Feast at Lele luau, Maui

Posted on June 15, 2015 By Joe Hardenbrook

I will freely admit: I wasn’t sure about a luau–I thought it was too “touristy.” But, then again, am I not a tourist?!

Well, it turned out to be one of my favorite experiences of the Hawaii trip!

But it didn’t start out that way. I had originally booked a luau in Wailea, near where we were staying. A couple of weeks before the trip, it was canceled and our money refunded. Not knowing what to do, I searched online and found the Feast at Lele in Lahaina, so I booked it.

The day of the luau, we took the 30 or so minute drive from Kihei to Lahaina and toured around. Definitely give yourself some time to explore Lahaina. Lots of great shops and restaurants. There’s also a huge banyan tree — the largest in Hawaii — taking up a full city block.

banyan tree, Lahaina, Maui

At 6:30pm, we were ushered into the luau, given a lei, and a mai tai. I’d call that a good start! Before the show began, we even got our photos taken as the sun was setting!

Feast at Lele luau, Lahaina, Maui

Then the food and show started! I really liked how the Feast at Lele went for authenticity and shared the various cultures of Polynesia: Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa. Each course of food and show was tied to one of these particular cultures.

Speaking of food. We ate. And ate! And ate some more! Among the items we feasted on were Kalua pig, swordfish, scallops, squid, shrimp, and chicken in taro leaf. Not to mention some delicious tropical drinks!

Feast at Lele luau, Lahaina, Maui

The performances were both fun and educational.

Samoan fire dance, Feast at Lele luau, Lahaina, Maui

Feast at Lele luau, Lahaina, Maui

At the time of writing, the price was $125 per person for adults. Considering you get five courses, an unlimited selection of drinks, and performances over the course of 3 hours–we thought it was great price. We left with full stomachs, learned a bit about the various cultures, and had a good time too!

For more pics, check out my Flickr album.