Big Island Hotels

The Mahalo Top 7

The Fairmont Orchid (The Kohala Coast) Phone: 800-845-9905, 808-885-2000 Google Map
- Travel + Leisure 500: "Pair of 6-story buildings on a pristine Kohala beach and sheltered bay."

- Concierge.com Recommendation: "From the moment you enter, this 32-acre property is a compound of serenity."

- Frommer's Exceptional Rating: "Located on 32 acres of oceanfront property, the Orchid is the place for watersports nuts, cultural explorers, families with children, or those who just want to lie back and soak up the sun."

- Fodor's Choice: "The Fairmont is an elegant, old-school hotel -- rooms are tasteful, if a bit flowery for those with more modern sensibilities, the lobby is enormous with lots of marble and sweeping ocean views, service is impeccable, and the restaurants are all top-notch."

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai (Kailua-Kona) Phone: 888-340-5662, 808-325-8000 Google Map
- Condé Nast Traveler Gold List: "Meandering torch-lit paths 'make for exotic and romantic nighttime walks,' and perfect-scoring Rooms—with bamboo, thatch, and slate interiors and lava-walled private outdoor showers—'have to be seen to be believed.'"

- Travel + Leisure 500: "A stylish and family-friendly beachfront, bungalow-style resort on the North Kona coast."

- Frommer's Exceptional Rating: "This is a great place to relax in the lap of luxury."
Kona Village Resort (Kailua-Kona) Phone: 800-367-5290, 808-325-5555 Google Map
- Condé Nast Traveler Gold List: "[T]he 125 spacious "hales," inspired by traditional houses from Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, New Hebrides, the Marquesas, and Hawaii, indulge the fantasy but have modern plumbing and electricity (and if you have a craving for Starbucks or a movie, Kailua-Kona town is just 20 minutes away)."

- Fodor's Choice: "Without phones, televisions, or radios, the Kona Village is in a time warp -- the perfect place for couples or families to get away from it all in their own thatch-roof hale (house) near the resort's sandy beach."

- Frommer's Exceptional Rating: "The resort resembles an eclectic Polynesian village, with proudly tended palms, historic sites, and beaches on a secluded cove."

Mauna Lani Bay Hotel (The Kohala Coast) Phone: 800-367-2323, 808-885-6622 Google Map
- Travel + Leisure 500: "Glamorous 6-story hotel on 3 miles of secluded Kohala shoreline."

- Condé Nast Traveler Gold List: "A 2005 renovation gave the small but well-laid-out rooms a contemporary edge with clean-lined koa wood and wicker furnishings; there are also five freestanding bungalows with private pools, popular with visiting celebrities..."

- Frommer's Very Highly Recommended: "Sandy beaches and lava tide pools are the focus of this serene seaside resort, where gracious hospitality is dispensed in a historic setting."

Holualoa Inn Phone: 800-392-1812, 808-324-1121 Google Map
- Frommer's Very Highly Recommended: "The quiet, secluded setting of this B&B....provides stunning panoramic views of the entire coast."

- Fodor's Review : "Six spacious rooms are available in this beautiful cedar home on a 40-acre coffee country estate, 4 mi above Kailua Bay and steps away from the artists' town of Holualoa."

Shipman House Bed & Breakfast (Hilo) Phone: 800-627-8447, 808-934-8002 Google Map
- Frommer's Very Highly Recommended: "All five guest bedrooms are large, with 10- to 12-foot ceilings and touches like heirloom furnishings and hand-woven lauhala mats."

- Concierge.com Recommendation: "Filled with heirlooms from the early 1900s, this is the most elegant accommodation you'll find in Hilo, and it maintains some Victorian standards: no smoking, no pets, children under the age of ten are discouraged, and no gentlemen callers (OK, that last one is a lie)."
Silver Oaks Guest Ranch (Kailua-Kona) Phone: 877-325-2300, 808-325-2000 Google Map
- Frommer's Very Highly Recommended: "Book this place! This is a true "guest ranch," consisting of two cottages spread over a 10-acre working ranch (with friendly horses -- no horseback riding, just petting, the cutest Nigerian dwarf goats, chickens, and wild turkeys)."
The Cliff House (The Hamakua Coast) Phone: 800-492-4746, 808-775-0005 Google Map
- Frommer's Very Highly Recommended: "Lots of little touches make this property stand out from the others: an answering machine for the phone, a pair of binoculars, a chess set, and even an umbrella for the rain squalls."
Waipio Wayside B&B Inn (The Hamakua Coast) Phone: 800-833-8849, 808-775-0275 Google Map
- Frommer's Very Highly Recommended: "A sunny lanai with hammocks overlooks a yard lush with banana, lemon, lime, tangerine, and avocado trees; the cliff-side gazebo has views of the ocean 600 feet below."
Kilauea Lodge (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park) Phone: 808-967-7366 Google Map
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "More cozy than luxurious, the 14 unique rooms and stand-alone cottages are, nonetheless, completely charming."

- Frommer's Highly Recommended: "Its rooms offer heating systems and hot-towel warmers, beautiful art on the walls, fresh flowers, and, in some, fireplaces."

Cook's Discoveries Waimea Suite (Waimea) Phone: 808-937-2833 Google Map
- Frommer's Very Highly Recommended: "It's so cozy here, you'll find it hard to leave."

Kona Tiki Hotel (Kailua-Kona) Phone: 808-329-1425 Google Map
- Frommer's Very Highly Recommended: "The Kona Tiki, located right on the ocean, away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Kailua-Kona, is one of the best budget deals in Hawaii."

Holo Holo In (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park) Phone: 808-967-7950, 808-967-8025 Google Map
- Hostelz.com 4 Stars
Hilo Bay Hostel (Hilo) Phone: 808-933-2771 Google Map
- Hostelz.com 5 Stars