Transportation?

My wife and I are taking advantage of the 4th night free deal at Manele next week and have a question.

Should we rent a car/jeep in advance? I was thinking of just relying on the hotel shuttle and then possibly renting a jeep one day after we got there. Which is best?

We%26#39;ve never been to Lanai but spend a lot of time on Maui, as my wife grew up in Paia. We%26#39;ll probably just relax on the beach mostly while we are there but I might also rent a bike for a day or two.

THX

David

Transportation?

Aloha David,

Yes, I think it would be best to just rely on the shuttle for most of your getting around the island. No reason to rent a car, but if you want to explore the remote areas of the island (which I highly recommend), then you will have to rent a jeep for a day. I recommend using Adventure Lana%26#39;i Ecocentre for the Jeep rather than Dollar Rent a Car since they have more rugged vehicles and allow you to go to more places on the island. For more info go to:

www.adventurelanai.com

But you will have to call them at 808-565-7373 to make reservations. I do recommend arranging the reservation in advance, they can be pretty popular. I think one day should be enough (it is about $149/day).

Relaxing is my favorite thing to do on Lana%26#39;i, and Hulopo%26#39;e Beach in front of Manele Bay is one of the best places to do that. Bike rental from the Lodge at Koele unfortunately, only lets you take the bikes on the paved roads, but it can be fun exploring the town. I have always thought it would be fun to take a mountain bike onto the off road areas of the island. I understand Adventure Lana%26#39;i has mountain bikes for rental, but I don%26#39;t know any more than that.

If you are looking at more to do on the island check out this inside page:

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g29219-c2257/Lanai:Ha鈥?/a>

Have a wonderful time visiting my favorite island!

Please post a trip report. We all love to hear about everyones experiences on Lana%26#39;i.

-DrV

Transportation?

How cool that your wife grew up in Paia. We love that little town. It has such a laid-back feel. We really like to eat lunch at Cafe Mambo.

ALE does rent mountain bikes w/ helmets. They will also give you a map of the best trails for biking. I remember there was group of four that were going to ride down to Polihua in April. We never heard how that ended up. I can%26#39;t imagine that it would be an easy adventure. No way would I attempt this! It%26#39;s hard enough in the jeep let alone on a bicycle. But biking around Munro would be really great.

I think we will definately talk to ALE about the bikes. The Munro Trail sounds like an exciting challenge as long as it hasn%26#39;t recently rained. A bike ride to Polihu%26#39;a not only would be a challenge to get around the big rocks, but the loooong ride back up the hill on the way back would be a killer!

Thanks all! We are getting psyched for this trip!

David

Hy!

We are going over new years, and i also have a question for the transportation.

We are staying at Manele Bay, do you know if we book the cars thru the hotel will it be Dollar or the one You are recomending?

Also how do we get from Maui to Lanai? Are there any charter flights? Cost?

Aloha bule1101 ~

The Four Seasons @ Manele Bay will more than likely suggest a car rental from Dollar...however...

If you want a better jeep, I would suggest contacting Adventure Lanai Ecocentre:

808.565.7373 or email info@adventurelanai.com

You don%26#39;t have to rent the jeep for your whole trip. If you want to use the jeep a 1-2 days to explore, then the rest of the time, you can take advantage of the shuttle service that will be applied to your bill automatically from the Four Seasons.

For the ferry ride to/from Lana%26#39;i, you will book through Expeditions @ 1.800.695.2624. Here is the schedule:

Departs promptly from Lahaina (Maui) at:

6:45am, 9:15am, 12:45pm, 3:15pm, 5:45pm

Departs promptly from Manele (Lanai):

8:00am, 10:30am, 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 6:45pm

Cost is $25 Adult / $20 Child (Each Way)

Thank You very much!!!

Since You seem to know, are there any tips You can give us, what to see on Lanai, that we wont find in a broschure or in the hotel?

Sure...how many days will you have the jeep? The best parts of Lana%26#39;i are found in the remote areas.

Since we are 7 days there, I was thinkig 3?

We will go to Maui and the Big Island for a day, so i think this will be enough.

Bule, as I suggested in your private message, probably 1-2 days of a jeep will be enough to see the whole island. Some of it depends on how much time you want to spend driving in one day. If you would like to drive to a remote spot on the island, then relax for a couple hours, you will need the jeep for two days. If you just want to drive most of the time, you could see much of the island in 1 day. I completely agree with NatureCat regarding her advice.

Here is a copy of a post a did earlier on places to see with off-road drives. This should give you a better idea of how much time you need:

Shipwreck beach is pretty cool. There are suppose to be petroglyphs near where you park, but we never found them. The beach is seemingly endless, but takes about 15-20 minutes to get from the parking area to in front of the shipwreck. The beach continues around the island for miles all the way to Polihu%26#39;a Beach, but I would just walk out to the shipwreck. In the winter it is can be very windy here, so it may not be the best place for a long hike. I have been told it is much calmer in the summer. The place where you park is only a few minutes to the left off the paved road.

Where the paved road ends, if you go to the right instead, it takes you toward Lopa Beach. This road can occasionally get washed out, but they will tell you when you rent the Jeep. Otherwise this is a rather smooth road and easy to drive. You will have to stop at the remains of the old church. And at Lopa Beach there is a picnic table and generally calm winds and low surf. It is a nice place to wade out into the water, and turtles can be found here. The road continues to and ends at Naha, another pretty and quiet location. I have never seen anyone at Lopa, but occasionally see some locals at Naha.

You should finish you day up by driving the Munro Trail as long as it is drivable. Wonderful views in various directions and this take you to the highest point on the island. It is a fun drive too; I think about 12 miles of multiple curves and ups and downs. You may be able to see four other islands from the various views. I suggest you finish with this since the end of the road takes you to the top of the hill on the way down to Manele to end your day.

I think you will have time for at least one more drive before you finish with the Munro Trail. I think going through Garden of the Gods (a very beautiful landscape in a very unusual way) would be your best choice. On the way there you go thru some interesting ironwood groves. There is also a short self guided nature tour showing some native Lana%26#39;i vegetation right before GOTGs. After GOTGs, the road gets rougher and heads downhill to Polihu%26#39;a Beach. This beach can also be windy in the winter, but is so big and beautiful that it is worth the drive. It is the size of several football fields and you may be the only ones there. You will see Moloka%26#39;i from there and on a clear day maybe Oahu. Because the colors in GOTGs cam be very beautiful near dusk, you may one do to this drive last instead. But because of some rough spots in the road I wouldn%26#39;t drive this back AFTER dark.

Another option is to drive to Kaunolu, another interesting place. But you may have to give up some place else to do this. The road to Kaunolu, the summer fishing home for Kamehameha the Great, has recently been improved, making this another place to visit with your 4x4. You will see well maintained ruins of some buildings, and can hike up to Kahekili%26#39;s Leap (Warrior%26#39;s Leap), where the King%26#39;s men could prove their bravery - a 63 foot dive into the ocean.