Which is the best (and cheapest) way to visit Lana'i from Maui? The Trilogy trip for our family of four sounds great but is too expensive (over $180 per person). Also, any recommendations on what to do in Lana'i? Is there a beach close to the ferry landing? Restaurants?

Hi Joyce,

The cheapest way I know of is just the ferry that leaves from Lahaina. http://www.go-lanai.com/ It's $30 for adults and $20 for kids.

Once you get to Lana'i, you'll see that there's basically nothing on the island but pineapple plantations. There are two resorts, one B&B, and one road. The only restaurants to speak of are the ones at the two resorts: the Four Seasons Manele Bay and the Four Seasons Koele. The Manele Bay is the resort by the beach and Koele is up on the mountain, surrounded by pine trees and much chillier.

If you're just looking to go play on the beach, definitely just go to Manele Bay. If you want to see a different kind of terrain for a day, go ahead and take the bus up to Koele. Both are fabulous resorts with different types of activities. You can catch the bus from the landing to either destination and you can ride back and forth between the two.

Here are their websites:
http://www.fourseasons.com/manelebay/
http://www.fourseasons.com/koele/

I hope this is useful! Lana'i has been one of our family's favorite destinations for years, so if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Erin
Community Manager, www.ruba.com

Joyce15,

I know Trilogy is expensive, but when we took the Lanai sunset trip several years ago it turned out to be the most fun thing we did on our vacation. The cost includes food and soft drinks for the whole day, games and snorkeling on a fantastic beach (and the boat crew act as lifeguards/snorkeling instructors once they get to the beach). The dinner they served was really delicious.

Failing that, if you go by ferry, you should look into renting a jeep in the island. The beach is not far, if I recall correctly, from the ferry landing, but there are interesting things to see elsewhere on the island too.

we did the Trilogy and my dh still talks about it. He LOVED it.

As described above, we used and enjoyed the Expeditions 4x4 package for ferry tickets and jeep rental to explore Lanai at our own pace.
http://tinyurl.com/lqk3kn

MOre than one friend has recommended the Trilogy trip to me -- the one that combines snorkeling, beach, and a "side trip" in to Lanai town.

We have done the Trilogy trip, and we were treated very well. Its "good value", too, when (depending on the options chosen) you figure that you are getting the equivalent of a whale watching trip, a snorkel trip (they supplied equipment), a tour of the island (to Lanai City, anyway), and food for a day.... as well as a bit of "entertainment".
I heard somewhere that you can't buy discounted Trilogy tours.... because they don't have to!