A Tale of Two Hawaiian Islands; The Divergent Paths of Lana’i and Molokai

This story appeared on Sunday, Oct. 13 in the Los Angeles Times travel section, which requires a subscription to read. I’m providing a link to the story here but also printing the story on my own site for ease of reading. Here’s the LA Times link: https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2019-10-12/

On Lana’i, they’re putting the finishing touches on a multimillion-dollar remake of the old Four Seasons Lodge at Koele, which is being turned into a sumptuous spa and wellness retreat and is set to open November 1st. Its sister hotel, Four Seasons Lana’i, has rooms that start at about $1,000 USD a night.
Teams of gardeners wander the tidy streets that border Dole Park in Lana’i City, picking up white and yellow plumeria leaves that have tumbled to the ground and trimming the grass around the restored movie theater, which has a lawn lush enough to make an Augusta National greens keeper weep with envy.
Some 98% of Lana’i is owned by Larry Ellison, co-founder and executive chairman of Oracle. His Lana’i restoration team, called Pulama Lana’i, has nearly 400 workers on the payroll and is working to restore ancient fishponds and re-plant forests in areas ravaged by wild deer and goats.
Ellison’s team has rebuilt the theatre, opened a posh new public swimming pool, built a fancy basketball court for Lanai’s only school, and is constructing 10 massive, hydroponic gardens to reduce the island’s dependence on imported food.
Roughly nine miles away on Molokai, the Kaluako’i Resort has been shuttered for more than a decade. Shrubs and small trees sprout from what used to be a pristine 18-hole golf course. There’s only one hotel on the island, a stylish but casual mom-and-pop place that has rooms from about $120.
The ferry that brought passengers to Molokai from Maui closed a few years ago, which means you can get here only by air or private boat. Scattered about the islands are a few signs that suggest visitors are welcome for a spell, but that locals hope it’s not permanent.

Singapore-based Molokai Land Ranch group owns roughly one-third of the island but seems to have no interest in doing anything with the land except selling it, with a reported asking price of $260 million. Pulama Lana’i has nearly 400 employees, but on its neighboring island, the charitable group called The Molokai Land Trust has only four full-time workers. It relies on its small staff and volunteers to do vital environmental work, including clearing some of the Molokai Land Ranch property of invasive kiawe trees, which have crowded out native species and birds.
When I visited Molokai two years ago, I sat at the Hotel Molokai one morning and gazed at Lana’i, thinking about the difference in approaches the two islands seem to be taking. It’s as if Lana’i is a starlet with millions of Instagram followers and Molokai is Greta Garbo; she just wants to be left alone.
I returned to both islands this past summer. And I found things aren’t as starkly delineated or as simple as I thought. Not everyone on Lana’i is gaga about the direction the island is taking. And not everyone on Molokai is pleased that there’s no longer a resort with a posh golf course or a place for a splashy dinner.

These neighbour islands — both ideal spots for folks looking for the quiet side of Hawai’i — are looking at tourism in distinct ways.
If you drive from the main town of Kaunakakai toward east Molokai, you’ll see a green-and-white sign on the right side of the road that says “Visit. Spend. Go Home.” Farther east, as you near the pristine Halawa Valley, you’ll see another hand-written sign. This one, in part, advises visitors that “Aloha is not an invitation to move here. Respect Molokai and her people.”
“Those signs do not represent Molokai,” said Jule Kamakana, who runs the Kamakana Country Store outside Kaunakakai. “A lot of people wish those signs weren’t there.”
Sitting under a wind-whipped tarp on west Molokai, where the Molokai Land Trust is doing a lot of work, project coordinator Josiah Ching told me he’d be happy if someone renovated the Kaluako’i resort. “I mean, it’s already there, and it’s not attractive the way it is. Someone a few years came in and said they wanted to build a resort and golf course on the southwest tip of the island. That’s sacred land and people are very much opposed to that. But to re-do the resort? I don’t see a problem.”
Ching, and others I spoke with, said lack of trust is partly responsible for the anti-development current on Molokai.

