Many people will wait till that time to come to the island. But travelers who seek adventure, value serenity, or settle for nothing less than the best should try to visit Lanai while it is still a well-kept secret.

Anyone who stays in Lanai for a week can visit all of its restaurants. It’s not difficult; there are a total of 11 on the island. It’s even easier to hit the bars; there are only three of them. Basically, the island has top tier and bottom-tier dining, with very little in between. At the two main resorts, one can feast on pan roasted lobster and diver scallops, while at the tiny eateries in town, the order of the day is fried Spam and eggs. The contrast is almost funny.

Each of the major hotels has a gourmet room. Lodge at Koele’s Formal Dining Room and Manele Bay Hotel’s Ihilani Restaurant have both been featured in the likes of Gourmet Magazine. The Lodge serves a heartier menu based in American tradition, while the Ihilani’s peerless menu is French-influenced. Both restaurants are elegantly appointed and immaculately maintained. Both require semi-formal dress.

Diners who want a special meal but don’t want to shell out $100 per person can visit one of three places. Terrace Restaurant serves an eclectic array of contemporary dishes, showcasing the best of Lanai’s produce and fresh seafood. At Manele Bay, Hulopoe Court Restaurant offers its own unique fusion of Pacific Rim and traditional Hawaiian cuisine. Out of the resort district is Henry Clay’s Rotisserie. This restaurant, located in the Hotel Lanai, has been lauded for the variety of its menu. It serves everything from oysters on the half shell to venison to wood-fired pizza. The atmosphere of the Rotisserie is a bit more laid-back than at either of the two resort restaurants, and the presence of locals makes for a more authentic ambience.

While vacationers can rationalize spending money on the evening meal, most people expect to get lunch for a bit less. The hotels realize this, and make sure to provide a few morning and afternoon choices. The Pool Grille at Manele offers a variety of light snacks, smoothies and salads, geared toward the swim-and-sun crowd. There are two clubhouse restaurants, one at each golf course. The Challenge at Manele Clubhouse serves great pupus and decent salads and sandwiches in a sunny dining area overlooking the ocean. The Clubhouse at the Experience at Koele is a bit of a surprise; it’s frumpier and friendlier than any other hotel restaurant. The little dining room is warm and informal; the outside porch is bright and breezy.

However, even if burgers are on the menu, hotel dining is pricey at the best of times. At the Lanai hotels, any choice will cost more than $10, and a full lunch will run about $20 per person. After a few such lunches, people start to wonder what’s in town.

Not much. There are three choices, to be exact, and all of them require an adventurous attitude and an open mind.
Blue Ginger Cafe is an island classic. Somehow, by virtue of good publicity, a charming name and great baked goods, the tiny restaurant has gained a reputation that reaches well into the neighbor islands. After hearing so much about it, the reality is a bit of a shock. The sunny outdoor porch looks the same as in the pictures, but the interior is small, stuffy and very overheated. The menu is simple: Portuguese sausage, spam and eggs at breakfast, burgers, Saimin and sandwiches at lunch.

But the food is tasty! The same goes for Tanigawa’s, next door. In fact, locals assert that it is even better. However, Tanigawa’s makes no concessions to health-conscious diners or vegetarians. The specialty of the house is big, juicy burgers. Teriyaki, Saimin and Spam omelets are among the other choices. Every item on the menu contains meat (or a reasonable facsimile), and almost everything is fried.

Despairing vegetarians should beat a hasty path to Pele’s Other Garden. This picturesque little spot is the newest restaurant on Lanai. It styles itself a “New York Deli, Island Style,” but resembles a back-road California café in attitude and cuisine. The restaurant serves deli sandwiches and pizzas, but it’s possible to get a decent salad.

This is the sum total of the island dining scene. As far as nightlife goes, it’s best not to even hope. There are no bars to speak of on the island, and certainly no clubs. Lanai is a place to relax, rest and “talk story,” as the locals say. There are three places on the island where one can relax in the evenings with a cocktail and some decent company. The first is Henry Clay’s Rotisserie, the acknowledged nightspot of Lanai City. Its mellow, old-fashioned atmosphere is conducive to extended cocktailing; one drink can easily turn into three.

The bar at Koele is hardly distinguishable from the other small, comfortable, richly decorated little parlors scattered about the property. In the evening, listen for the sounds of live piano music or a Hawaiian duo, and pick any seat in the expansive lobby or the intimate lounge area. Hale Aheahe Lounge, located in the Manele Bay Hotel, is the only watering hole with its own name or its own separate identity. It’s got more ambience than a dozen mainland lounges put together. There is no door or window between the indoor area and the balcony. The ceiling above the balcony hangs over just enough to shade people from direct sunlight, but where an ordinary building would have a wall or at least windows, the Lounge has ocean breezes and sea salt. With its gleaming mahogany bar, plushy, low-slung chairs and elegant accents, this place is a tropical classic.

In a way, Hale Aheahe Lounge is symbolic of the entire island dining scene. It’s not big. It’s not busy. It doesn’t try to offer something for everyone. It is what it is, and it can’t be found anywhere else in the world.