive, but service at the hotel is excellent. It’s easy to be entirely contented here and not feel the need to venture out much at all. I visited last in April 2016 and found recent upgrades that really took the hotel environment to the next level. I particularly like walking the outdoor paths that connect the central hotel facilities to the rooms: it’s like wandering through tropical jungle, complete with waterfalls and sprinkled with artwork.
Check out the «selection» (what others might call buffet) for breakfast: it has what you might expect (eggs, meat, fruit, cereal…) and also a strong Asian influence (raw and smoked fish, congee, miso soup…). There are multiple options for dinner but Nobu is the star. All in all, a relaxing, polished, well composed experience.

This review is just for the Views restaurant. First of all the name speaks for itself. The views are magnificent. The food is quite good, if it doesn’t break your bank. For lunch I ordered the shrimp BLT pita sandwich. It was so delicious. Seasoned shrimp with bacon lettuce, tomato and some sauce in a nice pita pocket with a side of fries. Very delicious.
Must remember to stop into this place the next time I have enough $$$ to make it to Lanai again and actually stay over in the Four Seasons.

We went to the club house to get a drink. The resort is under renovation. But we are glad that the restaurant at the club house is open.
It is gorgeous here. The view of the sweetheart rock and the endless Pacific Ocean is priceless. The service is.
The lanai mule drink was deliciously refreshing. We stayed for a hour or two just admiring the view.

3 days of Heaven! I was just here for 3 days and loved every moment! Amazing service, wonderful people and food to die for! The rooms are newly renovated and you feel as if you are home! Comfortable beds, stunning views, gorgeous lighting… every detail is taken into consideration. I will always recommend anyone to this amazing & stunning place! I love it here!!!

Good gracious !!! This place is amazing … The work out facility has the most amazing view. Drinks are wonderful. Service is wonderful. All the staff know who you are — and are so accommodating. I’m a heaven on earth.

Called today because I was thinking of taking a trip to Lanai. Previously, they have allowed travelers to pay a fee (I believe it was $ 10/​day) in order to use the shuttle service, but I thought I’d call just to make sure. After someone at the resort finally picked up the phone, I was told that they no longer offer this service. Taking away services and making things more difficult for travelers? One Star!

We arranged for my husband to play golf and took the wonderful Lanai ferry. Once we arrived they would not let me sit at the pool with a book on a slow Monday morning regardless of the spa service that I scheduled (that is overpriced) or the T time and golf package that my husband booked, which is quite pricey as well. Big box hotels have policies and procedures that should be managed more carefully, especially if it impacts a paying guests experience. Regardless of the hotel rules, a slow quiet Monday should not warrant an individual to be told they cannot lay at the pool with a book. Terrible customer service, they should train their team to look at every individual on a case by case basis to determine whether or not the rules can bend slightly.
I hope upper management and corporate reads and tries to solve this issue for future guests.
The employees were the best part without them the experience would not have been good.

Traveled to Lanai for my husband 55^th birthday.
Service was great, from the meet and greet at the Lanai airport to the air condition shuttle service. This hotel is BEAUTIFUL. We were Greeted with warm smile and gorgeous Lei’s upon arrival. Everything was Fantastic. Jarrod assisted us to our beautiful UPDATED room he was extremely informative his assistance was much appreciated. Staff was Friendly and Inviting, Daniel was very helpful. This is one of the first hotels, where the guest seemed very happy and didn’t have a problem saying hello. 5 star hotel without being stuffy. The Hotel’s vibe was warm and inviting to all.
A special Thanks to the Bar tenders at NOBU Sonya and her apprentice. Also Marten our server at NOBU. Your the Best.
Thank you FOUR SEASON LANAI MANELE BAY…:-))

Currently undergoing renovations, the décor at Manele Bay has been changed drastically from Murdoch’s era, from opulent and colorful chinoiserie to simple, muted colors and Hawaiian artifacts. Seems more in line with what Hawaii is all about.
And the hotel is being upgraded even more with projected exclusive services and amenities. Unfortunately, it will outprice and exclude the locals who have loyally supported both the Lodge and Manele Bay through the years! Too bad…

Landscape is amazing and gorgeous! Lots of wild turkeys roam the fields. The Asian seating area on the grounds is serene ad beautiful! Lots of fish in the ponds but they need better set up of how to keep fish out I gutter! Found a lot of dead fish and one still alive and breathing so we fished him up and threw him back in the pond. Pricy place but very green and lush grounds! Oh yeah be sure to check out their orchid green house! Many many varieties and very quiet place to relax!

