As part of the Four Seasons Lanai at Koele, a Sensei Retreat, each guest has their own sensei to tutor them during their stay.
A sensei is a wise person revered in Asian cultures for their wisdom and guidance in the face of difficulties. A dedicated sensei escorts and tutors guests during a transformative wellness stay at Four Seasons Lanai at Koele, which was rebranded, reimagined and reopened in November 2019.
A upscale fitness and wellness retreat unlike any other, the Lodge at Koele was redeveloped by hotel (and island) owner Larry Ellison in collaboration with Dr David Agus and chef Nobu Matsuhisa, set up-country on the sleepy island of Lanai, surrounded by Eden-like gardens.
The daily itineraries are designed to achieve a preset goal, whether it’s a digital detox, weight loss, or pure relaxation, through ongoing consultations between guests and their sensei (highly trained experts in sports psychology and physical therapy).
In addition to the all-inclusive Koele’s Japanese design aesthetic and zen mood (not to mention Nobu’s omakase dinners), it also manages to combine the highest standards of hospitality with a simple Hawaiian soul.
Experience
A one-on-one interview with your sensei precedes your arrival. You are greeted by a chauffeur-driven Tesla X at Lanai’s small airport after flying with Ellison’s own plane from Oahu to Lanai. Throughout your stay at the resort, you will experience a life-changing adventure. This evocative place offers 10-16 unique activities every day, serves some of the best food in the world, and pampers guests with state-of-the-art equipment and wellness guidance.
It is designed to feel more like an oversized home in mood than a hotel, with 96 rooms and suites, but it feels more intimate, with a single restaurant, immense lobby, and cozy bar. While the guest rooms have soothing, elegant decor, their understated vibe ensures visitors will take advantage of the property’s lush grounds and amenities, where visitors can connect with nature, enjoy fitness classes or yoga, lounge by the pool, meditate in any number of secret locations or soak beneath the stars in warm onsen pools.
Japanese architectural elements punctuate the expanse with various outbuildings (such as sloping roofs, tatami mats, sliding doors, wood, and water elements) while a shimmering lake anchors the green space with its shimmering water elements. There are masterworks of art inside and outside, including works by Fernando Botero, Marc Quinn, and Claude Lalanne.
Spa
Koele’s 10 stand-alone spas, which line the verdant grounds in the shadow of the adjacent mountain, are its crown jewel. Among the finest spa enclosures ever constructed, each of these restorative, Japanese-Hawaiian cottages features a spacious great room with two massage tables, an ofuro (deep, wooden soaking tub), and a table and chair set. A steam shower and infrared sauna are also available in each cottage. The resort’s own oil blends are used in some of the spa treatments during your stay, including some that take advantage of a private garden with onsen pools and an outdoor shower.
Explore
In this quiet, sparsely populated island, there are no traffic lights, chain stores, malls, or stoplights — just a tiny, nostalgic village. Many visitors choose Lanai for its slower pace, and they are charmed by its calmness. The minimum stay at Koele is three days, which isn’t quite enough to do everything; most guests wish they’d stayed longer.
Fitness, yoga and meditation classes, personal training, sunrise hikes, snorkeling and diving expeditions, educational seminars, horseback riding, ATV adventures, art classes, and a sunset cruise to Sweetheart Rock are among the activities available both on the property and outside. An adventure park and zip line facility built into the terrain next door invites adventure play.
