Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi: The Weekend Getaway Guide for Hawaii Residents
Most people who live in Hawaii have never been to Molokai or Lanai. Both islands are within 30 minutes' flight of Maui and represent genuinely different Hawaii experiences than anything you'll find on the main tourist islands. Here's why each is worth going to.
Molokaʻi — Hawaii's most deliberately quiet island
Molokai has about 7,000 residents and has explicitly refused large-scale tourism development multiple times through community votes. The result is an island that feels frozen in time compared to the rest of Hawaii — no resort hotels, no chain restaurants, no major shopping centers. The Mokulele Airlines flight from Maui is 15 minutes. The island has a single main town (Kaunakakai), a handful of small shops and restaurants, and some of the most dramatic natural scenery in the state — including the world's tallest sea cliffs (over 3,000 feet) on the north shore, accessible only by mule trail or guided tour.
The Kalaupapa National Historical Park — a former leprosy settlement on a remote peninsula below the cliffs — is one of the most historically significant and emotionally resonant places in Hawaii. Tours require advance booking and are run by Damien Tours. For a couple looking for a weekend that's genuinely unlike anything else in Hawaii, Molokai delivers.
Lānaʻi — the luxurious opposite
Lanai is roughly 98% owned by Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who purchased it from Castle & Cooke in 2012 and has been investing heavily in the island's development since. The Four Seasons Resort Lanai and its sister property, Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay, are two of the best hotels in Hawaii — set on a nearly carless island where the pace is completely different from Maui or Oahu. Hulopoe Bay, the beach in front of Manele Bay, is consistently listed among the best beaches in Hawaii and has some of the best snorkeling off the resort's coastline.
A Lanai weekend requires planning: the Expeditions Ferry from Lahaina Harbor (when it's operating) is one option; Mokulele flies from Maui in about 20 minutes. The island rewards people who want a genuine escape from everything — there's essentially no nightlife, no crowded beaches, and no tourist infrastructure beyond the Four Seasons. That's either exactly what you want or exactly what you don't.