Trip GrapevineTop places, picked by travellers

Big Island · Hotel shortlist

Big Island hotels with a hot tub

Gerald Whitfield

Gerald Whitfield The American northeast and Canada

Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 Big Island hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Big Island, out of the 6 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.6 down to 3.3.

Acorn Hill Lodge is the one I would book myself.

Acorn Hill Lodge

Highest rated of the five

Acorn Hill Lodge

★★★★★4.6 from 313 reviews

Acorn Hill Lodge comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.6 from 313 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 3 star property, found under city centre and around $295 a night on the dates we checked.

6 hotels in Big Island qualified for this list and five made it. Staybridge Suites Seattle - Fremont by IHG is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze
  • Kitchenettebreakfast on your own schedule

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. Acorn Hill Lodge1

    Acorn Hill Lodge

    ★★★★★4.6 from 313 reviews

    • Spa
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly

    Check rates Read more

  2. Staybridge Suites Seattle - Fremont by IHG2

    Staybridge Suites Seattle - Fremont by IHG

    ★★★★★4.4 from 1,186 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kitchen

    Check rates Read more

  3. Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle Downtown/Lake Union3

    Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle Downtown/Lake Union

    ★★★★★4.2 from 1,704 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

  4. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Lynchburg at Liberty Univ.4

    La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Lynchburg at Liberty Univ.

    ★★★★★4 from 1,093 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly

    Check rates Read more

  5. Lynchburg Grand Hotel5

    Lynchburg Grand Hotel

    ★★★★★3.3 from 315 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

How this list was put together

6 Big Island hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Gerald Whitfield

Gerald Whitfield The American northeast and Canada

Volunteers three days a week and travels the rest. Maritime museums and working boatyards in 19 countries, mostly by ferry and train, talking to the shipwrights in every one.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.