Best Luau in Oahu and Maui

audubonbride2013

My FI and I decided we are going to Oahu and Maui for 8 nights for our HM in August.  We're booking through Costco, so we have the option of booking activities at a discounted rate when we book our hotels, flights, and cars.  We definitely want to go to at least one luau, but it seems like there are so many options to choose from.  

If you've been to Oahu or Maui or both, what was your favorite luau?

manjermj

We went to the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui and LOVED it! The food was great, the service was amazing and the show was even better!

jwoftexas

I just got back from Maui. It's so beautiful!!  The luau at the Marriot is wonderful!  The food is really good with lots of options (meat, vegetatian, and seafood).  Also, they use a live band and the dancers are very talented.  I think it's $100 per guest, and $120 if you want priority seating.  I would book priority.  You get to sit up front, and you eat first

daria24

We went to the Old Lahaina Luau as well and enjoyed it. It's billed as more "traditional" so it doesn't have fire dancers, knife juggling, etc. But the food was good (And there were a million options). The location was more enjoyable then some of the hotel ones, which are usually on the beach with tourtists walking by all the time.

msaputra

Old Lahaina

I heard Feast of Lele is pretty good too in Maui

sarahOClove

We went to Oahu and Maui for our honeymoon in October (booked through Costco as well!) and we went to a luau on each island. We went to Germaine's Luau on Oahu and had a great time. It was very entertaining and right by a little beach. We went to Drums of the Pacific Luau on Maui (it was right at our hotel, the Hyatt), and it was also very entertaining but I think overall, we enjoyed Germaine's Luau more. I think it felt a bit more "authentic." The food was DELICIOUS!!! Have fun!

Summer2011Bride

We went to the Paradise Cove Luau on Oahu. There were things we liked and disliked about it.

Pros: It was a beautiful setting! Just gorgeous. It was on a west-facing beach and sunset was phenomenal.
The entertainment was good.
Food was tasty.

Cons: We bought the middle package and were crammed in like sardines. It was tough to get up and move around to get food and drinks.
The drinks weren't awesome.

If you go, I would splurge a little bit for the highest package. They have table service for both food and drinks and the seats are roomier.

mjmchugh86

The Old Lahaina Luau puts on a good show, but don't expect to be blown away by the food or drinks. The food is mediocre, kind bland and what you would expect from a venue prepaing a buffet meal for hundreds of people. Also the flies near the raw fish were concerning. The drinks were overly sweet and weak. However, The show was great and the views can't be beat. 

jemmini6

We did the Feast at Lele on Maui, which was excellent.  It wasn't a 'traditional' luau because you get a private tables and the food is served family style instead of buffet.  Also, it's several courses that highlights traditional dishes from 4 Pacific Island cultures (I think it was Hawaiian, Samoan, New Zealand, and Tahiti), so it's not all just traditional Hawaiian food.  It's a great luau if you are looking for something different, but the traditional luauas can be really fun as well.  We did a traditional luau on Kauai, but I've heard the Old Lahaina Luau is a great choice for Maui, so it really depends what you are looking for.

audubonbride2013

Thanks everyone for your responses.  We're planning to head to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Oahu, so we decided we're definitely going to the luau there.  We also really want to check out the Old Lahaina Luau while we're in Maui.  For those that went to the Old Lahaina what seating did you get?  How far in advance did you book?

Thanks!