Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [354]
Plantation Home (276-1528; craige@maui.net; cnr Gay & 13th Sts; house $225) A small, renovated two-bedroom plantation-style house, this option comes with an amazing bonus: a free Jeep. Pick it up at the airport and return it when you leave. Rooms are basic in decor but there is a long list of included sports equipment plus DVD and full kitchen and laundry.
Hotel Lana’i (565-7211; www.hotellanai.com; 828 Lana’i Ave; r $160-180, cottage $230) From 1923 to 1990, the Hotel Lana’i was the only hotel on the island. It seems little has changed over the decades, although the conversations that echo through the thin walls have. The 10 rooms have hardwood floors, antiques, pedestal sinks, patchwork quilts and more period pieces. Everything is very clean; opt for privacy and quiet in the detached cottage out back.
Top End
Lodge at Koele (Four Seasons Resort Lana’i; 565-4000, 800-321-4666; www.fourseasons.com/koele; 1 Keomuku Hwy; r from $335; ) Pondering a sticky wicket on the croquette lawn amidst the manicured gardens, you’d be forgiven if you thought yourself transported to an English estate. But step inside the grand central building and the touches like inlaid images of pineapples in the wood flooring tell you you’re in Hawai’i. Guests in the 102 rooms and suites enjoy a small pool, a library, lawn bowls and misty mountain air. Lana’i City’s heart is less than a 1-mile stroll. Activities are shared with the companion Four Seasons Resort Lana’i at Manele Bay.
EATING & DRINKING
The old-time feel of Lana’i City extends to eating hours: kitchens close by 8pm. Of the two main supermarkets, Richard’s Shopping Center (565-6047; 434 8th St; 8am-7pm Mon-Sat) has the better wine selection, so that’s good enough for us. Note: if you want vittles beyond Pop-tarts and Spam, you may want to bring them with you.
Coffee Works (565-6962; 604 ‘Ilima Ave; snacks $2-4; 6am-3pm Mon-Sat) Settle back on the vast deck at this long-running java-jiving caffeine house and soon most of the locals will pass by.
Canoes Lana’i (565-6537; 419 7th St; breakfast $5-9; 6:30am-1pm Thu-Tue) Breakfast is always on the menu at this old-time Hawaiian café that is little changed since pineapple pickers filled the tables. The banana pancakes are sublime, best enjoyed at the counter. The best-seller? Loco moco (rice, fried egg and hamburger topped with gravy).
Blue Ginger Café (565-6363; 409 7th St; breakfast & lunch $5-8, dinner $8-15; 6am-8pm) Don’t worry, all the care goes into the food, not the decor at this bare-bones diner, where you can serve yourself a cup of coffee, grab a newspaper and settle back at a table outside. Muffins are some of the excellent items that arrive warm from the bakery. The long menu ranges from omelets to salads to burgers to tasty pastas and more.
Pele’s Other Garden (565-9628; cnr 8th & Houston Sts; lunch $5-8, dinner $10-19; 11am-2:30pm & 5-9pm Mon-Sat) More bistro than deli, this restored plantation house has tables inside and out. The talented kitchen leans Italian and serves up classic spaghetti and meatballs, crispy thin-crust pizza and a veritable minestrone of specials. Salads are made with organic local greens; the dessert star is the light but intensely flavored ‘passionberry duo.’ There’s a fine beer list and you can probably drink until 10pm! Reserve ahead.
Lana’i City Grille (565-7211; Hotel Lana‘i, 828 Lana’i Ave; mains $20-35; 5-9pm Wed-Sun) Famed Maui chef Bev Gannon is the brains behind the charming restaurant within the Hotel Lana’i. Sturdy 1930s schoolhouse furnishings give the wood-floored dining room a vintage air, the menu combines fresh seafood with various meats in ways both familiar (a perfect rib eye) and surprising (a fan of field mushrooms, a chorizo potato puree).