Paradise Cove Luau Review

The luau was fun and the food was good but it felt extremely rushed and the audio w/ stage positioning made it very hard to follow the presentation. They also seemed to wrap around the first two hours of you being there trying to upsell you and get you to buy more stuff.

Pretty. Touristy, but if you do ONE touristy thing in Hawaii, make it this!

Spent my 28th Birthday at Paradise Cove Luau and it was such an amazing experience! I loved it!! It is definitely worth getting the Deluxe package. I definitely recommend this Luau!!

I have been to Hawaii 4 times and Paradise Cove luau is a must play to go when you are in Hawaii. You will enjoy be festive Hawaii luau, the scenery of the beautiful Hawaiian beach that is sits on, you will not be disappointed.

This is one of the main shows you can see while in Honolulu. I have not been to Chief s Luau so I can not compare. Paradise cove is fairly priced and the shuttle bus is well worth it. It s only $16 for the shuttle and it is quite far away. Round trip with uber can get up to $50. The lay out of the venue is cool with a great view. They have a lot of different activities to keep you busy before dinner starts. The food is great and they serve you buffet style. There are many options and you will definitely get full. Make sure you check in to verify which hotel they will pick you up from. Pick up is at 3:30 and they drop you off around 10. It does take up the whole day more or less. But well worth it.

Show and food were great. All staff were friendly and kind except for the ones with the parrots. My 16yr old son asked if he could hold a parrot and the worker said Are you going to buy a picture? When he responded no I don t think so he said the worker replied no, this ain t a petting zoo. He did not mention this to me til he left or I would ve said something in person. We did spend a lot of money and bought 2 specialty pictures so it s upsetting that he was treated that way.

I enjoyed my time here, and like everyone else was told to come here to experience Oahu s best Luau. When we arrived (picked up by their shuttle), we were greeted with free leis and mai tais, separated by alcoholic and non-alcoholic cups.

We had approximately 45 mins to enjoy the adult/family friendly activities like get a temporary Hawaii tattoo, ride on a canoe, throw spears, watch mini shows, and more. It began with singing and dancing, then we were all told to go to the buffet line and get our food. The selection was salad, kalua pork, fish, desserts, and the Hawaiian taro bread (including other I didn t mention). Then the show continued on for another hour or so, including the fire dance.

I actually enjoyed my first Luau at Maui better than this one since it felt more personal, not just getting food from the buffet line. I didn t think the food was amazing, but it was definitely a great intro to Hawaiian food if you haven t tried them at other local restaurants.

In short, I would definitely try this place once, and possibly on your first few days.

They got fun activities. Food is alright. Love the ambience and the view of the beach. Staff are nice and welcoming. I recommend this luau.

Such performances are common, but common concert
Indeed a good place
4 stars I love the place ... more
View the sunset nice place.
The food tastes good, but it's not bad.

Beautiful place, good costumer service and food acceptable

Good experience. Very entertaining. Excellent service.

My wife and I spent out second evening here. Overall, pretty cool place. Once you get through all of the activities you can enjoy a perfect view of the sunset.

This was one of my best places to go in Hawaii. My family and I live the shows and the food ....

Cool experience! Staff were friendly and hospitable. Food was great and the show was funny and entertaining.

Ignore the negative comments. This luau is fantastic. Picked up by their shuttles from Waikiki, we were entertained from the way there to all the way back to Waikiki. Lots of fun activities to do before the main show including bowling, harpoon throwing, canoeing, making flower crowns for yourself... When you finish a challenge, you get shell necklace for each challenge. Upon entry you get a mai tai with your choice of alcoholic or non-alcoholic and there's the typical photo you can choose to purchase that's taken upon entry. There are plenty of opportunities for paid photos if you choose during the night, but you don't have to. They also give you a card with a value on it that you can use to redeem either in the gift store or at the bar. The show itself is great with a lot of different costumes and dances. There's even the fire twirling knife dance. I am from Australia and I don't know how long it will take to get me to get back to Hawaii, but I promise when I do, I'll be going back to Paradise Cove with bells on (not literal bells). The food is amazing too by the way.

