The Best Places to Stay and Do in Kailua Kona

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.

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.

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.