Big Island Revealed – Resort Reviews

Where to Stay in Big Island

Here are some of the Big Island Resorts that we have reviewed. Each review is unbiased and based on our personal visits. Our team regularly visits these resorts and reviews them for your benefit. You can also find Big Island resorts in our app for free! There you can filter them the way you want to find your perfect place to stay.

Featured Resorts

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

This resort shines, even among its superb competitors: 37 one- and two-story bungalows in several crescents with six to eight rooms per building, including a few golf course buildings. They used a lot of local materials, giving the resort a very Hawaiian feel. All...

Fairmont Orchid, Hawai‘i

We try not to blather on about a resort—it hurts our credibility. But when it’s right, it’s right. The Fairmont Orchid has an intoxicating richness that permeates everything. The lush grounds have a very sculpted and precise feel. Nothing is out of place. The...

Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel

The King Kam (as it’s known locally) is a Kona fixture. Located next to the Kailua Pier, the hotel is fronted by the tiny but calm Kamakahonu Beach. The Ahu‘ena Heiau is also on the grounds. This area was the home of King Kamehameha during his later years, and his...

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

This was the first resort to grace the Kohala lava desert area, and a large part of their business is repeat customers. Built by Laurance S. Rockefeller in 1965, it set the standard for all that came afterward. The Mauna Kea has traditionally been one of the most...

Waikoloa Beach Marriott pool with the beach in the background

Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

This part timeshare resort, located directly across from the Kings’ Shops, went for a modern look they call “contemporary elegance.” The effect isn’t very Hawaiian—more 1950s retro-style with abstract patterns in colors to match the surroundings—but it’s bright,...

Westin Hapuna Beach Resort

The Hapuna was built near (but not in front of) one of the best beaches on the island and is owned by the same company that owns the nearby Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Their kitty-corner location denies the resort the true beachfront designation the Mauna Kea has, but...

Mauna Lani, Auberge

Without a doubt, this is one of our favorite resorts in Kohala. A $200 million renovation in 2018 took this already outstanding resort to the next level when it was acquired by Auberge Resorts Collection and reopened in 2020. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted...

Hilton Waikoloa Village

Where do we start? How about wow! This is the one you’ve probably heard about. This resort spread over 62 acres, is the most elaborate of them all. (By the way, despite its name, it is not located in or next to the town of Waikoloa Village.) Three separate towers...

Royal Kona Resort

This resort has a nice oceanfront location in downtown Kona. Of the three buildings, the Lagoon Building is the quietest in terms of human activity. Because of the layout of the building, most rooms have a view of the ocean. (Of course, just because you can see the...

Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa

This resort is best described as sophisticated and understated, with islandy designs scattered throughout, but feels a bit stark with lots of concrete and the rooms feel bland and boring. It does, however, embrace its oceanside location. (But there is no sand beach...