SmileyFace

I'm looking to find a resort hotel on the Big Island. Four Seasons is sold out on the rooms we can afford, so I need an alternate. However, i'm having a hard time determining quality based upon the hotel websites, and sometimes price is no indication. Would appreciate it if I could get some opinions on your list of top 5 hotels on the Big Island.

fdecarlo

Well, assuming by "best" you mean comparable to the Four Seasons, any list of the top five would include the Mauna Lani Hotel, Mauna Kea Beach Resort, Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel and the Fairmont Orchid. The fifth hotel would be either the Hilton Waikoloa (if you're looking for a major resort/Disneyland kind of environment) or Kona Village (if you're looking for the exact opposite/"get away from it all" kind of environment).

crazy4Hawaii

I can vouch for the Mauna Lani. I don't think you'd feel mistreated staying there!

Pumpy

I'd say 'fdecarlo' is pretty right on the mark. We recently stayed at the Hapuna Prince and would definitely stay there again.

Lake

I agree that the Mauna Lani is an excellent place to stay.