Recommended dishes: Roasted White Fish, Lobster Salad, Seared Tuna Salad, House Cured Salmon Gravlax
Nalani-alua M
Perfect place to unwind.. we use to come when the property was the lodge ..sensei was a huge upgrade and lovely surprise! Every part of the trip was perfect- we are booking our next trip in November! The flora and fauna was in matched ! Nobu was excellent! Perfect girl trip!
Rob Hausmann
Food was great but the older Asian lady that waited on us was very judge mental and perhaps homophobic. I didn’t eat the bland lettuce from my salad and she totally tried calling me out for it. She did not have a welcoming feel and we almost skipped our second reservation there. I paid for their expensive food, I can eat what I want of it. Again, the food was excellent-I got two orders of white fish. Lastly, if you don’t order the multi course meal you are also judged. I think that woman needs to hang up her apron and retire. The young blonde chick the second time was very nice, however she did bring us the wrong dish & we just ate it.Vegetarian options: Hearts of Palm were amazing!
FunFamily619
I would start by saying this is not a family resort, kids would be terribly bored. They are building an adventure park nearby, as well as the barely used 18 hole golf course which was ridiculously difficult and beautiful. However very quiet and sedate. LGBTQ friendly. Make sure to book a treatment for yourself and sweetheart at the spa and reserve a HALE. These are private treatment cottages with private steam rooms, therapeutic pools. They looked amazing, and I wished I had known. Consider staying at both the beach property first, and this property last to steam and soak.
TeMinka
Pros: The resort location was magical - we really liked the garden (especially the Forest Bathing session) and the rooms were spacious and clean. We never made it to the Yoga classes (too early!) but we really liked the Functional Fascia, Nutrition, and Meditation sessions. The quality of wellness practitioners (i.e. Skyler, Danielle, Lydia, Edwardo) were fantastic. They were very helpful and professional and we were so impressed that Sensei offers such an A-team of experts. We liked that they sent follow-ups after the session. The food at both Sensei and Four Seasons was superb and very fresh. The breakfast could be better though. We had a Koele Deluxe Room (#326) and it was very spacious and clean with a nice lanai facing the garden. Cons: The front desk and Sensei Experiences specialists (concierge) were not as impressive. We arrived after a 24 hour journey (3 flights from Singapore). We were really tired and really wanted to freshen up. The resort knew where we were coming from and did not do an early check-in. We had to wait over 1 hour before the hospitality suite was ready and 3 hours before our room was ready. I understand that early check-in is not guaranteed, but I would expect better service from the Four Seasons, especially at this price point. The front desk staff were not amenable to requests and we had to confirm the transportation 3 times because the staff said they would follow up but never did. The Sensei Experience Desk kept making mistakes in our schedule, particularly the wrong times and locations on the itineraries on several occasions. This caused a bit of confusion between us and the wellness practitioners, and loss of time on the actual treatments. Guests should have a frictionless experience (after all, we come to Sensei to de-stress), but we felt that we had to actively manage and ask the Sensei Experiences Desk to follow up on things. I also told the Pre-arrival Specialists that we were celebrating our anniversary and there was not a single gesture made. Meanwhile, I saw that our neighbours had a “Happy Anniversary” strawberries and champagne spread. I’m not sure if that was complimentary or paid. We travel often and stay at luxury resorts, and we do not feel that the standard of service at Sensei was on par with similar hotels or other Four Seasons properties worldwide (particularly in Asia). I know that there are different expectations at 4 and 5-star resorts in Asia, where service tends to be much better, there is better value in prices and tipping is not customary. And I am aware that service in Hawaii is not as good as other places, but I think that if guests are paying $2000/day and are expected to tip at a property, then the service should justify that. Nonetheless, we had a nice experience at Sensei Lanai. We are not sure if we will return again and would suggest doing the room-only option as the Guided Sensei Experience package (includes $1200 credits per day and credits can be used across the entire stay) add a lot of pressure for guests to utilise credits in a short time frame. We felt rushed trying to squeeze in all the wellness sessions and did not have a lot of free time.
Robert P N
After you have appetizer. You think how can they top that. And it only gets better and better. Shabu Shabu. Hot rock. Sushi. Noodles. Fish. Cocktails. All wonderful.
StronkMan
The house kitchen (Sensei Nobu) is amazing, great food options all day long. The staff are like our neighbors instead of someone just provides services. They genuinely care about their guests. Overall amazing experience, well met our expectations.
MrJDG1989
This place is magic. Do the hike, take the classes, enjoy the onsens. Wish I could come back and back and back. This pool is bigger and nicer than the beach resort. The rooms are fresh and modern, though wish they had double sinks and a bathtub. A really unique and memorable stay.
Kenneth J.
Great food all day long. Nice environment, friendly staff.
