Four Seasons Resort Lanai
Overview
Four Seasons Resort Lanai is the most exclusive resort in Hawaii — a Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five Diamond property on an island where the entire population is smaller than the guest list at a busy Waikiki hotel. Lanai has no traffic lights, no chain restaurants, and no crowds. What it has is Hulopoe Bay — a marine preserve named America's Best Beach — a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course built on oceanside cliffs, the only private observatory in Hawaii, Nobu, and the kind of hushed luxury that only comes from genuine isolation.
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison purchased 98% of the island in 2012 and invested approximately $450 million transforming the resort, reducing the room count from 236 to 213 to create larger, more luxurious accommodations. The reimagined property, designed by Todd-Avery Lenahan, features teak-paneled walls, Honduran mahogany floors, slate bathrooms, and handwoven Nepalese wallpaper — materials chosen to honor the island's natural landscape.
Getting here is part of the experience. Complimentary round-trip flights from Honolulu via Lanai Air (included with all bookings through 2026) deliver you to the island in 20 minutes, with a private lounge at Honolulu airport. Alternatively, the Expeditions Ferry from Maui takes about an hour. Once on Lanai, the resort provides complimentary shuttles everywhere — airport, harbor, and around the island.
Four Seasons Lanai has been ranked the number one resort in Hawaii by Conde Nast Traveler (2023, 2024) and the number one hotel in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. It's not the most accessible Hawaiian resort, and it's not the most affordable. It's simply the most extraordinary.
Accommodation Options
The $450 million renovation reduced the room count from 236 to 213 specifically to enlarge every accommodation. Standard garden view rooms start at 663-734 square feet — larger than suites at many competitor resorts — and every room features a private lanai, 75-inch LED TV, Nespresso machine, deep soaking tub, teak-paneled walls, and twice-daily housekeeping.
Room categories progress from Garden View through Partial Ocean View, Ocean View, to the coveted Prime Ocean View rooms with unobstructed Pacific panoramas. The 45 suites range from spacious one-bedroom layouts to specialty suites with media rooms, libraries, and three private lanais. Ohana Suites are designed specifically for families with connecting configurations.
The materials throughout are extraordinary — Honduran mahogany floors, slate bathrooms, live-edge wooden desks, handwoven wool area rugs, and Nepalese Lokta wallpaper. These aren't rooms designed by committee; they feel individually curated. For ultimate privacy, the resort's most exclusive suites offer personalized assistance and VIP transfers that ensure you never encounter the operational side of the hotel.
Pools, Beaches & Activities
Two pools serve distinct purposes. The central lagoon-style pool sits in a lush tropical garden setting, family-friendly with 24-hour access and pool attendants who deliver frozen fruit, popsicles, magazines, flavored water, and sunscreen. The adults-only oasis pool provides a quieter retreat with whirlpools and a tranquil atmosphere designed for reading, floating, and forgetting that the outside world exists.
But the resort's defining water feature is Hulopoe Bay itself — a marine preserve directly below the resort with crystal-clear water, a healthy coral reef teeming with parrotfish, yellow tang, and the state fish (humuhumunukunukuapua'a), and regular visits from spinner dolphins. This protected bay was named America's Best Beach in 1997, and the snorkeling rivals anything you'd find on a dedicated dive boat. Tide pools on the eastern end are filled with hermit crabs, sea stars, and small fish — a natural aquarium that fascinates children and adults alike. Humpback whales are visible from the beach December through April.
Spa & Wellness
The Hawanawana Spa ("whispering ocean" in Hawaiian) is a comprehensive wellness sanctuary with eight treatment rooms, four private couples' suites, eucalyptus steam room, and red cedar sauna. The treatment menu blends Hawaiian healing traditions with contemporary and Ayurvedic techniques.
The signature Ocean Ritual is a three-hour immersion using wild seaweed and undaria algae oil — the resort's most indulgent treatment. The Island Serenity Ritual (115 minutes) is exclusive to Hawanawana, incorporating Ayurvedic dosha-specific oils. The Pineapple Citrus Body Polish — made from an old family recipe — nods to Lanai's history as the Pineapple Island. Sound therapy treatments using singing bowls, gongs, and chimes debuted in 2024.
