Completed 3/10/20 - Maui Christmas - a TR of Our Return to Aulani and First Visit to Maui

[pepperandchips]

Hi, do you remember me? A long time ago I started narrating this magical hawaiian adventure tale...

For some reason I stalled out on basically my favorite thing we did. We'd skipped going to a luau on our first trip together to Hawaii, as I'd been as a kid to Paradise Cove (next door to Aulani) and remembered the food service being chaotic and the show being cheesy. Being on limited time anyway, it was an expensive extra we found easy to cut. Well, this time, I was a little more interested in checking out a luau, and when I read several great reports of the Feast at Lele (@nkereina's comes to mind) I thought it might be our style.

The Feast at Lele is run by the same folks as the Old Lahaina Luau, and it's also located in Lahaina. It was probably about 30 minutes from our condo and there was paid parking across the street. We'd made our reservation just a few days prior (the 28th of December) for our show on January 1. Their website was buggy so they ended up having to call me about the reservation but did so promptly and took care of everything.

Upon arrival, it seems just about anything tropical you could want to drink was there to greet you.

When putting the pictures back I just noticed that it looks like that lady behind the drinks is nude.. haha! I feel pretty sure she wasn't.

Unfortunately it wasn't really clear what we were supposed to be doing at this time. We milled around for a minute with our mai tais before going outside and realizing that's where everyone was! D'oh!

Many folks were down on the beach taking photos of the sunset or of each other. That looked like a good idea so we did it too!

I found it a little odd that there were still beach-goers just hanging out while a whole dinner show worth of people piled out onto the beach, but to each her own.

We took a few selfies before trading cameras with some other families and offering to take one anothers' photos...

We also took advantage of the professional photographers there. Later (several fruity tropical drinks in ) I purchased two images - it was $40 for two and I think the first one would have been like $35 alone so I picked two even though I don't really like the second one. It's included here so you can see they offer a choice of "backgrounds" (really just rotating your body)

Eventually we found our way to our table, which was way off to the side but in the front row. As I understand, tables are assigned in order of reservation where the first to reserve get the best views. Our view was fine and we liked being near the musicians.

Yes, I had shamelessly told them it was our honeymoon still milking that one, coming up on our anniversary this month...

Here is the full menu, which was served family style, course-by-course (one by one, until you shout 'enough I'm done!' )

And the beverage options, all of which are included in the fixed price.

We had a fabulous server who kept checking on us to see if we needed drinks or wanted to try something else different/crazy. Sometimes we took him up on it so we might need to consult that menu photo together to decipher what we had... I have 25 photos of food and entertainment, so I will continue in the following post...

 

[pepperandchips]

(continued from previous post, the Feast at Lele - my comments will be in BOLD below, the rest is from the menu)

First Course: Hawaii

We begin right here in our beautiful home island of Hawai'i with our oli (chant), mele (song),
and hula (dance) from the islands of Hawai’i, O’ahu, Kauai, and Maui. We honor the ‘aina (land), our ali’i (royalty), and the natural beauty surrounding us.

TRADITIONAL POLYNESIAN STAPLES
Banana & sweet potato chips served w/ a tropical ginger & ogo seaweed salsa.

(mai tais)

FIRST COURSE

IMU ROASTED KALUA PUA’A
Pork seasoned w/ hawaiian salt, cooked traditional style in an underground oven & shredded.

Oh my gosh, this was heavenly. Salty and decadent perfection. Kalua pig is prevalent in Maui but this was just fantastic, especially with the pineapple rice. NOM!

PIPIKAULA & POI
Paniolo dried cured beef & Maui poi, w/ pickled vegetable salad.

Not my favorite, but I think that's par for the course regarding poi and dried, cured beef... The poi was not the worst I've ever tried but that's not saying much.

CHEF' SPECIAL
Bamboo Pineapple Rice w/ Caramelized Pepper Pineapple

Also delicious! Especially with the kalua pig!!

The entertainment was styled to the island group represented for the course and we were served the course and then entertained as we ate. Very relaxing.

