We did the Paradise Cove Luau two weeks ago. The food and entertainment were OK - nothing great. This is a large and very "touristy" luau. (I know all luaus are touristy, but the one I went to at the Ren Wailea was more...classy.)

The biggest disappointment for us at the Paradise Cove was we thought would get us a flower lei, unlimited drinks, and premium seating with this "upgrade" package we got suckered into buying. The lei was a piece of junk, we did not get premium seats, and the "unlimited" drinks was only for the Igloo coolers full of rot-gut mai tais. My wife wanted Diet Coke, and that was not included. You had to pay full-bar prices to get a non-alcoholic drink other than tap water.

Disappointment #2 was getting begged for tips by some of the people at this luau. It happened first when a performer corralled my wife to make a "free" lei. Also, the "tour guide" who rode on the bus with us (not the driver), disrupting the scenery with his stupid jokes, actually ASKED FOR TIPS at the end of the evening. Talk about tasteless.

I'm pretty much done with luaus, with the possible exception of a return to the Ren Wailea.

Had the same experience with Paradise Cove about two years ago. Absolutely hated it!

OK, guily pleasure admission. This kama`aina likes to play "tourist" from time to time. And, I'm not talking about the tradition at the school Slippahs and I attended of holding "Tourist Day" (which is when you dress up like tourists). No, I mean doing all of the events targeted to visitors.

I've taken guests to Paradise Cove a few times, the most recent as last Friday. I'll try and give an overall review.

Yes, it is touristy. No doubt. But, in a way that diminishes the Hawaiian culture? Not to me. I enjoyed walking around and seeing all of the displays and demonstrations. I must have missed the requests for tips, but it also likely that they knew I was a local, and, therefore, had no money for tips

Food/Drinks - Last week, we hung out at the poolside bar at the J.W. Marriott at Ihilani before heading over to the lu`au and had a few "real" mai tais. In comparison, the ones at Paradise Cove had no alcohol at all!

For this last visit, we were given the top-of-the-line package, with everything included. Our dinner was served, and included additional servings of grilled steak and lobster tail. While the steak was a bit salty and not a prime cut of beef, we found the rest of the food to be of decent quality. Our server was very good about providing us with drink refills and additional servings.

Show - We were seated in the cabana across from the stage and the outdoor seating for the other packages. Our party of four had a private table in the middle of the cabana with an unobstructed view of the stage. While it was further away from the stage, we found our view to be good and it was nice having a bit of shelter from the evening breeze. I enjoyed the performances of the musicians and dancers - they were all of very good quality. It was nice to see everyone there having a (seeming) good time.

can anyone recommend a "traditional" local luau that can be attended by an out-of-towner...possibly part of a festival or local celebration? (prefer Maui or Hawaii)

Being from Florida, I tend to try and avoid as much "for tourists" stuff as I can, but besides the option of trying the famous Old Lahaina, I thought it might be more interesting and rewarding to join a local luau.

Bump... also planning to attend this luau.

We ended up going to the Royal Hawaiian Luau this past October when we were on Oahu as part of our honeymoon. This being our first luau, it is difficult to compare to the others mentioned but I'll give my thoughts. Is it touristy? Yes, but we enjoyed it. The food was OK...nothing great, but certainly not terrible either. And plenty of mai tais. The entertainment was very good. We talked with a number of locals while on Oahu and the overwhelming consensus was that the RH Luau was the one to go to. We got a great deal too, around $60 per person if I remember correctly. I think the regular rate is about $85. The special rate was available on the RH website and only for those staying at one of Starwood's Oahu properties. Look carefully on the site to see if the MINET rate is still available. There is an Internet rate available, but that is a few dollars more.

great thread as I see its been kicking around since 2002.

I too am starting to think luau but something, as stated above, non touristy and somewhat authentic.

The majority of our time will be in Maui an Kauai.

Oh, in much of whats written above already, seems that none of these Luaus have GOOD food. Shame

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Concorde, I miss your sweet breath!

There are threads for lu`au on just about each island in the forum.

By nature, at a lu`au, you are going to be feeding a lot of people at one time all at once , so it's often quantify over quality on the food. I just hope the kaula pig isn't too salty/greasy, there actually IS salmon in the lomi lomi, chicken in the long rice, etc.

I've not been there, but the lu`au at the Kona Village Resort on the Big Island looks first rate, food wise. Not surprisingly, it's also one of the most $$$ options.

