Lana’i: The Pineapple Isle

After the entire island of Lanai was purchased for $1.1 million in 1922 by pineapple pioneer James D. Dole, Hotel Lanai was built in 1923 as a retreat for his executives and important guests. As the first and only hotel on the island until 1990, it housed nearly every 20th century traveler who came to its shores. Then dubbed the Pineapple Isle, the island of Lanai once farmed 75 percent of the world’s pineapples.

Today, with approximately 3,000 full-time residents, the island of Lanai has the coziness of a small town. A quiet oasis, Lanai has just a single gas station and not one stoplight; the island has just 29 miles of paved roads but miles upon miles of untouched, unspoiled valleys and beaches. This year, Lanai City was named one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historical Places by Washington-based National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP).

Lanai City is a jewel.  It is one of the last remaining intact plantation towns in Hawaii.  Its remote location protected the city from the intense development pressures seen in other parts of the state.  As a result, it’s been a haven for visitors anxious to experience an authentic and natural slice of paradise.