The Ghostly Tales of Kona Sheraton: Hauntings on the Big Island on Hawaii

Thought to be struck by an ancient curse because they didn’t respect the holy locations around the hotel when building, the Kona Sheraton Resort was believed to be haunted from the start. Strange occurrences and unexplained accidents and injuries plagued the Big Island hotel for years. After making amends, can they now invite guest back?

On the coastline of the Big Island in Hawaii, Keauhou Bay sits glittering. It is here we find the Kona Sheraton, a luxurious resort that offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and a relaxing tropical escape. However, behind its serene facade, the Kona Sheraton hides a darker, more mysterious side.

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For years, guests and staff alike have shared eerie stories of paranormal encounters, making this hotel one of the most haunted locations on the Big Island. Some even go as far to say that the hotel holds a curse from more ancient times.

Thought to be struck by an ancient curse because they didn't respect the holy locations around the hotel when building, the Kona Sheraton Resort was believed to be haunted from the start. Strange occurrences and unexplained accidents and injuries plagued the Big Island hotel for years. After making amends, can they now invite guest back? — *Kailua Kona*

A Haunted History for the Kona Sheraton

The Kona Sheraton or the Kona Surf hotel, as it was once known as, has undergone multiple transformations and renovations throughout its history. It opened in 1974 and has ever since been deemed haunted.

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Despite its changing exterior and updated amenities, one thing has remained constant—the ghostly tales that have haunted the hotel for decades. The resort stands on an ancient Hawaiian battleground, a site where many warriors are said to have lost their lives in brutal conflicts and that the very land is cursed because of it.

The Keawehala Pond

When constructing the hotel, the developers destroyed the Keawehala Pond where people believed two twin sisters with powers lived close to the Mākole‘ā Heiau. This was a women’s heiau named after ali‘i wahine Mākole‘ā at Keauhou.

According to the lore, the twins protected the pond and kept the water clear and fresh. They were also said to be able to change into 30-foot lizards people called mo’o wahine or “beings from deified fetuses”.

Most of the Mo’o were female and amphibious creatures living in ponds around the Hawaiian islands and were often said to have power of water as well as weather. It was said that when a mo’o died, the body of the lizard, gecko or even human shaped creatures became petrified and one with the landscape.

According to lore, the Mo’o Twins were also said to reside in the nearby Punawai Spring.

The Haunted Remains of the Heiaus

As well as destroying the pond, the nearby heiaus temples were filled with concrete, glass and disturbed by the construction, thought to anger the spirits. For a long time, it looked like a pile of rocks without meaning, but this has luckily changed as there have been restoration done to the holy site in the last decades.

At the site there is a temple known as luakini, a place for human sacrifices according to the stories. The structure was built of volcanic rocks and stood 7-feet high. The luakini was called Ke’eku Heiau and is thought to date back to the early 1400s after carbon dating it.

This was where the Maui chief, Kamalalawalu was sacrificed to the war God Ku around the 16th century after he invaded the place and lost. He was the first-born son of Kiha-a-Pi‘ilani, Kamalalawalu succeeded his father as mo‘i (king) of Maui. Some say that he was impaled on the heiau and eleven days went by before he died, and then taken to a nearby flat rock and butchered. Some say that the body was then towed to sea behind a canoe as shark food. It is said that his spirit as well as many others are still lingering in the place.

As well as the king himself, it is said that his two big dogs died and were buried under the heiau luakini platform as well, howling and roaming around, searching for the underworld as well as their master.

This blood-soaked history may explain the strange, supernatural occurrences reported by those who stay and work at the hotel.

Paranormal Activity Rooted in History

Given the hotel’s location on an ancient battleground, it is not surprising that the Kona Sheraton is a hotspot for paranormal activity. The restless spirits of warriors who perished in fierce battles, their souls still wandering in search of peace, are said to roam the grounds.

The tragic history of the land seems to seep into every corner of the resort, with visitors and staff experiencing unexplained phenomena, from flickering lights to sudden drops in temperature and even a sense of being watched.

Ghostly Children in the Hallways

One of the most common complaints from guests involves the sound of little girls playing noisily in the hallways late at night. Frustrated by the sounds of laughter, giggles, and tiny footsteps echoing through the halls, guests frequently call down to security, demanding that the children be quieted. However, the hotel guards can only offer an apology and an explanation that chills guests to the bone—the children are ghosts.

These spectral children are said to be seen fleetingly, dressed in old-fashioned clothing, their faces partially obscured by the dim lighting of the hallway. They vanish around corners and dissolve into thin air when approached. Despite numerous sightings, their origins remain a mystery, but many believe they could be spirits of children from a bygone era who met a tragic fate on the grounds long before the hotel was built.

The Cliffside Specter

Another ghostly presence frequently spotted at the Kona Sheraton is the apparition of a figure standing at the edge of the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Staff members report seeing a shadowy silhouette lingering near the edge, as if contemplating the deep blue waters below. The figure disappears the moment one looks away or tries to approach, leaving no trace behind. Some believe this could be the spirit of a warrior or a former guest, eternally bound to the cliffs where they may have met their end.

The cliffs themselves, with their dramatic drop-offs and sweeping views, hold a deep spiritual significance in Hawaiian culture. Some speculate that the spirit could be one of the many who lost their lives on these cliffs in ancient times or perhaps a ghost still drawn to the natural beauty and solemnity of the place.

The Accidents at the Kona Sheraton

Throughout its time as a hotel, the spirits are said to have been behind more than one accident. Construction workers experienced strange things and accidents that gave them concussions, fractured bones and hurt them. People started to blame spirits.

The hotel staff were attacked by trays and dishes shattering towards them by an unseen force and the doors kept slamming behind them, almost like a warning. According to former employees, most of them left because of the hauntings.

The worst thing that happened was when an 8-foot wooden ki’i fell over and killed a 4 year old child in August 1986 according to the ghost tours that had this as one of their stops.

All of this contributed to the hotel’s reputation and the hotel closed in 1988. But even though the hotel closed down and was abandoned, there were still things happening according to the security staff.

The Following Haunting

For years it was abandoned and boarded up, the former resort now covered in graffiti. In 2002 when people started to think the only way to deal with it was to demolish it.

Security guards hired to watch the property when the 462-room hotel closed in 1988 were frightened at night, said Joe Castelli, who lives at the neighboring Keauhou Kona Tennis and Racquet Club.

“They told me that they would see lights up there and hear Hawaiians singing and talking,” Castelli said. “…But when they got there, they didn’t find anything. So they said they just didn’t go anymore.”
Source

In addition, the haunting seemed to move as well to the Keauhou Beach Hotel next door. The former hotels are both demolished now, first the Kona Lagoon Hotel in 2004, then the Keauhou Beach Hotel in 2019. But what happened to the haunting then?

Today the area has been reclaimed and the site is now called Kahalu’u Ma Kai. Kahuna priests have blessed the land and the heiaus have been restored and recreated back in 2007. Only teachers and students can see the place today, and if these measures have had any effect is still to be seen.

A Chilling Invitation

The Kona Sheraton on the Big Island may have offered luxury and relaxation, and perhaps it will do so again. After it reopened as OUTRIGGER Kona Resort & Spa, it remains to see if the land is now content after the blessings or if the haunting will continue as a new business takes over the land yet again.

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