We were a group of six friends in our 30s visiting from the East Coast who went on a whim to Toa Luau. We were pleasantly surprised immediately and by the end of the night, we have all had the TIME of our lives. I don’t say this lightly - we are all well-travelled, and have seen a little bit of what life has to offer. Give yourself enough time (~2hrs) to frolic through the Waimea botanical gardens, and the falls prior to the luau. The luau itself was hosted with a lot of laughter and fun by the amazing cousin Eddie. The performers were incredible - both to look at, and in the way they interacted with us. There was an initial half hour or so where they did a cooking demonstration, with activities including dancing, making a coconut frond crown, and scraping off breadfruit. The food was incredible - I am vegetarian and was still able to have a deliciously good time. My non-vegetarian friends were over the moon. Throughout the noshing, the performance and show was incredible as we learned about the incredibly rich and diverse history of the different Polynesian islands. At some point when we were waited upon, the keke or a couple of the children came over to chat - they were super cute. Tausala told me her favorite dessert was the chocolate fudge cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and though I didn’t get to chat with Off as much, they both have been doing the show for FOUR years. Y’all, they were like 10 -12 years old. I still have not gotten over the sheer physicality and athleticism of the dancers - one must call all the kane (or the men) “cousins”. I hope you all get an equally delightful opportunity to watch the likes of cousin Ivan, cousin Roland, cousin junior, cousin cissy and many, many more. I am not even going to tell you about the flame dancers, because you should go see it for yourself. The pandemic seems to have hit them a fair bit, and though it may seem pricey, it is worth every penny in the welcoming hospitality, rich edutainment, the jokes, the sheer visual delight, and somehow, a feeling of humility and ohana. My cheeks still hurt from grinning so much. Go. Just do it. You will not regret it for a once in a lifetime memory.