This luau was done on a very small scale. It felt very intimate and personal. What made it especially fabulous was the fact that it's on the grounds of Waimea Valley (sp?). This is not a valley in the sense of just a geographical term. It is a valley in that it comprises an entire massive botanical garden, a waterfall, etc in addition to the luau. It's a must to get there at least 2 hours in advance because there is so much to see because the grounds surrounding this luau are absolutely stunning.
The people who ran this show were fantastic. I was there by myself because I had a friend who cancelled the day before, and they were very cognizant of that and continued to check in on me to make sure everything was okay. It was no fault of theirs, but a little awkward for me being a single at a table by myself because it was very family-oriented, but so sweet that they constantly looked after me, from the nice bartender, to the performers, to the waitstaff...they all were fabulous! It was our last night in Hawaii after two weeks worth of wonderful experiences, and because I had these reservations for months I was insistent on going, even if it meant by myself. They were so caring and kind in trying to make me comfortable. Just a suggestion, but there are many solo travelers. Maybe they could designate one table as a singles table and an option when booking so people can meet others?
Before the show there were a variety of stations that adults and kids alike could participate in such as peeling yams, cracking coconuts, cooking hot chocolate, weaving palms, or watching them set up a stone fire, among other things.
Once everybody participated in all these offerings we then went in for a brief introduction and pre-show and then dinner. The dinner was phenomenal... BBQ pork, chicken, a very garlicky macaroni salad that was to die for, rice, fresh fruit, coconut cake from Ted's bakery etc etc.
The show that followed was fabulous, but again it was a smaller and much more intimate scale. The emcee had a fantastic sense of humor. That being said, when I envision luaus I envision massive stages with dozens of performers and hundreds in attendance, and that is not the case here. It's not a bad thing it wasn't that way, it just wasn't what I had envisioned. You are ohana here. The performers were fabulous!