Families staying at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai have a chance to explore Lanai by sea on the resort’s 50 foot catamaran, The Lanai.
Families can enjoy morning snorkel sails, evening sunset sails or, from December through April, set sail on a whale watching experience. Lanai is home to one of Hawaii's largest schools of spinner dolphins and offers a haven to North Pacific humpback whales. All excursions include a selection of food, snacks and beverages; snorkel sails include SUP boards.
Also, families staying here can escape on horseback into the hills surrounding Koele, once the center of ranching operations on the island, and enjoy an alternative way to explore the wooded valleys and trails of the extraordinary upland terrain. Custom tours and private lessons are also available, as well as pony rides for keiki.
Guests can also venture upcountry and spend time with the Ranch's 12 miniature horses and donkeys, where they can pet or groom the minis and hear the resort's wranglers tell stories about Koele and the paniolo (cowboy) culture on Lanai. Guests can also book a complimentary ride to the Ranch at Koele on the Resort Shuttle with the Lanai Ambassadors or arrive via Jeep, as well as arrange a picnic with In-Room Dining for an unforgettable lunchtime experience.
Or guests at the Four Seasons Lanai can tour a charming plantation town in a beautiful carriage drawn by Shire ‘draught’ horses, similar to Clydesdales and recognized as a family-friendly and laid-back breed. The ride begins in Lanai City, where guests will circle Dole Park, and ends at Lanai Ranch at Koele.
The grass-covered land was deemed perfect for ranching sheep, supplying Honolulu and other islands with mutton, and later cattle, from around 1850 to 1951, and is now home to the resort's stables of horses, miniature horses and donkeys and Spur, the ranch dog. Rides are one hour, $350 per carriage, which seats a maximum of four passengers (including children). Available Thursday-Sundays, at 4 pm. Hot cocoa and bottled water are provided.
The hotel can also arrange for a trip to the 14-station Lanai Archery and Shooting Range in the wooded uplands, which challenges shooters of all skill levels. Stations offer sporting clays launched to simulate flight patterns of duck, quail, dove, pheasant and even running rabbit patterns.
For families wanting to channel their inner “Hunger Games" characters, guests can set their sight on 3D animal targets such as turkey, deer, T-Rex, ram or boar or take aim at traditional archery targets, from five to 25 yards away at the archery course. Children as young as eight can enjoy these activities, with appropriate supervision – child-sized equipment is available.
In case rains ruins a sunny day, the Lanai Theater, Hale Keaka, is a Lanai landmark providing family-friendly entertainment. Hale Keaka’s duplex design contains two 91-seat theaters and a green room.
Visit www.fourseasons.com/lanai
Related Stories
Andaz Maui Partners With Maverick Helicopters
2018 Australian Tourism Exchange to be Held in South Australia in April
Soft Opening for Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger Set for February