i'll be the first of many that will take the sheraton,much better hotel,beach,snorkeling,pool area,and if you are like 90%(it seems) of the people that review/stay at the sheraton you'll get a oceanfront upgrade,cant beat that.

Everyone on this site will say the Sheraton I am sure.

There is no comparison- I've only stayed at the Sheraton, but saw the Royal Lahaina from the beach. They are in totally different classes. We did the Sheraton for our wedding and it was WONDERFUL! Highly recommend it.

The Sheraton! No contest.

We stayed at the Royal Lahaina for a friends wedding in 2004, and it was gross. It really needed the renovation. We had an oceanfront room, with a great view, but the parking was pretty far off from the lobby, there was black mold on the walls, ceilings and some furniture, the bed had a big indent in the middle, and stains (big ones 2'-4' each) were all over the carpets. Yuck.

Only having driven by the exterior, I'd pick the Sheraton hands down. I'm sure the RL looks good now, but my fiance and I still joke about "how about staying at the Royal Hawaiian next time??". The food wasn't that good, the drinks were either watered down or WAY WAY too strong and the waitstaff was almost always indifferent. Not rude, just seemed bored and like they didn't care. The front desk staff was nice, but the resort fees were not cheap (and yes, I know EVERYONE has resort fees - it just feels like you don't really get what you pay for).

The location of the oceanfront rooms is GREAT, the pool is fine, but nothing special for Hawaii, and for us, an experience we would prefer not to re-do. I think (as well as everyone else it seems) that your money would be better spent at the Sheraton.

Best wishes!

Sheraton, no fence to even be on...

I agree. You will be disappointed if you go Royal Lahaina over the Sheraton. No comparison and nothing to think about.

Sheraton! Stayed there last year and it's great!

We are staying at the Sheraton in September and we got some Great Rates with the "AAA" discount.

Check out the price difference when you search rates with "AAA" VS. the Sheraton Starwood Rate and it may be worth becoming a "AAA" member for 1 year if you are not one already.

The rooms in the refurbished Lahaina Kai Tower are now very nice...

But the Sheraton is still a higher class facility (First Class/Luxury versus Deluxe/First Class), and because the non-Tower areas of the Royal Lahaina are scheduled for re-development, not all the restaurants or shops are still open, and portions of the resort have been allowed to fall into disrepair.

The singular advantage of the Royal Lahiana is the North Beach area has far fewer folks than the South Beach area of Kaanapali, so the beach feels more private, exclusive and is not near as noisy.