The Suite Serenity couples' experience is a four-hour exclusive journey in a private suite with customized treatments, rain showers, gourmet snacks, and a living/dining area — more private retreat than spa appointment. The 24-hour fitness center overlooks the ocean, with complimentary yoga, meditation, Pilates, and circuit training classes.
Dining
Five dining venues reflect the resort's commitment to bringing world-class culinary talent to this tiny island.
Nobu Lanai is the headliner — Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's clifftop outpost overlooking Hulopoe Bay, offering the full Nobu experience including a 15-course teppanyaki dinner option and the Lanai-exclusive Nobu Hucker Salad. Osteria Mozza Lanai, Chef Nancy Silverton's first Hawaii location, opened in November 2025 with a mozzarella bar, house-made pasta using ingredients from the on-island Sensei Farms, and Tomahawk ribeyes. Malibu Farm serves organic, farm-to-table fare poolside. VIEWS at the Manele Golf Course offers island-influenced cuisine between rounds. The Break Lounge in the lobby pours coffee and cocktails all day.
For the ultimate romantic evening, Dining Under the Stars arranges a private oceanfront table for two with champagne welcome and a personalized five-course menu with wine pairing — your table is yours for the entire evening.
Golf
The Manele Golf Course is a Jack Nicklaus signature design built on cliffs 200 feet above Hulopoe Bay — one of the most visually spectacular courses in the world. The 18-hole, par-72 layout stretches to 7,039 yards from the championship tees, with five tee positions accommodating all skill levels down to 5,024 yards.
Three holes use the Pacific Ocean as a water hazard, and the signature 12th — a par-3 of approximately 200 yards played 150 feet above the surf — is the hole where, legend has it, Bill Gates was married. Nicklaus himself considers Manele one of his finest designs, and the course has been ranked the highest-rated public course in Hawaii.
Golf club rentals are complimentary for resort guests, and children under 17 play free after noon with an adult. The VIEWS restaurant at the course provides a strong 19th-hole dining option. The course celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023, and the combination of Nicklaus design, clifftop setting, and island exclusivity make this a bucket-list round for any golfer visiting Hawaii.
Nearby Attractions
Lanai is small — only 141 square miles — but packed with unique experiences. Sweetheart Rock (Pu'u Pehe) is a 10-minute walk from the resort, an 80-foot sea stack with a Hawaiian love legend that's become one of the state's most iconic landmarks and popular proposal spots.
The resort's Adventure Center offers experiences found nowhere else in Hawaii: sporting clays on a 14-station Highland course, archery with private instruction, horseback riding through mountain valleys with views of Maui and Molokai, a zipline course at Lanai Adventure Park, and 4x4 off-road Jeep tours on an island with only 30 miles of paved roads. The Garden of the Gods — a landscape of eroded red-rock formations — feels more like Mars than Hawaii and is accessible only by off-road vehicle.
The resort's private observatory houses a 1-meter class telescope — the only facility of its kind in Hawaii — offering stargazing sessions that connect traditional Polynesian wayfinding with modern astronomy. With minimal light pollution, Lanai's night sky is among the clearest in the Hawaiian Islands.
Tips & Good to Know
The complimentary round-trip flights from Honolulu via Lanai Air (included through 2026) dramatically simplify getting here — the private lounge at HNL and 20-minute flight make the journey feel exclusive rather than complicated. If coming from Maui, the Expeditions Ferry now departs from Maalaea Harbor (moved from Lahaina after the 2023 fires) with three daily roundtrips.
Book Nobu and Dining Under the Stars before you arrive — both fill up quickly. The Manele Golf Course is complimentary for club rentals, and kids under 17 play free after noon — take advantage. The 12th hole's ocean-carry par-3 is the course's signature moment; it photographs beautifully but plays tougher than it looks.
Hulopoe Bay's snorkeling is best in the morning before afternoon winds stir the water. Bring reef-safe sunscreen — the bay is a marine preserve. The tide pools on the eastern edge of the beach are worth exploring at low tide. Don't miss the private observatory stargazing — on a clear Lanai night, the Milky Way display is unlike anything you'll see from the main Hawaiian islands.
Be aware that the resort is the only luxury option on the island — there are no fallback dinner reservations in town if Nobu is full. Plan your dining in advance.
Location
1 Manele Bay Road, Lanai City, HI 96763