Lodge at Koele (Lanai, Hawaii)
Written: Jul 06 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: very peaceful with excellent food
Cons: ate too much food and got fat
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| SirMontego's Full Review: Lanai |
The Lodge at Koele is a 102 room hotel located in the mountains of Lana’i, Hawai’i. Its cool climate and English country manor attract people from around the world. With daily room rates ranging from $375 to $2000 and world class meals it is often difficult to make a reservation.
The Food
We purchased the Modified American Plan, which included breakfast and dinner. At $100 a day it seemed a little high, but offered us an all you can order meal. Some people in my party ordered multiple appetizers and even multiple entrées. For breakfast we went pretty wild ordering smoothies, multiple starters, and more food than I could possibly finish in one meal.
Dinner - The Lodge’s Formal Dining Room
The formal dining room is a world-class restaurant that features chefs from around the world. A typical meal here will take 3-4 hours with a small exotic food sample by the chef, an appetizer, soup or salad, a main entrée, and a desert. Like many establishments of fine dining, the waiters serve Evian water, wine, bread, and anything else you might possibly need.
The exotic food samples are a surprise prepared by the chef. Mine included a goat cheese and beet-like fruit concoction and a sashimi and olive oil mix. On the first day I had the ahi (fish) and spinach appetizer. I think the chef put a little too many peppercorns (I believe) to the dish, which made it extremely spicy. I learn to brush them aside and found it to just delicious. It was so good that I even ordered it again.
I did not like any of the soups or salads. The soups contained too little solid items and too much liquid. The salads were also drenched in dressing too exotic for my tastes and greens that I have never seen before.
The two main entrées I ordered were the grilled ahi and the lamb. (you guessed it, I really like ahi) The chef normally cooks it medium rare, but fearing that I might receive an overcook chunk of fish, I ordered it rare. I personally like my fish tender and moist and it arrived exactly like I wanted it. The vegetables also nice complimented the fish and were overall very excellent. The lamb was also tender and delicious.
We special ordered the chocolate soufflé for desert. It was amazing, I highly recommend begging the chef to make you this dish, it was worth it.
Breakfast - The Terrace
All three of our breakfast meals were eaten in the Terrace. This dinning room is an extension of the lobby and overlooks the gardens. Notable dishes include the Marlin (fish) bacon, the bread pudding, the crab cakes, the blueberry pancakes, and the lobster omelet.
Lunch – Wherever You Can Find It
Since our meal plan excluded lunch we often found ourselves mealless around noon. Most of the time we were so full from breakfast that we made do, but occasionally my stomach got the best of me. Sitting around the pool we paid the $2 deliver charge for burgers, which in all tasted like regular grilled burgers.
Dinner II - Hulopo’e at the Manele Bay Hotel
Since a single company owns all three of the major hotels on Lanai, guests have the option of using their meal plans at a variety of restaurants. On our second night at Lanai we took the tour bus to the shore to eat at the Hulopo’e restaurant of the Manele Bay Hotel.
As soon as we settled into our seats the waiter immediately assumed that our entire party of 28 planned to order the buffet. This in itself is not a bad assumption, but upon touring meager buffet line, I concluded that I would prefer to spend my meal plan differently. Not only was the buffet limited in selections, but those selections to choose from did not even look tasty. There were a few in my party who did choose the all-you-can-eat option and they did not speak highly of it. The fish was dry and over cooked, the suckling pig was tasteless, and the ribs—though delicious—were never there. My brother did enjoy the soup which “had a lot of shrimp.” The deserts were also nothing special. In all, if we did not purchase the meal plan, the buffet would have cost $45 before tax and tip—a meal we felt was three times over priced.
My ala carte meal consisted of the sashimi platter appetizer and a chilled seafood salad. The sashimi platter was a little skimpy on the fish, but overall quite tasty (if you like raw fish and raw octopus). My seafood salad was amazing. I got three large prawns, a bunch of scallops, chunks of lobster and crab, and tasty salad dressing all mixed with some light greens. I finished last bit of the meal, but was still a little hungry afterward. For desert I ordered the chocolate truffle cake. That was also delicious.
Tea - English Tea at 3 p.m.
Every day at 3 p.m. the Lodge serves tea, sandwiches, cookies, and other snacks. Most of the food is mediocre, but the socialization of teatime brings almost all guests to the tearoom.
Things to Do
Keeping the upscale aura of the grounds are a few of the ritzy affluent activities including lawn bowling, croquet, tennis, and cycling. For children, LAK offers movie rentals, puzzles, board games, and other assorted G-Rated entertainment items.
Golf
The Lodge at Koele boasts two golf courses: a full, 18 hole, par 72 championship course and a 18 hole miniature course. The full course called “The Experience at Koele,” was designed by Greg Norman and Ted Robinson and has one of the most famous holes in all of Hawaii. The 8th hole of the golf course has been called the “most spectacular in all of Hawaii.” This 250 foot drop in elevation over the ocean has been know to “eat” many a golf balls.
The putting green/miniature course is easily the loveliest I have ever seen. Instead of the artificial turf seen on many miniature courses, this particular course has all the finely cut real grass, sand bunkers, tees, and water traps of those played by Tiger Woods. Rental of putters and golf balls are complementary--the concierge even understand if you lose a ball to the water traps.
The Atmosphere
Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of the Lodge at Koele is the relaxed atmosphere. The employees are extremely friendly and will often offer their services free of charge. Since there are slightly more than 100 rooms, the amount of people walking around the grounds is quite low. I often sat on one the chairs and read my book in peace. If you are looking for a busier, louder, and slightly more exciting vacation you may want to try the Manele Bay Hotel located near the beach.
Contact Information
The Lodge at Koele
800-321-4666 or 808-565-7245
P.O. Box 630310
Lana’i City, HI 96763
www.lanai-resorts.com
--SirMontego, look for me battle.net
Recommended:
Yes
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