#10 in Top 20 Maui for A Family Holiday · ★★★★
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 Kaanapali Sheraton Maui, Black Rock cliff diving, the working West Maui Marriott anchor."
Why this rank, Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa opened in 1963 on Kaanapali Beach at the working Black Rock cliff (the property's signature cliff-diving ceremony runs at sunset, the working West Maui sunset programme). The Marriott Sheraton brand has operated the property since the 1998 brand acquisition. 508 rooms and suites; the Royal Suite, the Sheraton Suite, and the multi-bedroom Family Suite are the property's signature accommodations. The 142-foot waterslide at the working family-resort pool deck and the property's Black Rock cliff-diving ceremony are the property's working family-resort signatures. The Spa at Black Rock runs the wellness programme. The Kaanapali Beach position alongside the Hyatt Regency and Westin Maui produces the working Kaanapali resort cluster; the Black Rock cliff position is the structural difference from the other Kaanapali properties. The Marriott Bonvoy points-earning at the Sheraton tier suits the Bonvoy-aligned traveller. Best for the Kaanapali family-resort stay at the working Black Rock position.
Best room: Royal Suite, ocean view
"Black Rock cliff dive ceremony at sunset, Hawaiian cultural family experience."
Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa sits at the north end of Ka'anapali Beach, the property occupies Pu'u Keka'a (Black Rock), the volcanic-rock promontory that is the most-significant cultural site on the western coast and the location of the daily Cliff Dive Ceremony at sunset. Five hundred and eight rooms across the property, with the working family infrastructure built around the 142-foot Black Rock cliff dive ceremony, every evening at sunset, a torch-lit Hawaiian-cultural performance ends with a single male diver running across Black Rock and diving 50+ feet into the ocean. The ceremony is the working cultural centerpiece of the Ka'anapali family week and is the only daily-recurring Hawaiian-cultural programme of its kind on Maui. The Sheraton's snorkel-from-Black-Rock access is the strongest family-snorkel position on Ka'anapali Beach, the protected reef on the north side of Black Rock holds the most-diverse fish population on the western coast. Keiki Aloha (the kids' club) runs the daily programme; the in-house Cliff Dive Grill and the Lagoon Pool with the children's-feature waterfall are the working family-day spaces. Sheraton Maui is the right pick for the family holiday where the Hawaiian-cultural dimension and the snorkel-from-Black-Rock asset are the working centerpieces.
Black Rock Two-Bedroom Suite (the family-of-four flagship) or Lagoon View Room for the entry-level family option.
Watch the Cliff Dive Ceremony every night at sunset, book a beach-side dinner for the ceremony view. Snorkel from the north side of Black Rock at 7am-9am for the strongest reef-fish encounters. Keiki Aloha kids' club daily.
Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa sits within our broader Top 20 Hotels in Maui for a Family Holiday list. It scored an aggregate 9.5/10 across the three editorial criteria, competitive against the field but, on a family holiday-specific factors, the angle above is what earned its rank. For the alternatives in the same Maui neighbourhood, see Ka'anapali, west coast and adjacent. For a different city entirely, see the related lists below.
If you have already chosen the dates, our editor recommends booking the room twelve weeks ahead. The best suites with the right view orientation go first, and inventory for the popular months is quoted in months, not weeks. Suite-level rooms with private plunge pools or terraces, the ones that earn this rank, are typically the first to sell out.
Editorial · #20 on the Top 20 Hotels in Hawaii 2026 list
Sheraton Maui Resort's case for the Hawaii stay is the Black Rock cliff-diving ceremony combined with the Kaanapali Beach Marriott Sheraton position. The 1963 property is the working West Maui Sheraton family-resort property at the working Black Rock cliff.
The 508 rooms and suites include the Royal Suite, the Sheraton Suite, and the multi-bedroom Family Suite.
The 142-foot waterslide at the working family-resort pool deck and the property's Black Rock cliff-diving ceremony (the sunset cliff-diving ritual that runs daily at sunset, the working West Maui sunset programme) are the property's working family-resort signatures. The Spa at Black Rock runs the wellness programme. The Kaanapali Beach position alongside the Hyatt Regency and Westin Maui produces the working Kaanapali resort cluster; the Black Rock cliff position is the structural difference from the other Kaanapali properties. The Marriott Bonvoy points-earning at the Sheraton tier suits the Bonvoy-aligned traveller. The lower entry rate (USD 450/night) combined with the Black Rock signature programme produces the working entry-level West Maui Kaanapali family-resort stay. Best for the Kaanapali family-resort stay at the working Black Rock position.