Our FAVORITE RESORTS for:
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Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa

The Sheraton Maui is a 510 room luxury resort located on amazing Ka'anapali Beach on the island of Maui. Set among 23 oceanfront acres, the resort is situated at the north end of Ka'anapali Beach at the point where the legendary Puu Kekaa (Black Rock) jets out into the Pacific Ocean. Ka'anapali beach is three miles of beautiful white sand and is the finest beach on the island of Maui. The beach is our number one priority on a tropical vacation, so Sheraton Maui on Ka'anapali Beach makes for the perfect destination

What we love most about the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa is its central location on the "Magic Isle" of Maui. The Sheraton is an ideal home base for enjoying all the activities Maui has to offer. Whether you love snorkeling on Molokini, golfing at Kapalua, experiencing the road to Hana or shopping in Lahania, Maui has it all for you. If you time your stay right, you may even have the opportunity to experience the humpback whales as they migrate to Maui's warm ocean waters. Combining the luxury of the Sheraton Maui with the activities of Maui makes for a wonderful tropical vacation.

Here's our lowdown on the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa

- Our Favorites -

Hawaiian Sea Turtle Swimming SNORKELING - The snorkeling around Black Rock is amazing. We were able to see many different types of fish as well as swim with the majestic Hawaiian Sea Turtles. The best thing about the snorkeling at the Sheraton Maui is you walk right down to the beach and you are at the perfect spot to snorkel. No driving or hiking to a remote area. There are great excursions to snorkel at different areas around Maui (see below) if you want variety in your snorkeling options. But if you want easy access to great snorkeling, you have it all right in front of your luxury resort.

Front Street Lahaina

SHOPPING - If you like to shop while on vacation, you will love the Sheraton Maui. The resort is located on beautiful Ka'anapali Beach and is just a short walk from the Whalers Village. Enjoy many types of shopping at Whalers Village, from souvenir and T-Shirt shops to higher end outlets such as Coach and Louis Vuitton. This is an excellent venue for some quiet, alone-time shopping or a great place to bring the family to find the perfect Hawaiian keepsake or souvenir.
Another terrific place for shopping near the Sheraton Maui is Old Lahaina Town. There are many stores and boutiques in town that cater to all your shopping needs. If you are looking for some local art, there are great galleries all along the streets of Lahaina Town. Strolling the through the streets of Old Lahaina Town looking for that perfect item to remember your trip is a great way to spend an afternoon.

OTHER ACTIVITIES - If you enjoy a lot of action and a wide variety of activities on your tropical holiday, Sheraton Maui is a place you will love. Plenty to do on Ka'anapali Beach: shopping at Whalers Village, lounging in the Maui sun or tropical drinks at Leilani's on the Beach. Golf on Maui at Kapalua, Wailea or right at Ka'anapali is some of the best you will find in Hawaii. For trips and excursions, there's whale watching, snorkeling in Molokini, driving the world famous road to Hana, Haleakala Bike tours, ATV tours, traditional Hawaiian Luaus and the list goes on and on. If you are looking to save a couple bucks, the tour and activity centers in Lahaina you can get some good deals. You can also just make it easy on yourself and use the great folks at the Sheraton concierge desk to get you set up with any activities you desire.

Our thoughts on some popular excursions
- The Royal Lahaina Luau is one of the best you will ever find. It's great, with traditional food and good Mai Tai's (be careful, they are strong, but very good).
- Snorkeling in Molokini Crater is an amazing experience. The water is so clear you can hardly believe it. If you like to snorkel it is definitely worth the trip.
-The Haleakala Bike tour is amazing, but it can get cold and you have to leave early, early in the am (hey you want to see the sunrise!). When we mean cold, we mean 40's or lower sometime. We chose to rent a car and drive it, but either way, Haleakala is extraordinary.
- The Road to Hana is the famous road with all its bends that takes you to the other side of the island and offers some dazzling views and vistas of the ocean and the lush tropical forest. The thing to remember is it will take an entire day. Also, there are a lot of curves, so be prepared. I am not into the turns and get carsick, so we skipped the drive and just enjoyed the beautiful Sheraton Maui Resort.

DON'T MISS :
Sunset Cliff Diver at Blackrock - One of the best things about the Sheraton Maui is watching the torch lighting ceremony that culminates in the cliff dive off of Black Rock at sunset. It's an amazing sight to see the young cliff diver flying out over the historic Black Rock and disappearing beneath the waves of the blue pacific. They do a great job with the ceremony and it's a perfect way to end a day in paradise. The only way to make it better is to be enjoying a refreshing tropical drink at the Lagoon Bar. We recommend the Maui Mist cocktail which is a delightful tropical drink.

