The hotel itself is lovely, with large rooms, comfortable beds, and GREAT bathrooms. The staff gives service you'd expect at a Four Seasons. Having said that, the spa is sub-standard, and for me, that's a big deal. The spa employees do a good job, but the spa facilities really need improvement. Things such as the steam room and showers seem to be regularly out of order, as every time I've stayed there, at least one thing has been out of order. The sauna is nice, but small. Actually, the entire spa area is quite small, and there really isn't anyplace for guests to lounge in their robes and relax--the locker rooms are small, and there are no "lounge chairs" in the locker rooms. The spa has a check-in area, where the cashiers are, and one locker room each for men and women, a few individual rooms for spa services, and that's it. The women's locker room has 1 steam room, 1 small sauna that fits a maximum of four people, and 2 showers, plus sinks and toilets and lockers. There are no sofas or lounge areas. It almost feels as though the hotel architects realized too late that they needed to add a spa facility, and then carved one out of available closet space.

Despite my dissatisfaction with the spa, I do like the hotel. The employees are wonderful, giving the quality of service you'd expect from a Four Seasons resort. The rooms are wonderful, with fabulous bathrooms. The salt water pool is large, and there are 2 hot tubs. The pool area is spacious, with many lounge chairs. You can choose to sit by the pool, by the beach, or in a grassy area with a panoramic beach/mountain view. I recommend the hotel to most people who are looking for a relaxing tropical Four Seasons get-away. I just caution those guests who are hoping for a fabulous spa experience--you won't find it here.

I just discovered this website and would like to share my views about the island of Lana'i. My family and I have vacationed on Lana'i once or twice a year for at least ten years or more. I live a high-stress life, and the beauty and serenity of the island recharges my batteries, and allows me to return to my real life with renewed vigor and energy.

The Manele Bay hotel is so beautiful, so secluded, and so peaceful. The two golf courses are very different from each other, and equally enjoyable. The ocean view from our regular room is amazing, with the bay stretching out beneath us, and dolphins jumping and playing almost daily, spectacular whales in the winter months, all easily visible from our private balcony. (We always bring binoculars for an even closer look.) The family has had the pleasure of swimming with these wild dolphins on several occasions over the years. A very unique experience.

Since the Four Seasons has taken over the property, the rooms and infrastructure have been improved and updated. The restaurants have suffered, but overall it's been a big plus for the two resorts. I'm definitely a Four Seasons fan. The resort is a little harder to get to, a little more expensive, but my family and I would not choose to go anywhere else.

Weather permitting, you MUST rent a jeep and go see the more remote parts of the island. There is nothing better than having a beach in Hawaii all to yourself! Now that is luxury! The views of the nearby islands are spectacular and unforgettable. And on your last night on the island, you MUST go up to the Lodge at Koele and have dinner at their Main Dining Room. Request a table near the fireplace, and ask for a waiter named Kenny. He is such a charming host... I don't know how he does it, but he seems to make the food taste even better! Our last-night-on-Lana'i dinner with Kenny is perhaps our favorite tradition on the island. Make sure you try the venison or the lamb, relax and enjoy.

Lana'i is the place to go if you want to do very little, in complete luxury. The only warning: make sure there isn't a big corporate group on the island during your visit. The island is very small, and large groups can fill up the limited activities available on Lana'i. On one visit we were unable to golf or rent a jeep because a group had bought out everything. I definitely felt like a second-class citizen. But we came back the next time, and had a fantastic time.

I recommend a week's stay, unless your tolerance for relaxation is lower than mine! I can't wait until my next visit!

Recently stayed at this property for 4 days for a 5th anniversary trip, combining the trip with a 4 day trip to the sister hotel at Koele, located inland (both stays were buy 3 nights, get one free).

This hotel is what you envision when you think about a luxury hotel in Hawai'i. Lanai is challenging to get to, but worth the effort of an extra plane ride (be sure to check the website for IslandAir for a special promo rate on tickets that Kayak/Orbitz/etc won't pull up).

Upon arrival, your bag is handed over to a hotel attendant at the airport for subsequent delivery to your room. Keep in mind there are only 3 hotels on the island, so it's pretty obvious what to do and where to go. As expected in Hawai'i, everyone is excessively helpful and kind. It's a tiny airport, and you walk right out to a shuttle van (there is a one-time charge for the vans on your account later, and you'll use them daily to get around). 20 minutes down a windy road and you arrive at the beautiful hotel directly on the ocean. Check out the hotel's pictures- it's just like you would want- lush gardens, big modern rooms, flatscreen TVs, great bathrooms, nice robes, and a great porch. The pool is warm saltwater with 2 great hottubs, and the pool service is exceptional. The attentive staff was courteous and many knew us by name by the 2nd day. The same for the beach- it's absolutely a perfect beach, gentle sandy sloping sand, "free" snorkels and masks, ice water and lemonade delivery to your lounge chair, and again, super nice attendants. Great service, but not in-your-face. Just right.

The concierge service was excellent and attentive.

The food was fantastic if not a little expensive- good options for bar food and nice restaurants with good local food. As expected at a luxury hotel- the pizza and burgers are all around $15-$20. The breakfast buffet was $20 and superlative, make sure to do it once for sure.

A great alternative to great but expensive food is to use the transportation vans (they run loops every 30 minutes between the two hotels with a stop in town each way- so you're never more than 30 minutes from a pickup) and eat in town for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (beware Sundays). We didn't have enough good things to say about pancakes or burgers at Blue Ginger, our favorite. The best dinner was at Pele's Other Garden, where the owner was super friendly as was the server. Both were a delight to get to know briefly. There are two grocery stores, and a fridge in the room, so this is great way to save some money if you like to. We had instant oatmeal and instant hot chocolate a few times as a break. The town is very small, very local-feeling, and fun to experience.

A word of advice- as many others have pointed out. This is a trip to go on if you like to sit by the pool, sit by the beach, do hotel activities (snorkel, golf, etc.), read books, drink coffee, and relax. There are great hikes out of the sister Koele hotel (take the van), and even things like executive mini golf, high tea, and croquet. There is lots of golf, and some four wheel rental options if the weather is dry enough to do this (not on our trip). BUT, if you like to go out, hit the bars, etc., or if you have kids that will get bored quickly just sitting around, this may not be the destination for you. This is absolutely, positively not Honolulu or even Kona. There is absolutely nothing to do in the evenings in terms of going out. There is very nice light entertainment in the bars, which is great and very peaceful. Make sure to do some stargazing by the ocean, and enjoy the peace and quiet.

We have decided to go back every 5 yrs for our anniversaries. The management included a nice bottle of champagne just for us mentioning our anniversary on the reservation website.

The hotel is clean and comfortable, and with some detective work finding deals and eating in town quite a bit, and a "garden room," we were able to keep the cost quite reasonable. We would go back today if we could...

My husband and I spent just 2 nights on Lanai and chose this Four Seasons on account of it being ocean front. We made reservations for a garden view room and were upgraded without asking to a partial ocean view room. They do charge you automatically for shuttle service, but it is such a small price to pay for the convenience, with shuttles running every half an hour to the city and to the Lodge. The breakfast on the terrace was great and we found ourselves snacking lightly until dinner, no room for lunch! We found everyone at the front desk and the concierge service to be very helpful and were pleased with the room, the food and the overall ambiance. It was mostly all adults, I don't recall seeing any little kids during our visit. The view from Manele Bay is impressive, just a short walk to Sweetheart Rock. Our room was very roomy, very clean and comfortable. We will be back and highly recommend the Four Seasons at Manele Bay.