The Best Resorts in Hawaii: 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards
The 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards survey is now open for voting! Head here to cast your ballot for your all-time favorite hotels, cruises, resorts, islands, and more.
For our 33rd annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey—yes, more than three decades—readers leaned in hard to nostalgia. When it comes to Hawaii, their favorite resorts featured private lanais (terraces), golf courses, waterfalls, well-curated luaus, adult-only pools, kid's clubs, and snorkeling coves. Their favorites spread across each of the Hawaiian islands, from an end-of-the-road, Wi-Fi-free retreat on Maui to a historic grande dame facing Honolulu's famous Waikiki Beach. Here are the resorts in Hawaii you couldn't stop thinking about this year.
Click the link to see our complete Reader's Choice Awards results.
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Turtle Bay ResorthotelTurtle Bay Resort
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Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Located on Oahu’s North Shore, the family-friendly Turtle Bay Resort has everything to keep you busy when you’re not lounging on the beach—from a pair of scenic golf courses to off-road Segway tours. When not teeing up, scooting out, surfing, snorkeling, or looking for wildlife, soak up some local culture during an on-site luau. Or if you're looking to relax head to the 11,000-square-foot spa for a “seaside massage” in your own private hut overlooking the ocean. There’s even a separate spa menu for kids and teens if you want to zen out as a family. At beachfront restaurant The Point, you can catch live music and watch the pros hang ten on the nearby waves.
Courtesy HyatthotelHyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023Situated on 40 acres along Ka'anapali Beach, the Hyatt Regency Maui is within easy reach of famous snorkeling around Black Rock. Many of the modern, airy rooms have ocean views; if you splurge on the Regency Premier Oceanfront Room, you’ll also get complimentary refreshments and a personal concierge. There’s golf and tennis on site, plus two pools—one with a 150-foot “lava tube” waterslide. Food is available at four restaurants and you can order a drink at the Grotto Bar, built inside an artificial cave between two waterfalls.
Courtesy Wailea Beach VillashotelWailea Beach Villas Resort
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2019, 2020Everything about the Wailea Beach Villas is utterly chilled-out, from the quiet reception area, blissfully free of a buzzing social scene and energetic children, to the private villas themselves, each with a lanai with ocean views. The decor differs slightly from villa to villa, which range from two- to three-bedroom configurations, but most adopt a Polynesian look with dark woods and oversized furniture. It feels like a home away from home: The kitchens are fully kitted out with everything you'd need to cook, including an outdoor Viking grill, and there are washers and dryers, too.
Courtesy Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & SpahotelGrand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021Surrounded by gardens and lagoons, the low-rise, beachfront Grand Hyatt has an open-air design that recalls Hawaii in the 1920s and ’30s. Rooms have white-marble–tiled entryways and rain showers, and terraces are furnished in mahogany with traditional Hawaiian-print linens. Enjoy sushi and spirits at Stevenson's, or surf and turf at Tidepools, which was built to resemble huts floating in a lagoon. Book an appointment at the Anara Spa, where the facials and full-body massages are taken under a hale, a thatched roof bungalow, and the scent of vanilla oil mingles with fragrant floral overgrowth. Or, simply float down a lava-rock lined lazy river pool past waterfalls.
Courtesy The Royal HawaiianhotelThe Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022Located in the former playground of Hawaiian royalty, this pink-tinted classic is an oasis right in the middle of Waikiki. Built in 1927, the Spanish-Moorish design works in local materials, and the lobby showcases koa wood desks and local artwork by Eugene Savage. Accommodations spread across two towers are heavy on modern wicker with bamboo and rattan accents and bold wallpaper choices, and come with local Malie Organics bathroom products; those in the tower wing include pink-tinted Frette bathrobes. Guests love the complimentary banana bread, complete with a recipe to take home. The Mai Tai Bar mixes handcrafted cocktails with fresh local fruits and juices. Oceanfront Azure Restaurant offers fine dining, with seafood plucked from the Honolulu Fish Auction each morning. On Monday and Thursday evenings, the resort is home to Waikiki's only sit-down dinner show at its upscale ‘Aha‘aina luau.
Courtesy MarriotthotelMauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023When venture capitalist and conservationist Laurance S. Rockefeller unveiled this Big Island resort in 1965, it was the most expensive hotel ever built. Mauna Kea has maintained its sense of glamour, thanks in part to a 2008 renovation that gave the resort an update without sacrificing its throwback charm. Guests are lei'ed on arrival, and refurbished rooms feature private lanais, large baths, and flatscreen TVs. Pull up a chaise longue on Kauna'oa Beach, play a few rounds of golf, or grab a bite at one of the hotel’s three restaurants, plus a weekly clambake or twice-weekly luau.
