Happier Island, Better Resort
Though Lanai is not known for its surf, Four Seasons staff have made sure that if you do want to leave the resort’s pools, four restaurants (including outposts of Nobu and Malibu Farm), the golf course, tennis courts and private beach, there’s plenty to do and its easily done. There’s a naturalist UTV trip along foothill dirt paths for a closer look at the flora, fauna and history of the island’s interior. There are horseback rides around the base of the island’s highest peak, Lana’ihale, an inactive volcano to the east of Lanai City. There’s hiking and biking, snorkeling and whale watching (of course), sailing and so on. There’s even a Cat Ranch with some 300 “Hawaiian Lions.”
As the travel expert Lowy said at the end of our drinks, “my rule of thumb always is that if you can go to a resort that is created by a billionaire who wants to make it the best that it could be, he’s subsidizing your vacation.”
It’s undoubtedly true that Ellison will never make back the money he’s poured into this project, but gauging from how involved he in not only in the resort but also the island, this asset’s profitability is clearly not the point. Nor is promoting it as a feather in his cap (he declined to speak on the record). The point lies more in what he’s said previously: “It feels like this really cool 21st-century engineering project where I get to work with the people of Lanai to create a prosperous and sustainable Eden in the Pacific.” Watching the last sunset go down on my own too-short time in this Eden, that dedication indeed shines through.