The Best Resort Hotels in Hawaii in 2016

Travelers have long looked to Hawaii as the perfect island getaway — and top-notch accommodations are not in short supply. There are oceanfront resorts where private villas have that spill right onto the sand, hotels that offer sunset views through floor-to-ceiling windows, and fine restaurants perched on cliffs. Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise lines, spas, airlines, and more. Readers rated hotels on their rooms and facilities, location, service, food and drink, and overall value. Properties were categorized as city or resort based on their locations, not on the features of any individual hotel. There were a number of repeat winners among Hawaii’s top resort hotels this year. The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, which came in at No. 3 spot, has appeared on the list for more than a decade, topping it several times. “All I can say is WOW,” one reader said. “We arrived and I felt like the red carpet was rolled out and we were VIPs.” The resort offers more than impressive service — like seven swimming pools, each with a distinctly different feel. King’s Pond is essentially an aquarium carved out of natural lava rock—you can swim among the more than 4,000 tropical fish that call it home. But one newcomer to the category had a very impressive showing: Montage Kapalua Bay, the No. 1 resort in Hawaii this year. All of the guest rooms have full gourmet kitchens, and several readers who took our survey remarked on the resort’s combination of mellowness and polish. The Spa Montage got high marks, too. For a romantic escape you can have a couples' treatment, then head for the Cliff House, the property’s private dining venue. Read on for the full list.