Having landed in the small island of Lana’i, continuing from Day 4.
Saturday 7th of April
The Island of Lana’i
We had flown in to the island of Lana’i the previous night, and checked in late – after 9pm. Given the late-ish arrival and our general tiredness, we opted for an early night.
The staff upon check-in had been very professional, and the service was top notch. When we arrived, baggage staff tagged and stored our golf club bags in a separate area, and our main luggage was ferried on to our room.
We woke around 8am and I headed to the resort’s breakfast rooms. Toni stayed in bed as she was unwell, so I ate breakfast and read the paper whilst enjoying the view across the pool and out to the beach beyond.
The view from our room
Breakfast wasn’t cheap! We had $150 USD credit on the room as part of the work expenses, but breakfast for one was $35. Toni being unwell saved our room bill a tad, but we realised we were going to need to find an alternative location for food over the next few days.
Our bathroom / Balcony
The Four Seasons at Manele Bay [ C/-Google Maps ]
We spent the morning exploring the resort and surrounds before heading up to the conference rooms to start the work event.
The main building
The surrounds adjoining the various rooms
The work sessions ran into the afternoon, and eventually wound up mid-afternoon. There was time for a quick dip in the resort pool, although this was short lived, as the pool was closed due to a kid taking a dump in the water. Believe it or not, this wasn’t going to be the last time during our stay, either.
Main pool area (beach in the background)
The resort’s main building, after dark
A Hawaiian Luau
After darkness had truly set in, it was time for a Hawaiian luau on the grounds of the resort. We followed a winding, tea tree oil lantern paved path from the main building to the luau grounds.
There, a series of long tables were set up, as well as a smorgasbord of food and drinks. The show began with a native fire-thrower entertaining the group with tricks.
An enthralled crowd watches
Local fire-dancer
Then they announced the winner of the costume competition. As I explained in an earlier post, I’d picked up some gear on the Big Island, and ended up winning the prize for ‘tackiest dressed’ – see below.
Tackiest Dress Winner 2007
Once dinner was finished, groups of people, sorted by work projects, took to the stage for a series of hula dancing. It was a good time and there was plenty of cheer about the crowd as we took to the stage and gave it a good go.
Ticketek Team dancing the hula / Paulo photobombs Haidi
Once the dancing had finished, we assembled on the stage for a series of company photos, as the night started to wind down, people started to slip back to their rooms and called it a night.
DevTest Staff 2007
If I recall correctly, I believe a few of us ended up at the first floor bar/lounge in the main building for a few more drinks and story telling, before calling it a night.
Continued – Day 6.