When Melanie Boudar was building her luxury Bed & Breakfast home in the rainforest of the Big Island’s Volcano area, she first made a map of the property and its major trees. Then she designed the house to fit around those trees, and rented a huge crane to lift the lumber over them.

It was not an auspicious day when developer—and native Hawaiian—Jon McManus first treated designer Marion Philpotts-Miller to a site tour of the aged Maui motel that would become the Outrigger 'Aina Nalu. The 39-year-old Bay West/Ironwood Trading Company principal laughs when recalling the '70s pole-house construction that then housed 490 tiny, dilapidated guest rooms.

Island visitors rarely fail to enjoy Hawaii’s grand and imposing beachfront resorts, but occasionally guests desire a more intimate personal experience of Hawai’i. Fortunately, it’s available – provided one knows where to look. Tucked away in small rural towns and on pastoral spreads, a handful of historic homes and secluded country estates provide boutique accommodations for those of discriminating tastes. Brimming with heritage and offering that distinctive sense of place, Hawaii’s bed-and-breakfast venues sparkle with personality, comfort, and the heart of Aloha. Hawaiian Style offers its favorites.

As Hawai’i’s famed King Kamehameha grew up along the Big Island’s Kohala Coast two centuries ago, he scarcely could have imagined the incredible transformation that was to grace the Kalahuipua'a region. But he likely wouldn’t have objected to the results either. The Fairmont Orchid Resort has established a retreat that would please even the most demanding Hawaiian monarch, let alone today’s travel connoisseurs.

Hawaii’s great resorts are famed for their creature comforts. Think poolside cabanas where they spritz you with chilled water and offer to rub your toes. Elegant dining emporiums cooled by ocean breezes. A spa and massage center, lest the aforementioned toes need to be revitalized after an unexpected treasure hunt. Are these unlikely places for the ultimate art experience? Not according to fine art collection wizard Julie Cline.

Over a decade ago, the first resort spas in the Islands were quick to call themselves "European style," as if embarrassed by their Hawaiian roots. Spas in Hawai`i have come into their own since then, and, with astounding speed, have learned to be proud of the Hawaiian element. Today, the emphasis is on native healing traditions, local botanicals, the calming beauty of the ocean, ingredients and techniques from Asia brought here in plantation times, and, above all, the capable, loving touch of Aloha, which comes from the land itself.

"Nirvana" is what awaits guests of the Volcano Rainforest Retreat.Located one mile off Highway 11 in Volcano, Hawaii, a short 26-mile drive from Hilo (or a leisurely 103 miles from Kona), this intimate cluster of bed-and-breakfast cottages resides just minutes from "Volcano Village" and the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

From Kilauea Crater's red-hot lava flows, to the snow-covered peak of mount Mauna Kea, the Big Island of Hawai'i may offer more dramatic and beautiful geographical contrasts than any other spot on earth. Reflecting this geographical drama and natural beauty are the "fire and ice" motifs of the luxurious new 7,500 sq. ft. Day Spa at the Mauna Lani Resort. The Day Spa is Mauna Lani's ultimate pampering hideaway, surrounded by a fantasy garden of lush tropical foliage, and offering a soothing menu of treats and treatments.

History buffs may trace the origins of Old Hawai`i back to 1778, when King Kamehameha the Great first welcomed Captain Cook and his "floating island" of "living white gods" to Hana Harbor on Maui's remote eastern shore. But, better yet, this part of Hawaii's past can be experienced first-hand by anyone who makes the exhilarating 52-mile journey along windy Hana Highway -- around 600 curves and over 54 one-lane bridges -- to the wonderfully remote Hotel Hana-Maui and Honua Spa.