Paradise Cove Luau - Kapolei, Hawaii

You can't go to Hawaii and not go to a Luau.  We bought our tickets for the Paradise Cove Luau as a combo deal with the Ko-Olina Ocean Adventures tour (see my previous blog) and the luau takes place on the beautiful Ko-Olina Resort premises.

After a day of snorkeling, we quickly showered and changed into our tropical luau garb and headed over to Paradise Cove. After checking in, we noticed that there were different levels of packages you could purchase. The basic Hawaiian package (which is what we got) which included a shell lei, a Mai Tai upon greeting plus 2 standard drink tickets, luau buffet, wing seating and show.  The Orchid package gets you the same thing except a flower lei, 2 premium drink tickets and middle seating.  The Deluxe package got you a flower or Kukui Nut lei, 3 premium drink tickets, front row seating and table service. I think the deal we got was just fine. We had a great view of the stage and didn't mind getting our own food from the buffet.

The Luau lasts about 4 hours from the time the gates open to the end of the show. Upon arrival, pictures are taken with the hula girl and you get "leid", then you get your MaiTai and are free to roam around and take pictures in the gardens with the spectacular sunset. There are free activities for the kids (and adults too) such as spear throwing, a rolling ball game, braiding palm fronds into head-wreaths, hand-drawn tatoos and outrigger canoe rides in the lagoon.

 

 

The show started with locals showing ways to tie sarongs (men's version is hilarious), then audience members were chosen to put on hula skirts and learn how to do the hula. Moving to another area, a local raced up a coconut tree and fishermen in the lagoon showed how to cast the nets (while several male guests in hula skirts improvised a comedy skit). This was followed by the Royal Court explaining the Imu Ceremony (putting the pig in the ground for cooking and removing it) and a short dance show. We then took our seats as the real show began and the luau buffet opened. A nice selection of dinner and dessert items were provided and although the pork was the highlight, the fish was my favorite. Of course, no luau is complete without the famous "poi", made from taro root, but I wasn't brave enough to try it. The show was excellent - brightly colored costumes, dances from various islands including Samoa and Tahiti, fire-dancers and lots of audience participation. It was a fun experience!

Kid's View:  "It was lots of fun, especially the spear throwing and the rock game. They called all the birthday  people up on the stage to learn to hula dance so I got to go up there with a bunch of people. I got a turtle tatoo and a cool tribal tatoo."

 

 

http://paradisecovehi.com/Luaupackages/hawaiianluaubuffet.htm