Hawaii Island and its three houses
The Big Island keeps its luxury on the dry western shore, where the lava fields of Hualalai run down to the sea.
Luxury hotels in Hawaii Island
3 hotels
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
Five-star · Ka'upulehu & North Kona
The one five-star house we list on Hawaii Island — bungalow-style rooms on the Ka'upulehu lava coast.
From $1,200 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort
Four-star · Ka'upulehu & North Kona
Hawaii's only Three-Key house — a village of standalone hale on Kahuwai Bay, rebuilt by Rosewood.
From $1,300 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection
Four-star · Kohala Coast
Auberge's rebirth of the 1983 Mauna Lani on the Kohala Coast, beside the fishponds of ancient Kalahuipua'a.
From $700 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
The Big Island keeps its luxury on the dry western shore, where the lava fields of Hualalai run down to the sea. At Ka'upulehu in North Kona, two resorts share a coast of black rock, white sand and ancient fishponds twenty minutes from the airport; along the Kohala Coast to the north, the beaches, the petroglyph fields and the golf courses lie under the snow-capped shoulders of Mauna Kea. The volcano and the rainforest are a day away on the other side of the island; the whales come in winter. We list three houses, each described at exactly the tier it holds, with a concierge behind every stay.
The neighborhoods
Ka'upulehu & North Kona
The lava coast north of the airport, where two resorts sit on their own bays of black rock and white sand. The ancient fishponds and the reef are here too, and Kailua-Kona's pier is half an hour south.
Kohala Coast
The long beaches and golf courses under Mauna Kea, half an hour north of the airport. The petroglyph fields and the fishponds of Kalahuipua'a are here, and the ranch town of Waimea lies in the hills behind.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels on Hawaii Island?
One. The five-star hotel we list on Hawaii Island is Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, the bungalow resort on the Ka'upulehu lava coast of North Kona. Two more houses hold four-star standing: Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, the village of standalone hale on Kahuwai Bay next door; and Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection, on the Kohala Coast to the north. Each has its own page, reachable from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of Hawaii Island should I stay on?
Ka'upulehu and North Kona for the lava coast, the two resorts side by side on their own bays, the fishponds and the reef, twenty minutes from Kona International Airport and half an hour from the cafés and the pier of Kailua-Kona. The Kohala Coast for the long beaches, the petroglyph fields and the golf under Mauna Kea, half an hour further north with the ranch town of Waimea in the hills behind. The volcano, Hilo and the rainforest are a two-hour drive across the island; most stays keep to the western shore and make the crossing as a day trip.
When is the best time to visit Hawaii Island?
The Kona and Kohala coast is dry and sunny nearly all year. December to March is the busy season, with the humpback whales offshore and the mainland winter behind you; April to May and September to November are quieter and gentler on the rates; summer is warm and family-filled. The Hilo side and the volcano are wet in any month. Christmas, the February whale weeks and the Ironman week in October book first.
How do I get to Hawaii Island — and do I need a visa?
Kona International Airport, on the lava north of Kailua-Kona, takes direct flights from the West Coast and the other islands and is fifteen to thirty minutes from every hotel we list; Hilo, on the east side, is two hours away. Hawaii is the United States: visitors from the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia and Japan enter on an approved ESTA for short stays, Canadians with a passport; the rules change, check them before you travel. The hotels arrange their own airport transfers, and every stay wants a car.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
