Which is the Best Maui Luau? Which is the best Maui luau for your group? Make the wrong decision and you just wasted several hundred dollars. Scroll down to find your own best Maui luau for...   • couples and adults   • families with kids or teenagers   • repeat visitors to Maui Best Maui Luaus for Couples and Adults The best Maui luaus for couples and adults generally focus on -   • smaller audience size   • less audience participation segments such as onstage hula lessons   • food served at your table rather than a from a buffet line   • more authentic cultural show These adult oriented luaus generally do not discount their tickets much. • The Feast at Lele Luau with its multi course gourmet food served to your table is a favorite for couples • The Old Lahaina Luau focuses on authentic Hawaiian hula and culture Best Maui Family Discount Luaus Kids and Teenagers The best Maui family discount luaus offer more savings for families with kids and sometimes teenagers, have larger audience sizes, buffet serving of the meals, and more audience participation segments before the show. • The Hyatt Maui Luau offers a discount rate for teenagers in addition to the more common 'kids' (12 or under) discount. • The Royal Lahaina Luau often offers a 'Family Night' special: One Free Child 6-12 years old per paying adult. Best Maui Luaus for Repeat Vacationers If you have already attended a luau or two during previous vacations and would like to branch out to a new experience, how about one of the Cirque du Soleil style shows? • The inside Ulalena show in the Maui Theatre provides the best example of this new genre. I am a seasoned luau attendee, and Ulalena has become my favorite show on Maui. • The Grand Wailea Luau combines a standard luau with Cirque du Soleil style performances that results in the most innovative new luau on Maui. Answer These Questions to Discover The Best Maui Luau for You If someone tells you that a particular luau they attended is the best one, they found the luau that matched their expectations and budget. On this page, I condense hundreds of luau vacationer comments into a few issues that most influence whether or not they liked a luau. Here are the questions you need to ask so you can decide on the best Maui luau for you and your family. Find a luau for your group... Children and Teenagers Like Family Discount Luaus Hyatt Maui Luau Royal Lahaina Luau Couples and Adults Like These Upscale Luaus Feast at Lele Luau Old Lahaina Luau Westin Maui Luau Try Something New Entertains All Age Groups Cirque du Soleil Style Luaus and Shows Grand Wailea Luau Ulalena Theater Show

Which Maui Luaus are Close to Where You Are Staying?

Want to know a little secret? Luaus are more alike than they are different. So you can probably find a luau that is acceptable to you that is a short drive or even walk from where you are staying.

That's why I organize my Maui Luau Reviews and Maui Luau Guide by location - four Kaanapali luaus, two Lahaina luaus, and three south Maui luaus in Wailea and Makena.

You can also view or print my Maui luau map that shows the physical location of each luau on the island of Maui.

Is The Luau Showing on a Day You Can Attend?

Most luaus are not offered every evening. So what is available will be limited by the nights you have open during your Maui vacation to attend a luau. That's why most vacationers reserve a luau either before or soon after they arrive on Maui.

For example, the Royal Lahaina Luau is held six nights a week, while the Wailele Polynesian Luau is held two nights a week.

Does this Luau Sell Out in Advance?

You may decide on a particular luau, and then discover during your Maui vacation that the show is sold out on the few days you can attend.

Luaus with less seating, such as the Feast at Lele luau, and highly advertised shows such as the Old Lahaina Luau can be sold out weeks in advance, so that you may need to make reservations before you visit Maui.

I have lots of pages for you to read on selecting and reviewing all the Maui luaus. But I don't sell tickets. If you are ready to read some different opinions, make reservations, or purchase tickets, try my Maui luau tickets page from a trusted name for Maui Vacationers. Or phone them at 877-489-3060 to talk to a Maui Luau expert right now on Maui.

Use Maui Luau Reviewer Recommendations?

Beware of blindly following Maui Luau reviewers recommendations - including mine! We may have different criteria than you on what makes a good luau.

Example 1 Luau Show. Some reviewers rate the best Maui luau show as the Old Lahaina Luau, which limits itself to traditional Hawaiian luau.

From Frommer's Maui travel guide: ...authenticity, intimacy, hospitality, cultural integrity and sheer romantic beauty have made this Maui's top luau.

But as you watch authentic Hawaiian ancient hula and then authentic Hawaiian modern hula, do you yearn for the exciting finale of a Samoan fire knife dancer or a Tahitian dancer?

Many vacationers (kids, teenagers, and some adults) find hula boring compared to exciting acts such as fire knife dancing from nearby island cultures.

Example 2 - Luau food. According to Travel & Leisure magazine, ...this (Feast at Lele luau) is the most fabulous cooking on Maui, which is saying a lot.

But do you think someone in your group might hold their nose when this course is served - Iota - Raw fish marinated in coconut milk with cucumbers, cilantro, carrots, Maui onions & tomatoes?

Look over the menu before shelling out over $100 for their seat.

Question your group on this before relying on a review (including my reviews - I include show descriptions and menus) to select your perfect luau.

How is the Luau Food Served?

Most luau menus are similar, but there are two distinct ways that luau food is served.

Photo by Randy Robert

• Most luaus are buffet style - you get up from your table and stand in a line to serve yourself.

Will you be annoyed while waiting in a buffet line, or view this as an opportunity to meet new friends?

Some luaus will have you go to the buffet line table by table.

Do you view this as this efficient operations, or will you feel like you are back in elementary school?

• The Feast at Lele luau is a sit and be served style - waves of waitpersons bring your plate to your table between each session of the luau show.

Sounds like a great idea, but some vacationers find that the served food becomes lukewarm while waiting for those waves of servers to come between shows.

Open or Reserved Maui Luau Seating?

Larger Maui luaus, such as the Hyatt Maui Luau, have a large enough audience capacity that you can usually book them during your vacation.

But you may find yourself further away from the stage in the general seating with the great masses of visitors.

Most Maui luaus have a reserved seating section close to the stage for an additional charge of about $10-$15 a seat - but this reserved section may sell out well in advance.

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