We are staying at the 4 season on the bay in July. Looking forward to it, looks wonderful. But is it possible to avoid spending a fortune on meals and extras while there? Are there reasonable (or hidden local spots) restaurants close to the hotel (walking distance) to enjoy vs paying $10 a pop for an OJ at the resort? Any isite on 4 seasons on a budget is appreciated!
aside from fasting...4 seasons on a budget?
Hi Skateboards ~
You will probably need to take the shuttle from the FS to Lana%26#39;i City to find any affordable choices. Blue Ginger, Cafe 565, Canoe%26#39;s, Pele%26#39;s Other Garden, %26amp; Coffee Works are all within walking distance from the shuttle stop at Hotel Lana%26#39;i. Unfortunately, there are not any %26#39;cheap%26#39; choices at the resort. You can buy junk food in the gift shop, but that%26#39;s about it. I think you will find some good choices in town. There is also a small grocery store called Richard%26#39;s that has a lot of items you would find at home. You have a small fridge in your room at the FS. You could buy a few items to store in your fridge and that will save you some bucks!
=^..^=
aside from fasting...4 seasons on a budget?
Four Season and budget... hmmm... I really don%26#39;t think so!
Fast now so you can spend some money there! Take your own rum and make your Mai Tai%26#39;s. Take some wine from here if you drink wine.
I agree with naturecat. There are a number of good, more economical choices in town. I would caution you though to be mindful of what time it is. Many of the restaurants in town do close up pretty early in the evening. If you are a night owl who normally eats pretty late, you may want to head into town earlier than you would normally plan to go to dinner. Also, choices are more limited in town on Sunday as well.
Naturecat hit it right on the button. If you do want to splurge on a meal at one of the resort restaurants, you can do what my wife and I usually do; split an appetizer and skip dessert (skipping the wine would save the most, but that is where I draw the line).
Skateboards,
Be careful if you order pool side lunch At the Lodge last July, we looked at the menu handed to us at the poolside. It indicated mahimahi and chips for $16. Maitai%26#39;s $12. OK, we thought that is not tooo bad. Somehow the $16 each turned into $32 each and the maitai was more than the menu indicated PLUS they added a $28 gratuity and my husband didn%26#39;t notice that (he was in shock) and signed for a $12 tip! We could have bought somebody%26#39;s family in Lanai City a 2 day supply of groceries!! I was embarrassed to do so, but I complained to the desk the next day and she looked the bill up on the computer. She seemed shocked also but said that must be the price. She was kind enough to take off the $28 gratuity. So, if you have pool side service or room service, ask if there are any hidden costs. This story is why I prefer to recommend the Blue Ginger and the other places in Lanai City. Support the Local owners!Blue Ginger has great pastries you can take back to your room for breakfast and the Cafe 565 has good sub sandwiches.
When we arrived in Lanai, we picked up our rental Jeep and stopped by the gocery store right away and stocked up on bottled water and groceries. Hey, some people might feel embarassed going into the 4S with groceries, but who cares? AND, it%26#39;s a plus because the bellman takes it all to the room for you!
That was one of the smartest things we did. We loved having cold bottled water in our fridge at all times, and it felt good to not have to eat rich food at every meal. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a banana is sometimes is exactly what you want, and it%26#39;s right there whenever you want it.
We%26#39;d have a big breakfast at the 4S each day, grab a snack in our room in the mid-afternoon, then have a nice dinner at different places.
Now, the groceries there are expensive - you might be a bit shocked - but it%26#39;s a lot less than buying lunch or snacks at the hotel.
The question is, if you aren%26#39;t renting a Jeep, how do you go grocery shopping? Not sure, maybe you could use the shuttle - that%26#39;s a question for a real expert like Dr. V. Or, rent the Jeep on day 2 and get groceries after doing the Munro Trail. And before you go to Shipwreck Beach. You can%26#39;t go to Lanai without doing some offroading! ;-)
yes, I did the same, and it%26#39;s well worth it to try and save.
Both my stays on Lana`i racked up more costs for food and drink than for the room (but I got a good rate).
