There may only be one hotel on Molokai, however that’s not how it always was. Nestled among tall palm trees and an expansive empty beach is the home of another hotel, one that has seen better days.
The story of the Kaluakoi Resort is a torrid one. It was built as the Sheraton Molokai Hotel in 1975. However, after about ten years, it started to be the potato in a game of hot potato; it went through a number of owners over the course of the next 30 years. None were ever really able to complete the project and open the doors due to financial woes, water woes, and public opposition.
Some of the developments are still alive today, and some were sold and kept as private villas. However, these dilapidated hotel property standing next to the beautifully manicured lawns and properties of the private villas makes the abandoned buildings seem even more eerie.
It’s been hinted that it would be re-opened a number of times through the years, but it still sits empty and deteriorating today. However, for me, it’s a photographer’s dream – wandering through the old property and seeing the rust and chaos – a scene I always love to capture. You can’t get into any of the buildings (I tried halfheartedly), and there are people living right next door to them – so it’s hard to go unnoticed. But you can walk around the property and take a few pictures of the crumbling hotel buildings.
And this isn’t the only story of an abandoned property; I was told there are more Molokai hotels that met similar fates.
View the complete history of Kaluakoi Resort
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By jaymo June 11, 2015 - 9:22 am
Beautiful, haunting photos. Seems like it’d be a perfect film location for the right type of picture…
By Rosehillann June 28, 2015 - 4:46 pm
So Sad to see. I was married here in 1988, and it was beautiful. Eating in the restaurant and viewing the ocean. The day of our wedding we ran around and picked pink plumeria blossoms and made a lei. Said our vows under a pandanus tree. We sat on the beach and watched the sea. It was a magical time. Both of us love Molokai.
By Sherry June 28, 2015 - 5:35 pm
There are other parts of the resort/condos that are still in operation! It’s weird though as it’s right next to the abandoned areas too! Congrats on the vows!
By Heather June 11, 2015 - 8:30 pm
So creepy! Looking at your photos I can imagine that it’s haunted.
Maybe if it gets reopened they won’t change a thing, and it can be sold as a “Spend a night with ghosts!” type place. That would save on reno costs.
By Rob U June 13, 2015 - 6:26 pm
I stayed at the Kalaukoi in 1998. It felt remote and desolate then. In 2013 I went back and stayed at one of the condos next door and was amazed by how run down the now abandoned hotel is. To make it all the more surreal was that I was the only person so far as I could tell staying out there that night. Spooky.
That said I love the island of Molokai and encourage anyone going to Hawaii to visit.
By Zachary June 13, 2015 - 6:34 pm
Love your series on Molokai! My aunt used to keep a small condo in this small resort that you shot so beautifully and we went to visit it…
The waves crashing on the shore sounded like a train.
There was a kite store in town at that time. We bought one and flew it in an empty field in town. Spectacular place…
By Char June 28, 2015 - 3:29 pm
Big Wind Kite Factory still open and has beautiful island gifts as well…up in Maunaloa!
Lived at the resort 1997-2000 in one of the villas overlooking the Kai!! My heart breaks to see these pics of such ruin. Good job capturing the decay tho’…
By Selma June 13, 2015 - 7:38 pm
Utterly creepy … I especially loved the close up shot of the rusty lock and chain!
By Kelley June 14, 2015 - 6:48 pm
I’ve never stayed there bit I have visited the hotel when it was still open. It was beautiful!!! The lobby or main lodge was gorgeous with large couches. ?? I remember a piano. They had scheduled activities like bike riding etc. So sad to see it gone.
By Mary @ Green Global Travel June 19, 2015 - 1:36 pm
That is eerie indeed – abandoned settings make for some truly memorable sights.
By Donna June 28, 2015 - 3:54 pm
So sad. We stayed there several times and rented from a private owner. It was a beautiful place and really enjoyed being there.
By Sherry June 28, 2015 - 4:42 pm
Donna – this is just one section that is abandoned – HOWEVER – there are private owners that have kept up their condos and rent them out too. So it’s quite possible that the place where you stayed is still there and operating just as normal. This was a series of about 10 buildings that were off in one section that were ‘let go’. Hope that helps!
By Rita Rebekah Cronin June 28, 2015 - 5:10 pm
This is so sad to see………..I stayed there a couple of times and it was beautiful!!!!!
By Sherry June 28, 2015 - 5:35 pm
There are other parts of the resort/condos that are still in operation! This section though had clearly been ‘left behind’.