I'm not sure what visitors would make out of a "local" (baby/birthday/anniversary/wedding/etc.) lu`au. It's more a social event than a pagent with music and entertainment.

[edited to add] Well, I did think of one lu`au that is a little more "local" Each August, the private Outrigger Canoe Club in Waikiki has a lu`au for its members - if you are a member of a social club that has a reciprocal relationship, you could see if you could get reservations...

[This message has been edited by FlyinHawaiian (edited Jan 27, 2004).]

I am sorry if this is not the right place.

I am looking for good/bad recommendation for a Luau. I saw the Sheraton in Waikiki has a Luau for $63/person. Is it worth it, or the Polynesian Luau is better? Tks

John

The co-moderator of this forum has compiled a really nice overview of topics in the "sticky". Have you had a chance to look? There's a link to a thread there that deals with Lu`au on O`ahu...

Thanks,

We went ahead with it last night.
$63/per person. 6:00-7;30 dinner buffet (MahiMahi, chicken, primerib, noodle, and steam rice, assort cakes and ice cream for desert.)
7:30-8:30 Show. Like a Las Vegas show. 6 guys and 6 girls.

Overall not bad, but the food is not that good. Downstair, Sheraton has a big Seafood buffet for $32/pp, looked much better :-)

Tks

John

If you are interested, you might want to check out the buffet at the Parc Cafe at the Waikiki Parc hotel - it's just behind the Sheraton's parking lot and in front of the Halekulani.

Okay, Its been a while since I been to any of the luau's mentioned here, but since I used to work at one part time during college, I have a keen insight.

for one, never pay the "walk up" rate for the luaus. Tourists pay from 48-108 dollars per adult depending on the luau, time of year, and package you purchase. Most places including the touristy magazines have coupons or packages that point you to discounters that sell the same packages for 30-40 each. Thats lesson number 1.

Number 2, As far as I know, the only one on Oahu that provides free Soft drinks is Germaine's Luau. This is why most of the high school/college packages go to that particular luau. with seating for 1000+, they can handle a pretty big group. My reccomendation is to show up early if driving (for all the luaus) and identify a bartender, make him/her your friend with a big slobbery tip and then the drinks flow very smoothly (too smoothly as I had to meet the medic at Germaines one night to borrow is bed to sleep it off).

Number 3, there is no such thing as an authentic luau. The luau is an invention of tourism. Luaus by definition is a party, or gathering to share food and story. by that definition, my back yard in the summertime is a luau weekly as friends come over, play cards and enjoy each others company.

Any reference to an "authentic" luau is simply misguided.

4> royal Lahaina Luau on maui is the best in the state, the best on oahu for the show is Germaine's, and the best cultural experience is polynesian cultural center. Paradise Cove has slipped greatly since I last worked there. I refuse to go there anymore. Food is horrible, service half A$$, and their "elite" packages are worthless. The shows dont look rehearsed anymore.

Germaines is very "non high end" when it comes to the experience. Long lines for drinks when you first get there, cattle call type feeding, the buffet lines are incredibly efficient, but long, and the food isnt good, or at least from what my family told me in 2002 they changed the menu, then changed it back because of the complaints. They give you 3 comp drinks with the adult rate and then additional drinks are 4.00 each for standard bar drinks. Bear 4.00.
Hope this helps a bit.

Polynesian Cultural Center: Don't forget that since it's run by the LDS church, you can't get alcoholic beverages, and the pops are all caffeine free.

When I was on Oahu, I went to the Paradise Cove. It was okay, and I'm glad I had the experience. If you're going to Hawaii, you should definately hit a luau even though it has become a tourist trap. The one thing that disappointed me was that they didn't serve the po (I believe that's what it's called; the liquid bread stuff made from taro root). It said in the brochures that they served the stuff, but they didn't have any when I got there. I guess they didn't serve it b/c most people didn't like it and they were probably wasting a ton of it every night.

If you're going to Paradise Cove, I'd recommend the buffet rather than the served dinner if you like to eat a lot. I think I would have preferred the buffet b/c I got sick of asking for more food, and they weren't that speedy with the service. Also, the ulimited drink package is a waste. You don't have that much time to get drunk, and the lines are long so you never get your money's worth.

Only seeing old threads, was wondering where to go for a nice luau. Granted we're tourists, but wanting to see something that is a little more cultural and smaller, and on the wallet friendly side (College students)

Any suggestions? Should we go to a luau here or wait till we get to the Big Island?