ana‘i is a very special place. Owned almost entirely by Dole Pineapple Co. (a subsidiary of Castle & Cooke), until 1990 the island was basically one huge pineapple plantation and hunting preserve. Then Castle & Cooke transformed its private island from pineapple producer to a very spacious private playground for the wealthy with the development of the Lodge at Ko‘ele and the Manele Bay Hotel. There are no busloads of tourists here, no traffic lights, no traffic, in fact, no fast-food chains. It is the picture of small-town warmth and friendliness. Everyone waves when you drive by - both pedestrians and other drivers - which does not happen elsewhere in Hawai‘i. We applaud Castle & Cooke (and its subsidiary, the Lana‘i Company) for keeping the lid on development and maintaining the charm and ambience of the island. We do miss the miles and miles of pineapple fields - there was a certain Zen-like quality to their symmetry. When the plantation was in operation, a siren that went off at 5:00 a.m. as reveille for the workers, and again at 8 p.m. to signal the close of operations for the day. After the plantation closed down, the locals fought to keep the 8 p.m. siren. (Thank goodness they didn’t keep the wake-up whistle! You know by now how we hate getting up at the crack of dawn.) The locals wanted to maintain the evening whistle as a way to set their watches and to make sure the kids were home for curfew (state law - kids 12 and under must be in by 8p.m.). Do you know where your children are? Siren aside, there’s a peacefulness and serenity here that is found in very few places in this island paradise, making lana‘i one of our favorite spots in the Aloha State.