Laura Itzkowitz, Architectural Digest
Favored
by celebrities ranging from Jessica Alba and Will Smith to Bill and
Melinda Gates, this Larry Ellison-owned idyll is unlike anything on the
planet
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It may seem odd that Bill and Melinda Gates got married on a
golf course, but one glance at the view from hole 12 of the Four
Seasons Resort Lanai’s course and you’ll understand exactly why they
chose that spot. The grassy knoll—part of a premier course
designed by Jack Nicklaus—is perched high on a cliff overlooking the
Pacific, with waves crashing against the rocks below. And the Gates
aren’t the only celebrities who’ve enjoyed the spectacular setting:
Jessica Alba, Will Smith, and Cindy Crawford have all vacationed there
(separately). In fact, with just one luxury hotel currently open on
Lanai, it’s perfect for A-listers and everyone else who values their
privacy. There’s simply no place for paparazzi to go.
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Despite—or perhaps because of—not being as well known as
Oahu or Maui, Lanai is the perfect escape. Once the world’s largest
pineapple plantation, the island was developed in the 1920s by James
Drummond Dole, who built little bungalows in Lanai City to house his
workers. Driving through the town of 3,000 people and zero stoplights,
you can still see the low-slung homes, but today the people who occupy
them mostly work in hospitality, not pineapple farming. It’s worth
taking a leisurely stroll through town, but go early if you want to get
the island’s best poke, served at a little mom-and-pop stand called
Lanai Ohana Poke Market that regularly sells out by noon. This is poke
at its most authentic—fresh ahi tuna marinated to perfection and
presented simply in a paper bowl over rice.
[post_ads]The island’s main draw is the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Lanai,
which was bought in 2012—along with 98 percent of the island—by tech
billionaire Larry Ellison, who completely overhauled it. He tapped Todd
Avery-Lenahan to make over the resort with a clean-lined, contemporary
design punctuated by native Hawaiian elements
like wicker furniture, decorative shells, and even a Polynesian boat in
the lobby. Having emerged from its renovation last year, the resort now
boasts two oceanfront pools surrounded by lush tropical gardens, 213
rooms and suites (which run from $1,150 to $21,000 per night), a Nobu restaurant,
spa, and poolside dining by Malibu Farm, in addition to the
aforementioned golf course.
The beach at Huapoloe Bay may be public, but
it’s serviced by Four Seasons staff, who make sure guests are
comfortable with lounge chairs, umbrellas, tropical drinks, and
snorkeling gear. Next up, Ellison is revamping the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, the Lodge at Koele, which is slated to reveal its makeover in late 2018.
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Though many vacationers never step foot off the resort,
there are gleaming white Jeeps available should you want to. Head inland
to go horseback riding amid the pine trees and trails, do a sunset sail
aboard a yacht, hike up to Sweetheart Rock, or go off-road and explore
the Garden of the Gods, a surreal Martianlike landscape, formed by red
dirt from volcanoes, that once served as an open-air women’s prison
overlooking Molokai. Climbing up to the summit, where the wind whips
your hair, it’s easy to feel you’re on top of the world, or at least
this little Hawaiian island floating in the wide-open expanse of the
Pacific.
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