Overall we enjoyed our 3 nights here during our honeymoon.
There were a few aspects of the hotel given the hefty price for a room here that we were displeased by (they charged $ 1k per night of our stay. You should get what you splurged for — once in a lifetime splurge) however overall we were pleased and happy we visited Lanai and stayed here. All in all its still paradise! The good outweighed the bad.
The GOOD
— friendly staff that love the island and seem happy. The four seasons company seems to take care of them well.
— loccitane products that are so luxurious! Nice to have quality toiletries on vacation!
— Some thoughtful touches (and some missing). What they did offer:
* Beach tote available in the room
* Shammie was put on top of our iPad during turndown service
* cold towels and evian spritzer at the pool and beach
* shuttle service very convenient especially from ferry where they will be waiting to lei you. Will also take you to the city and to the lodge. Comfortable new Mercedes vans.
* complimentary snorkel gear at the beach as well as towel/​chair/​umbrella service. Guys there are super friendly! Shoutouts to josh and jay!
* complimentary magazines and sunblock poolside. Also some board games available.
*many dining options. We are poolside — lanai fish tacos excellent and the steakhouse good for dinner.
* They gave us a bottle of champagne to celebrate our honeymoon with a handwritten note.
* good services at the spa. I was lucky to get an amazing massage from Arlene at the spa. Possibly best ever!
* plenty of water bottles in your room, never have to worry about running to the store.
* we had a great Oceanview room on the second level where we could walk out to the lanai and lawn. Easy access to the beach and pool. Beautiful view.
* pool is open 24 hours. One pool two hot tubs.
THE BAD
Little things that weren’t right, some more important than others. Most easy to fix or will likely be addressed once property is fully renovated. Eta = 2016? Should be incredibly modern and technology forward with Larry ellisons vision and bank roll.
— they have been doing heavy renovation to half of the property since jan 2014 and still continuing. We were not told this beforehand nor at checkin. They handed us a piece of paper regarding this but never verbally let us know… also we arrived on a Sunday when there’s no construction so would have been nice to be given a heads up would have been an ideal pool day since our stay was so short. Beach was great too but would have been nice to know/​factor into our plans.
— stained towels and bath mats — we had a few towels with stains. Our couch also had a few large stains. REALLY? Need to spot check laundry.
— wifi is a bit outdated in that complimentary wifi is limited to 1 device for email/​light web surfing only. You have to pay $ 20 for multiple devices and regular (streaming) speeds
— some amenities out of date including room décor BUT could be seen as charming décor… some things not as much as others. :)

I stayed here because I wanted to explore Lana’i, now my 5^th island, and I love the Four Seasons, and I wanted to stay on the beach. And for whatever it cost, I got everything I wanted. Everything was beautiful, the service was perfect, and I was yet again surprised by their attention to detail. And the island … Certainly it’s a pretty cool place. There’s not much to do, though, beyond the Four Seasons activities… Which were all great. I went on hikes, we did the complementary island tour, we went into town to explore. But I was pretty much done after 2 days, which was perfect, because that’s how many days I booked!
So why not 5 stars? Certainly, it could be argued, 5 stars is deserved. But I just think, if I had spent the same money on Maui or the Big Island, overall I would have received a better experience. But, for me, I got to see a new island, learn more about the world, see what Larry Ellison is up to, so it was worth it… Just not worth it beyond that.

My family (wife, two kids aged 10) and I stayed five night in July 2013. We live on Oahu and this was a «staycation» for us. What follows is a collection of impressions, thoughts and observations.
1. Staff
This is one of the strong suits of the resort. In five days of living here I never once encountered a staff member, from the front desk clerks to the restaurant servers to the elderly Filipino gentlemen who sweep the lanais in the morning, who was anything less than pleasant, welcoming and utterly professional. Everyone greeted us with an «aloha.» and a smile. Clearly this is something that management expects of their employees. Overall it was a nice feeling, although sometimes I couldn’t help but feel that it was a bit forced. The concierge staff were up-​to-​date on anything I asked of them. They helped me make reservations for the restaurant and advised me on which were the better choices with kids (turns out all of them are fine for kids). Finally, despite their well groomed manners, staff remained unobtrusive. They blend in and remain in the background, appearing only when needed.
2. Beach
There is a public beach less than a five min walk form the pool. It is swimmable but has a wicked shore break that can be dangerous unless one is familiar with these sort of conditions. I would not let kids who are not expert swimmers venture into this sort of surf. The resort provides lounge chairs, umbrellas (first come, first serve) and also iced water and towels (free) as well as a small variety of other drinks and snacks from a cabana. Also, various kayaks, one-​man canoes and stand up paddle boards can be rented, right there.
3. Décor
Elegant, subtle, calming. Never garish, never blingy. They obviously took the time to study the light and the architecture and matched the building common areas with a perfect combination of color and texture. The artwork on the walls of the right-​side corridor (heading north from the front desk) is perfect. The lounge area in the main building is open, airy, inviting and serene. The grounds are a bit too manicured for my taste, however. See «Landscaping» below.
4. Rooms
We stayed in a large «garden view (with partial ocean view) room in the Lilikoi Wing. It was modern, clean, and well appointed with bath robes and slippers and toiletries. Not luxurious, but still vey nice.
5. Kamaina rates
We qualified for a significant discount over the standard room rates. One of the benefits of being a kamaina (local). But still, it cost $ 400 a night. Roll-​away bed was free. Wifi was free.
6. Shuttle
Free transport from the airport. Also, for a small one-​time fee there was unlimited access to the shuttles to and from Lanai City and the sister resort, the Lodge at Koele (also run by the Four Season). Shuttles departed every thirty minutes. We used this quite a bit, to take advantage of the other resort (had lunch and dinner there several times) and visit the small town.
7. Eno
In the men’s restroom on the pool deck level (main building) the overhead sound system played Brian Eno, softly, subliminally. Nice touch, Four Seasons, nice touch.
8. Restrooms
I never once found any restroom to be dirty or messy in any way. There were always freshly rolled cotton hand towels (no paper towel here) and fresh flowers in vases. The floors were always dry (especially in front of the urinals). Amazing. Cleanest rest rooms I can remember visiting in a hotel — ever.
9. Food prices
Outrageously high, even for Hawaii hotels. Really, it costs more to eat here than to sleep here. The food quality was very high. Only other option is to hop on the shuttle and go into town, where there are a few cafes and snack bars, and two food markets.
10. Warm wine
Red wine served at room temperature — not good when it’s 84 F at the open air restaurant by the pool. They should know better.
11. Landscaping
Overdone. This resort is on the dry side of Lanai. It doesn’t rain much here, so the landscape is more desert-​like than the moister, lusher windward side and the central plateaus of the island. Yet… the Four Seasons chose to recreate a jungle, for its resort’s setting. My kids picked up on it immediately, as we approached the resort gate from the main road. «Dad, why all of a sudden is there all this green grass and all these green plants?» It’s jarring, really, the transition. It must take millions of gallons of precious water to keep it all going. For an island that is struggling with its water supply (Lanai is building desalination plants to mitigate the lack of fresh water) this seems irresponsible. But also unnecessary. The landscape designers could have embraced the dry, desert-​like microclimate and run with it, creating an equally enticing and beautiful environment. But no, it seems that the Four Seasons preferred to recreate «classic Hawaii» instead. Did they think the tourists would shun someting that was not reminiscent of a post-​card? What a shame.
Enjoy.

