I ended up on Hawaiian after recently being faced with a dilema – fly on an Airbus A340 direct to Tahiti and pray we didn’t hit any bad weather, or fly safe and worry free on a Boening 767 with connecting service to Tahiti.  After the recent news about the A330/A340 from the FAA and the European Union concerning even more problems with the pitot tubes (and even more incidents of the computers going down because of it – click here to read about it) well… enough was enough.  I’d rather be on a plane that knows what altitude and speed it’s flying and have to connect, so I decided on the connecting flight on a Boening 767 which meant a connecting flight through Honolulu on the way to Tahiti adding about 2 hours more flight time, and approximately 2 on ground in Honolulu.  In addition to feeling much more secure with my choice of aircraft there were several added benefits to this flight:

1. I would get miles with Virgin Atlantic (Hawaiian is also a member of several other FF programs too).  Air Tahiti Nui doesn’t participate any anyone elses FF program
2. For an extra $200 I could fly first.  More comfort – and bonus miles with Virgin

I’ll definately be flying Hawaiian Airlines again, as long as they continue flying Boeing aircaft. They have great service and very competative pricing.  In addition to flying to Tahiti,  they also fly via Honolulu to Sydney, Manilla, and Samoa from several Major US markets including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland.  For the complete list of services and destinations – check out hawaiianairlines.com.

The M Resort sits about 10 minutes due south of the Strip on Las Vegas Blvd.  They offer as part of their “resort fee” roundtrip scheduled shuttle service between the airport and hotel, and The Strip (Fashion Show Mall) and the hotel.  The airport schedule is fairly convenient, so is the The Strip shuttle – EXCEPT – the last shuttle back is at 9:45pm, so if you want to go to a show plan on a $35 cab ride back to the hotel.  This is really my only complaint about the property.  They really need to extend their shuttle service hours to the strip if they want to be a real Vegas destination.

The property itself is amazing.  Wonderfully laid out to not only entice you to spend your time at the resort, but to spend your time there with friends.  Everywhere you look, in the bars, casino, by the pool there are wonderful groupings of seating areas begging you to sit down, relax, and be social.  A very open layout one area flows into another seemlessly. One minute your in the slots, the next your in one of the bars. 

They really though about this place before they built it.  It’s the not so little things, like all the restaurants, except the buffet, have terraces that look out over the pool area and the strip beyond – AND – they made sure they can be used year ’round.  They have permanent heaters built in to the ceilings.  In the casino area there are “self serve” fountain beverage dispensers, you can get your own soft drinks whenever you want.  Throughout the entire public area of the hotel they play a very agreeable blend of 70s & 80s rock with a little funk, and a little 2000 mixed in.  This place is hip, posh, comfortable, and unpretensious all at once.  It’s fabulous.

The pool area is vast.  There’s plenty of room to get away from any kids AND the jacuzzis are big enough for you and 49 of your friends.  There are lougers, sofas, different varieties of cabanas (for rent), and a huge bar with the latest sports on several flat screen TVs.  Most days there’s also a poolside restaurant serving fantastic food. The one thing that needs improvement at the pool is the service.  The bartenders are great, the waiters and waitresses….  can be a little unobservant.

Another thing they’ve done right – the food!  Simply amazing.  Whether it’s a simple sandwich in their 24hr cafe, or filet mignon and lobster at Terzetto - the food is simply wonderful.  You could cut my filet mignon with a fork – no steak knife needed.  Whatever you are in the mood for, chances are one of their restaurants serves it, from Sushi to Spaghetti. The food menus are extensive, and so are their drink menus…  For wine afficianados – check out The Hostile Grape, their wine cellar which advertises over 200 wines by the glass, the M bar is a Mixed Drink and Martini lovers paradise, and beer drinkers can check out over 96 beers on tap at 32 Degrees. All currently have great summer drink specials.  Check out the website for more details.

