This luau was highly recommended by a local waitress, so we booked it with high expectations. Although the show itself was extremely good, the events leading up to the show seemed extremely disorganized. As a veteran of many luaus on all of the islands that offer them, I know of which I speak.
We checked in at 4:45 as instructed in the confirmation email but then were told to wait for nearly half a hour before getting into line.
The path to the luau grounds was not well marked and once we found it and got into line, there was confusion about when we got our prepaid leis. My wife wanted the cheaper kukui nut lei but was told we had to accept the prepaid flower lei. And our preferred seating wristbands were not enough. We were told that we had to produce a receipt to get our leis. Seems like a different colored wristband would have prevented me from having to wait and dig through a pocket full of receipts, but that’s just me.
Most luaus have activities, exhibits and crafts sales to pleasantly pass the time before being seated. But at “The Island Breeze” the limited offerings didn’t get started until after we were seated. The drum lessons and hula class were broadcast to the table area (even though we could see them) and were loud enough to be annoying and make polite conversation nearly impossible. Same story with the pre-show music. We craved gentle island background music without the volume of a rock concert.
Many patrons missed the imu ceremony since they were unwilling to leave the comfort of their tables to backtrack to the imu area.
Each long table was adored with only one attractive though small fruit bowl which was quickly consumed, causing some guests to “borrow” the bowls from other empty tables. The late comers simply did without.
The open bar was small and manned by only two overworked bartenders. And it was located as far from the tables as physically possible. The drink cups were loaded with so much ice that one sip emptied them. And they rapidly became diluted to the point they lacked any character.
They opening ceremony was colorful and original but added to the hour-long wait for the serving lines to open. This would have been welcomed had it occurred earlier in the evening to relieve the tedium of the wait.
The luau buffet was standard fare. Filling, but nothing really outstanding.
The show itself was the high point of the evening with a very talented dance ensemble that represented the various islands of Polynesia. It compared favorably to the best I have seen. And the master of ceremonies was pleasantly engaging.
The location of the luau was beautiful enough and had a commanding view of the shoreline, city and mountain slope, but sadly any direct view of the sunset was blocked by foliage and structures.
All in all, this luau could have been spectacular. All of the ingredients were there. But the apparent lack of event management skills prevented it from reaching its potential.