Waikiki Starlight Luau // (c) Hilton Family
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Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa has transformed its Waikiki Luau on the Lagoon into an all-new show. The Waikiki Starlight Luau premiered Feb. 23 on the resort’s Rooftop Garden, offering dinner shows five nights a week.
The Waikiki Starlight Luau features the performers of Tihati Productions on a stage in the round, where every seat promises a great view. Guests are taken on a voyage across the South Seas in a celebration of Polynesian music and dance. From the Otea of Tahiti to the Hawaiian hula to the Maori dances of New Zealand, the show climaxes in an unprecedented four-man Samoan fire-knife dance.
Complementing the show is a dinner buffet featuring a modern twist on traditional luau fare. The culinary team of Hilton Hawaiian Village has taken fresh island ingredients and crafted them into such selections as steamed banana leaf-wrapped island fish; Thai lemongrass marinated huli huli chicken; rotisserie sirloin of beef with a rosemary and guava barbecue sauce; Hawaiian paella with Portuguese sausage, island fish and shellfish; Waimanalo Farms island greens; Pacific rice noodle salad; Molokai herb-roasted sweet potatoes, to name a few. Traditional luau favorites include roast suckling pork with Hawaiian alae red clay sea salt; lomi lomi salmon; poi; ahi tuna poke and sweet taro rolls. The dessert bar features coconut haupia custard cake; pineapple upside down cake; passion fruit and mango tart and guava chiffon cake.
A 2,475-square-foot mural of the Koolau mountains presides over the entry to the open-air Rooftop Garden where guests are welcomed to the Waikiki Starlight Luau with a shell lei and mai tai punch. During pre-show festivities, Hawaiian artisans demonstrate their work on tables surrounding the terrace that overlooks views of the Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Lagoon and the Pacific beyond. Interactive activities include group hula lessons, Polynesian tatau (tattoo station) and Polynesian implement demonstrations.
The Waikiki Starlight Luau is offered Sunday through Thursday with tickets priced at $95, plus tax and gratuity for adults and $47.50 for children between the ages of 4 and 11. Golden Circle seating closest to the stage is an additional $4 per ticket.
In conjunction with the new luau, Hilton Hawaiian Village has launched a room package that includes two tickets to the new luau and the seventh night free. Rates start at $199 per night, plus tax. The package is valid for stays through December 20, 2009.
800-445-8667; www.hiltonfamilyhawaii.com
