This Island Enclave Feels Like It’s on the Amalfi Coast in Europe

There's no doubt about the allure of the Hawaiian Islands. Visitors and kama aina alike are drawn to the state's incredible natural beauty. Island (or rock) fever, however, is very real, and sometimes, you just need to get away to someplace different. Yet, the thing to which Hawaii owes its character and rugged beauty—its remote, mid-Pacific location—also makes leaving the islands both arduous (5-hour minimum flight times) and expensive ... and that's only to the mainland. If you're looking at someplace like Europe, expect 24 hours in airplane seats and airports. Another, much cheaper option is island hopping. If you pick the right spot and scrunch your eyes a little, you may even feel like you're someplace else. For example, I think that parts of Lanai resemble a much less crowded Amalfi Coast.

The island of Lanai lies across the 'Au'au Channel from Maui, and it's a bit more challenging to reach than the other main islands. This is one thing that makes it feel different from other spots in the state. To get there, you can either hop a small plane from Honolulu or take a ferry from Ma'alaea Harbor on Maui. Of course, if you have your own boat or plane, you can reach it that way, as well.

It's the island's rugged landscape, though—particularly the sea cliffs descending to the ocean water, which shimmers in a rainbow of blues—that reminds me of Italy's Amalfi Coast. Small beaches wrapped in volcanic coves dot the seashores of both places. Lanai, though, is sunnier and, in many ways, wilder than the Amalfi Coast.

After millennia of settlement, Amalfi is more ... domesticated; and, given its higher latitude, it's also much less temperate than Lanai, often blanketed in cold rain and gray skies in the dark winter months. The way the resort area around Manele Bay marches mauka, from a crescent beach up the gradual slope of Lanai's ancient volcano, is also reminiscent of the way Positano and other Amalfi Coast towns rise up the cliff sides of the peninsula.

Unlike Manele Bay, Positano, Amalfi, and other coastal towns have been built up over more than 2,000 years, with some individual buildings being centuries old. On the other hand, Native Hawaiians didn't even reach Lanai until about 1,000 years ago, and the island's history has been tumultuous ever since. It's the least populous among the main Hawaiian islands, and although open to visitation, much of Lanai is privately owned today.

The developed part of the island is dominated by resorts, primarily the Four Seasons Resort properties, which offer a distinct nod to Hawaiian culture while also evoking a Mediterranean quality. If you close your eyes while receiving your complimentary seaside Evian spritz, you could easily believe you're taking in the Italian sun.

Sure, a stay at Four Seasons Resort Lanai is not going to be cheap, but kama aina rates, combined with what you'd save on airfare (alone!) to Europe, make for a worthwhile splurge if you need to escape from your own island home for a while. You deserve it!

Where do you go in the Aloha State when you start to feel rock fever creeping in? We'd love to hear your suggestions.