The Four Seasons: Lodge at Koele: A Hawaiian Paradise Can be done on a Budget!

If ever there was an underdog for most luxurious hotel, this would be it.  I have to say of all the hotels I had booked for our Hawaiian getaway I was the least excited about this one.  I mean, I guess you think, Hawaii, beaches, etc. Not really lodgy, mountainous, etc.  This hotel was so effing amazing, I don’t know where to begin. After visiting so many Five Star hotels I still tell people this one is definitely up there as one of my favorites. It’s the most picturesque setting I’ve ever been to. It’s like camping meets Barbie (moi). It has rustic touches you want to enjoy in a lodge experience but done in the usual four seasons, Five Star quality.

The rooms are to die for. I mean window seat? Really? So cute.  The decor was the perfect mixture of shabby chic and pottery barn style.  Everything was immaculate as to be expected.  I can’t say enough nice things about this hotel. Did I mention that rooms start at $295 here? It’s kind of the perfect mix of spendthrift and luxury. Yes, 300 bucks isn’t cheap but it’s not as much as most Four Seasons.  Also, most people aren’t really familiar with Lana’i. It’s a privately owned island and it’s very remote. It’s about 45 minutes (by Ferry) from Maui. It’s very quiet and very romantic.  It’s really the ultimate honeymoon escape in my opinion. The Lodge even more so than Four Seasons Manele Bay.  It’s very quiet and wonderful.

Gorgeous bathroom as you would expect. Complete with L’Occitane beauty products. C’est magnifique

The hotel’s property is so lush covered in luxurious gardens, an orchid greenhouse, outside fireplace and more. Savour peaceful tranquillity, and for your man,  two world-ranked golf courses and exciting adventures on land and at sea.

Here I am taking in the waterfall and feeding the fishies.

They have an amazing tea time set up for all guests- men and kids included! Here we are at tea time with Teresa from the Spa (love her!). They have the most wonderful loose leaf teas brewed on the table accompanied by several different different options.  For the men there are little man sandwiches (yes I realize the oxymoronicness) but how else do you describe baby deli sandwiches, a mini hot dog and teeny pulled pork sandwiches? For kids they have assortments of cupcakes and other sweet delicacies and for all you dolls rest assured that you can nosh on scones, cookies, cakes and mini finger sandwiches too. There is a tiered platter you can order if you’re hungry but if you just want a snack the scones and the jams, jellies and spreads are not to be missed. We were doing a perfume/cologne blending session with Teresa here from Ajne. More on that experience HERE. It was fan-fucking-tastic.

For dinner we ate at the Terrace. It was glorious.  We had a tuna sashimi appetizer, maui onion soup, mahi-mahi with mango relish and truffled mushroom risotto.  My fave was the tuna app–but I’ma sucker for raw toons so go figure.  The mahi-mahi was the other standout in my opinion but everything was good.

We had breakfast the next morning and I wasn’t that hungry so we split an omelette and got a side of turkey sausage.  They make a mean breakfast. It was great. The one omelette was definitely big enough for two and they do a beautiful job of splitting it for you behind the scenes (service was amazing).  One thing I’d skip is the pricey juice, It was the same price as the turkey sausages, which in my opinion were more worth the price. But if you aren’t trying to save money, disregard. But honestly, that’d be my advice everywhere–just try to cut down on drinks and your bill will deflate.

I’m absolutely obsessed with it here. I’d say this is a must-stay, even if just for one night when you’re on Lana’i.  And if you’re going to Maui, it really is the quickest ferry ride. I think everyone should hit up this island it’s the best kept secret. Go before everyone finds out.  On top of that, the Four Seasons did everything perfectly.  Every time we returned to our room it seemed like we had a new treat waiting for us–fresh fruit or donuts and cider. They really make you feel like you’re on vacay. Oh, and one more thing–the Four Seasons runs a shuttle between this property and Manele Bay (where the beach is) every 30 minutes so you can totally stay here and go down to the beach there, it takes about 20 minutes.  It’s about 10 degrees warmer down there too and it rains less there. That’s the craziest thing about Hawaii–it houses 12 out of 16 micro-climates.  One end an island can be having totally different weather than the other.  So it could be raining at the lodge and beautiful and sunny by Manele Bay. Crazy!

Read on to our Four Seasons Manele Bay Review!

*Smartypanties was hosted by the Four Seasons in consideration for a review for our fabulous readers. As always though all opinions herein are my own!*