Hotel Lanai invites you to slow down, step back and savor a simple way of life. From the moment you walk onto the grounds of this charming up-country inn, you'll feel welcomed and at ease—as though you've arrived at the home of family or good friends.

Read a book. Take a nap. Stroll across the street to check out the shops and restaurants that border Dole Park. Do whatever you want, whenever you want. Time is all yours.

A landmark in little Lanai City, the modest wood-frame structure was built by James Dole in 1923 to house visiting managers and guests of Hawaiian Pineapple Company, which he had founded a year earlier. The Dole Club House, as it was originally known, opened to the public as a hotel in the mid-1950s. At least seven different proprietors ran it before Mary Charles and her husband, Tom Kiely, took over in May 2006.

Ten years ago, when the Honolulu couple saw Oahu becoming more and more congested, they bought a parcel on Kaunaloa Ridge, a mile above Lanai City, thinking they might settle there one day. They built a house on the lot in 2005, and as they began spending more time on Lanai, they fell in love with its laid-back lifestyle, close-knit community and rich history.

Being busy executives with demanding careers, they weren't looking to operate another business, but when the opportunity to acquire Hotel Lanai arose, they came to the same decision almost simultaneously. “;Lanai City is one of the last intact plantation towns in America,”; Charles said. “;It was named one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places last year. Hotel Lanai has played a key role in that history, and continuing its legacy was something we wanted to do.”;

Realizing they couldn't be at the property full time, they brought in their nephew Mike Charles as a partner. He and his fiancee Michelle Kommes have extensive experience in the hotel and restaurant industries, and they moved from Phoenix to manage day-to-day operations.

During the past few years, they've supervised a complete renovation of the hotel that has preserved its homey, plantation-style appeal. Rooms feature Hawaiian quilt bedcovers, ceiling fans, hardwood floors, lauhala floor mats, original paintings by local resident Mike Carroll, and pedestal sinks and other period fixtures. In keeping with the nostalgic ambiance, the 10 rooms in the main building do not have TVs or phones. The adjacent cottage is furnished with a flat-screen TV; DVD player; Wi-Fi access; mini refrigerator; and a deck with a covered table, chairs and hammock.

Open for dinner, Lanai City Grille, the hotel's restaurant, is delightful. Award-winning chef Bev Gannon served as its culinary adviser at the outset, overseeing quality control and giving input on recipes. Executive chef Mike Davis has since ably assumed command of the kitchen, adding his own creative touches to a superb menu that includes Pecan-Crusted Fresh Catch of the Day with Chorizo Potato Puree and Pan-Roasted Venison Loin with Mushroom Risotto and Dried Fruit Compote.

Davis perks up his breads with fresh herbs and accompanies them with ono fruit-and-butter spreads that change nightly (the lilikoi-honey-lavender blend is a perennial favorite). Divine desserts—such as double chocolate cake with peanut butter ganache, maple walnuts and espresso creme—are all made from scratch.

Neighbors provide many of the fruits, vegetables and seasonings used at the Grille. “;Once, when word got out that we were out of limes, three people dropped off bags of them,”; Charles recalled. “;People share and help each other here. They really live aloha.”;

On Fridays, tables are set in the courtyard, where live music plays nonstop from 6:30 to 10 p.m. It's like a fun backyard jam session, with talented local patrons often getting up to perform an impromptu hula or song.

“;Lanai is marketed as 'The Private Island,' but those who live here think of it as 'The Special Island,'”; Charles said. “;We do without many things that most people on the other islands take for granted—like shopping malls, movie theaters and reliable cell phone service—but our lives are just as full. Hotel Lanai gives visitors a chance to experience that simple but wonderful life.”;

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Bulletin have won multiple Society of American Travel Writers awards.