Irene B
What a great program with awesome staff (OWP program). I feel renewed and motivated after this trip. The advisors, instructors, and staff all connected to us and made us feel welcome and understood. Thank you.
We celebrated our 20th Anniversary back at the Lodge where we had our wedding dinner. Incredible meal. Our server, Tony, was impeccable & helped us with wine pairings - knowledgeable, gracious, & a true pleasure who represents the 4S brand to perfection. Thank you for a perfect experience.
Steffen Wade
Heads up: you can only dine here if you stay at the Four Seasons. I never leave bad reviews, however I had been looking forward to dining here with my wife on our first trip to Lanai since I started planning the trip. I called and was abruptly told they do not allow outside visitors, you can only dine here if you are staying at the Four Seasons. Nowhere is this stated on the restaurant page, local people we asked about the restaurant said we had to try it, so we planned on it. Serving this level of disappointment is bad for people's mental health and wellness. It really bummed me out. Hope to update this very soon with other insights.
shieldsdawn
Sensei Lanai was a gorgeous tropical oasis for us where we stayed the last weekend after our month-long South Pacific family vacation to various Hawaiian Islands, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. The resort is stunningly beautiful, and it is so relaxing you feel as if you have escaped to another world. The staff was very attentive and although I don’t remember all their names, we do remember Alex, Tiana, and Rhoda(spa). We played Manele Golf Course, one of the top golf courses, and it exceeded even our high expectations. Absolutely immaculate and the views from every hole are stunning. Having the Lanai Air transport included to fly us back to Oahu was incredible. We so enjoyed our stay that we plan to return this year.
Simlb2023
There is magic in this resort, from its exquisite beauty to the soul of the Sensei staff. The physical beauty of the renovated resort is breathtaking, surrounded by Japanese gardens, complete with private outdoor onsens, and dotted with artworks including sculptures located throughout the grounds. But it is the Sensei staff that make the difference. I did not know what to expect when I arrived at Sensei, but from the first meeting with the counsellor, who co-ordinated all of my wellness activities based on my physical (science based) and emotional requirements, to my 'experience specialist' Natascha who not only organised all of my leisure activities, but even spent her private time after work one evening assisting me to walk up the mountain to view the sunset after her shift had ended (as I was recovering from a broken ankle and was unable to walk on unpaved tracks) and followed up post visit with an email containing her recommendations for restaurants in New York (my next destination). I left this special place in a very different mindset that when I arrived, and I attribute that to the Sensei wellness staff. In terms of the Four Seasons resort staff - I was disappointed on many occasions, but in most cases my grievances were addressed satisfactorily. The resort offers a several times daily shuttle to the beach resort, which I highly recommend visiting as it is equally stunning.
cheesecakexoxo
I stayed at Sensei back in August 2021. I had written a review but forgot to post. Beautiful grounds, well groomed, and very tranquil. My favorite was the 24 hours outdoor "onsen, " which I pretty much had a soak or two late night and early morning. Hotel room was comfortable but it didn't feel luxury. It was a huge room. Nothing about the room stood out. Mine was on second floor overlooking the garden at an angle. Hale was nicely outfitted, but not worth the price. Any spa service included 30 minutes (free) of hale time to enjoy steam show, sauna, outdoor rain shower, outdoor "onsen." 30 minutes isn't enough to actually enjoy all that. It was extra fee for additional increment of 30 minutes. By the way, there was no indoor soak tub for only 30 minutes of hale. I felt rush after spa service because there just wasn't enough time to enjoy the hale. For the price, they should at least match hale time to service time. For example, 60 minutes massage should come with 60 minutes hale time. They gave a scentsy-like gift after your first service. Nobu onsite had a nice coy pond, a nice zen touch if sit outside. Food was meh. Drinks were vibrantly colored and tasted well. Apparently reservation at Sensei and FS restaurants are only open to guests. Locals aren't allowed according to a couple residents I ran into in town. Even then, I had hard time changing reservation time when I was onsite. Sunset sail was my least favorite. It sailed from the pier at Four Seasons Lana'i. It's open to FS Lanai guests as well. It was crowded; 25-30 people. Private flight charter felt luxurious, but they didn't provide transport if you didn't directly come from HNL airport. For example, if you're already in Honolulu for a day or two, you need your own transport from your location to the hanger. If you arrive to HNL, they provide pick-up from HNL airport to their hanger. A biggest disappointments was after many email exchange four-six weeks in advance, they managed to lose my reservation for a Jeep rental. Overall, Sensei is just A-OK. I expected more for a four/five star hotel; especially when it was a birthday trip treat for myself. Sensei did not recognize my big milestone, no greetings, note or a wishing word. I later found out that a friend had called them to pay and arrange for a fresh lei upon my arrival, but they had turned her down saying they do not customize and claim they do not have flowers to make a lei. Ironically when I was on ground, they had lei making class and were making out and giving out lei afterward. Weird. (Pictures to follow if I can add-on later after posting).
great food and super friendly and knowledgeable
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roasted White Fish, Lobster Salad, Seared Tuna Salad, House Cured Salmon Gravlax
Perfect place to unwind.. we use to come when the property was the lodge ..sensei was a huge upgrade and lovely surprise! Every part of the trip was perfect- we are booking our next trip in November! The flora and fauna was in matched ! Nobu was excellent! Perfect girl trip!