My wife and I had a great time with her sister visiting. We've been to a couple of other Lu'au across Oahu and so far I liked the interaction with the people and with the activities they had. I would give this a five star rating if they made a couple of changes, for instance, elevating the staff so that those watching from behind other people can see the activity; how to tie the skirt thing. The canoe ride line was extremely long, you had a choice of wasting your entire free time in that line or doing other activities.

We had the deluxe tickets and honestly I don't think I would buy them again, there are five or six buffet lines to get food so those people were actually eating before us and finished eating by the time the show started.....I appreciated the service but I would have been fine getting my own food. Great first time Lu'au but I think I liked the Polynesian Cultural center shows the best so far. Wonderful experience and we were so happy with the young lady that served us (Amy). Thank you for the memories!

Great place for picture taking but the service is going down hill from the first time i visited. Food also is on a down hill. Interactive island feel are almost none existent. Prices for drinks are too pricey

Overall enjoyable! I would bring some bug spray. Also the labels on the food were misleading. There were a few labeled Vegan option that we re clearly not vegan. For instance, the pasta salad had eggs labeled as one of the ingredients but then followed by saying it was vegan. Maybe they are unclear about vegan vs vegetarian?

Absolutely love this place. Wonderful food and love the entertainment. It's a must see!

Pros: really great show, very talented dancers. Lots of variety in the dances. Lots of activities prior to the show (crafts, canoeing, Hawaiian games) but the lines were so long for each that we didn't get to do much. Cons: food was mediocre, except for the pork which was great. Paid a lot for alcoholic beverages that were very weak. They attempted to teach the crowd about ancient fishing rituals but they did it all wrong - felt sort of Vegas-style. I had hoped to learn more about traditions etc but didn't get much of that. This is the only luau I have been to so I have nothing to compare it to - it was good, just need to improve the food and tone down on the theatrics and make it more traditional/educational (IMO).

Beautiful grounds,great food, truly an amazing place!

Just the best time. Excellent mix of history and culture through crafts and dance. Lots of food. Just go you won't be disappointed.

The show was amazing. The food was ok. A lot there, but a mash of too many items. Definitely put together to feed the masses quickly. Maybe 3.5 stars, but not an option here. Overall still a nice experience, but maybe not quite getting what you pay for.

We took bus 2 and the driver and driver escort were the BEST!!!! Thank you! We have been having a rotten vacation and with these women we had a few hours of a good time. Thank you! Mary Alimenti (this profile of mine is under business name.

For what you pay food could be a bit better. Dessert was chocolate cake and coconut jello... like come on. Coconut is hated by so many people and plain old chocolate cake with coconut flakes. Maybe some pineapple dessert or something. Fried chicken so was fried barely much meat left. Baked chicken was good. Show was great. Alcoholic drinks were weak. Got the deluxe package and for more money I'd think the line in would be better. Stood for a while beside nasty smelling trash cans. Smelled like something died. Was awful. Thought there would be more to do and see. People making the hat things aren't friendly. Some got to decorate their own others didnt get to. Food was so basic. No kid friendly options.

My husband and I had the opportunity to go for free because I won the paradise cove luau from a military event for Easter it was amazing! We loved it and it was like we WHERE going on a date for the first time since having our son ..make sure you leave babies with a baby sister so you can enjoy it with your husband because we enjoy it so much

Still one of my favorite beaches to go to. You get to see sea creatures and enjoy the sunlight! Plus sometimes couples take their wedding photos here.

Great experience! Family friendly but also full of great drink options. Our guide was amazing and the whole experience was great for the price.

A tourist spot, something nice to see and spend the evening with the entire family!

Probably the best on the west side and in oahu. Great dinner and entertainment. Military discounts and local too.

The view of the ocean and mountains were beautiful and the luau entertainment and food were good.

