Haunted Ka‘anapali Beach Hotel
Haunted Ka‘anapali Beach Hotel
Imagine a high-rise hotel cloaked in darkness during a power outage—an eerie setting that seems to stir up thoughts of the supernatural. According to a newspaper story from 1980, this was precisely the atmosphere at the Ka‘anapali Beach Hotel when the ghost of Ka‘anapali reportedly made an appearance.
The assistant manager of the hotel admitted that he had never personally encountered a ghost, but he recounted an unsettling incident from the previous year. A night utility worker had fainted after entering a so-called 'dead spot' in the hotel, a place where he felt an unnerving 'cold presence.' This chilling experience was just one in a series of ghostly encounters reported by the hotel's staff.
Employees at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, who had been working there for some time, began to notice peculiar occurrences, mostly during the night. They believed that the ghosts seemed to favor certain areas: near the entrance to the kitchen and a secluded corner of an empty dining room that had once been a disco. The area’s transformation did little to diminish its eerie reputation.
One kitchen worker recalled a particularly frightening experience while stacking cups. She suddenly felt what she described as cold hands touching her back, leaving her deeply unsettled. Another night worker reported hearing the faint, rhythmic beat of drums playing in the dead of night, a sound that seemed to have no source.
The hauntings extended beyond the kitchen. One night, a member of the front desk crew decided to unwind by playing the piano stored in the dining room. He placed his walkie-talkie and a duffel bag on top of the piano and began to play the soothing tune of "Kanaka Wai Wai." As he played, the walkie-talkie inexplicably jumped off the piano. He dismissed it as a result of the vibrations from the music, but then the duffel bag fell to the floor with a thud.
The situation escalated when a chandelier behind him suddenly crashed to the ground. Terrified, the man rushed to the kitchen, where a utility worker, noticing his distressed state, remarked, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” The comment, though meant to be lighthearted, captured the pervasive sense of unease that seemed to hang over the hotel.
Beyond haunted Honolulu
The Kaʻanapali Beach Resort may be paradise by day, but after dark it reveals a chilling side of haunted Hawaii. These tales are just the beginning—walk through the haunted streets of supernatural Honolulu with our immersive Honolulu ghost tours. From legendary night marchers to the haunted ‘Iolani Palace and the most haunted hotel in Hawaii, we uncover the real stories behind the most haunted places in Hawaii. If you're ready to experience supernatural Hawaii for yourself, don’t wait!