As was said, there is nothing whatsoever near Manele, so you have to plan to take care of your needs on a trip up to town. You might want to take a nice tote bag with you so as to avoid the look of walking in with bags of groceries.
If you have a rental car, it%26#39;s easy. If you take the shuttle, the tote bag or even backpack will be helpful.
When I went to the Manele, pre 4S takeover, they had honor bar mini fridges rather than empty fridges. I don%26#39;t know or care what housekeeping thinks of me, but I immediately take all the stuff out of those, stow it as best I can, put my own stuff in, and replace the honor bar goodies when I leave, untouched.
I always buy my own water and non-alcoholic drinks at the store, and take them with me to the beach or on walks/outings.
As far as I know, all the cheap places to eat are on the town square in Lana`i, so you can just check them out. The dining room at the Lana`i Hotel is expensive but worth checking out, to see where Lana`i residents go out to dinner.
Warning, I had possibly the worst burrito ever at the Filipino hole in the wall there (forget the name). I should have known better than to order a burrito, but I%26#39;m not a fan of Filipino food and it was the only thing open at the time. The intestinal ';effects'; from this thing lasted for two days. ;-)
On both my stays at the Lodge I went up to the Golf clubhouse for lunch. The one at Manele is nice too. The hotel runs shuttles to both, and the one at the Lodge is a pleasant walk. One has ocean view, the other forest view.
Don%26#39;t know it the 4S has changed the Lodge clubhouse, but they made a grilled cheese sandwich with fresh basil and tomato on sourdough that was possibly the best I%26#39;ve ever had, paired with a glass of their house white.
Anyone, are they still using Edna Valley Paragon as their house white?
Lastly, if they%26#39;re still serving English style tea at the Lodge in the afternoon, do stop by. Lots of great tea varieties and pastries, all you want, and when I was there it was absolutely free for guests of either hotel. Not diet food, but you%26#39;re on vacation.
By the way, it is roasting hot at the Manele in July, so going up to Lana`i City and the Lodge is a very pleasant reprieve from the heat and humidity in the afternoon. You go straight from SoCal to NoCal coastal climate in one short drive ...
KK, not sure what the house white is, sorry.
We also stock up at the Lana%26#39;i City grocery stores (either Pine Island Market or Richard%26#39;s). It is nice with the empty fridge in the room. It is very easy to carry a couple of gracery bags back in the shuttle, people do it all the time.
The breakfast buffet will fill you up at Manele Bay, but it is not cheap. If you got the package with breakfast included, be aware the tax and tip are no longer covered in the package, and are your responsibility. Otherwise you could skip the $60+ breakfast for two, eat some light snacks in your room and have a very filling $20 lunch for two in town.
%26gt;%26gt;KK, not sure what the house white is, sorry.
LOL, well as the new LE you should hele on back there and do this research. You probably don%26#39;t order the house wine.
Actually I don%26#39;t either, as a rule, is usually not very drinkable, but I was impressed by how Castle %26amp; Cooke chose a quite decent varietal for their house white, instead of the usual dreck.
So the Four Seasons offers empty fridges? That%26#39;s a nice touch.
KK, you might want to be careful with that unloading the minibar practice, a lot of hotels now charge via an electronic system that detects when an item is removed! :-)
At least in the past few years, at every FS property I%26#39;ve ever stayed instead of minibars they offer empty fridges which you can have them customize for you before/during your stay. While I don%26#39;t think I would feel right going into a FS with bags and bags of groceries, I do often bring my own bottles of wine (I have never met a house wine I liked, and I blanch at the markup on wine at restaurants/hotels, I%26#39;d rather pay a corkage fee and get exactly what I want) and sometimes fruit or balance bars. I tend not to eat lunch as a meal. I prefer to eat a few healthy snacks throughout the day and then save all the money for dinner :-)
I thought the upscale restaurant at Manele Bay (Italian...I can%26#39;t recall the name..Ihilani?) and the breakfast room service was very good. I did not enjoy the Lodge lunch or dinner dining although I know many people think the Lodge restaurant is fabulous. It wasn%26#39;t my thing.
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