“When Molokai Ranch didn’t get the development they wanted they shut everything down,” Ching said. “There’s a lot of bad feelings about that, but some people take it to an extreme.”
“The island can’t live without visitors,” said Greg Solatorio, who lives in Halawa Valley with his father and runs cultural tours that include waterfall hikes and talks about Molokai culture. “We don’t want Waikiki. It would be okay if the resort came back, but it would be nice if it was educational. We don’t need more hotels handing out plumeria leis and teaching people to say, “Hey, Brah.”
On the other hand, there’s Tuddie Purdy, who runs Purdy’s Natural Macadamia Nut Farm in central Molokai.
“I’m not anti-American, but they stole this land,” Purdy said when I stopped for a visit. “They took our Queen (Liliuokalani) away in handcuffs.”
Putting history aside, Purdy told me Molokai is better protected from over-tourism than other Hawaiian islands because its people are more vigilant.

“Too many people want to come and buy two or three houses or build a mansion on the hill,” he said. “And then the locals get priced out.”
Over on Lana’i, almost everyone I spoke with was thrilled with how the island is changing.
“Ellison’s deal to buy the island from David Murdock (the previous majority owner) closed on a Wednesday,” said Mike Carroll of the Mike Carroll Gallery in Lana’i City. “Larry announced his plan to fix up the community pool on Friday of that week. What he’s done with Hotel Lana’i (the small hotel in town Ellison owns) and with the swimming pool and the theatre and other projects is amazing.”
“You have your critics; every community does,” said Jenna Majkus, who runs the Local Gentry shop in Lana’i City. “Murdock was a cash-poor billionaire. But Larry is spending money. I’m the mother of an 11-year-old girl and he’s put a lot of money into kids’ programs. There are now feeder sports for the high school, which gives my daughter something to do. We never had that before.”

“It’s odd to work for a company where it’s not all about cutting costs,” said Harrilynn Kameenui, a senior vice president at Pulama Lana’i. “When we get change orders for work we’re doing, it’s to make things better.”
Kameenui said she’s all in favor of visitation to her island. To a point.
“We don’t want another Oahu. We want to keep things pristine, and we want people to come and be a part of what we’re doing here.”
Of course, not everyone is enamored with the shiny, new Lanai.
One store owner told me Ellison has done a nice job of fixing things, but that his grocery store, Richard’s, is “way too expensive.”
“Ellison’s just doing this stuff to impress his friends,” another long-time Lana’i resident said.
“All I can tell you is that he’s committed to helping the island become something that can become self-sustaining,” Kurt Matsumoto, chief operating officer of Pulama Lana’i, said in a telephone interview. “Larry’s a passionate person, and this isn’t a flash-in-the-pan type of interest. There’s truly a commitment to quality …

“We’re not selling tours where people go plant a tree on the mountain and pay $250 for the privilege. He’s doing the work because it’s the right thing to do.”
A young tour guide who showed me around Lana’i one morning said not everyone is able to grasp what’s happening on the island.
“It’s maybe not as much as Molokai, but I think there’s still some distrust,” she said. “I’d say people are cautiously optimistic.”

IF YOU GO

The Best Way

LANA’I
There are several ferries a day that cross over to Lana’i from Maui. It’s $30 for adults and $20 for kids and takes about an hour. You also can fly in from Maui and Oahu with Hawaiian Airlines or Mokulele Airlines. Flights are about a half hour and cost around $65. Lana’i Air offers what it calls an “elevated experience” and connects Hawai’i Big Island, Maui, Lanai and Oahu. Flights are around $250 one-way.

MOLOKAI
Unless you have a private boat, the best way to get here is a half-hour flight from Maui or Honolulu. You can fly with Hawaiian, Mokulele or Makani Kai Air. Flights generally are around $50 to $70 one-way.

