Divine Views From End to End
Lanai was the quiet, overlooked Hawaiian island, a large pineapple plantation - until a little over a decade ago, when its owners decided that the island's future rested with travelers rather than pineapples. The result is high-end resorts and championship golf courses complementing the natural beauty, like that of the Garden of the Gods.

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ISLANDS contributor Brian Berusch recently drove across Lanai from Hulopoe Beach Park to Polihua Beach to discover the intimate side of this quiet island. He found Sweetest Days ice cream, Sweetheart Rock and a lingering pineapple sweetness in the air. Read the full story.

Stay at the Hotel Lanai for guesthouse decor -- plantation style with local artistic flair -- that will remind you of the island's rich agricultural history. Rates from $139, hotellanai.com. The Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay and the Four Seasons Resort Lanai The Lodge at Koele feature luxury amenities and beautiful accommodations, whether you want to stay on the water or in the heart of Lanai. fourseasons.com/manelebay, fourseasons.com/koele

Eat at the Lanai City Grille in the Hotel Lanai for pan-seared loin of venison with wild mushroom risotto and cranberry demiglaze while the sounds of live music float from the lanai, mixed with the aroma of encircling pine trees. hotellanai.com

See the Garden of the Gods, an otherworldly lunar landscape of red clay that's speckled with volcanic boulders arranged in odd formations. Some have ancient petroglyphs etched into the sides, and views abound.

Ride horseback at the Stables at Koele. You can take your mount along the Paniolo Trail, where you'll wind through picturesque hills among thickets of ironwood. Watch for axis deer and wild turkeys. At the end of the two-hour excursion, you'll be privy to some of the best views on the island.

Trek to secluded Polihua or Lopa beaches on an off-road challenge that's not for the faint of heart. Fortunately the only rentable cars are Jeep four-wheel drives.

Golf at the Challenge at Manele course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and set on seacliffs high above the surf on the south shore, and the Experience at Koele by Ted Robinson. They're among the top-rated resort courses in the world. Warm up with a round at the nine-hole Cavendish course, built for the plantation workers in 1947.

Learn more at gohawaii.com/lanai.