There was no way I could kick back at the Ritz Carlton pool for more than a day, especially when we had access to all of Maui and neighboring islands. After biking down the side of 10,000 foot tall Mount Haleakala we could have used a relaxing day, but this day would be a little more adventurous.
In a few days we would catch a flight to Kauai, so we wanted to see as much of Maui and the neighboring islands as we could. I promised Mrs Weekly Flyer a day by the beach watching spinner dolphins and a lunch at the Four Seasons Lanai, but it turned out to be a significantly different day, and she loved it.
I had done my research and found that we could catch a ferry over to Lanai and spend the day exploring the island. We rented a jeep and went off-roading through the Garden of the Gods, swam with sea turtles on Shipwrecked Beach soaking in the views of neighboring Molokai, lounged on the beach watching spinner dolphins at Holupoe Beach Park, had lunch at the Four Seasons Manele Bay Lanai and finally finished the day back in Lahaina with a Feast at Lele. Needless to say, we were off the resort.
If you care for a sound track, click play on the song below, we went with a mix of Jack Johnson, Donavon Frankenreiter and a few others while on the island.
Lahaina Breakfast And Ferry
We woke up early and grabbed a Kona coffee for the short drive down to Lahaina from the famous Honolau store in front of the Ritz Carlton. If you like a good breakfast that won’t leave a hole in your pocket, the Honolau store is your place.
It was still sleepy in Lahaina when we arrived so we grabbed a few pictures near the 140 year old Banyan Tree and then sat down for breakfast with a view.
Ferry To Lanai
We boarded the ferry at the loading dock in front of the Pioneer Inn. You can see the ferry schedule and purchase your tickets here. The first thing we noticed was a sail boat that was not in ship shape. Not exactly an ideal sight to see as we set out on a boat ride but the weather was calm and it turned out to be a very smooth ride.
If you stand at the stern of the ferry you’ll have greet views of Maui when leaving Lahaina.
Impressive view.
We quickly moved up to the bow of the ferry to look for whales and wait for Lanai to come into view.
The cliffs were impressive but we didn’t see any whales on the way over.
Driving To Garden Of Gods
I arranged to rent a jeep for the day and the rental car agency met us at the ferry dock. It was a very simple process to rent the car. I filled out a few forms and before we knew it, we were off to the Garden of the Gods.
We couldn’t help but notice how different Lanai was from Maui. You could see for miles with no buildings in sight.
We drove past the Lodge at Koele, a Four Seasons resort. This is one of two Four Seasons resorts on the island (used to be Starwood Luxury Collection Resorts) and the other Four Seasons on the island is at Manele Bay where we would stop for lunch later in the day.
We came to the crossroads and took a left to Garden of the Gods. Later we would come back to the crossroads and go in the other direction to Shipwreck Beach.
The off-road adventure began and it was a bumpy but fun ride.
Mrs Weekly Flyer and I took turns driving. The Hula Girl on the front of our jeep kept dancing all the way to the Garden of the Gods.
Garden Of Gods
The Garden of the Gods gets it’s name from the surface which resembles an impressive lunar surface. But it also comes with equally impressive views.
That’s the island of Molokai in the distance.
We took a ton of pictures and one of them turned out to be the best self portrait from our entire trip to Hawaii. In our picture we looked as if the wind was trying to blow us off the island.
Bottom Line
Our initial impression of Lanai was very favorable. It was quite a change of pace from Maui. We explored the Garden of the Gods, took some pictures and then watched the Hula Girl dance all the way back to the crossroad where we took a left towards Shipwreck beach.
Related Posts
Check out our other Hawaii Day Trip tips and ideas here.
- Kauai Day Trip – Queen’s Bath & Secret Beach
- Kauai Day Trip – Waimea Canyon Lookout
- Kauai Trip Report – Exploring Kauai’s North Coast
- Kauai Trip Report – St Regis Princeville
- Kauai Day Trip – North Shore Beaches
- Maui Day Trip – Biking Mount Haleakala
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The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
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Did you stop at the Lanai Animal Rescue Center? It is the number one rated attraction Lanai City according to Trip Advisor. If you are an animal lover it is a MUST SEE! It is heaven on earth for animals. I just adopted a cat from there which arrived in Boston on 7/9. “Louie of Lanai” I used Delta miles to fly him to Boston. BEST USE OF MILES EVER! He really enjoyed the Delta Lounge too!
lanaianimalrescue.org
Whiskarina – “used Delta miles to fly him to Boston” – seriously? That is awesome, can probably get good value out of SkyPesos that way 🙂 Do tell how you booked Louie on a Sky Miles award.
=^..^=
I flew “Louie of Lanai” (cat) caretaker and her husband from Lanai to Boston using my Delta miles. There is no way I would send him in the cargo area. I upgraded them to Premium Economy so Louie, his caretaker and her husband would have more leg room for the long flight. I got them a day pass for the Delta club so Louie could stretch his legs for the stopover in Atlanta. She snuck him into the bathroom where he saw himself in a MIRROR for the first time and he was fascinated. My husband I met them at Boston Logan. My husband whisked Louie home and I took his caretakers to the Hyatt. I used my Hyatt points for a 2 night stay for them in Boston. I transferred my Chase points into Amtrak and they took the Amtrak to NYC. They spent a few days in NYC and flew home back home to Lanai. As you know,you can fly into one city and out of another city using Delta miles. Louie the cat’s ticket cost me the most money $125. It was a win/win for everyone. Flying an animal OUT of Hawaii is not a problem. Flying an animal INTO Hawaii is a problem as they need to be quarantined (rabies). BEST USE OF DELTA MILES EVER! (I also got Louie a “sleeypod air carrier” http://sleepypod.com/air which is like a FIRST CLASS CABIN for a pet as it pops open like a tent during the flight… check it out.
Sounds like louie got the Royal treatment:)
That sunken sloop has been there for at least five years, probably eight. Not worth salvaging and not a hazard to navigation, so there it sits. Or that’s the story I’ve been told by apparently knowledgable local boatmen.