By Jan May 26, 2016 - 4:06 pm
My husband and I vacationed at the Sheraton Molokai in 1984. Played golf on their beautiful course, sunned by the lovely pool, had wonderful meals in the restaurant. Also took the mule ride down the mountain to Kalaupapa and the leper colony. Patients were still in residence there at the time. Have been looking at all my beautiful photographs from that visit and it is hard to believe the fate of the Sheraton Molokai resort – so very sad.
By Joe September 9, 2016 - 1:39 am
I was in Kaluapapa yesterday and there are still 7 patients in residence. The youngest is 77. I was at the abandoned hotel today and found this site trying to figure out what happened to the resort. Beautiful beach with monk seals laying on the beach near us.
By Sherry September 9, 2016 - 1:26 pm
How did you get to Kaluapapa – I heard the mules are no longer an option? Glad you found the abandoned hotel – I love places like that – and it’s so weird since it’s right among nice condos, etc AND that beautiful beach! Hope you liked Molokai!
By Birgit January 7, 2017 - 6:04 pm
Terrible to see these pictures.
I just watched old photos from 1978 and 1980 when I stayed at the sheraton with my parents – I was a teenager by then. I remember the body surfers down in the ocean … the sunset from the terrase … it was gorgeous .. I thought I could revisit with my husband …. but that’s too sad ….
By Diane January 15, 2017 - 2:08 pm
I am currently staying at the property in question. Fortunately, at a very nice unit. Though I read about the abandoned buildings, etc. prior to booking me trip here, it didn’t prepare me for the number of buildings and proximity to units that had been renovated right next to abandoned eyesores. I seriously wonder about vermin because the complete lack of care is evident. It is such a shame. The beaches are beautiful. Even if the abandoned buildings could be tore down and those that are being cared for remained it would be so much better. I spoke with numerous people; locals as well as owners, and I got different thoughts as to why the property remains in limbo. For me, the natural beauty here far outweighs the state of the buildings, but most definitely something should be done. As a hardworking person who worked very hard to take this trip, I wonder about the possibility of just a good cleaning up around these buildings. I saw workers out trimming bushes but never bothered to pick up the clippings?!?! Dry fallen coconut tree fronds laying in walkways. My point being, even if nothing can be down with the buildings at this point, some TLC could be done to preserve what is left!
By Sherry February 11, 2017 - 3:41 pm
THanks for the update Diane, sad that they are still in disrepair.
By Roberta Murphy February 8, 2017 - 9:52 pm
My husband and I were married on the ninth green of the golf course at sunset in 1982–and the hotel served us a pineapple upside down cake for the wedding ceremony. To see these photos now is a heartbreak!
By Sherry February 11, 2017 - 3:29 pm
Yes – it is sad to see it so rundown. But maybe someone will do something with it yet some day!
By Kurt Gubitz February 22, 2017 - 5:49 pm
Visited the place twice. Enjoyed it. Remember a very small dark painted pool, good Hawaiian burger and a nice kidney shaped Jacuzzi behind some units.
No one wants to say it, but it is the locals who never want this property to succeed.
By B Stephens March 8, 2017 - 10:11 pm
I was pregnant with my son who will be turning 30 in a few days when my husband and I went to the Sheraton Molokai we had a lovely trip the staff was so accommodating and took special care of me. As my husband has passed I always wanted to take my son back to that beautiful spot, I guess it wasn’t meant to be. So sad!
By Patti Miller March 26, 2017 - 5:03 am
I am staying on the property in a renovated unit of one of the buildings that remained open and is privately owned. The closed villas, one of which is right behind us which we walk past to get to our rental vehicle, is both sad and haunting. Drapes blow out of broken windows and closed gates with Keep Out signs block broken stair cases. Why these buildings cannot be repaired and units sold is difficult to understand. Surely there must be a local municipal government of some sort that could ensure these buildings are brought back to life, and enjoyed by both locals and those who appreciate the remote, natural beauty which is west Molokai. Even the present owners would gain as their monthly maintenance fees would go down with the abandoned villas renovated and put to use once more. The company who bought them and closed them should lose them due to neglect. Islanders should have the first opportunity to buy them, fix them and enjoy them or rent out.
By Karen April 29, 2017 - 12:16 am
My husband Micheal was part of the crew that did the site preparation. He stayed there and lived a with a local family. Auntie Harriet and Kaiama. Auntie was 80 and he would take her to the Pau Hana Inn to disco dance. It was hard to come back to the mainland lol!
By Sherry April 29, 2017 - 5:25 pm
What a lovely memory! The residents in Molokai are lovely and welcoming!
