jealous...

Feast at Lele has excellent food, even my kids liked it. We've been the last two thanksgiving weeks. Waiter gladly brought my son extra plates of the kahlua pork, his favorite dish. The show is quite good and all the seating is very close.

We also went to the Old Lahaina Luau a few years back. The overall experience (aside from food) is better, more comprehensive, as there were crafts people explaining traditional crafts, and hula lessons. The show was also impressive. However, the food was just so so and the drinks, while strong, weren't very tasty.

Our youngest (11 at the time) had to try everything, but she's a bit picky, so she didn't eat more than a bite of several things.

Our waitress noticed what she did like however, and w/o asking, brought her a couple of small seconds of those.

Even the classiest of these Luaus is layered pretty thick with cheese. For something a little more genuine, I'd check the entertainment listings for some live, local music. For such a small state, Hawaii produces an incredible amount of local music. A lot of it is really good.

+1.

Actually, one of the best evenings I had in Hawai'i was watching the OLL show from the adjacent restaurant, then walking back down Front St, we found a local Halau doing a full fledged rehearsal on the tennis courts - it was among the best hula I've seen, completely non-touristy, and spontaneous.

I'm just not into those pre-packaged shows.

I've done both the Old Lahaina Luau and The Feast at Lele and highly recommend both.

Old Lahaina Luau is the best traditional (buffet dinner & show) luau I've seen in Hawaii.

As noted, The Feast at Lele is a different experience. It is higher-end, and you pay for that, but in my opinion it is worth it. The food is delivered to you in courses, which correspond to a section of the show. Each section is based upon the traditional dance and food from the various Polynesian islands that make up the cultures that formed Hawaii. It's an interesting and very enjoyable evening. I've taken many friends and relatives and everyone has loved it.

I get just as much enjoyment watching the little girls perform on the little stage at Whaler's Village as I do the full luau thing.

thx for the link:)

YMMV, but we really enjoed the Feast at Lele. Service, food, entertainment, ambiance, etc. were all spectacular. We liked the intimate feeling of the event. HIGHLY recommended over the mass market luaus.

Anyone know of discount coupons for Old Lahaina Luau
 

Wife and I are going to be taking our first trip to Maui in February and wondered if there were any discounts for the Old Lahaina Luau. I am sure i will have a lot more questions as it get closer. Thanks for the help.

Lovely Luau and well worth the price. If someone is visiting Maui and they ask for a special place to eat out, I usually suggest they go to this Luau. Don't think they normally discount the shows but AAA sometimes has had a coupon for a free gift in their Hawaii guidebook. Advanced reservations are recommended because they fill up fast. You could try an activity broker such as Activity World in Lahaina to see if they have any discounts (that are not tied to timeshare presentations). There is mat and cushion seating closer to the stage and farther away there is more traditional table seatings. They also take very nice souvenir photos (I bought one and it even came with the negative).

We are also going to be on Maui at the beginning of February and have been interested in the Old Lahaina Luau. Friends have recommended it very highly.

BUT, although I know that most all prices on the islands are pretty high, the $95 pp for the Luau still seems like a lot -- especially for one non-drinker and one very moderate drinker. The open bar probably pushes the cost up, but we really won't be taking much advantage of it. Guess it's either pay for the alcohol we won't be drinking, or not go.:(

I went to this luau with a half dozen friends a couple of years back. We searched online, checked out forums, grabbed a all those freebie coupon books, etc but couldn't find any discounts/coupons.
It's pretty steep so it's kind of questionable whether you can "truly get your money's worth". I drank like a fish and I still didn't think I got my money's worth. (Three other friends didn't want to put out the dough for the luau so they drove us back to our rental afterwards.)
If you don't drink, it's definitely harder to quantify the value. But it's kind of a one of the kitchy things you've got to do in your lifetime thing ("I've been to a luau") (if you can't get invited to a "real" local luau). Overall though, it was a good experience and I didn't feel ripped off by a tourist trap. Flower lai was nice. Pulling the pig out of the pit was kind of cool. I really enjoyed a number of the buffet items.

Actually, we're going to Vegas next week. You can kind of equate the luau to a Vegas buffet and a Cirque show as I can see us easily spending $95/person :D

Don't think so.

Considering that they sell out every show in advance.....

Sit on the Ground
 

We did the Old Lahaina Luau with 2 other couples and a small child several years ago, and we had the "traditional" (ground) seating. We were right up front and had a great view. ^ BTW, we found the food good at the Old Lahaina Luau.

Next door is the Aloha Mixed Plate -- it serves the leftovers, and the price is very reasonable. It is a great place for lunch.