The rooms at The M Resort are beautiful, comfortable, and offer comforts you never knew you needed – like a light up “Do Not Disturb” sign.  No “putting the sign out” – just flip a switch.  James Bond would love this place.  Large 42″ HD LCD TV’s with an interactive TV channel listing and resort information, display phone (it will actually show you restaurant menus), Bose “Wave” sound system, mirror embedded TV in the bathroom, wonderful soaking tub, separate shower with bench, lighted makeup mirro, minibar, and laptop sized safe.

All in all – a great place to stay in Vegas.  I’ll be back.  

2. Lanai is such a small island it has 2 hotels and 1 B & B, and both hotels are Four Seasons.

3. The beach at the hotel is a marine preserve and the Four Season’s provides it’s guests with snorkel gear.

4. The Four Seasons Manele Bay is a deal – under $300 per night.  Basically 5 stars for the price of a 4 star on Maui.

5. Lanai is a DESERT island – no daily rain like you get on every other Hawaiian island.

So, I booked a week.  The Manele Bay AND Lanai both exceeded my expectations.  After flying into Honolulu and catching a short communter flight over to Lanai I was picked up at the airport by the hotel.  The island is so small that as part of your “resort fee” you get roundtrip airport  transportation (or to and from the ferry if you come from Maui), shuttle bus service between the two Four Seasons properties and Lanai City (the word “City” is a real stretch.  There’s one main street.), internet access, and beach toys.  When you arrive at the hotel you are immediately shown to your room and your check in is done there.  Which worked for me – it was late, it had been a long day and I was tired.  Exploring would have to wait until tomorrow.  The room was incredible – well appointed, beautiful, and comfortable.
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The next day I started exploring the property – it’s beautiful.  One of the most amazing features of the hotel is the main lobby area inbetween the two main restaurants.  It has an amazing terrace that over looks the pool and the ocean.  The view is simply stunning.  Equally enticing are the painted walls and wonderful object d’art that fill the room.  All the scenes on the wall are of a Chinese Wedding Celebration.  It really is beautiful.

The pool is inviting – 24 hours a day – and at no time did it seem crowded.  Talking to some of the staff it’s normally that way, EXCEPT during school holiday breaks.  Then it can get crowded and there can be a lot of kids running around.  The restaurant by the pool serves lunch daily, and dinner on certain nights of the week.  The food is fantastic (and priced as you would expect at a 4 or 5 star property).

From the pool area there is a path that leads down to the beach which fronts Hulupoe Bay – a marine preserve.  The path is an easy walk and takes about 5 minutes or so.  During the week the beach is pretty deserted, on the weekends the locals show up and stay pretty much over by the tide pools at the far end of the beach where there are picnic tables.  Some of the locals even come over from Maui and camp for the weekend.  There’s plenty of beach for everyone and it’s never even close to crowded.  The Four Seasons has a beach shack that provides snorkeling gear, loungers and umbrellas, towels, water, etc… for their guests – for FREE.

Normally Hulupoe Bay is very tranquil and has great snorkelling. There’s also a large pod of dolphins that live in the area and are frequently seen in the bay, and have even been known to check out people snorkelling.  However, during my stay the water was rougher than normal because of a rare hurricane passing 100 miles south of the island.  The surfers loved it, but by my 5th day at the resort the water was too rough to snorkel.

Most of the time I stayed at the hotel, but I did trek into town a couple of evenings.  There’s a great little shop called “Dis ‘n Dat” that’s well worth checking out, and the pizza place that’s almost right next to it is wonderful.  There are several little restaurants in town – and there’s only one main street, and they’re all lined up on it.  Oh, while you’re in Lanai City look for the cats, they all have the most brilliant green eyes. Another remarkable thing about the town are all the Norfolk Pine Trees.

Lanai at one time was the largest pineapple plantation in the world and it had one major problem:  the island didn’t get enough rain.  So, on the advice of scientists, Dole planted hundreds of Norfolk Pine Trees on the interior of the island hoping to help the clouds drop their rain there instead of on Maui.  It worked a little bit…  However in the 80’s Dole sold the Island to David Murdoch and now the island is tourist and golf destination, not a pineapple plantation, but the trees are still there.

If you’d like to check out the Four Seasons Manele Bay – click here