The Experience at Koele
 ...on the Island of Lanai
Story & Photos by Ed Stone

Entrance to the Lodge at Koele

For over 1,000 years, Hawaiian legends held that evil spirits inhabited the Island of Lanai. This paradise was then called "The Forbidden Island." As legend would have it…a young Hawaiian Prince came and drove the evil spirits out, creating a demon free island 13 miles wide and 18 miles long. The island's topography varies from white sand beaches, to lush tropical jungles and misty mountain top pine forests more than 3,400 feet above sea level. These towering pine forests were the result of a visionary, George Munro. Munro was a naturalist and innovator from New Zealand. He was hired by the Lanai Company in 1910 as the foreman for their infant cattle company. Figuring that he could help alleviate Lanai's perpetual water problem, he planted pines, whose dense needles would capture moisture in the high elevations and thus create a "fog-drip"…a kind of natural trickle-down effect. His system worked so well that between 1917 and 1922, James Dole purchased the land to develop the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, which lasted until 1985 when David Murdock concluded that his part of Lanai would travel a new path.

The back lawn of the Lodge at Koele...a perfect setting

Thanks to the vision of Messieurs Munro, Dole, and now Murdock, the 2,800 inhabitants of Lanai have embarked on a new challenge to convert the Island of Lanai into a vacationers' secluded paradise.

There are two outstanding resorts and golf courses on this unique island, The Lodge at Koele plus the Manele Bay Hotel. The Manele Bay Hotel opened in May 1991 with 250 luxury guest rooms and suites featuring spectacular views of the ocean and Lanai's dramatic coastline. The elegant two-story buildings reflect a blend of Hawaii's traditional kama'aina and Mediterranean architectures, with arcaded loggias and sloping roofs. Formal gardens and multi-level, lavishly landscaped courtyards create a vivid contrast to the sea and shore.

The secluded Lodge at Koele opened in April 1990 with 102 beautifully decorated rooms, in the style of an English manor.  

Greeted on the front porch of The Lodge at Koele with a Hawaiian lei and a cool glass of fresh pineapple juice, I immediately felt quite special, relaxed, and removed from the harried world I left behind. No matter where I looked, there was an impressionist's landscape just waiting to be captured on canvas. The guest rooms' ambiance was based around a cozy, down comforter, four-poster bed adorned with a pineapple at the top of each post. The sitting area included a very inviting traditional country window seat and just outside was a covered porch where guests enjoy the beautiful gardens ornamented with statuaries of Buddha, fu dogs and other sinuous forms. Even the bathroom made a statement with its grandeur, and its bathtub beckoning one with special bath gels and herbal salt offerings.

The lobby at The Lodge offers the perfect setting for visiting and gathering

The Lodge at Koele is truly one of the world's most elite resorts. Here is the "get-a-way" for the extrovert or recluse, young or old, honeymooner, golfer, food and wine connoisseur or a person just looking for a place to get away with "that special someone." Even celebrities find solitude and privacy here. In 1994, Oprah Winfrey came here to "get away from it all." Now Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited in 2001 for some R&R. This is the place where the world's richest person, Bill Gates, chose for his wedding celebration. Need I say more? Everyone is treated with a generous portion of gracious Hawaiian hospitality while surrounded by a warm, elegant, and comforting luxury. The Lodge is nestled in the island's dramatic uplands, providing a peaceful setting with easy access to the many pleasures of the island's spectacular coastline.

The Experience at Koele Golf Course is one of the most beautiful and best in the world…yes, I said, the world. To prove it, just look at some of the recent awards this golf course and its resort lays claim to:

  • America's Best Resorts: "Gold & Silver Medal Resort Awards" Silver Medalist (2002) - Golf Magazine
  • Top 75 Golf Resorts in America, #7 (2002) - (tied with the Manele Bay Hotel)
  • Top 10 Hawaiian Resorts," #1 (2002) - (tied with the Manele Bay Hotel) - Golf Digest
  • 6th Annual Golf Poll, Top 50 Golf Resorts in North America & the Caribbean" (2001) - Overall, #4
  • Speed of Play, #1
  • Condé Nast Traveler (2002) named the Lodge at Koele "One of the Best Places in the World to Stay"
  • Furthermore, the June 2003 issue of Conde Nast Travelers' annual readers' survey of the "Top 100 Golf Resorts in the World" ranked The Lodge at Koele as the #1 in the World.
Brendan Moynahan
Golf Professional

"The Experience at Koele" is indeed…an experience! These links deserve their name. Employees at "The Experience" are anxious for your golf experience to begin with the right attitude. Upon checking in at the beautifully designed and appointed clubhouse, the affable golf professional, Brendan Moynahan, and other staff members meet you with an aloha smile.  Prior to coming to Koele, Brendan was the golf pro at Kapalua on Maui from 1991 to 1998.
 
