The blog shares my perspective of the Luau dance acquired through an evening spent in Paradise Cove. I look forward to your feedback/comments and hope this post enables opportunities for the community to come together and collaborate.
Experience seaside luau at Ko Olina Resort (or Paradise Cove) with Hawaiian fare & drinks, plus a show with hula & fire dancers.
Serving the guests for more than 20 years, Paradise Cove is one of the largest and most respected luau shows in the Hawaiian islands. Located on the Leeward coast of Oahu, Paradise Cove features brilliant sunset views from our 12-oceanfront acres.
What is Luau?
Called Aha’aina (gathering for a meal) in ancient times, the term luau came into favor much later in our island history. It refers to the young edible taro leaves that are traditionally used to wrap the food prior to being placed in the imu (underground oven).
The feast and festivities of the luau are the traditional ways that the people of Hawaii have celebrated special occasions. The birth of a child, a victorious battle, and a successful harvest are all events that called for the honoring of the gods and the sharing of the bounty with friends and family.
Today, a traditional luau is often used by family and friends to celebrate a baby’s first birthday, or as an important way to raise funds by churches and social groups.
I visited Paradise Cove during my Hawaii vacations in 2019 between Christmas and New Year accompanied by my wife and kids aged 12 and 5.
Insights:
- Package Selection: Paradise Cove offers three packages - Hawaiin, Orchid, and Delux. The differentiators between these three packages are Paradise Cove Card value, Seating, Souvenir Arrival Photo, and the Souvenir Gift.
- Card value: The higher the package cost, the more value gets added to the card that you could use at the gift shop (between $12/Adult to $20/Adult as an example).
- Seating: Three different seating plans (closest to the stage to farthest).
- Souvenir Photo/Gift: If not free, you can buy them anytime.
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| Seating Plan for Luau Dance |
- Paradise Cove Card Value: Each ticket/package entitles you for a refund in the form of Paradise Cove card value. You get this card at the time of check-in (before entering) and this value can be used to purchase anything from the gift shop (which is located inside Paradise Cove).
- Parking: Paradise Cove offers free parking with ample parking spots.
- Event Duration: Be ready to spend 4-5 hours in the evening. The gates for Paradise Cove open at 5:00 PM each day and the event continues until 9:00 PM. Add your travel time to get a door to the door time estimate.
- Event Schedule: Activities (5:00 PM to 6:45 PM); Dinner (7:00 PM to 8:00 PM); Luau Show (8:00 PM to 9:00 PM)
- Activities at Paradise Cove:
- You will be greeted with a free Aloha Mai Tai and photographed with friendly dancers and entertainers from the evening’s Hawaiian Revue.
- Traditional arts and crafts demonstrations.
- Take part in the unique games of Hawai’i.
- Food: The luau buffet includes a variety of salads, steamed rice, pineapple chunks and traditional luau fare like poi, lomi lomi salmon, island fish with macadamia nut crème sauce, teriyaki chicken and kalua pig.
- Enough quantity (that lasts mostly till the end of dance show) hence no need to run for the food.
- Dance: The dance show is a little comedy, a little audience participation, the heart-pounding excitement of one Polynesia’s greatest fire knife dancers plus a lot of outstanding singing and dancing in an incomparable setting under the stars of a wonderful Hawaiian night.
- Photo Opportunities: The location of Paradise Cove offers excellent photo-taking opportunities. Don’t shy and leverage the oceanic beauty and the sunset to click photos.
- You will find Paradise Cove staff at a few locations with their camera setup. I will recommend going to them for your photoshoots. These are free to take but comes at a price if you end up buying. But believe me, it’s worth the cost (we rarely pay for photos and prefer to click from our cell phones but this time we paid!).
Word of advice from Nikhil:
- Book in advance: Although this extravaganza is every day, it’s better to book in advance to get a ticket for the day when you are visiting Hawaii.
- How to book? I recommend directly booking through Paradise Cove's official website unless you are working with a tour operator.
- Your seats for the dance show: As explained earlier, your package will influence your seating area and your view of the dance event. Choose your ticket/package wisely to get the best experience.
- Arrive early on the day of your booking: On your event day, arrive by 4:30 PM PST giving enough time to park and walk to entry gates.
- Seats are first to come basis: Although your package decides your designated area but seats within that area are first to come basis.
- Expect to wait in a line for most activities. Activities start as soon as the gates open and slowly the lines increase. To maximize your experience of the location (relax and have enough time for photography), finish your activities as you find your seat.
- You cannot use your Paradise Cove Card value to pay for arrival/other photos. It’s applicable to the gift shop and the drinks bar.
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OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES
- More about Luau on Wikipedia.
- The Hukiluau Ceremony traditions of old Hawai’i.
- The Imu Ceremony - a process of how delicious Hawaiian meal is prepared.
- Learn about other Luau Packages for a spectacular evening at Paradise Cove.
- Driving directions to Paradise Cove.
- Other FAQs from Paradise Cove's official website.
MORE STUFF I WROTE ABOUT O'AHU, HAWAII
- Atlantis Fireworks Cruise
- Atlantis Submarine
- Diamond Head
- Dole Plantation
- Getting to O’ahu, Hawaii
- Kualoa Ranch
- Lanikai Beach (coming next... Subscribe to get an email alert when it's published)
- Local Shopping Areas
- Paradise Cove Luau
- The Byodo-In Temple