- Other Good Stuff -

Beach - We especially enjoyed the beach at Ka'anapali. It's a great beach to take a long walk, cool off in the refreshing pacific or snorkel right off Black Rock. Our challenge was there were not lounges for resort guests unless you wanted to rent one. I understand there must be issues with apportioning part of the beach, but one of the things we love to do is lounge on beautiful beaches. Besides paying for a lounge (which we did not do), there is no option to use the beach unless you want to take a towel and lie on the sand. For the luxury property such as the Sheraton Maui, we wish they were able to provide chairs to the paying guests. Still, the beach is beautiful and you will enjoy all the activities it offers.

Ka'anapali Beach in front of the Sheraton

Bar/Lounge - We really enjoyed drinks at the Sundowner and Lagoon Bar. The Sundowner is located at one of the pools and was nice and comfortable. The Lagoon Bar was our favorite and we loved grabbing a table, enjoying a Maui Mist cocktail and taking in all the beautiful scenery. The Lagoon Bar is the perfect place to watch the sunset cliff diving ceremony. Just a short walk from the resort, Hula Grill and Leilani's in Whalers Village offer beautiful sunsets, great tropical cocktails and good food. Whether you like to get out or stay at the resort, there are plenty of good cocktail options when you stay at the Sheraton Maui.

The Plantation Course - Kapalua

Golf - If you love to golf, then you are going to love Maui. There are two courses at Ka'anapali that are very good, with the Royal Ka'anapali (a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design) being the strongest. You also have Kapalua (2 courses), Wailea (3 courses), Makena (2 courses) as well as many other local courses. They are all excellent courses with styles and degrees of difficulty to fit any players' game. I will give you my thoughts on Ka'anapali, Kapalua and Wailea.
Kapalua - We were going to play the Plantation Course (home of a PGA tour event) but the greens had just been aerated so we decided against playing. Although we did not play, it was easy see that this is a magnificent course and a true must play on Maui. Situated above Kapalua Bay with unrivaled views, this stunning course is definitely worth the price. We also played the Bay Course which was a well maintained layout that features two holes located on the Pacific Ocean, so you got the beachfront golf course feel. It was a good course and I would recommend it.
Wailea - There are 3 courses: the Blue, Emerald and the Gold and I obsessed about which to play. The Blue is the oldest and I heard it was good for higher handicappers. The Emerald is supposed to be designed for fun, while still being a test. The Gold is a stern, Championship test. I chose the Gold. It was in excellent condition and was very tough. I was playing with other folks who were more like high 90's players, and I think the Emerald would have been a better course. If you are a very good player, the Gold is a great course. But there are deep bunkers around the greens which can make it very difficult for a high to medium handicapper. Don't be afraid to choose the Emerald even if you want a special experience. The course looked in immaculate condition and the layout looked plenty challenging.
Ka'anapali - We chose not to play here (not enough time), but I did walk several of the holes. The courses were in very good condition. Not as dramatic as Kapalua or Wailea, but still very good. It's located right at the resorts, so that is a plus. Looks like a good option, well maintained and very playable.

- And Our Not So Favorite Things -

Pool - We found the pool at the Sheraton Maui to be good in some respects and poor in others. The Sheraton Maui has a pool complex that meanders through the resorts, under bridges, down a slide and through the gardens. It was cool and if you have kids, they will especially like it. But the service at the pool was spotty. One day it was good, the next the waitress was overwhelmed (not her fault, just not enough staff) and service suffered. Also, the lounges are way too close together, the pools towels were much too small and to top things off, you couldn't get a lounge unless you came down at 7am and put a book or something on your chairs to reserve it. This is not what we expect from a luxury resort. The pools (and beach for that matter) were nice, but it was just way too crowded to enjoy. We usually like a little more serenity and availability, so we were disappointed with the pools at the Sheraton Maui.