NEW ZEALAND

Kia Ora, welcome to Aotearoa – Land of the Long White Cloud. Presently known as New Zealand, it is home to the Maori people. It is believed that the Maori migrated to Aotearoa from as far as the Marquesas, Cook, and Society Islands. They have an artistic culture, and are well known for their elaborate artwork. Although the Maori people have a unique culture of their own, their culture shares many similarities to that of other Polynesians.

SECOND COURSE

HARORE KUMARA
Medley of stewed mushrooms & onion,
served on orange & purple sweet potato.

MITI HANGI
5 hour island scented braised short ribs
in a kiwi fruit jus.

CHEF'S SPECIAL - Pikopiko Salad
Hana Fiddle Fern Shoot, Kabocha pumpkin with house smoked fish & roasted kukui nut

"Hana Fiddle Fern Shoot" became our joke phrase for the remainder of the trip. It probably should have been the report title after all the fiddling I've done getting this thing finished! This salad was actually good and very light and refreshing.

The Maori culture is rich in song and dance, intertwined with strong oratory skills.
You will notice their facial tattoos or moko. This was used to symbolize ones genealogy
and personal identity. Our dancers perform a Haka, a war dance that was used to
intimidate their enemies. Then our women perform an exciting dance using poi balls,
which are used to imitate the actions and rhythms in nature.

This was one of my favorite rounds of entertainment! The Haka is so unique.

TAHITI

Come along with us to Tahiti, land of intrigue and romance, capturing the imagination.
From the verdant majesty of its mountains rising out of the mist to the starling clarity of color
in its coral lagoons, Tahiti is considered by many as the image of Polynesia, and throughout
its history, Tahiti has beckoned explorers from around the world.

THIRD COURSE
(count all those drinks and you will understand why I neglected to get a photo of each individual plate before we started eating!)

E-IAOTA (POISSON CRU)
Fresh island fish & vegetable marinated in lime juice & coconut milk.

GINGER MOA
Marinated chicken breast in a mango soy sauce w/Tahitian lime aoli & mango relish.

CHEF' SPECIAL - TAHITIAN BAKED SHRIMP
w/ gardenia ginger oil and ocean salad

Despite not getting individual photos, this was one of my favorite courses. Everything was delicious! I LOVED the shrimp!

DH's first lava flow (of all time OF ALLLL TIME! )

Sit back and enjoy the sensual swing of the hips and pulsing rhythm of the ancient drums, which combine to create a titillating dance performance. Oversized headdresses made of grasses and shells balance the exuberant movements of the hip and hand. Experience the romantic lure of Tahiti as called forth in its lusty dances. (DEFINITELY not my description )

After the group dancers, several duos were featured. You can see how close we were to the musicians there on the right, so that was entertaining in and of itself!

Are you starting to feel full yet? Me too!! But save room, as this course had my favorite item...

SAMOA

Our eveningʻs journey ends at Samoa, “the cradle of Polynesia,” literally the sacred center of its
fiery soul. The islands of Samoa reflect their age in a lush jungle-shrouded paradise. Even today, thatched grass roof fales can be seen dotting the coastlines, where island homes are open to nature, and the island people open their hearts to you.

FOURTH COURSE

PALUSAMI
Braised coconut cream corned beef w/ baked ulu wrapped in taro leaf.

This tasted way better than it looked. Who knew corned beef was a Samoan specialty?

STEW FIGOTA
Fresh island fish in a mussels, clam, calamari and shrimp stew w/ coconut banana cream.

CHEF SPECIAL - PANI POPO
Baked Soft taro roll in Creamy Coconut Milk

Okay, this might look like someone's really tan bum, but it was not a bum, it was THE BOMB!!! Omg this was like dessert. If I hadn't been excruciatingly full, I would have asked if we could have had another. Practically dessert!

For the Feast at Lele finale, the energetic and vigorous Samoan dance is punctuated by staccato slapping of legs and feet, and rhythmic clapping of hands. Men wear shredded leaf leggings which emphasize their movements, while women don very finely woven leaf skirts to accentuate their gracefulness. The famed fire knife dance is an important component to their culture and fitting end to our show.

