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Hawaii hotels
Resorts in Hawaii are, naturally, built on beaches, and you can tell a lot about the quality of the hotel from the nature of the beach: The large hotel chains—Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton—are often clustered together in convenient locations and on beaches that can absorb large numbers of guests and are convenient for families and meeting groups. The higher-end brands, such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Fairmont, have scouted out more isolated settings to enhance the aura of exclusivity and pampering. But Hawaii's most alluring places to stay are even more remote: the surfer-chic Turtle Bay on Oahu, the retro-glam Kona Village on the Big Island, Lanai's English-manor style Lodge at Koele, and the vintage Hawaiian Hotel Hana-Maui. For longer stays, private villa rentals can actually work out to be a better value, especially for families and groups; firms such as Pure Maui and Pure Kauai make arrangements, including booking your choice of staff. Other value-oriented Hawaii hotels can be some distance from the beach. But what these smaller hotels and B&Bs lack in location, they compensate for with local color and character.
One more important word about location: If you're staying on a larger island—such as Maui, Oahu, or the Big Island—it's best to know which area of the island you'll be spending most of your time in: It can take upward of two hours to drive between towns. Location is less of an issue on Kauai, Lanai, and Molokai, which you can usually circumnavigate in less than two hours.
Ideally located on a five-mile stretch of a secluded North Shore bay, this luxurious 880-acre property has a high hip factor. In addition to being the...more
see the Oahu guideLocated in the rolling green hills above Honokaa, on the Hamakua Coast, Waianuhea has just five luxurious rooms and feels like a stylish artists' retreat....more
see the Big Island guide
Halekulani's little-sister property, this 297-room tower isn't beachfront—although you can quickly reach the sand via footpath—and has no grounds to...more
see the Oahu guide
Located on the same stretch of sugar-sand Wailea beachfront as the Four Seasons and the Grand Wailea, the Marriott may be the best deal on the island. Thanks to...more
see the Maui guide
Composed of 62 individual cottages built in the early 1900s for plantation workers, this 30-acre property is a great alternative to frenetic resorts. There's...more
see the Kauai guide
This Wailea resort lives up to its "Grand" name with 40 acres of beachfront property, eight bars and restaurants, a 50,000-square-foot spa (the largest in...more
see the Maui guide
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