Room - We ended up staying in a Deluxe Oceanfront room. The room was nice and the views are amazing (this class of room is on Black Rock fronting the ocean). The rooms are nice, but we did feel the prices were high based on the quality of the rooms. Make sure you check for special deals that the Sheraton Maui offers to help lessen the cost. Our biggest issue with the rooms was trying to choose a category. We stayed in a Deluxe Oceanfront room which was nice, but we also stayed in an Oceanfront or Oceanview room (I don't even remember which is which) and it was average. When you are choosing between oceanfront and oceanview, they can both be right next door, but the resort classifies each differently. It seems way too confusing to figure out which is which and which let alone which room offers value. Also, our ocean view room had a lanai that would only fit 1 chair ... not a lounge ... a regular chair. When asked the front desk about the lack of lanai, they stated this was because of the architecture. We feel this is something folks should be made aware of when choosing their accommodation. Overall the rooms were nice, but pricey. Make sure you carefully research what room category you are booking or you may be in for a surprise

Crowds - One of our issues with the Sheraton Maui is that the resort is so big that the common areas always seemed crowded. We talked about the pool being too small for the guests to enjoy. We just really find this problematic for a luxury resort. Also, because the Sheraton is on Ka'anapali Beach, the resort gets crowded with people "just visiting". It's not the resorts fault and they try to monitor the situation with things like wristbands, but that is a pain for the paying guests. I guess this is just part of the good/bad of being on beautiful Ka'anapali Beach.

Resort Information

Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa - [Link to Hotel Website]
2605 Ka'anapali Parkway
Lahaina | Maui, Hawaii 96761

Hotel Photos
Room Rates
Rooms and Suites
Special Offers

Resort Room Prices
When we travel, we always look for the best deal and do not mind traveling during the off season to get the lower prices. This means you may not get to travel at the optimal times based on Temperatures and Rainfall (see charts below). At The Sheraton Maui, the prices (rack rates) seem fairly consistent throughout the year, but during the Holiday season, prices at the Sheraton Maui increase (like most properties). We usually find prices higher in Maui (as well as all of Hawaii) during the summer months, but prices are dependent on occupancy rates. When we plan our trips, we usually assume higher prices in the summer months and try to avoid these and holiday periods, if possible.

Special Offers - Many times you can save some money by taking advantage of special offers from the resort. To see the latest packages that Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa is offering, please click the following link: Special Offers - Sheraton Maui.

Map of the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa

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Weather in Ka'anapali on Maui

Maui, like all of Hawaii, boasts an incredibly mild climate that makes it a popular year-round vacation destination. The Sheraton Maui is located on the leeward side of the island that is generally sunnier, warmer and drier than the rest of the island. The weather on this part of the island is the "best" in our opinion as you get less rain and wind than other parts of the island. This does not mean you won't get some wind and rain, but in general you tend to get the best weather at this location.

Maui is made up of numerous micro climates that allow for different weather on the same island. As we stated, Ka'anapali is located on the leeward side on the island that is warmer and drier. But with such diverse climates on the same island, you can be getting rain on the windward side of the island or in the West Maui Mountains, wind in the central valley and dry, calm weather in Ka'anapali. We mention this because many times if you look at a Maui forecast, you will see showers or clouds forecast for many days and you may think you will get rain the entire time you are on vacation. Just remember that there is usually rain, showers or clouds somewhere on Maui, so the forecast could call for this type of weather, but this does not necessarily mean you will get that weather at the Sheraton. Ka'anapali is one of the driest areas on the island and you have the best chance for sunshine at this location.

Click to See Larger Chart

Rainfall - Whenever we go on vacation, trying to avoid rain is always high on our list. My husband is especially fanatical about this. In Hawaii, you get the most rain in the winter months from November to March. The average rainfall around Ka'anapali is about 20 inches per year, so you have a good chance of getting dry weather on your visit to Maui. If you really want to avoid the chance of rain, the summer months offer the lowest rainfall of the year. It can cost more to travel during the high season summer months, but if you really want to avoid rain, this might be a good option.

Click to See Larger Chart

Temperature - The chart at the right shows the average temperatures for the Ka'anapali area. As you would expect the average temperatures (as well as the humidity) increase fairly significantly in the June-October time frame. The trade winds that blow from the northeast provide some relief from the heat, but it can still get fairly hot in the summer. During the winter months, it can get a little cooler in the evening and it's probably a good idea to bring a sweater or light jacket, especially if you are going to travel upcountry or to some of the higher elevations. Otherwise, sit back and be prepared to enjoy the magnificent Hawaiian weather. Don't forget your sunscreen.
P.S.: If you plan on traveling up to the Haleakala Crater, it can get downright cold even during the summer. The temperatures can reach the 40's during the day, so remember to dress accordingly!

Before you go to Maui, or anywhere in the Hawaiian Islands, it is always wise to keep a watch on the weather.

Check out the latest weather for Lahaina (very close to Ka'anapali) on Maui:

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar | Hurricane Center

Hurricanes are not common for the Hawaiian Islands. Still, it is always good to keep watch on the weather before you leave for your tropical vacation.

To check for storms around Hawaii and the Central Pacific, please click the following link : National Hurricane Center: Central Pacific.

Or check the Accuweather Hurricane Center

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