• Introduction
• Oahu
• Kauai
• Maui
• Big Island
• Off the Path: Lanai and Molokai
• Hawaii's Restaurant Revolution
• A Glossary of Hawaiian Cheap Eats
• Itineraries
• When to Go
• Getting There & Around

Off the Path: Lanai and Molokai

Lanai

Little Lanai is a company island – Dole reigned here for years before foreign competition made it too expensive to grow pineapples. Now the 3,000 some locals are supported by tourism and the two resorts on the island, which are both Four Seasons properties. The Lodge at Koele (www.fourseasons.com/koele) rests on a mountaintop surrounded by Cook pines, with two rolling golf courses. The plantation-style Manele Bay (www.fourseasons.com/manelebay) sits by the ocean. Far more economical is the tiny Hotel Lanai (www.hotellanai.com) in Lanai City – actually a peaceful, small town. Renowned chef Beverly Gannon (of Joe’s and Hali’imaile General Store on Maui) oversees the hotel restaurant’s menu. Forty minutes away by car is Keahiakawelo, known as the Garden of the Gods. On this harsh, dry promontory, erosion has worn rocks into towers resembling the Southwest’s hoodoos. Fly to Lanai from Honolulu, or go for a day trip on the Expeditions ferry (www.go-lanai.com), which leaves from Lahaina on Maui. Or sail from Maui on a luxurious catamaran with Trilogy (www.sailtrilogy.com).

Molokai

Home to the highest percentage of native Hawaiians in the state, Molokai is said to be the birthplace of hula. The island also harbors the world’s highest sea cliffs, a stunning stretch of sinuous folds with drops of as much as 3,600 feet. With a population of about 7,000, Molokai is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and people don’t just leave flowers at the tombstones of departed loved ones – they leave cans of beer. There are no traffic lights, and no luxury resorts. Visit for the day from Lahaina in Maui via a 1.5-hour ferry ride (www.molokaiferry.com) or fly in from Honolulu. Or better yet, stay a while: Rent a car with four-wheel drive to explore some of Hawaii’s widest, longest beaches, like Papohaku, on the island’s dry west side. Then drive to the lush Halawa Valley on the east side, and hike to a waterfall. End the day in an open-air, oceanfront bungalow at Hotel Molokai (www.hotelmolokai.com).

See Hawaii Travel Guide