Courtesy Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria ResorthotelGrand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Although most resorts in Maui have open-air lobbies, none show off quite like the Grand Wailea. Guests arriving to the Waldorf Astoria resort are greeted with leis and escorted through an open-air atrium that’s filled with sculptures and water fountains, all set against the backdrop of Pacific Ocean views. You'll be able to tell by the grandeur of the lobby, but this is no small place, with 780 guest rooms, a 50,000-square-foot spa, a massive pool area with waterslides, several shops, and a chapel. If you’re bringing the kids, they'll love it here—and they'll probably beg for a return visit.
hotelFour Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023As soon as you walk through the open-air entrance of the U-shaped Four Seasons, it will be hard to take your eyes off the glimmering Pacific Ocean stretching behind the property. The resort occupies 15 acres at the southern end of Maui’s Wailea beach—so, yes, those Instagram-perfect views are inescapable. Yet despite the grand lobby and the usual resort trifecta of beach, pool, and spa, the property has a bunker-esque vibe that encourages hiding out for a few hours—or days, or weeks. Four Seasons is one of the only resorts in Wailea that doesn’t charge a resort fee, which feels like a friendly gesture even though room rates are high.
hotelMoana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa
Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2022Affectionately known as "First Lady of Waikiki," the Moana first opened in 1901: it was the first luxury hotel to debut in Honolulu and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Architecture buffs take note: There are some whimsical "additions" of Art Deco and Bauhaus that appeared over the years. Naturalists will take to the property's enormous, 116-year-old Indian banyan tree. Now a Westin now, the property includes a modern tower, upping the original room count of 75 to 791. There are almost 20 different types of rooms to book. Those in the historic wing tend to be small and full of character, and those in the modern tower have the best views of Diamond Head, and be sure to reserve your umbrella on the sand at least a day in advance as the beach can get crowded. Three outdoor dining venues are a bonus, Vintage 1901 is a delightful wine bar with small plates, and the Surfrider Cafe is a handy option for quick, healthy bites and sips.
Courtesy Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts CollectionhotelMauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection
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Hot List 2020 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Ask any Hawaii loyalist about the storied Mauna Lani resort on the Big Island and they’ll nod knowingly. For decades, the beloved hotel has been a mainstay, drawing celebrities, well-heeled families, and staycationing locals to the Kona Kohala coast. To say that there was some nervous anticipation when it emerged as an Auberge Resort after a $200 million renovation, is playing it supremely cool. But, full exhale, the brand stuck the landing. There’s still that soothing sense of nostalgia and history that comes with seeing an old friend. But, like all good reunions, there’s some change and even a surprise or two. For starters, it’s lost that early 1980s feel—gone is the high-gloss bamboo furniture and dark wood shutters—replaced with a decidedly Hawaiian 2.0 look of light wood, soft sea shades, and lots of white. The ancient Kalahuipua’a royal fishponds are still there, now an easy walk from the sleek, adults-only infinity pool. And the beach out front remains one of the best places to learn to surf or snorkel as sea turtles and the occasional spinner dolphin cruise past. Other new additions include the oceanfront CanoeHouse restaurant (led by former Nobu chef Matt Raso) for Kona abalone, grilled kampachi, and produce from local farms.
Four Seasons Resort OahuhotelFour Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023"Ko Olina" means "place of joy" in Hawaiian, and at this 370-room-and-suite Four Seasons resort, you can see why. The adventurous can take an outrigger canoe onto the water or join a hike to see the area's waterfalls. If it's low-blood-pressure bliss you're after, book a massage on the beach or just sit back with a good book on your private lanai with panoramic views of the Pacific. Those with kids can splash to their heart's content in the family pool, but the 18-and-over crowd should head straight to the adults-only infinity pool: Its location on the western edge of the resort, looking right over the ocean, means you'll be treated to a perfect sunset every night. With four restaurants plus a terrace cafe, you'll have a hard time choosing where to grab a bite—for starters, try Fish House, which prides itself on serving "line-to-table" selects caught daily.
Courtesy Aulani, A Disney Resort & SpahotelAulani, A Disney Resort & Spa
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022This $800-million, family-friendly Disney beach resort opened in 2011 on the leeward side of Oahu. The island-themed environs feature water and volcano motifs, local artwork, and taro-patterned rugs. The pool area incorporates lava stone, hanging bridges, a splash zone, and four waterslides with views of the resort's lagoon. Kids’ activities abound, of course, including a scavenger hunt and outdoor Disney movie nights. Ukulele lessons and fire pit story-telling evenings with puppets are complimentary.
JASON DEWEY/The Ritz-Carlton, KapaluahotelThe Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Winding along the entrance to the Ritz-Carlton you’ll notice the topography looks different than the coastal scenery you’ve passed en route from Maui's main airport. Kapalua is marked by lush, towering trees (some of them pine) and windy weather; it might even be raining when you pull up to the hotel, giving the whole vibe a mountain-lodge feel. Indeed, if you’re aiming for seclusion and relaxation rather than sunny beach days, the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua is just the spot. A Maui resort that truly lets you hide away? That's priceless.
