Tourist Trap

If you think that a luau is a tourist trap, you are probably right. But seriously, you can't go to Hawaii without going to at least one luau at least once in your life.

The concierge at the Marriott recommended the Chief's Luau and we went with her recommendation. It was a bit pricey, but there were no bad seats. They had "arts and crafts" displays with staffers making leis and headbands as well as traditional Hawaiian games played with spears or poles. And of course, there was a hula lesson.

The food was nothing to write home about, but it was okay. I mean, it's a buffet. What do you expect? We were there for the show more than the food.

The show was really quite good. The Chief was a bit of a comedian. He talked about Hawaiian culture and traditions and was quite entertaining.

But the dancers and the musicians made the show. They performed traditional dances from Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, New Zealand, and I think Bali and Fiji as well.

There were several opportunities for members of the audience to interact with the dancers, much to everyone's amusement. There was also an opportunity for newlyweds and anniversary couples to go onstage for recognition and a dance.

You can live without eating the food, but you really must see the traditional dances! Hail to the Chief's Luau.