By Vonnie Maron May 1, 2017 - 2:28 pm
We stayed at the hotel in 1984, took kayaks from the beach owned activity to a nearby deserted beach, amazing, tool exercise classes, played golf, n so much more. A paradise to be remembered! Vonnie n Bob Maron
By Sherry May 1, 2017 - 10:23 pm
What a lovely memory! It seems like many people had fond memories of the place, it’s just so sad that it fallen into shambles.
By Robert Kalaghan May 28, 2017 - 5:40 pm
Stayed in one of the small freestanding cottages closest to the surf in mid 1990s.
BBQ GRILLE outside with an uninterrupted vista to the roaring surf. The surf at night was indeed like a locomotive ! Ocean froth and mist shooting up onto the air….just beautiful and one of THE most romantic yet simple (by resort standards) weeks of my life.
Swimming in the surf a mile up the beach….and our Footprints were the only ones on that entire stretch of sand.. Straight out of a movie ! Will never forget the spot or the person that was there with me. Marvelous and memorable!
By Nadine Cazeneuve July 9, 2017 - 11:17 am
I’m so sad I spent with my husband a few weeks there in 1979 and I promise myself to come back to the wonderful place it was.
How could this happened,I can’t believe it.
By Patrick Julien September 9, 2017 - 10:36 pm
My wife and I stayed st the Sheraton Molokai right after it opened it was really beautiful then great location, hard to believe looking at it now.
By Jennifer Young October 25, 2017 - 7:18 am
I got married there in January 2005 on the beach. I swear there was an infinity pool then and a restaurant. The beach was gorgeous but the surf was rough. We took the mules to visit the Leper colony. Then spent the rest of the week at the Hotel Molokai on the East End. I remember the bakery and the peaceful beauty.
By Julian November 14, 2017 - 8:34 pm
I stayed there in must have been 1980 with my parents. I am fifty now and my wife wants me to take her to the Islands some time in the next few years.
Shame this place didn’t survive. It was quite magical.
I have a fair few photos around (if I can find them).
By Sherry November 21, 2017 - 7:11 pm
Yes – it is a shame what has happened to it. It actually hurt to look at it – especially with perfectly nice condos next to it!
By Denise Kobayashi January 23, 2018 - 2:13 am
I am here vacationing. It is my second stay in 14 months. I have been to all the Hawaiian Islands for a total of 22 times. Molokai is magical, and the Kepuhi Bay Resort as it is now called is awesome. The buildings which are abandoned were hotel rooms belonging to the hotel chain. The condos, 1, 2 bedrooms and studios, were purchased which is why they are still in use. They have left the dilapidated buildings in hopes that one day a new owner will rebuild on these spots. If they are torn down, new regulations will not allow all of them to exist. The condos are well kept up by security and landscapers etc. Luv it here.
By Mary June 24, 2018 - 3:51 pm
Does anyone know if the 9 hole golf course is open? Visiting Molokai this November and looking for things to do!
By Linda Sorem July 25, 2018 - 1:28 pm
The golf course is closed but Ironwoods is still open..was up there yesterday
By Gayle Tantau August 12, 2018 - 9:58 pm
I stayed in a condo with a friend in 1989 for s week. Really beautiful. We ate at restaurant every night. Saw a few mice. Good drinks and food. Lovely little pool. Beach basically empty. Major undertows. Hard to get out of the water and on to the beach. There was a story that two nuns were swimming but never came back. Creepy. I got terribly sick the night before flying home. Other than that a good experience. We stayed for 10 days. A few days too long. The golf course was already closed.
By Sherry August 13, 2018 - 4:17 am
Glad you enjoyed it!
By Gayle Tantau August 13, 2018 - 11:00 am
Why don’t they tear down to the abandoned condos? Must attract lots of rats. I was there in the mid 90’s not 80’s. Got terribly sick the last day I was there. Food poisoning maybe.
By Bill Hoffman October 12, 2018 - 2:31 pm
So sad as others have said. We discovered Kaluakoi in 1988 and had been there 4 more times over the years but it really went downhill from 1998 til 2000; the last time I visited. I always enjoyed talking with Diane who served breakfast in the restaurant overlooking the ocean and if it was a clear day you could see Hawaii Kai on Oahu 30 miles away. The staff was always friendly
In its heyday, the resort and food were FANTASTIC and the reasonably priced golf course was a jewel to play. Also, I used to enjoy going out and jogging the front 9 as the sun was rising avoiding the sprinklers. Beautiful sunsets also.
Sherry: Thanks for these pictures. So many great memories here. A truly special place for me.
