Spotlight's Maui Gold Magazine

Hundreds of years ago, Black Rock, where the Sheraton now stands, was the private home of Chief Kakaalaneo, who ruled West Maui. Today, the turquoise ocean around the rock is one of the best spots for snorkeling on Maui. The colorful reef fish here are tame and accustomed to visitors.

In fact, visitors are what Ka‘anapali is all about. Many of Maui's most elegant hotels sprawl along the three miles of golden beach that make up Ka‘anapali Beach Resort. Built in the mid 1960s, the resort is nestled at the foot of rolling canefields. On the "Ma Kai" (oceanside) of Highway 30 these fields turn into two magnificent 72-par golf courses, the Royal Ka‘anapali's North and South Courses. Here golfers can enjoy the velvety greens as they stroll beneath coconut palms along a winding stream, all set to a backdrop of the West Maui Mountains.

At the southern end of Ka‘anapali Beach is the $300 million Hyatt Regency Maui, inhabited by ornate tropical gardens, exotic birds and a two million-dollar Oriental art collection. A stroll along the beach from the Hyatt Regency past the Maui Marriott and the Westin Maui brings you to Whalers Village, which is a collection of exquisite shops and restaurants.

Over 50 diverse shops offer scrimshaw, art, shells, jewelry, casual or elegant fashions and exotic gifts and treasures. Four renowned eateries serve a variety of cuisines such as seafood, steaks, Mexican, continental, even ice cream and cookies. Of special interest is the FREE Whalers Village Museum. Combine all of this with a FREE spectacular hula show every Wednesday and Sunday at the Village's courtyard, and you won't want to miss this attraction.

From Whalers Village, a truly enjoyable activity is to walk barefoot along the beach past the Whaler, Ka‘anapali Beach Hotel and up over the Sheraton Black Rock to the northern beach of the Royal Lahaina. Here lie the ruins of the old Ka‘anapali Landing, abandoned just prior to World War II. This pier was once used to ship out tons of sugar from the Pioneer Mill which cultivated most of Ka‘anapali in cane fields.