Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection

Character and identity

A Laurance Rockefeller original from 1965, set on the Kohala Coast above the crescent of Kauna'oa Bay, this 258-room resort still trades on its mid-century pedigree: clean modernist lines, an extraordinary Pacific and Asian art collection threaded through the public spaces, and a low-slung architecture that lets the beach do the talking. A 2008 renovation refreshed rooms with private lanais, deep baths and flatscreens without scrubbing the throwback feel. Three restaurants, a weekly clambake and twice-weekly luau cover the dining rotation, while the Robert Trent Jones Sr. golf course remains a draw. Service is warm and old-school, beginning with a lei at the door.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What you're paying for is Kauna'oa Beach and a piece of Hawaiian resort history, not cutting-edge room product. Book if you value that trade; choose an ocean-view room in the original Beachfront Wing for the truest sense of the Rockefeller design, and time a stay around the clambake or luau nights to get the full programme.