Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

Laurance Rockefeller, the founder of RockResorts, handpicked the site, overlooking the ivory crescent of Kaunaoa Beach on the then-pristine Kohala Coast; and he handpicked the architect—Edward Charles Bassett of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill—who erected the resort in 1965. Rockefeller bequeathed a museum-quality collection of Oceanic and Asian art, ranging from wooden Melanesian sculptures to life-size gilded Buddhas. When an earthquake damaged the property in October 2006, management took advantage of the closure to stage a 15-month, $150 million renovation. The original 310 rooms and suites in the main building have been reduced to 258, layouts revised and enlarged. Understatement prevails—white-tile floors, white ceramic lamps and light fixtures, abstract and ethnic fabrics that reference Rockefeller’s collections, and teak headboards. A small but lovely spa, managed by Bali-based Mandara, has been built in the former members’ club room. The restaurant, Manta, has a new display kitchen and a refined, locally influenced menu that’s heavy on excellent raw-bar offerings (with attendant prices); but its outdoor tables are positioned, as ever, for prime viewing of the mantas that feed at night below the terrace. And the beachside Hau Tree bar still serves the Ovaltine Froth milk shake—the singular deliciousness of which merits 45 years on a menu.

Room to Book: Ocean-facing doubles acquired extra lanais, which are allocated to their bathrooms—white-on-white havens with deep soaking tubs and open rain showers.