The Best Places in Kailua Kona
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The best places in Kailua Kona, according to the experts: Vogue, the Forbes Travel Guide, and Esquire have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Kona Village Spa comes out on top.
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Hualalai Spa and Sports Center at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and Shipwreck Bar hold the next two places. The Forbes Travel Guide shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with the Michelin Guide next.
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The spa at Kona Village looks away from the bay and toward the lava fields instead, which tells you something about its personality. Named Asaya under Rosewood's recent revival of the resort, it sits where black volcanic rock meets jungle softness, a contrast that's hard to manufacture and impossible to ignore. Vogue named it one of the 100 Best Spas in the World, and the setting does a lot of the convincing before anyone even lights a candle.
The awards
- Vogue 100 Best Spas in the World
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The awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Travel Guide: Forbes Four Star
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
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The awards
- Esquire The Best Bars in America
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. West
Why #3, not #4
Both places show 81. This one's exact Score is 80.9 and the next is 80.8, so it ranks first. We round what you see, but we rank on the exact number.
- #3 Shipwreck Bar (this place) 80.9
- #4 Four Seasons Resort Hualalai 80.8
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Bungalows carved into black lava rock replace the usual hotel tower here, which tells you a lot about the Four Seasons Hualalai's approach to resort life on the Big Island. The saltwater pool has cabanas that close for full privacy, and a separate encounter pool lets you swim alongside eagle rays. The adults-only pool and a Jack Nicklaus golf course exist for those not chasing fish. A Forbes Five Star and two Michelin Keys.
The awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Travel Guide: Forbes Five Star
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 2 Keys
- The 50 The 50: 2025 · Most Admired Hotel Group Award
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Five Star
- Michelin Guide 2 Keys
- The 50 2025 · Most Admired Hotel Group Award
Why #4, not #3
Both places show 81. This one's exact Score is 80.8 and the one above is 80.9, so it ranks second. We round what you see, but we rank on the exact number.
- #3 Shipwreck Bar 80.9
- #4 Four Seasons Resort Hualalai (this place) 80.8
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Thatched-roof bungalows on a field of black lava beside a crescent bay: it sounds like fantasy, but that's just the view from your kauhale at this Rosewood resort on the Kona Coast. After a decade-long closure following a tsunami, it reopened to 81 acres of volcanic landscape, basalt rock furnishings, and coconut husk sidings that make the whole place feel grown from the ground. It holds a Forbes Four Star and three Michelin Keys.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 3 Keys
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Travel Guide: Forbes Four Star
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- Michelin Guide 3 Keys
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
- The 50 The 50 Discovery