Brendan enjoys telling the story of Greg Norman, the course designer of The Experience, and Jack Nickalus, designer of The Challenge at Manele Bay, playing an exhibition match on The Experience in 1994. When the two famous golfing greats came to number 17, the signature hole, they thought nothing of hitting a driver and a wedge to the green. This challenging hole is nestled in the deepest and most scenic gorge on the Island of Lanai. It is a 442-yard par 4 presenting a spectacular 250-foot drop in elevation from tee to green. The green is guarded to the right by a 70-foot sentinel eucalyptus, meaning you should play your drive to the left. Mr. Nickalus drives his first shot in the lake on the right side of the fairway. Then, he proceeded to repeat this shot five more times. He made a score of 17 on the hole. This made me feel much better when I put my first shot in the drink and my second shot in the sand trap located between the fairway and lake. The six I turned in on my scorecard…I'll take it!

The course architect is Ted Robinson who has been involved with Hawaiian courses such as Kapolei, Waikele Golf Club and Ko'Olina on the Island of Oahu. The Experience at Koele is built on 163 acres, leaving untouched as much of the island's flora as possible. The front nine plays through ravines of Norfolk Pine, koa and eucalyptus trees. Mr. Robinson's trademark features water. Believe me, water is everywhere; seven lakes, flowing streams with cascading waterfalls, and one green, Number 8 is completely surrounded by a lake. The first seven holes of the back nine meander across high country at an altitude of 2,000 feet. As noted earlier, the "signature hole," Number 17, plays from a 250-foot elevated tee to a fairway bordered by a lake along its right side, and trees and dense shrubs along its left.  The yardage from the tournament tees is 7,014 yards, while the resort tees play to 6,217 yards and the forward tees are 5,425 yards.

The picturequest 17th hole a The Experience of Koele Second fairway and green Eighth fairway


Activities abound at The Lodge at Koele. Visitors can enjoy horseback riding, hiking, croquet, tennis, massages, and swimming. And, yes, there is plenty of golf. By the way, there is a putt-putt course on real grass and it is most challenging. If you only want to try your hand at the game and don't want to pay the full rates, there is a nine-hole golf course just outside the front door you can play for FREE. Yes, free. This course's greens and fairways are not what The Experience at Koele is, but it is still golf and free. The Lodge has an incredible game room worth visiting with a wide selection of stimulating board games. A relaxing and inviting Library is also available for anyone wanting to read from an enviable collection. Un-crowded beaches are nearby waiting to be explored or enjoy the restorative silence of the lodge that is punctuated by some of the most beautiful Hawaiian music heard. Each evening, during my stay, the outstanding group "Polihua" (Darren Lopez and Claude Huerta) was performing traditional Hawaiian music in the impressive Northwest style lobby.

Adding to the physical activities and the musical harmony is the "Visiting Artists Program," now in its 12th year, at the Castle & Cooke Resorts. These are complimentary culinary arts programs by world-renowned chefs for the guests and residents of Lanai. Joining the resort's Executive Chefs, Bradley Czajka of the Lodge at Koele and Mark Tsuchiyama of the Manele Bay Hotel, are four impressive guest chefs, each paired with a select winery, who will take over the island for four special weekends of food, wine and fun.

Service is extra special at Koele on the Island of Lani in Hawaii

Guests staying at the Lodge have delicious and delightful choices for dining…The Formal Dining Room (jackets requested), the Terrace Restaurant, The Clubhouse, and literally, anywhere on the grounds. You can order a specially prepared gourmet picnic or meal delivered to your favorite serene spot, which might be on the hill by the orchid house, by the waterfall, or just past the reflection pool. The wine list is substantial, and the menus are diverse and will satisfy and surpass your cravings. Ranked number one by Zagat's Restaurant guide for Hawaii and the Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Award, you can select such items as island seafood, poultry and game as well as local fruits, herbs and vegetables.

Two airlines currently serve Lanai with more than 100 scheduled flights weekly. Most popular is the 45-minute, $25.00 ferry that runs between Manele Harbor, Lanai and Lahaina Harbor, Maui. The company operating this service is Expeditions, 808-661-3756 or www.go-lanai.com. The Lodge and Hotel provide transportation to and from the Lanai Airport or the Manele Harbor. There is a charge, but it is very reasonable.



FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
The Experience at Koele or The Lodge at Koele:
www.fourseasons.com/koele

The Lodge at Koele
P.O. Box 630310
Lanai City, HI 96763
Reservations: 800-321-4600
GOLF:
www.fourseasons.com/koele/golf

For information on the Islands of Hawaii:
www.gohawaii.com
Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau
2270 Kalakaua Avenue
Suite 801
Honolulu, HI USA 96815
Phone: 800-464-2924