By Sherry October 14, 2018 - 3:08 pm
So glad you could remember it in it’s heyday!
By MuskOx Queen November 25, 2018 - 8:59 pm
Funny, staying on the property RIGHT NOW ! Second trip here in three years and couldn’t love it more. Nobody by the pool, the surf breaking nearby, and locals playing on the beach. This is not sad – it’s bliss for those of us who hate what the other islands of Hawaii have become – tourist traps!!
By Sherry November 26, 2018 - 12:38 pm
So glad you are enjoying the quiet of Molokai!
By Bruce J Dickinson November 26, 2018 - 1:51 pm
I never stayed at the Sheraton, but played many rounds of golf a this beautiful course (lots of wild turkeys running around). New the owner of The Friendly Market in town and played with him and his gang of buddies many times. Very fond memories, very sad about the property.
By Lorna Cassano January 12, 2020 - 3:03 pm
I can’t believe these photos of the Kaluakoi Resort. My husband and I stayed here for a week in September 1994. The resort was beautiful. We arrived on a commuter plane from Honolulu, leaving around 4 pm after arriving on a flight from Toronto. I had never been on such a small plane! The flight to Molokai over the ocean was breathtaking, although dusk was imminent.
After we arrived in Molokai, the two Japanese pilots got back in the plane and took off. I watched it vanish into sky. I think my husband and I were the only ones at the small, quiet airport. It was a Sunday around 6 pm. and getting dark out. Not a soul around. We had phoned the resort from a payphone in the admin. building. We waited. Finally an expensive black SUV pulled up and a Hawaiian lady drove us to the resort. By then it was nighttime. We entered the resort and I saw a beautiful garden lit with spotlights, a beautiful lobby, so tropical, with small intimate walkways around the main Polynesian-type buildings. It was overgrown, wild, fragrant and colourful even in the semi-darkness. I could make out a curvy pool with palm trees. But oh! The restaurant! A large open air dining room with a bar, all done in dark wood, with tiki torches on the decks, which were just over the Pacific Ocean. A gentleman was strumming a Hawaiian guitar and singing. A location even Hollywood would have envied! We were given an unforgettable dinner of angel hair pasta and hibachi beef. The next day we rented a red mustang convertible and toured the island… thankfully I still have my photographs and souveniers. How on earth did this resort fall into ruin? How on earth did this happen? What is the future??
By Pat Anderson February 23, 2020 - 2:03 pm
I worked in the Sheraton Neighbor Island Sales office when our new Molokai property first opened in 1975! It was a gorgeous property!
Yearning to head home to the islands, I mentioned this beautiful hotel to my husband and found this! Sadness doesn’t come close
to describing what I’m feeling, at this moment, after seeing pictures of the fate of this resort. All that is left are memories of what was
and the amazing and wonderful people I worked with so many years ago. Heartbreaking!
By Herb VanHook December 15, 2020 - 11:58 am
Sherry – I just came across this post, and wanted to thank you for the photos! I stayed at the Sheraton there in December 1981 and had a wonderful time on Molokai. The long beach there was phenomenal, took the mule ride down, went all over the island. Molokai is a unique and beautiful place. Thanks for triggering some fond memories!
By Sherry December 19, 2020 - 11:56 am
Glad you enjoyed it Herb and it brought back good memories!
By Dennis and Rhonda May 27, 2021 - 2:16 pm
My wife and I just returned home a few days ago from Kepuhi Beach Resort. We stayed in a beautiful, well-maintained private unit. We loved our time there… our third trip to Molokai. Hope to return next year or at least soon. Molokai is completely different than all the other islands. I say, “Viva la difference!”
By John Livezey June 22, 2021 - 3:24 am
I stayed here when I was 7 yrs old with my parents in 1977 I believe. I met a Japanese friend at the pool, Tomo. Neither of us spoke each other’s language, but it didn’t matter. We swam and played as the best of friends. I have long thought of him and our brief, yet special friendship. So sad to hear The Sheraton Molokai history and current state. I will always have fond memories.
By Teresa July 26, 2021 - 4:13 pm
I am staying here as of right now. My friend has rented one of the lofts .there are some abandoned condos which it is odd but i haven’t seen a ghost yet! Very peaceful and quite unfortunately the island is in a drought so the lush greenery is struggling A Beautiful place to get away!
By Sherry August 29, 2021 - 1:42 pm
Cool – glad you didn’t have any ghost encounters!
