For nearly 70 years, Lanai — dubbed the "Pineapple Island" — was operated as a plantation by the Dole Company. In its heyday it was the world's largest source of pineapple, grown on more than 16,000 acres, until the industry began to falter. By 1993 pineapple was phased out in favour of resort development, ranching, and other agriculture.
Today Lanai is the smallest inhabited Hawaiian island and one of the quietest. Most of the island is owned by tech billionaire Larry Ellison, who has invested heavily in luxury resorts and sustainable agriculture. The island has no traffic lights, one small town (Lanai City), and some of Hawaii's most secluded beaches. It is accessible by a short ferry from Maui or by a quick inter-island flight.
The interior is rugged and surprisingly cool — the highlands sit around 1,600 feet and are often wrapped in mist and ironwood forest. Four-wheel drive is the sensible way to reach the best beaches, particularly the wind-scoured Polihua on the north shore and the sea-glass-strewn Shipwreck Beach along the northeast coast. Snorkeling at Hulopoe Bay, just below the Four Seasons, is among the best in Hawaii, with spinner dolphins frequently in the water alongside you.