Food was great but the older Asian lady that waited on us was very judge mental and perhaps homophobic. I didn’t eat the bland lettuce from my salad and she totally tried calling me out for it. She did not have a welcoming feel and we almost skipped our second reservation there. I paid for their expensive food, I can eat what I want of it. Again, the food was excellent-I got two orders of white fish. Lastly, if you don’t order the multi course meal you are also judged. I think that woman needs to hang up her apron and retire. The young blonde chick the second time was very nice, however she did bring us the wrong dish & we just ate it.Vegetarian options: Hearts of Palm were amazing!
I would start by saying this is not a family resort, kids would be terribly bored. They are building an adventure park nearby, as well as the barely used 18 hole golf course which was ridiculously difficult and beautiful. However very quiet and sedate. LGBTQ friendly. Make sure to book a treatment for yourself and sweetheart at the spa and reserve a HALE. These are private treatment cottages with private steam rooms, therapeutic pools. They looked amazing, and I wished I had known. Consider staying at both the beach property first, and this property last to steam and soak.
Pros: The resort location was magical - we really liked the garden (especially the Forest Bathing session) and the rooms were spacious and clean. We never made it to the Yoga classes (too early!) but we really liked the Functional Fascia, Nutrition, and Meditation sessions. The quality of wellness practitioners (i.e. Skyler, Danielle, Lydia, Edwardo) were fantastic. They were very helpful and professional and we were so impressed that Sensei offers such an A-team of experts. We liked that they sent follow-ups after the session. The food at both Sensei and Four Seasons was superb and very fresh. The breakfast could be better though. We had a Koele Deluxe Room (#326) and it was very spacious and clean with a nice lanai facing the garden. Cons: The front desk and Sensei Experiences specialists (concierge) were not as impressive. We arrived after a 24 hour journey (3 flights from Singapore). We were really tired and really wanted to freshen up. The resort knew where we were coming from and did not do an early check-in. We had to wait over 1 hour before the hospitality suite was ready and 3 hours before our room was ready. I understand that early check-in is not guaranteed, but I would expect better service from the Four Seasons, especially at this price point. The front desk staff were not amenable to requests and we had to confirm the transportation 3 times because the staff said they would follow up but never did. The Sensei Experience Desk kept making mistakes in our schedule, particularly the wrong times and locations on the itineraries on several occasions. This caused a bit of confusion between us and the wellness practitioners, and loss of time on the actual treatments. Guests should have a frictionless experience (after all, we come to Sensei to de-stress), but we felt that we had to actively manage and ask the Sensei Experiences Desk to follow up on things. I also told the Pre-arrival Specialists that we were celebrating our anniversary and there was not a single gesture made. Meanwhile, I saw that our neighbours had a “Happy Anniversary” strawberries and champagne spread. I’m not sure if that was complimentary or paid. We travel often and stay at luxury resorts, and we do not feel that the standard of service at Sensei was on par with similar hotels or other Four Seasons properties worldwide (particularly in Asia). I know that there are different expectations at 4 and 5-star resorts in Asia, where service tends to be much better, there is better value in prices and tipping is not customary. And I am aware that service in Hawaii is not as good as other places, but I think that if guests are paying $2000/day and are expected to tip at a property, then the service should justify that. Nonetheless, we had a nice experience at Sensei Lanai. We are not sure if we will return again and would suggest doing the room-only option as the Guided Sensei Experience package (includes $1200 credits per day and credits can be used across the entire stay) add a lot of pressure for guests to utilise credits in a short time frame. We felt rushed trying to squeeze in all the wellness sessions and did not have a lot of free time.
After you have appetizer. You think how can they top that. And it only gets better and better. Shabu Shabu. Hot rock. Sushi. Noodles. Fish. Cocktails. All wonderful.
The house kitchen (Sensei Nobu) is amazing, great food options all day long. The staff are like our neighbors instead of someone just provides services. They genuinely care about their guests. Overall amazing experience, well met our expectations.
This place is magic. Do the hike, take the classes, enjoy the onsens. Wish I could come back and back and back. This pool is bigger and nicer than the beach resort. The rooms are fresh and modern, though wish they had double sinks and a bathtub. A really unique and memorable stay.
Great food all day long. Nice environment, friendly staff.
