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Photos and Review by Oyster.com Investigators.
Built on Black Rock, a sacred Hawaiian landmark and one of the best snorkeling sites on Maui, the 508-room Sheraton has all the qualities of a modern mega-resort -- clean rooms, big pool, full spa, quality gym -- but nothing that compares to the enormous pool complex at the Westin Maui. Still, for the price, it's a fine choice.
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Huge, sprawling mega-resort with comparitively ordinary features
The 508-room Sheraton Maui has all the trappings of a typical Maui mega-resort. Its myriad features include a spa, streaming pool, gym, and live entertainment. But on Maui, even a 142-yard "lazy river" pool that wraps around a pool bar is fairly ordinary, and the hotel's on-site features can't compete with the bigger hotels nearby, like the Westin Maui or the Hyatt Regency.
Since its construction in 1963, this Sheraton has undergone many phases, including a $160 million overhaul in 1997, and additional refurbishments in 2005 and early 2012. Buildings were added around the 23-acre property, and the wide layout results in long, winding routes from the most far-flung rooms to the lobby and the pool. As other guests complain, getting around the resort can be a challenge -- just getting from the lobby to my Deluxe Oceanfront Room required walking through three long hallways and taking three different elevators. But even with its expansive layout, the Sheraton feels far less crowded than the nearby Westin Maui (759 rooms) or Hyatt Regency (806 rooms).
Great service features, including a $40 dining credit if you reject housekeeping
Mega-resorts tend to suffer in their level of service due to the sheer number of guests, but the Sheraton has found inventive ways to keep this from happening. The seamless check-in and elective housekeeping features are both great ways to avoid lines at the front desk and at the restaurants (guests who forgo housekeeping dine very early or very late to get a dining credit). This helps keep the guests in good spirits, and probably the staff too, since every one of them I encountered was very friendly and attentive. If only they could speed up the luau line that keeps guest scorching under the late afternoon sun for up to an hour.
Prime location atop Black Rock on Kaanapali Beach
The Sheraton has a prized location atop Black Rock, Maui's famous landmark on Kaanapali Beach. Built both on and around the ancient lava formation, the hotel has itself become a landmark by association, since guests from neighboring hotels come to snorkel and swim around the lush reefs in front of the Sheraton, and to witness the nightly cliff-diving ceremony at Black Rock.
Kaanapali is centered around two golf courses and bookended by the massive Hyatt Regency to the south and the Sheraton to the north. Six hotels and a handful of condo rentals are squeezed cheek-to-cheek along four miles of uninterrupted beachfront; guests mingle on the sand, using the beaches (and even, at times, the pools and facilities) of neighboring properties. Kaanapali is less crowded north of Black Rock, where the lodging is mostly composed of small hotels and condo rentals, like the Royal Lahaina.
At the busiest section of Kaanapali Beach
The hotel has a unique location on Kaanapali Beach. Since the resort was built on and around Black Rock, everyone staying at a resort on the four-mile stretch of beach is bound to end up here, whether it's for the excellent snorkeling or to witness the nightly cliff-diving ceremony. Turtles swim incredibly close to the shore, which is packed with both tourists and locals. It's a fun and festive atmosphere, but don't expect to have a private sunbathing experience.
Simple, stylish rooms, some with amazing ocean views
Refurbished in early 2012, the rooms have a fresh look that's more "modern American" than "traditional Hawaiian" -- taupe carpets; paisley curtains; pastel watercolor paintings. Rooms are slightly larger at the similarly priced Westin Maui, but the amenities are about the same, and the Sheraton rooms also have a microwave. Also, it's worth upgrading to the Partial-Oceanview Rooms as the "Mountain View" Rooms could mean that your balcony opens out to a rockface just a few feet away.
Lots of quality features, but nothing extraordinary
Like most Hawaii hotels, the Sheraton has a resort fee (in this case, $25 a day) that includes "free" use of in-room hard-wired Internet, Wi-Fi in lobby and at the pool bars, self-parking, local phone calls (on Maui), and daily resort activities like hula lessons or lei-making.
Near two championship-quality courses; hotel guests get discounted rates.
There are two 18-hole courses at the Kaanapali Golf Resort, which spans 1,200 acres of land situated between the beachfront resorts of Kaanapali and the mountains to the west. Built in the '60s, both courses have been home to the Champions Tour Kaanapali Classic and the LPGA Kemper Open. Wind and rain are less common than at the neaby Kapalua courses, though the south Maui courses (those in Wailea and Makena) are the best in Maui.
Fine choice for families, but better pools and on-site kids' clubs can be found elsewhere
A Hawaiian legend commemorated every evening, and a bland luau three to four times each week
The Sheraton Maui Resort has a distinction no other resort in Maui can claim: it's situated on Puu Kekaa, known as Black Rock. Hawaiians once believed that anyone who jumped off the lava rock would enter the spirit world. Only King Kahekili supposedly made it back to the land of the living. To commemorate this legendary dive, every evening at sundown, a torch bearer dressed in a traditional loincloth runs through the resort grounds, culminating his run with a dramatic cliff dive at the tip of Black Rock.
The hotel also has a mediocre luau. For a better show in a more intimate setting, check out the Old Lahaina luau. Click here for more information.
Clean; last renovated in 2005
Average food, above-average prices
Food is expensive all over Maui, especially at hotels. A dinner entree costs $30 on average, and at the Sheraton, the high price doesn't translate to great food.
Average food for above-average prices is not ideal, but the location is believed to be sacred and the packages are more affordable than at other Maui resorts.
Built on Black Rock, a sacred Hawaiian landmark and one of the best snorkeling sites on Maui, the 508-room Sheraton has all the qualities of a modern mega-resort -- clean rooms, big pool, full spa, quality gym -- but nothing that compares to the enormous pool complex at the Westin Maui. Still, for the price, it's a fine choice.
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| Number of Rooms: | 508 |
| Pool: | Yes |
| Fitness Center: | Yes |
| Spa: | Yes |
| Internet Access: | Yes |
| Pets Allowed: | No |
| Cribs: | Yes |
| Kids Club: | Yes |
| Jacuzzi (in room): | No |
| Casino: | No |
| Location: | Maui, Hawaii |
| Address: | 2605 Kaanapali Parkway, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761 (See Map) |
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