Super fun! Loved our luau and had a great time. The food and drink were also great!

SO MUCH FUN!!! They teach you about Hawaiian traditions and culture while putting on a great show with beautiful dancing

Nice beach. Small, but nice. A deal rested at the beach as well and a turtle in the water :-)

This luau does a great job of displaying Hawaiian as well as other Polynesian cultures. The entertainment and all the staff working here are top notch. The only thing that was slightly disappointing was a lack. Of variety with the fresh fruit...I was desperately hoping for some mango and papaya! That said this was a minor detail in an otherwise perfect evening. I would definitely recommend this to anyone planning to attend a luau. I would add that Emma our tour guide was excellent ...she had an amazing memory for names and she emanated both warmth and humor . Paradise Cove is blessed to have her !

The buffet food was okay but the entertainment was fun and engaging. Great atmosphere set by the beach. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a great Luau experience.

Would be better with smaller crowds. I believe they mentioned there were 800 at this one... quite a luau. But great entertainment and foods were delicious

As with many first time to Hawaii, the 6 of us (3 couples) wanted to experience a true luau and did some searching. This one was the only one that was 'on the beach' so it got the most votes.. We were talked into the most expensive package as one lady was told she would not see the 'show' if she was not in front. OK, for $70 a pop, it would have been overpriced but would have sucked up & gone with it, at $130 we were robbed!
Cheesy displays which had us walking from one end of the property to another (that is if you heard the call). Much too drawn out. Show was quite entertaining. Food was next to uneatable - very bland (everything). Drink lines were long but would say at least they were strong (mixed drinks) for the money, not watered down like some places.
We had been told by many forums that this one was the best. Well as I said before...if you must experience a luau, guess this is it.

A fairly fun Luau. It was quite pricey, and you do not have much time pre-show to enjoy the activities, however the show itself was very good, the drinks were tasty, and the food was excellent.

This is our second laua visit on island. The pre-dinner activities were great! You can bowl with sticks and stones, throw javelins, take a short canoe trip, make leis, and so much more. Plus, you're right on the beach at this location. I will say that the drink prices were high. You're looking at $8 to $16 range. It is $4 for non-alcoholic drinks. You will likely wait for 30 minutes. The food is a bit blah. The show is so-so. The really won us over with the beach location (and sunset) and the predinner festivities.

Very gimmicky! It was cute, the food was nothing special. You walk around and make headbands, bracelets, or temporary tattoos before the show. There are markets, some semi lame games, and a beach. I definitely will not go again. But the staff was friendly, the dancing was good, and show was decent. I'm sure there are better luaus around.

Ok. Fire chief was super cool. Should have more fire. Food was good. Not sure if I'd enjoy my 250 USD more. It was fun but not awesome.

After reading many negative reviews I have personally come to the conclusion this was an amazing luau. From the decent food, random activities and awesome dancers it was a good night. I did not expect it to be this good. Very impressed.

Great experience from the beginning to the end. Great food and drinks. Definitely recommend getting the deluxe package to not worry about lines. Performances from the Polynesian cultures were amazing. It's fun for all ages.

We walked over here to hopefully glance at some honu but just swam instead. Not having public restrooms was kind of a bummer.

The lady named Tia was absolutely amazing helping us as soon as we got there. Great experience and delicious food. Mahalo

the tour bus got us there so late that the activities the kids were looking forward to were over.Very sad ,1st trip to hawaii

