LIFE LIST: GO TO A LUAU

LIFE LIST: GO TO A LUAU 


When: August 2009

Where: Kona Village Resort - known for having the best luau in Hawaii!

Why I wanted to do this: Some people find things like this to be too cheesy- and it can be if you go cheap- I FULL ENJOYMENT in stuff like this. Luaus are a very large part of Hawaiian culture and it's fun to be a part of it- you get the language, the dance, the music, and the food.

Cost: If my mind serves me correctly it was nearly $150 per person- I do not remember because we were guests of Kona Village and therefore the cost was included as well as we were given a free mai thai (at Kona Village there are several welcoming nights where you are allotted one free cocktail and at $11 it's worth it!) It is important to tell you that we were there for 8 days and in that time there was 1 luau and 1 Polynesian  dance (basically the same only different outfits) and BOTH WERE FREE FOR US!

How I was able to afford it: Thank God it was included/free for Kona guests because we were so broke on that trip, after the airfare, car rental, gratuities, and stay at the resort we barely had anything left!

What would I do differently: Well, nothing really, other than we had met some other guests that we wished we would have sat with-we would have had even more fun. I think I divulged a lot of information to the people we sat next to...I probably wouldn't have done that again but after mai thai madness 2009 it's hard to keep things to oneself. I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT A BETTER CAMERA! BOTH VIDEO AND DIGITAL!!! We hardly have any good photos from the dances.

Would I do it again? I DID! Seeings how there were the 2 offered we did attend both and WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! I dream of visiting Hawaii many more times in my life and I would be ashamed of myself if I did not go to the luau every time-great food, great music, great entertainment, great drinks-I would go every day if I could!

Something I would recommend? You simply cannot go to Hawaii and not attend a luau-but I recommend attending the luau at Kona Village ( currently but only temporarily closed due to the tsunami)

Make a good gift/surprise? Yes, although I don't know what kind of surprise it would be-it might be a given that if you're going to Hawaii then you're going to at some point also be going to a luau and many of the resorts include the cost anyhow.

Was it life changing? Yes, it made me want to take Polynesian dance classes-not that it's something I'm going to get into seriously but I really want to do it just for fun!

My full review of the pig roast and luau:

While we were there we were able to attend a luau and a Polynesian dance, they were very similar but absolutely worth going the second time. They were both wonderful, the dancing the music, the pig roasting, the food, the orchid head necklaces…aaahhhh just one of the most exciting and different experiences every person should have in their life span. The pig roast was not as fun as I had expected it to be, so the second time we just sat that one out as it was a perfect opportunity to kick back a few without anyone judging us. What I had envisioned was the whole pig intact being lifted from the leaves but after 13 hours apparently the meat begins to separate. After you watch that you wait in line for the buffet…a buffet like you’ve never seen-I generally think any sort of buffet is gross but this one was in every sense of the word-lovely. Every kind of exotic food imaginable, unlimited lobsters and crab, each and every fresh fruit grown on the island, And the pork, ah yes the highly anticipated pork was located at the end of the buffet on it’s own table, this is of course after you have no room left on your oversized handmade wooden plate but they still manage to furnish you with a huge helping. There was also a table of ‘traditional Hawaiian dishes’ although few were brave enough to try them. While you dine and throughout the performance you are given real cooked orchids to munch on.