Larry Ellison is the founder of Oracle and the fifth wealthiest man in the world. When the Governor of Hawaii announced on June 21, 2012, that Mr. Ellison had purchased 98% of the island of Lana’i island — including its two Four Seasons resorts — I certainly took notice. His goal: to turn Manele Bay and Lodge at Koele into the best resorts in the world. Was he serious? According to the hotel’s GM, his instructions were “spare no expense.”

Room product: I am currently at FS Manele Bay in one of the completely renovated Oceanfront rooms. The room product is phenomenal. In fact, when Isidore Sharp (founder of Four Seasons) was shown the mock-up room early in the redevelopment process, he stated that it was the best room in the entire Four Seasons chain. The room is large (they range from 663-734 sq feet), including a large furnished lanai with easy chair and two other woven chairs alongside a round teak table — with a glass front to the lanai so as not to interrupt your view.

I am most struck by the variety of materials and textures used in the room design, and everything coordinates. All products in the room are made exclusively for Manele Bay — the resort determined to use nothing available through regular retail channels.

Let me show you my room and some of its design features.



The bed is crafted of ivory colored leather. Three kinds of woods are used: Rosewood floors, Zebrawood paneling, and teak used elsewhere in the room. Notice the woven textured side of the sofa at the foot of the bed.



Opposite the bed is a fall featuring a 75” flat screen customized by Samsung for Manele Bay to have virtually no bevel. It is mounted on a wall of grass wallpaper. Below the TV is a large dresser with ten dovetailed drawers. The magazine rack is carved from a solid block of wood and resembles a Hawaiian dugout canoe.



The desk from which I’m working now, constructed from a single slab of teak wood. Behind a panel are two electrical plugs, two USB ports, and an ethernet port. [UPDATE: Standard WiFi is free with a strong signal everywhere I tried it ... and no need to purchase premium internet, as the standard bandwidth was perfectly adequate.] Two carved wooden chairs with leather seats (the same color as the bed but a shade lighter). The fish sculpture is illuminated from the inside and serves as your desk light. Three framed prints on the wall.



A second desk to the left of the bed is similarly equipped for technology. The desk is lit by a custom lamp, and the desk chair is finished in linen fabric (with a matching ottoman if you decide to put up your feet and just gaze at the view). Notice the rectangles of handmade Nepalese paper on the wall behind the desk and bed.



The wall treatment to the right of the bed is a fabric panel, and you can see the Zebrawood paneling to the closet doors.



One final photograph to show the ceiling detail, the same grass used to paper one wall appears in the ceiling woven in a different pattern. A ceiling fan with downlight is in the center of the room.

And the bathroom? While the old Manele Bay rooms had standard Four Seasons marble bathrooms, the new bathrooms are at a new level. Black slate floors. A dual limestone vanity with no less than eight convenient electrical outlets. A television in one of the two large illuminated mirrors. Step-in shower (with a floor of smooth black stones) and soaking tub, both with waterproof paneling that repeats the horizontal grass wallpaper design motif from the bedroom. A fully automated Toto toilet that lifts its lid when you enter the WC and does all sorts of other wonderful things for you.


Food. A frequent comment about the “old” FS Manele Bay concerned the “average” food product. Food has definitely been stepped up. The breakfast buffet is extensive but marked by the quality and originality of the offerings. I’ve never seen such beautiful smoked salmon, and cold beverage choices include “Feel the Beet” (a juice made of cold pressed beet, fennel, apple, and red cabbage juice), “Green Machine” (cold pressed apple, kale, parsley, and green grapes), “Spiced Papaya Smoothie” and “Tropical Berry Smoothie.” Not to mention eggs cooked to order, a Japanese buffet, and a yummy selection of freshly baked pastries. The $45 breakfast buffet is included as a Preferred Partner amenity for two guests daily. Our first two dinners were at One Forty. The seared Ahi Tuna I had last night was perhaps the best I’ve ever had. The wine pairings were masterful and the desserts oh-so-worth-the-calories. Tonight we eat at Nobu… which is supposed to be the highlight.


There’s so much more to tell, but perhaps the most important consideration is the location. FS Manele Bay sits above the best beach of any Four Seasons in Hawaii — long, wide, and uncrowded. Lana’i is laid back and secluded, just 30 miles of roads on the entire island with not a single traffic light. But if you’re looking for lots of great shopping, nightlife, or tourist attractions, Lana’i is not going to be a good choice for you.




Logistics: There are two ways to get to Lana’i: a small propeller plane from HNL or a ferry from Maui. With the success of his resorts depending on guests being able to get to Lana’i, Larry Ellison bought Island Air, and the airline is in the process of replacing its entire fleet with more luxurious aircraft. If you do fly Island Air, Four Seasons has a private lounge in the Island Air terminal at HNL, and you can take care of your check-in while still in Honolulu.


Ongoing renovations: Larry Ellison’s vision is to create the “best resort in the world,” and he has spared no expense in the pursuit of this goal. Renovations are complete in the west wing of the resort, and to speed completion, the entire resort will be shut down from June until (hopefully) December. During this time, renovations will take place 24/7 in the east wing, and the main swimming pool is to be replaced with a complex of three freeform pools intended to resemble natural tidal pools (something akin to Kings Pond at FS Hualalai). The main pool will be double the size of the existing pool. A new kids pool will be constructed to the east of the main pool, and an adults-only Serenity Pool will be created on an existing lawn area to the west of the main pool.


Concluding thoughts: The “old” FS Manele Bay was the value leader of the Four Seasons resorts in Hawaii, and it was a 4 star experience. A very nice four star experience at a moderate room rate … but the resort was economically untenable, losing money each year.

I’ve now seen the “new” FS Manele Bay, and it is a state-of-the-art resort with a true 5 star experience… with room rates to match, the highest of any FS resort in Hawaii.Average rates have doubled, with lead-in Garden View rooms starting at $1,000 per night, with rates increasing for Partial Ocean View (you can see the ocean from your lanai), Ocean View (a view of both land and sea from inside the room), and Full Ocean View (looking directly out to the sea). There is currently a double upgrade at booking promotion.

Four Seasons Manele Bay is new resort for a completely different market. Will the vision succeed? It will be interesting to see.