Lanai City | Hotel Lanai | Manele Bay Hotel | Mediterranean

Enter the grounds of The Lodge at Koele, a grand, old-world upcountry resort, through a row of Cook pine trees and a red-brick driveway. Sip fine champagne while you play the professionally designed miniature (not "miniature" as in putt-putt, but as in small and very real) golf course, complete with water hazards and challenging doglegs, or visit the resort's orchid greenhouse. The 102 guestrooms range from $400 to $2,200, and private villas are available. On the coast is the Lodge's sister property, the Manele Bay Hotel (info for both at www.islandoflanai.com), an elegant combination of Mediterranean, Pacific, and Oriental design. Guestrooms and suites range from $400 to $3,500 per night, so get your money's worth and spend all your time in the lap of luxury. Of course, you can do Lanai a little less expensively at the only other commercial property on the island, Hotel Lanai ($105 to $175 per night; www.hotellanai.com), which is located in Lanai City; its restaurant is surprisingly good.

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MOLOKAI: The Friendly Isle

Who should go: Families, repeat Hawaii visitors, and those who want to experience the laid-back Hawaiian lifestyle and who don't want glitz and glam.

Minimum stay: Three days.

Pack: Walking shoes, a hat, and your sense of adventure.

What you should know: Molokai has the largest native Hawaiian population of any of the major Hawaiian Islands. Sugar cane and pineapple production didn't catch on here like they did on other islands, and tourism has been slow to grow, making economic conditions somewhat difficult and the pace much slower.