Absolutely amazing resort.
Breakfasts are BEYOND robust.
Rooms are SQUEAKY clean (and they upgraded us on our honeymoon)
Service is fantastic — calling you by your last name and with a good tone goes a LONG way in my book. It shows they really care…
Beach walk was a BIT longer than we’d thought, and our room location was also a bit of a hike from the lobby. But other than that, just a 5-​star, classy place to stay!

Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Manele Bay:
We stayed on the island of Lanai for 11 days in April. We had stayed at the Lodge, but not at the Manele Bay. Although we visited the hotel every day. We absolutely loved it.
The employees we talked at the hotel were all nice. Alma at the Manele Bay Hotel Gift Shop was especially nice.
Beautiful landscaping, beautiful building, hot air by the beach, a lot of strolling places around the hotel with Manele Bay, Puu Pehe and Fisherman’s trail by the hotel. We had dined at the Nobu, the experience was great. The Shuttle service was great as well.
There is Kamaaina discount (but Koele Lodge has better deal).
They charge for unlimited Shuttle Service $ 47.50 per person for your stay. Kamaaina price available.

Best golf in Hawaii. Small private island owned by Larry Ellison CEO Oracle. Committed to making island self sufficient and an example to the world of solar power, organic golf course management and a global healing retreat. World Class Four Seasons hotel overlooking the ocean with nothing blocking view until Tahiti. Not crowded. elegant, open air everything. what Hawaii used to be, before unchecked tourism paved paradise and put up a shopping mall and plague of sushi restaurants.
The golf is world class. along the ocean. comparable views to Pebble Beach. Small beach and that is it. want more then go to Maui. I hope that Ellison hires some enlightened management to make solar the power source for the entire island, employee the few thousand natives still left on this former pineapple plantation. would be nice to see desalination used to grow organic foods, coconut, date palms and repopulate bees. yes honey farms. Larry boy likes sailing so it would be great to promote a Hawaii Cup world class sailing event made for TV. and also made for TV celebrity golf events. to promote exclusiveness of this once and still sacred native Hawaiian island. no one should actually own an island. but this is the only way to restore native culture and make Lana’i an example of the best of what Hawaiian culture of hospitality, hula arts, music, sport and Aloha can offer the world.

I have been banned from booking hotels in my family. I only hung out here during the day, I stayed at the Lodge at Loele.
I think I’ll leave the hotels to my husband since he picked this one. The service superlative, they anticipate your needs. WHO knew that while relaxing at the pool I would NEED a crab won ton or a chilled Evian spritz?
Beautiful grounds, no resort fee, no charge for beach chairs or snorkling and impeccible service.

Top notch service all around here. My best friend had her wedding down on the beach and there was not a detail overlooked.
I was actually staying in town at Hotel Lanai but knew I would miss the last shuttle from Manele Bay at 10:00 since we were going to be partying the night away celebrating her wedding. Instead my friends, who were staying here, called up the front desk and asked for a cot to be placed in their room so I could stay with them. The Four Seasons said no problem and had a cot there waiting on me, fully made up, and even with my own pair of slippers placed beside my bed. So nice of them!