A CRUISE OPTION FOR BOTH ISLANDS
Uncruise starts or finishes all their Hawai’i cruises on Molokai. They also visit Lana’i, Maui and Hawai’i Big Island. All activities, food and drinks are included, and they have a variety of rooms on board the ship, which usually carries less than three dozen guests. https://www.uncruise.com/

Where to Stay

MOLOKAI
Hotel Molokai. 1300 Kamehameha V Hwy, Kaunakakai. (877) 553-5347. A modest but pretty spot on the coast just east of Kaunakakai, with a small pool, on-site restaurant and tropical landscaping. Rooms range from standards with two beds to a 950-square foot, modern, oceanfront suite. Prices start around $119 a night.
Pu’u Hoku Ranch. MM 25, Kaunakakai. (808) 558-8109. https://puuohoku.com/. A tranquil spot on a pretty bluff on the road that leads to the Halawa Valley. It’s a working ranch, but they also have cottages that can sleep four people and a lodge that can sleep 22. Cottages are $275 a night.
Wavecrest Condos. 7148 Kamehameha V Hwy. (808) 658-0143. http://wavecrestaoao.com/. There are a variety of units available in this complex on the east coast of Molokai, where you’ll find lush landscaping, a small pool, gas barbeques and more. Home Away lists Wavecrest condos from $104 a night.

LANA’I
Four Seasons Lana’i. 1 Manele Bay Rd. ( 808) 565-2000. https://www.fourseasons.com/lanai/ This is a remarkable property overlooking Hulopo’e Beach, one of the best in the islands. It was renovated a few years ago and now has a lush, South Seas feel, with dark pools surrounded by brilliant bougainvillea and flaming red ginger. Rooms from around $1,000 a night.
Hotel Lana’i: 828 Lana’i Ave., Lana’i City. (800) 795-7211. www.hotellanai.com. Hotel Lana’i is a small affair in Lanai City that also has been renovated. It now has a sleek, almost Scandinavian feel, with plenty of pale wood. A nice breakfast is included. Rooms from around $300 a night.
The Four Seasons Hotel Lana’i at Koele, A Sensei Retreat, is supposed to re-open on November 1. It was formerly styled like an English hunting lodge, but will begin its new life as a “Sensei” spa/wellness retreat. There’s also talk of a major zipline in a steep valley. Rates TBA. 1 Keomoku Highway, Lanai City. (808) 565-2000. https://www.fourseasons.com/koele/

Where to Eat

MOLOKAI
Hiro’s Ohana Grill. Located at Hotel Molokai. The hotel is right alongside the water and features live music most nights. Look for local fish and Asian-influenced favorites, such as short ribs. Entrees at dinner from $22 to $36.
Paddlers Restaurant, 10 Mohala St., Kaunakai. (808) 553-3300. http://www.paddlersrestaurant.com/. Casual fare such as burgers, fish tacos, salads and pasta at an open-air, covered place that usually has live entertainment. Dinner entrees between $12 and $29.

LANA’I
One Forty. Located at Four Seasons Lana’i. (800) 321-4666. Look for aged steaks, salads with local lettuce and great ahi poke at this upscale dining spot, which also has a lovely terrace. The bircher muesli at breakfast comes with lovely tropical fruits. Dinner entrees from $32 to $90.
Lana’i City Bar and Grille, at Hotel Lanai. Look for everything from burgers to local venison (deer run wild all over the island) and fresh fish. Chef Joel Harrington has been known to sprinkle Pop Rocks candy on his ahi tuna with ponzu for a surprising crunch. Entrees at dinner from $20 to $42.
Blue Ginger Café, 409 7th St., Lana’i City. (808) 565-6363. http://www.bluegingercafelanai.com/. A fun, casual spot where locals gather for breakfast, lunch or dinner and sample simple items such as eggs with Portuguese sausage, shrimp tempura or chop steak. Most dinner entrees in the $12 to $16 range.
Pele’s Other Garden, 811 Houston St. Lana’i City. (808) 565-9628. https://pelesothergarden.com/peles/. Billed as a New York Deli and Bistro, this is a colourful place for sandwiches, pizza, pasta, salads and other casual fare. Dinner entrees from $17 to $20.