Kaanapali is a popular beach lined with hotels. Kaanapali is in Lahaina town on the south side of Maui. It is a wide sandy beach that stretches for a mile. We like to start at the Sheraton Hotel. Park here and by sure to validate your ticket at the restaurant or deck side bar. The Sheraton overlooks Black Rock which is one of the "jumping off" places on Maui where souls jump off into the setting sun when they are leaving this world. This is a very auspicious place.
We start at Sheraton Hotel and then walk the length of the beach, passing many hotels on the way. We start in the late afternoon so we can return to the Sheraton / Black Rock in time for the sunset ceremony when the Black Rock divers carry torches across the rock and then jump into the ocean.
Another great option is to start at Sheraton at sunset for the Black Rock jumping off ceremony and walk down the beach to the Hilton for dinner. The Hilton has an amazing collection of Asian art within the hotel and throughout the grounds. Be sure to walk around and experience these carefully designed spaces and get inspired. As you walk back along the beach to return to the Sheraton, keep an eye on the ocean, you may get lucky and see a school of fluorescent plankton gently floating and lighting up the sea. When I first saw these floating, glowing orbs undulating just beneath the water it reminded me of the movie The Abyss with its shining, otherworldly, beneficent beings.
At Christmas time you will see many large decorated trees. Hawaii loves Christmas!
