#20 in Top 20 Hotels in Hawaii · ★★★★
Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa
Black Rock cliff dive ceremony at sunset, Hawaiian cultural family experience.
Black Rock cliff dive ceremony at sunset, Hawaiian cultural family experience.
"The Ka'anapali resort built on Black Rock, where the nightly cliff-dive ceremony and the reef snorkel are the draw."
Why this rank: Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa opened in 1963 at the north end of Ka'anapali Beach, occupying Pu'u Keka'a (Black Rock). Its nightly torch-lighting and cliff-dive ceremony, a ritual the resort has run since it first opened, is the difference from the neighbouring Hyatt Regency and Westin Maui. The 508 rooms and suites carry Marriott Bonvoy benefits, useful for points-focused travellers. A 142-yard lagoon-style pool with a lazy river winds around the Cliff Dive Grill, and the protected reef on the north side of Black Rock is among the best shore-snorkel entries on the beach. The Spa at Black Rock handles wellness. The honest trade-off is scale: at 508 rooms it is a large, busy resort, and the older tower rooms trail the renovated categories. Best for a Ka'anapali stay built around the cliff-dive ceremony and the reef.
Best room: Royal Suite, ocean view
"Black Rock cliff dive ceremony at sunset, Hawaiian cultural family experience."
Sheraton Maui sits at the north end of Ka'anapali Beach, occupying Pu'u Keka'a (Black Rock), the volcanic promontory that is one of the most culturally significant sites on Maui's west coast and the stage for the nightly Cliff Dive Ceremony. Each evening a torch-lit performance ends with a diver running the length of Black Rock and leaping from the promontory into the sea, a ritual the resort has run since it opened in 1963. The bigger everyday draw is the snorkeling: the protected reef on the north side of Black Rock is among the best shore-entry snorkel spots on Ka'anapali, with reliable fish life a few fin-kicks from the sand. Across 508 rooms and suites, the resort layers a 142-yard lagoon-style pool with a lazy river, the Cliff Dive Grill, the Spa at Black Rock and a daily Keiki Aloha kids' programme. The honest trade-off is scale and age: it is a large, busy property and the older tower rooms trail the renovated categories, so request a refreshed ocean-view category. Best for a stay built around the cliff-dive ritual and the reef rather than quiet seclusion.
An ocean-view room in a renovated category is the one to book for the Black Rock and sunset outlook; a lagoon- or partial-view room is the value entry point.
Watch the Cliff Dive Ceremony at sunset and book a beach-side table for the view. Snorkel the north side of Black Rock between 7am and 9am, before the wind and crowds, for the clearest water and the most reef fish. Keiki Aloha runs daily if you have children along.
Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa sits at #20 within our broader Top 20 Hotels in Hawaii list. It scored an aggregate 9.5/10 across the three editorial criteria, competitive against the field, but it is the Black Rock cliff-dive ceremony and the reef-snorkel access above that earned its rank. For nearby alternatives on Ka'anapali and the west coast, and other islands, see the related lists below.
Have firm dates? Our editor's advice is to book roughly twelve weeks ahead. The renovated ocean-view rooms disappear earliest, and high-season inventory moves on a timescale of months, not weeks, so lock the category that fits before anything else.
Editorial · #20 on the Top 20 Hotels in Hawaii 2026 list
Sheraton Maui's case for a Hawaii stay rests on its setting: it is built on Pu'u Keka'a (Black Rock) at the north end of Ka'anapali Beach, and the nightly torch-lighting and cliff-dive ceremony, running since the resort opened in 1963, is the difference from the neighbouring Hyatt Regency and Westin Maui.
The 508 rooms and suites carry Marriott Bonvoy benefits, which is the practical pull for points-focused travellers.
Day to day, the bigger draw is the water. A 142-yard lagoon-style pool with a lazy river threads around the Cliff Dive Grill, and the protected reef on the north side of Black Rock is among the best shore-snorkel entries on Ka'anapali. The Spa at Black Rock handles wellness and Keiki Aloha runs a daily kids' programme. The honest trade-off is scale and age: at 508 rooms this is a large, busy resort, the older tower categories trail the renovated rooms, and rates sit toward the accessible end for Ka'anapali rather than the luxury top. Best for a stay built around the cliff-dive ceremony and the reef.
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