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Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

• World's Best Winner
• T+L 500 Winner

COST: $$$$$

<p>You come to the Big Island to see Hawaii, not a high-rise hotel. The Four Seasons Resort, Hualalai, knows that and blends in with sea and sky so well it seems barely there. Like a coastal kauhale, or hamlet, the 243 rooms—clustered in four crescents—are practically invisible from offshore. The roofline of the staggered two-story bungalows creates its own wave pattern as it undulates through the fronds of transplanted palms. In the resort's spa, high walls of stacked volcanic rock create spaces that are both open-air and private: you can get an energizing lomilomi massage in an outdoor thatched hale. The Four Seasons is rightfully proud of its Hawaiian Interpretive Center, where full-time curators help guests dig deeper into local culture. </p>

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From Food & Wine , NOV 2004

This superdeluxe residential resort is the newest on the Kohala Coast. The beautifully landscaped grounds...MORE>>

– Kate Sekules Alan Wong's Hawaii

From Travel + Leisure , NOV 2004

A low-rise property with a spectacular beachside setting carved into lava fields...MORE>>

– Guy Trebay True Hawaii

Last updated January 2008