relaxation

I have a feeling that I will come off here as shilling for the Four Seasons chain. Ah well, I enthuse about that which I've loved greatly, and right now the island of Lana'i and, specifically, the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele are what I'm thinking of.

Ahhhhhh... to be back.

We spent four nights on Lana'i. Only four. Oh, we heard murmurings from certain quarters that the island was too small, too sleepy, that we'd be bored. Feh. We had books. What more did we need?

The Lodge. We needed the Lodge. And boy did we get it. We walked in and fell in love. Got checked in and upgraded to a nicer room.


Walked in to the room and asked each other when we could come back again. Oh my.

What made it better wasn't the cooler temperatures of the upcountry or the friendly spirit infusing everyone there (the staff all seemed really happy about their jobs, really proud to work there)(also parenthetically, when we told people in Lana'i City that we were at the Lodge, they'd nod approvingly - we had a similar reaction from people in Honolulu). It was that we seemed and felt as though we were the only people at the Lodge. We'd caught it in between seasons, or so we had the notion, and the result was that we had ample spaces to enjoy alone.

Two things mark that out clearly. On our last day there, Conrad and I went horseback riding, and followed that with lunch ordered from the bar. We sat on the verandah outside the bar, a cocktail each, some pupus.
Read. Dozed off. Yep, out in a common area, early afternoon. Dozed off. Woke up and went and took a nap in the room.

The other thing was on our shuttle to the airport. Four of us on the shuttle, the other two a friendly couple from Portland. It turns out they'd been there 9 nights, so every night we'd been there. And yet we hadn't seen them once. Hidden? Down at Manele? We don't know.

I'll post other things about the Lodge, its grounds, and more in times ahead, but for now, as I sit at LAX in a Red Carpet Club, I think how nice it would be to have a few more Louise Penny mysteries (darn you TK!) and time back on Lana'i. One day. 2011, perhaps?



I cannot end this without mention of our fellow Smelt, Michael, who secured for us a discounted rate. What is better than a super-relaxing vacation? One that we paid less for than we might otherwise. Thank you Michael!

chestnuts needed, marshmallows in a pinch

Almost 2 AM in Chicago as I write this but not quite 9:00 here on Lana'i. I'm tired. I'll post this sometime in the AM (Hawai'i time) and get my well-fed self to bed. A good evening of sitting on the lanai with three types of poke from the local poke place plus a delicious bottle of Heron's Flight 2005 Sangiovese. Well worth carting from the mainland over!

Conrad and I just took a short stroll on the grounds and in the main lodge, and two very un-Hawaiian (well, stereotype Hawaiian things struck us):

1. it's cool out. As in temperature. I have on jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt over another t-shirt, and I wouldn't mind a sweater or my favourite Gap hoodie.
2. the fireplaces in the main lodge are oh-so-inviting.





We sat by one of the large fireplaces (there are two) and luxuriated in the warmth. I suppose it's not very green of me to admit that I really like the wood smoke smell we can catch sometimes outside. Ah well. At this elevation, high above the coast (1700 feet up), we're relishing the cooler temperatures, and if that means the incongruous (for Hawai'i, we think) notion of a big fireplace, so be it. This is still the most gorgeous hotel we've ever stayed in and a superb idea for a getaway.

Best darn $19 sammich ever!

A bit of a break from the onslaught of Hawaii postings to offer a photo or two of the sandwich I had for lunch today. Some might snort with derision at the notion of paying almost $19 for a sandwich, but let's set it in context: it was in a gorgeous room (the restaurant at the Four Seasons with a view over Market Street) and it went down well with a glass of a California Chardonnay. The sandwich was chockful of Dungeness crab - no skimping, and not much beyond some tarragon adulterating it - avocado, crispy pancetta, butter lettuce, and tomato. The bread was pillowy soft and a little rich. On the side were some simple leafy greens, kettle chips, and bread and butter pickles. Honestly? I felt like it was a real steal!