What a great program with awesome staff (OWP program). I feel renewed and motivated after this trip. The advisors, instructors, and staff all connected to us and made us feel welcome and understood. Thank you.
Restaurantji Recommends
We celebrated our 20th Anniversary back at the Lodge where we had our wedding dinner. Incredible meal. Our server, Tony, was impeccable & helped us with wine pairings - knowledgeable, gracious, & a true pleasure who represents the 4S brand to perfection. Thank you for a perfect experience.
Heads up: you can only dine here if you stay at the Four Seasons. I never leave bad reviews, however I had been looking forward to dining here with my wife on our first trip to Lanai since I started planning the trip. I called and was abruptly told they do not allow outside visitors, you can only dine here if you are staying at the Four Seasons. Nowhere is this stated on the restaurant page, local people we asked about the restaurant said we had to try it, so we planned on it. Serving this level of disappointment is bad for people's mental health and wellness. It really bummed me out. Hope to update this very soon with other insights.
Sensei Lanai was a gorgeous tropical oasis for us where we stayed the last weekend after our month-long South Pacific family vacation to various Hawaiian Islands, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. The resort is stunningly beautiful, and it is so relaxing you feel as if you have escaped to another world. The staff was very attentive and although I don’t remember all their names, we do remember Alex, Tiana, and Rhoda(spa). We played Manele Golf Course, one of the top golf courses, and it exceeded even our high expectations. Absolutely immaculate and the views from every hole are stunning. Having the Lanai Air transport included to fly us back to Oahu was incredible. We so enjoyed our stay that we plan to return this year.
There is magic in this resort, from its exquisite beauty to the soul of the Sensei staff. The physical beauty of the renovated resort is breathtaking, surrounded by Japanese gardens, complete with private outdoor onsens, and dotted with artworks including sculptures located throughout the grounds. But it is the Sensei staff that make the difference. I did not know what to expect when I arrived at Sensei, but from the first meeting with the counsellor, who co-ordinated all of my wellness activities based on my physical (science based) and emotional requirements, to my 'experience specialist' Natascha who not only organised all of my leisure activities, but even spent her private time after work one evening assisting me to walk up the mountain to view the sunset after her shift had ended (as I was recovering from a broken ankle and was unable to walk on unpaved tracks) and followed up post visit with an email containing her recommendations for restaurants in New York (my next destination). I left this special place in a very different mindset that when I arrived, and I attribute that to the Sensei wellness staff. In terms of the Four Seasons resort staff - I was disappointed on many occasions, but in most cases my grievances were addressed satisfactorily. The resort offers a several times daily shuttle to the beach resort, which I highly recommend visiting as it is equally stunning.
I stayed at Sensei back in August 2021. I had written a review but forgot to post. Beautiful grounds, well groomed, and very tranquil. My favorite was the 24 hours outdoor "onsen, " which I pretty much had a soak or two late night and early morning. Hotel room was comfortable but it didn't feel luxury. It was a huge room. Nothing about the room stood out. Mine was on second floor overlooking the garden at an angle. Hale was nicely outfitted, but not worth the price. Any spa service included 30 minutes (free) of hale time to enjoy steam show, sauna, outdoor rain shower, outdoor "onsen." 30 minutes isn't enough to actually enjoy all that. It was extra fee for additional increment of 30 minutes. By the way, there was no indoor soak tub for only 30 minutes of hale. I felt rush after spa service because there just wasn't enough time to enjoy the hale. For the price, they should at least match hale time to service time. For example, 60 minutes massage should come with 60 minutes hale time. They gave a scentsy-like gift after your first service. Nobu onsite had a nice coy pond, a nice zen touch if sit outside. Food was meh. Drinks were vibrantly colored and tasted well. Apparently reservation at Sensei and FS restaurants are only open to guests. Locals aren't allowed according to a couple residents I ran into in town. Even then, I had hard time changing reservation time when I was onsite. Sunset sail was my least favorite. It sailed from the pier at Four Seasons Lana'i. It's open to FS Lanai guests as well. It was crowded; 25-30 people. Private flight charter felt luxurious, but they didn't provide transport if you didn't directly come from HNL airport. For example, if you're already in Honolulu for a day or two, you need your own transport from your location to the hanger. If you arrive to HNL, they provide pick-up from HNL airport to their hanger. A biggest disappointments was after many email exchange four-six weeks in advance, they managed to lose my reservation for a Jeep rental. Overall, Sensei is just A-OK. I expected more for a four/five star hotel; especially when it was a birthday trip treat for myself. Sensei did not recognize my big milestone, no greetings, note or a wishing word. I later found out that a friend had called them to pay and arrange for a fresh lei upon my arrival, but they had turned her down saying they do not customize and claim they do not have flowers to make a lei. Ironically when I was on ground, they had lei making class and were making out and giving out lei afterward. Weird. (Pictures to follow if I can add-on later after posting).