By Timothy Kirol December 10, 2021 - 6:47 pm
Would anyone like to share photos online of the resort in its heyday? Lobby area restaurant? Etc. As a history major and flight attendant I am intrigued of travel industry history. My late wife Barbara Anderson kirol and I have stayed in the condo rentals almost every year from early 2000 s to 2016 and have fond memories with Barbara at kaluakoi.
Thank you!
Timothy Kirol
By Sherry April 24, 2022 - 12:48 pm
That would be cool to see!
By Monica January 10, 2022 - 2:42 am
I stayed at the Sheraton Kaluakoi Resort over the Christmas Holiday in 1987, with my parents and brother who met me from Italy (at the time I was a sophomore at University of Oregon). It was absolutely beautiful and seeing these photos makes me really sad. We had a wonderful holiday, the resort seemed well run and had fun making lei’s and enjoying the pool and beaches. Saw the leprosy colony from high above. Celebrated New Year’s Eve and a huge thunderstorm cut off power to the resort momentarily…we flew to Maui one day and it definitely had a different vibe, even then…though my brother and I would have definitely preferred staying on Maui!!
I’ve returned to Hawaii many times since and wondered what happened to this beautiful property. On one hand it’s nice to have a completely undeveloped island…but it’s sad to see this place so run down-though with some developed villas next door…America!
By Chris Turck January 14, 2022 - 3:31 am
My wife and I have stayed at Ke Nani Kai condos several times back in the 90s when the hotel, restaurant and golf course were still operational. We always had a great time and have lots of fond memories. Now we are thinking to come back with our kids (23 and 20 years old). Learning about the abandoned hotel and its amenities I am having second thoughts whether to stay in that part of Molokai. Can anyone comment on the Kaluakoi condos that are apparently in the former hotel area? As long as the condos and pool are well kept I may consider them for our stay (2191 and 2244). Any other advice would be much appreciated! Chris
By Shelley Seale July 7, 2022 - 12:23 pm
We are actually here now!! Keith and I are doing a home exchange and staying in one of the condos. The two buildings right next to ours (plus many more around the property” are abandoned as you’ve captured, with Keep Out signs. So weird.
By Sherry July 27, 2022 - 1:16 pm
That is crazy! How do you like Molokai?
By Chip Edwards May 23, 2023 - 1:47 am
My wife and I spent about five honeymoon nights in April 1981 at the Sheraton Molokai. We had reservations at the Sheraton Maui but due to a hurricane, the Sheraton Maui was closed due to storm damage. We flew in a twin engine Cessna from Honolulu and got a ride in a very old taxi from Molokai airport to the Sheraton. Fond memories to be sure!
By Michael August 18, 2023 - 10:23 pm
My father passed away at age 62 in September of 1995. I told my wife, once everything had been taken care of and it was appropriate to do so, I’d like to go to a fairly quiet place to gather my thoughts and try to move on. We determined that Molokai, and specifically the Kaluakoi Resort, would be the best fit. We reserved an 8 day stay, and in late April of 1996 visited the resort. What a perfect place! Nary a tourist to be found, wonderful people, and soul-fulfilling. The golf course was awe-inspiring, still one of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever played. The golf shop gave us the cart for the day and just said to bring it back before the sun goes down. The restaurant was wonderful; they served a “Molokai Mule”, a particularly strong drink. My wife had one (maybe two) and we walked back to our room in the moonlight, hand in hand (I always think of this when I hear “Love and Honesty” by the Brothers Cazimero). . I warned her of the bullfrogs that inhabited the shortcut she wanted to talk across the lawn, but she was emboldened…until one of the frogs literally jumped right into her lap. There were many critters, including an unexpected roommate, a gecko, who inhabited our shower. Good luck, they say, so we all got along quite well. One afternoon we drove into one of the towns and somehow found a bottle of my wife’s favorite champagne. We drank it at sunset, along with (at least on my part) perhaps another Molokai Mule or so, that evening, and toasted my Dad, my best friend. I proceeded to try to hit the cork onto the 18th green from our patio with my wedge that evening. The next morning, my wife asked me for the cork so she could save it in a shadow box with a photo. I quietly went outside to start my search, to no avail. Molokai, and this resort, will always hold a special place in my heart for the healing it provided during a very difficult time. In fact, we are blessed with a daughter (our only child) which I attribute to a great degree to our visit to this magical, mystical island. Thank you for rekindling the memories.
By Robert Sawyer March 20, 2024 - 11:15 am
Stayed there in ‘76 when I was a teenager. my mother was a travel agent. We stayed at Hilton Hawaiian village first then the Sheraton Molokai.
It was lovely at that time but couldn’t get into the ocean because of such large waves. Only locals surfing.
Fond memories though.