Lagoon-style pools beside Hulopoe Bay and private spa hales in Lanai’s pine-covered mountains offer two distinct settings for a Hawaiian Christmas. The island’s two Four Seasons resorts share a festive programme, with visiting-chef dinners, Hawaiian cultural workshops and outdoor adventures alongside time for the beach or spa.
Four Seasons has announced Christmas and New Year celebrations at Four Seasons Resort Lanai, the beachfront option for families, and Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort, its mountain wellness retreat for guests aged 16 and over. Holiday events are open to guests of both properties unless otherwise specified, allowing some flexibility when planning days and evenings across the island.
Christmas dining with Nancy Silverton
Chef Nancy Silverton will join the beachfront resort for a Seat at the Table dinner on 24 December, an intimate cooking class and Christmas Day brunch on 25 December. The co-founder of Osteria Mozza is the visiting chef for the holiday dining programme, making these dates worth considering when choosing a stay.
Mozza will also begin its 12 Days of Festive Recipes on 20 December, introducing a different seasonal cocktail each day. Hands-on mixology classes throughout the week offer an opportunity to learn a selection of the recipes.
The Kaula Luau brings Hawaiian food, hula and music together around a story following a grandmother and granddaughter on a voyage of discovery. For a more casual meal, a seasonal Airstream will serve build-your-own poke bowls, with bubbles available by the glass and housemade Fruit Magnum pops for a sweet finish.
Evenings include complimentary outdoor films on 23 and 29 December, a drone and light show on Christmas Day, and live performances at Lanai Ocean Theatre on 28 and 30 December. A candlelight concert is also scheduled for 30 December, alongside live music in the lobby during the season.
New Year’s Eve celebrations take place in the Luau Gardens, with fireworks, late-night snacks and a champagne toast at midnight.
A beachfront Christmas for families
Four Seasons Resort Lanai sits on the island’s southeastern coast, with botanical gardens, lagoon-style pools and cliffside dining at NOBU LANAI. Its one-bedroom Ohana suites have separate living and sleeping spaces; partial ocean-view suites add a balcony overlooking the gardens and ocean, while garden-view suites have ground-floor layouts with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors.
Children’s festive activities include ornament making, stocking and gingerbread-house decorating, and a visit from Santa. The complimentary, supervised Kids For All Seasons club welcomes ages five to 12, with a festive programme that includes Crafty Fun, Game Night, Pirate Night, a Dance Party and a special New Year’s Eve event, with dinner and gifts.
The club’s regular daytime hours are 9am to 5pm, and registration and reservations are required at least 24 hours ahead. Families should arrange festive evening sessions separately when planning their holiday schedule.
Wellness by the sea and in the mountains
Hawanawana Spa at the beachfront resort will offer Reiki and Sound, Sunset Reset and Restore, a Release & Rise Movement Journey, and meditation under the stars. Families can participate together in Aerial Play, Functional Fitness and a Wellness Challenge. The resort’s established fitness facilities include an ocean-view gym and aerial yoga using suspended silk hammocks.
Sensei’s setting is in Lanai’s pine-covered mountains, where its year-round approach centres on movement, nourishment and rest. Wellness consultations, classes and dining by Nobu form part of the stay, with seasonal sessions including a daily warm-up, cardio conditioning, advanced vinyasa and a holiday art tour.
The festive Hale Celebration for two offers an evening in a private spa hale, with an infrared sauna, steam shower, Japanese ofuro bath, outdoor rain shower and soaking tub. Gourmet refreshments and snacks are included, and guests can create their own sequence through the facilities.
Sensei’s ten spa hales are each approximately 1,000 square feet, set among tropical planting and large-scale art. Teak panelling, filtered light and curated artwork give the interiors their character, with space for bathing, treatments and rest.
A separate self-guided Bathing Ritual, introduced in September, pairs warm-water and cool-water hydrotherapy with steam and personalised aromatherapy. Guests can follow a recommended sequence or move at their own pace, choosing bath soaks and botanical shower steamers in fragrances such as vanilla, hinoki, sweet orange, rosemary and lavender. Tea, edamame, fruit and a journal with gratitude prompts conclude the experience.
Sensei’s Christmas calendar also includes hot chocolate and eggnog stations, s’mores, wine-and-cheese tastings, a sweet-treat workshop, and Paint and Bubbles sessions with Champagne and easels. On 24 December, the Krug family will lead carolling in the Great Hall from 5.30pm to 7pm. Eggnog and hot cocoa are complimentary; wine, cheese and light bites are available to buy.
Explore Lanai on land and water
Each guest receives one complimentary activity per stay as part of the festive programme. Choices include aerial adventures or e-bikes at Lanai Adventure Park, horseback riding, a guided sunrise hike, archery and sporting clays.
Lanai Cultural Advisors will lead complimentary Hoolauna workshops covering Hawaiian history, ukulele, lauhala leaf weaving, hula, lei making and Hawaiian herbal healing. Guided off-road excursions, tennis clinics, pickleball, private sailing charters and snorkel sails provide further ways to explore the island.
Manele Golf Course occupies lava outcroppings above the Pacific. The 18-hole Jack Nicklaus–signature course has three cliffside holes and five tee positions for different abilities. Festive golf events include a Santa Shootout, a Manele Cliffs Tour and a Pro-Am Scramble.
For families, children aged 17 and under can play free after noon when accompanied by a paying adult, with complimentary junior clubs. Private lessons and a two-hour Golf 101 introduction are also available.
Flights, shared facilities and festive reservations
Travel via Oahu on semi-private Lanai Air is included with reservations through 31 December 2026. The Honolulu–Lanai flight takes approximately 35 minutes. Once a room reservation is confirmed, guests can arrange their Lanai Air flights by providing the accommodation confirmation number along with details for both inbound and outbound journeys.
A complimentary shuttle connects the two resorts and Lanai City. Guests at Sensei can reach the beach at Four Seasons Resort Lanai in approximately 25 minutes by shuttle, with beach service and restaurant signing privileges. The beachfront resort’s pools are reserved for guests staying at that property, and Sensei’s 16-and-over policy applies when visiting the mountain resort.
Festive activities are subject to change, so check the latest programme before arranging dinners, classes and excursions. Reservations can be made through a travel professional or the resort experiences team on +1 808 565 2587 or at exp.lanai@fourseasons.com.