Courtesy Four Seasons Hotels and ResortshotelFour Seasons Resort Lanai
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Gold List 2018, 2020, 2022 Hot List 2017 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023There’s Hawaii, and there’s Lanai. Driving through Lanai City—still more plantation outpost than town—on the way from the airport to the hotel, there are none of the usual signifiers: no ABC Stores or shave ice stands (there aren’t even traffic lights). In addition to palms, there are willowy Cook pines planted a century ago. In 2012, billionaire Larry Ellison purchased 98 percent of Lanai, including this hotel, which he closed in 2015 for a major overhaul. Rooms were freshened up with teak and zebrawood; key cards morphed into waterproof wristbands, handy for late-night dips in the new pool. Nobu and Malibu Farm were clever additions—sashimi and salads are brilliant after sun and sea. But what really makes this hotel stand out is that there’s no feeling of being on- or off-property. Every part of Lanai, from sunbathe-naked-empty Polihua Beach to the interior’s Garden of the Gods, with otherworldly red-rock formations, feels all yours.
Courtesy Four Seasons Resort HualalaihotelFour Seasons Resort Hualālai
$$$ | Gold List 2019 Hot List 2022 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023The ancient lava fields and low-lying scrub of Hawaii's Big Island make it feel more like Namibia than Hawaii sometimes. But as soon as your driver pulls off Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway and onto a private lane, the landscape shifts from Martian to tropical—lush with palms, canary-yellow hibiscus and musk ferns. Inhale the plumeria-infused cold towel, bowing to receive the simple kukui nut lei, and you know exactly where you are. Creating this distinct sense of place without employing gimmicky tropes is what makes Hualalai stand out on an island of upscale hotels.
Ko'a Kea Hotel & Resort at Po'ipu BeachhotelKo’a Kea Resort on Po’ipu Beach
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022You might assume that the first luxury small property to open on Kauai in 30 years would have made a splashy debut, but the beachfront Ko‘a Kea Hotel & Resort (built on the site of the old Poipu Beach Hotel) slipped onto the scene with barely a ripple. Maybe it’s the size: With just 121 rooms—all with balconies or lanais and within earshot of the waves—the resort is considerably smaller than its brand-name neighbors on the sunny south coast. Eschewing waterslides and swim-up bars, Ko‘a Kea has more sedate pleasures: an unadorned swimming pool tiled in deep blue, a sophisticated restaurant/lounge with a sashimi tasting menu, and an expansive lawn overlooking a cove where guests (mostly honeymooners) sit at sunset. Rooms might be dismissed as humdrum nouveau-Hawaiian (there’s lots of coral) if they weren’t so comfortable and thoughtful—each has a cushy chaise lounge, a ceiling fan and AC, and an in-room espresso machine that provides a pre–surf lesson pick-me-up.
Courtesy Fairmont OrchidhotelFairmont Orchid Hawaii
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island's Kohala Coast is fronted by a white sand beach, with a lobby overlooking the ocean that often plays host to evening ‘ukulele concerts. Rooms feature lanais, rattan furniture, and carpeting with bamboo motifs. Onsite restaurant Brown’s Beach House focuses on fish dishes such as crab-crusted mahimahi and an excellent kids menu. Alternatively, belly up to the 14-seat sushi bar at Binchotan Bar & Grill, where they serve you dinner in style: Standout dishes include sea urchin eggs, Hawaiian abalone, and octopus. Save Friday nights for Fairmont’s Hawaii Loa Luau under the stars.
Michael Kleinberghotel'Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022Waikiki Beach's longstanding Pacific Beach Hotel made waves in 2018 when it unveiled a $125 million renovation and rebrand into the 'Alohilani. You may need to catch your breath when you step into the stunning, light-filled lobby, which is utterly serene compared to the busy streets of Honolulu. In addition to the soaring ceilings, there are Hawaiian artifacts on display, a gorgeous coral sculpture behind the check-in desk, and best of all, an enormous two-story "oceanarium" at the heart of the hotel filled with tropical fish. The newly renovated rooms, most of which come with at least partial ocean views, have a similarly clean aesthetic and plenty of light. Reclaimed wood headboards and accents throughout the room have a beach feel, and modern updates like bedside USB ports are a welcome touch.
Jordan RosenhotelHotel Wailea
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023One of the best resorts in Hawaii according to our readers isn't beachfront. But that's actually a positive at Maui's only luxury adults-only resort, spread over 15 acres with 180-degree views of neighboring Lanai and Kaho‘olawe. Though there's a shuttle to the beach (and attendants to help you with umbrellas, towels, and the like once you hit the sand), be sure to put your vacation in the hands of the incredible staff. Allow them to organize a beach picnic—a gourmet spread to be enjoyed at sunset. You can also set up kiteboarding lessons, sunset sailing, and aerial yoga. Fan of vintage cars? Take the drive of your dreams in Hotel Wailea's 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster reproduction.
Courtesy Andaz Maui at Wailea ResorthotelAndaz Maui at Wailea Resort
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023It’s the spirit of Zen, more than Aloha, that greets you as you walk into Andaz's open-air lobby on Maui. The soaring space is filled with light-colored furniture, all anchored by a sand pit in the center of the room. Above the sand pit, there's only sky—in the form of an open skylight. It’s immediately clear that Andaz is one of the most modern resorts on Maui—indeed, it’s one of the newer resorts here—one that feels like a rich relative’s beach house, yet still has all the amenities you'd expect.
