Luxurious
5 Star Hotels
& Resorts on
The Big Island

This luxurious hotel is located on the Kohala Coast waterfront on Hawaii’s Big Island. Fairmont Orchid is a an exceptional hotel, with a 5 restaurants, a great pool, spa, and a white sand beach with a resident population of sea turtles! It is a wonder 5 star hotel, one of the best hotels on the Big Island.

Four Seasons Hualalai is Hawaii’s highest-rated luxury resort — Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five Diamond, and consistently ranked #1 on the Big Island by every major travel publication. The $100 million renovation completed in 2024 elevated an already exceptional property with redesigned suites, expanded villas with private plunge pools, and a modernised spa. King’s Pond — a 1.8-million-gallon natural lava rock aquarium where you snorkel with eagle rays and tropical fish — exists nowhere else in the world. The 243-room property maintains an exclusivity that larger resorts cannot: an intimate, residential atmosphere where staff know your name by day two.

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is where Hawaiian luxury hospitality began — opened in 1965 by Laurance Rockefeller, who chose this site after scouring the Pacific for the perfect beach. The resort’s $150 million renovation preserved its mid-century architectural legacy while adding contemporary comforts. The art collection — acquired by Rockefeller personally — includes over 1,600 pieces from across the Pacific and Asia, displayed throughout the public spaces. Kauna’oa Bay, the private beach, is frequently rated Hawaii’s best. The old-money elegance here is distinct from the flashier Kohala Coast alternatives — understated, confident, and rooted in 60 years of Hawaiian hospitality tradition.

Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection, reopened in 2020 after a $250 million transformation that repositioned it as the Kohala Coast’s most design-forward luxury property. The rooms blend mid-century Hawaiian modernism with contemporary finishes — clean lines, natural materials, and seamless indoor-outdoor flow. The resort’s historic fishponds (built by Hawaiian ali’i centuries ago) are home to sea turtles and create a cultural connection no other Kohala Coast property can claim. Canoe House restaurant, rebuilt and reimagined, is one of the Big Island’s finest dining experiences. The intimate 333-room scale and Auberge’s boutique sensibility distinguish it from the larger, more convention-oriented Kohala Coast alternatives.

Outrigger Kona Resort sits on the Keauhou coast south of Kailua-Kona, perched on a dramatic lava-rock coastline where manta rays gather nightly in the spotlit waters below. The recent renovation introduced upgraded rooms, an infinity pool overlooking the coast, and improved dining. While it doesn’t carry the prestige of the Kohala Coast properties, the manta ray experience — visible from the resort’s terrace every evening — is genuinely unique, and the lower price point delivers solid luxury value for the Big Island.

Westin Hapuna Beach Resort underwent a complete $46 million renovation that repositioned it as a credible luxury option on the Kohala Coast. The redesigned rooms feature contemporary Hawaiian décor, Westin’s signature Heavenly Bed, and lanais with ocean views. The resort sits directly above Hapuna Beach — consistently rated one of America’s top beaches — giving it arguably the strongest beach position on the coast. At a lower price point than the Four Seasons, Mauna Lani, or Mauna Kea, it offers genuine luxury at the Kohala Coast’s best value.

Waikoloa Beach Marriott occupies a prime position on A-Bay (Anaeho’omalu Bay) with direct beach access and views across the bay to the ancient fishponds and palm-fringed shoreline. While it doesn’t match the ultra-luxury tier of the Four Seasons or Mauna Lani, the resort delivers a polished, full-service experience with renovated rooms, multiple dining options, and Marriott Bonvoy benefits. The location within the Waikoloa Beach Resort community provides access to shopping, additional restaurants, and two championship golf courses — creating a broader luxury resort experience than standalone properties.

Holualoa Inn offers a different kind of Big Island luxury — not the poolside-cabana-and-champagne variety, but the quiet luxury of a 30-acre coffee estate with six suites, panoramic ocean views, and locally grown coffee served each morning from trees you can see from your lanai. The inn sits in the Holualoa artist colony at 1,400 feet elevation, where cooler temperatures and lush tropical gardens create an environment that feels worlds removed from the Kohala Coast’s resort strip. For travellers who define luxury as exclusivity, authenticity, and personal attention rather than thread count and spa menus, Holualoa Inn is unmatched on the Big Island.