First and LAST Hawaiian luau, ever! Typical tourist trap. Dozens of busloads of people (maybe 500-600) herded back and forth like cattle to the sound of a conch. Repeatedly told that each event would be performed, "one time and one time only". Meaningless games (Hawaiian bowling, never explained). We timed the 'tattoo' artist, he spent one minute and 35 seconds drawing a flower on a little girl's arm. There were about 50 people in his line... you do the math!
Everyone is encouraged to drink a lot and buy stuff at their shops. Souvenir drink glasses add $9 to the cost of a drink. Food is okay, but nothing special. Most of the food can be purchased at any grocery store, shredded pork, macaroni salad, rolls, ranch dressing, etc. I ate one plate of food when the buffet was cleared.
Visitors are supposed to be 'cousins' and love one another, but bus guides encourage stupid put-downs of other tour groups and competing luau operators.
Bus guide spent entire drive time trying to get people psyched about excessive drinking. Shared very little about Hawaiian culture, focusing instead on leading chants of "Oh yeah!" or "Whoop, whoop!".
The dancers and fire twirling were the only redeeming quality of this trip, but not redeeming enough to say that it's worth the expense. Of everything we did in Hawaii during our 9-day stay, this was the bottom of the barrel. There are lots of better things to do in Hawaii than this.

It s a great experience and to try it at least once. They have activities to do there, plus shopping huts and photos with the parrots before dinner and performance. The buffet was great and the bar, obviously mixed drinks are not included with the buffet but depending what package you buy you do get a free Mai Thai. The performance was amazing and at the end of the show you can greet them and take photos with them. They have about three different price range, basically the more you pay the more goodies you get and they serve you food and you get priority seating, as for the cheapest you get a first come first serve seating and it s buffet style with no goodies bags. But still worth it!

Beautiful view with large and water down cocktails.

Best pork I've ever tried. This was like a family reunion the staff were very welcomimg. The bus guide CuzN Phi Phi is the man!

Its an alright Luau with ok food if it were say 50 bucks but at more than double, triple and quadruple that price, you expect something memorable and this wasnt that.

Don't miss this place going to Hawaii as tourist. The welcome atmosphere, that include cold juice drinks and a group picture with performers on Hawaiian costumes, is wholesome. Before the main Luau event, several demostration activities depicting local customs are options for viewing, and one can even participate! There is an entrance fee, that is given back as tokens consumable to souvenir items once inside. The cultural presentations, while taking the dinner with overflowing drinks covered in the entrance fee, is satisfactorily educational.

We were on bus 3 with phephe and he was great. Yes the drinks you get when you show up are water down but they still taste amazing. We did the orchid package and enjoyed the area we sat and the buffet was great food. I don't see the point in doing the deluxe package when you get the same food, but you have to get it yourself instead of a waiter. There was plenty to go around d for seconds and the drinks you get at the bar were very powerful. Made up for the water down drink at the beginning.

Was ok.. I think better than other similar shows in the area

Good for the average tourist who wants to get a packaged luau experience. More of a Disneyland experience than I was looking for.

MUST attend this Luau Our entire famiky had an amazing time !! There were 7 of us, ages ranged from 6 to 40 and this Luau entertained all of us! Food was amazing and there was so much to do.

Had a good time making and doing various things. After dinner, saw a entertaining Hawaiian show.

Hands-down one of the most memorable events we did in Oahu. Amazing experience! The food was great. The culture and knowledge shared was truly spectacular. Furthermore, this event allows you to see the sunset as you have never seen it before. "Cousin T" is now part of my Ohana for life.

What a fantastic night. Location was beautiful with views of the Pacific. Beautiful food, drinks and entertainment. Our tour guide Rich was great entertaining the bus on the way with sing alongs etc. Amazing he could remember everyones name after meeting us all on the bus, going through the bus and providing details of all names and reasons of celebration. He cared and we became part of his family for the night.

Fascistic Luau experience with lots of activities to enjoy prior to the meal and main show. Performers were outstanding

The food was excellent
The entertainment absolutely amazing

It was a long drive through heavily congested traffic, but we made it there in time for sunset photos and to see the pre-show demos and activities. There was a threat of rain that evening that they provided everyone with ponchos. Buffet food was quite good, especially the kalua pork and glazed chicken. Dancing was flowing, energetic, romantic, depending on the segment. Loved the fire dancing!

Final note, Mo "Cousin Sexy" (our bus guide) was very entertaining on our ride back to the city. Unlike the initial impression I had of him from the morning, he's actually a funny goofball.