Haunted hotel guide · Keauhou Bay, Big Island, Hawaii
The Haunted Sheraton Kona at Keauhou Bay, Now the Outrigger Kona Resort: The Ghost Girls and the Figure on the Cliffs
The names over the door have changed four times since 1971, but the stories have not: little girls running the corridors at night and a figure on the lava cliffs that vanishes in a blink. Here is what guests report and the history of the bay where the resort stands.
The Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa sits on 22 acres of black lava cliffs on the south side of Keauhou Bay, about six miles south of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. Until August 2021 it was the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay, and before that the Sheraton Keauhou Bay and, originally, the Kona Surf Hotel. Its 509 rooms step down toward the ocean, and at night manta rays gather in the floodlit water below the restaurant.
It is also one of the most talked-about haunted hotels in Hawaii. Through every change of owner and name, guests have told the same two stories: girls who run and laugh in the corridors at night when there are no children about, and a figure that stands on the edge of the cliffs and disappears. This guide covers the stories and the remarkable history of Keauhou Bay.
Outrigger Kona Resort at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 78-128 Ehukai Street, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
- Opened 1971 as the Kona Surf Hotel; Sheraton from 2004; Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa since August 2021
- Most haunted spots Guest corridors at night and the lava cliffs at the front of the resort
- Best-known ghosts Two little girls heard running and laughing; a figure on the cliff edge
- Booking the haunted room No particular room; the stories are about the corridors and grounds
- Good to know Manta rays can be seen from Rays on the Bay most nights. The closest sandy beach, Kahaluʻu, is about two miles north
The ghosts of the Outrigger Kona Resort
The girls in the corridors
The resort’s best-known story is a simple one. Late at night, guests hear children running up and down the corridor outside their room, laughing and shouting. When they open the door to ask for quiet, the hallway is empty, and the running carries on. Those who call security are told, the story goes, that there is nothing the guards can do: they have heard it all before, and they know it is the two little girls.
Nobody has put names to the girls or found an event that might explain them. The story was being told in the Kona Surf days and is still told now, which makes it one of the more persistent hotel ghost stories on the Big Island.
The figure on the cliffs
Staff walking the grounds at night describe a figure standing right at the edge of the lava cliffs in front of the resort, looking out to sea. If they look away for a moment, it is gone. Some locals connect it with the battles fought along this coast; others see a lonely fisherman or simply the tricks the ocean dark plays on tired eyes.
An ancient battleground?
Earlier versions of this page said the resort is built on an ancient battleground. The coast here is certainly full of history. Keauhou Bay is the birthplace of Kamehameha III, born here in 1814, and a small enclosure kept by the Daughters of Hawaii marks the spot. In December 1819, after the old kapu system was overturned, an army sent by Kamehameha II’s government under Kalanimoku defeated Kekuaokalani, who had risen to defend the old ways, at the Battle of KuamoÊ»o, fought a few miles south of the bay.
Whether the resort itself stands on a battle site is less clear; the land is leased from Kamehameha Schools, and Hawaiian cultural sites lie all along this shore. The safest thing to say is that the guests who hear voices on these cliffs are standing in one of the most historic places in the islands.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- Guest corridors: Where the girls are heard running and laughing after dark.
- The oceanfront cliffs: Where staff report a figure that vanishes.
- Rays on the Bay: The restaurant above the water where manta rays gather at night.
History of Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa (formerly Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay)
The Kona Surf Hotel opened on the south shore of Keauhou Bay in 1971, one of the first big resorts on the Kona coast, built in terraces down the lava cliffs. In June 2000 it closed after its Japanese owners could no longer carry debt that had grown after the Asian financial crisis.
After four years and about $70 million in renovations, it reopened in 2004 as the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, with a new focus on Hawaiian culture and the history of Keauhou. A $20 million renewal in 2012 brought another name, the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay.
Outrigger Hospitality Group bought the resort and reopened it as the Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa in August 2021. Its 509 rooms sit on 22 oceanfront acres, and its luau tells the story of Keauhou Bay through hula and song.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Ask for an oceanfront room on a lower floor if you want to hear the corridors at night.
- Watch the manta rays from Rays on the Bay or book a night snorkel from the bay.
- Visit the birthplace of Kamehameha III on the north side of Keauhou Bay.
- Swim at Kahaluʻu Beach Park, about two miles north.
- Stay a night at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel in Kailua-Kona, beside the king’s own temple.
More haunted hotels nearby
- Haunted hotels in Hawaii: Including Volcano House and King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel
- Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu: The woman in red and the Pele legend
- Haunted places in Hawaii: More island ghost stories
- Haunted hotels in Hawaii
Stayed in one of these hotels? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from guests and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your stay. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Sheraton Kona Resort haunted?
Guests have long reported little girls running and laughing in the corridors at night and a figure on the cliffs that vanishes. The stories have outlasted several name changes.
What is the Sheraton Kona called now?
It became the Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa in August 2021. It was previously the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay, the Sheraton Keauhou Bay and, from 1971, the Kona Surf Hotel.
Is the Outrigger Kona Resort built on a battleground?
The 1819 Battle of Kuamoʻo was fought a few miles south of Keauhou Bay, and the bay is the birthplace of Kamehameha III. Whether the resort itself stands on a battle site is not documented.
Can you see manta rays at the Outrigger Kona Resort?
Yes. Manta rays gather most nights in the lit water below the Rays on the Bay restaurant.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.
- Hospitality Net: Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa rebranding (2021)
- Explore the Big Island: Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa
- Wikipedia: Keauhou Bay
- Wikipedia: Kamakahonu
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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