The Best Resorts in the World: 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards
"Kauaui's 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay has all the ingredients you might want to cook up a truly magical Hawaiian getaway—a swimmable beach right out front, a legendary surf break a short paddle away, a stunning main pool (and a sleek adults-only one), great onsite bars and restaurants, a cute town nearby for exploring, and easy access to excellent hiking. But what makes this property truly stand out in an archipelago dotted with luxe oceanfront resorts is that it’s also a legitimate wellness destination, with cutting-edge medi-spa offerings as well as serious fitness and mind/body programming. Guest rooms are a study in neutrals—sand-hued walls, reclaimed teak ceilings and furniture with rope and reed accents. Potted plants live in woven baskets and stag ferns are mounted on the walls, dried grass skirts are hung like pieces of art, the bathroom walls are lined with lava stone, and the island’s seafaring history comes through in the most subtle of ways—sconces that almost resemble fishing nets, or a single conch shell displayed on a shelf. The service on-site is casual but professional, and everyone from the concierge to the person helping you get set up at the pool is incredibly friendly and more than happy to share their favorite spots around the island. As for the Bamford Wellness Spa, I'm not exaggerating when I say the treatments are transcendent. Menu highlights include treatments that incorporate native Hawaiian medicinal plants like kava and noni, massages on a quartz bed (it’s like lying in warm sand while getting your kinks and knots worked out), and floats in the sensory deprivation tank, where you lose track of time and space in the best way possible: A single 60-minute session can be the equivalent of four hours of REM sleep. From $1,200. —Rebecca Misner" - CNT Editors
