The Alii luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center, winner of the coveted Kahili Prize for preserving Hawaiian culture, is widely recognized as the most authentic luau on Oahu. Is it worth queuing to get into Paradise Cove Luau? Or should you try something out of the ordinary? Do you just want an answer? Paradise Cove Luau is our best option. The best luau on oahu offers all of that and more, starting with hotel pick-up. The view of the sunset in the coastal setting of Paradise Cove Luau warmly welcomes you, followed by a traditional Hawaiian lei and a Mai Tai cocktail.
This 5.5-hour experience is fully customizable, from your lei design to pre-dinner activities and post-dinner memories. Chief Sielu, a world champion dancer and comedian of fire knives, guides you through 2 hours of cultural immersion. You launch into an interactive and creative narrative of the Polynesian islands, where experienced artists show off their musical and dance talents. The Toa Luau in the Waimea Valley is more than just a traditional spectacle; it's a reminder that everything comes from nature and returns to it in due course.
Another well-established Hawaiian luau is the Ka Moana Luau. Checking all the checkboxes of a traditional luau, the 3-hour experience begins at sunset and culminates with an incredible dance of the Sword of Fire. Once the lei is placed in its rightful place (around the neck, that is), visitors are divided into several cultural activities. Then, you'll be taken to the buffet table, which comes with a bar menu for over 18s.
Award-winning production follows and highlights Hawaiian and Polynesian traditions. There's also an unexpected perk: all Ka Moana Luau tickets include entry to Sea Life Park. Presented by a legitimate cultural representative, this is one of the best luaus to live in Oahu. Whether you are going for the most basic package of the Polynesian Islands or the exclusive Super Ambassador concert, your trip begins with a tour of 6 villages on the island.
Lively, flashy, slightly less charged: Rock-A-Hula is an unconventional luau that elevates the show to Broadway proportions. When you're ready, settle into the mezzanine for the Rock-A-Hula show. The luau lasts around 3 hours, includes lei greetings, a tropical buffet and the Starlight Show. Meanwhile, dinner and drinks come in threes (3-course meal and 3 drink coupons), enough to satisfy the palate.
On the other hand, the high price increases expectations and not everyone feels that this luau is delivered. Unquestionably, this is considered the “best luau” on Oahu by most people. First of all, it's huge and so many people have been to this luau that they talk more about it than most. In addition, this luau checks all the boxes that most people look for in a luau.
You can book tickets for Paradise Cove Luau here. Paradise Cove Luau incorporates quite a few authentic Hawaiian traditions into your experience. There is the night Hukilau, a ceremony in which nets are taken out of the ocean while Hawaiian songs are spoken and conch shells are played. And, of course, there is the Imu Ceremony, which consists of removing the kalua pig from its traditional underground oven known as imu.
This is how you know that good and authentic things are, when they take it out of an imu. It's also the only Waikiki-based luau on this list. For authentic Hawaiian food in a relaxed, homely atmosphere, visit Haili's Hawaiian Food. The Kapahulu Avenue restaurant has been in operation since 1948, when Mother Haili began serving simple, traditional Hawaiian food at Ward Farmers Makert.
The most popular menu items include lunches such as Big Kahuna served with kalua pork, laulau, long rice with chicken, lomi lomi salmon, poke, haupia (a dessert based on coconut milk) and poi. The restaurant also mixes and serves traditional shoyu and limu (seaweed) poke. You'll leave Haili's Hawaiian Food with a full belly and a smile on your face. For the best Hawaiian food, prepared simply and honestly, a must-see on Oahu is Helena's Hawaiian Food.
The James Beard Foundation award-winning restaurant was created by Helen Chock in 1946 and today is run by her grandson Craig Katsuyoshi. The small restaurant, located on North School Street in Honolulu's Kalihi Valley neighborhood, offers authentic Hawaiian food prepared with traditional recipes that haven't changed since the restaurant opened seven decades ago. The most popular dishes, ordered à la carte or as part of a set menu, are homemade pipikaula ribs, kalua pork, fried fish and squid luau (a dish of seafood, coconut milk and taro leaves). You'll want to come back the next day.
Happily, one can take a full day to appreciate its charms (and work up an appetite for the buffet) by combining Paradise Cove Luau by the sea with surf and snorkel packages. After arousing your interest, Chief's Luau continues with the traditional activities; you can choose between knitting headbands, lighting a fire, getting a temporary tattoo or taking a hula class. It is not attached to a resort, so the grounds dedicated to the luau are built to expertly move people in and out. The Waikiki Startlight Luau buffet menu features South Pacific inspired dishes, followed by lively, traditional entertainment for visitors of all ages.
If you booked each of the activities, dinners and shows that you will participate in separately, you would pay much more than you pay for an entire luau. Paradise Cove Luau is held on the beach at the luxurious Ko Olina Resort on the west coast of Oahu, about an hour and a half from Waikiki Beach, Honolulu. Before the luau party begins, you will enjoy interactive luau activities related to the Polynesian Hawaiian culture &, such as taking Hawaiian hula classes, getting a temporary Polynesian tattoo, learning how to throw spears, make fire, make leis and weave coconut headbands. Aha Aina's luau menu includes poi, poke, kalua pork, steamed mongchong, kalbi ribs, fresh fruit and dessert.
Ka Moana Luau is a popular beachfront luau experience in East Oahu, about half an hour from Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. If your interest in the luau is more related to the show than to the pig, the interactive activities prior to the show (such as floral crafts, Hawaiian stamping and tatau pasefika, or temporary Polynesian tattoos in this case) and the intricate storytelling at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani will suit you. I was happy to be able to try them at a luau party instead of risking not being able to finish an entire serving in a restaurant. The PCC is inspired for its buffet by the techniques and recipes that would have been used in the days of Kamehameha II and entertains its guests with dances and decorations rooted in tradition and, as expected, is recognized worldwide as the most authentic luau on the island.
A Hawaiian luau is more than just a dinner package with entertainment: it's a unique experience that will allow you to immerse yourself in Polynesian culture. Located in Kapolei behind an industrial zone (it's on the beach once you get back there), I would call this the economic luau. If you are looking for the best luau in Honolulu or Waikiki, the Diamond Head luau is the one I would recommend. .
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