(Please let that video work)

FIFTH COURSE
Vanilla coconut mousseline cake w/ caramelized pineapple & salted caramel. Whipped haupia cream (coconut pudding) w/ island fruit sauce.

Wrap-up/overal review of the Feast at Lele:

The meal was $130 per person or $270.84 before gratuity. It was so much more than just dinner and I think it was worth every penny. If you are a foodie or not sure about the level of cheese at a luau (yes, this had cheesy moments too, but that's part of the fun) this is probably the Polynesian dinner show for you. There were certainly kids there but it was really well suited for adults and couples, in a beautiful and convenient setting. It was SO MUCH FOOD I would really advise you to pace yourself as best as possible. This was an incredible experience and I'd give it five stars.

Phew! With all that behind me, maybe you can see why it was daunting?

Up next: our final day in paradise with visits to the Iao Needle and whale watching and happy hour, oh my!

 

[nkereina]

@pepperandchips great review of the Feast at Lele! Glad you enjoyed it - its bringing back fond memories for me

Another element of the Feast at Lele that I liked was that you're seated at your own private table and the food is served to you. At a traditional luau, including the Old Lahaina Luau down the street, you're seated at communal tables and its often a buffet. We were on our honeymoon, so we preferred the overall setting of the Feast at Lele for these reasons!

 

[dachsie]

@pepperandchips Were you at Disneyworld last week? I swear I passed someone who looked just like you and your husband in Magic Kingdom. I called out and asked if you were pepperandchips but you didn't hear me and I didn't want to appear stalkerish. LOL. I was trying to make a FP as well

 

[pepperandchips]

@pepperandchips Were you at Disneyworld last week? I swear I passed someone who looked just like you and your husband in Magic Kingdom. I called out and asked if you were pepperandchips but you didn't hear me and I didn't want to appear stalkerish. LOL. I was trying to make a FP as well

Omg yes! I wish I had heard you! Was this on May 6?

 

[alohamom]

Oh my goodness @pepperandchips thank you for this extremely comprehensive Feast at Lele section of your report. I have always wondered if it was worth the $$$. Looks like you guys really enjoyed yourselves!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Lusty dancing, tasty dishes and amazing cocktails, OH MY!!! That looked like so much fun and definitely worth the cost for sure.

 

[dachsie]

Omg yes! I wish I had heard you! Was this on May 6?

Yes - I was walking to Fantasyland and you were walking to Liberty square

 

[pepperandchips]

Yes - I was walking to Fantasyland and you were walking to Liberty square

AW man! That would have been fun to say hi! We were with another friend from the boards too (FallonKendra) - I'm sure that's why I was distracted!

 

[Flossbolna]

The Feast at Lele has intrigued me, too! Thanks for the in depth review and all the food pictures. It looks like an awesome experience. I am just a bit concerned since we don't like seafood very much and I would not want the food get to waste! Can you tell them not to bring certain items?

 

[linco711]

I’m thoroughly enjoying your TR! I love Maui and have been several times. Love the Wailea area best. Liked Lahaina for all the food choices. Done the road to HANA with a tour and on our own. Definitely liked on our own best. Found the wetness and clouds to be gloomy both times and couldn’t wait to get back into the sunshine of the beaches.

I’ve also spent some time on the Big Island which is very different, but enjoyed it also.

I’m curious about whether I will like the big resort feel and the manufactured environment instead of the natural beauty of Hawaii. Do you ever feel that way? It sounds like everyone loves it, and finds it magical. I’m hoping we will too!

Sounds like the food prices are outrageous! Guess we won’t be eating on property too much.

 

[pepperandchips]

@pepperandchips great review of the Feast at Lele! Glad you enjoyed it - its bringing back fond memories for me

Another element of the Feast at Lele that I liked was that you're seated at your own private table and the food is served to you. At a traditional luau, including the Old Lahaina Luau down the street, you're seated at communal tables and its often a buffet. We were on our honeymoon, so we preferred the overall setting of the Feast at Lele for these reasons!

Your honeymoon report was so helpful and definitely encouraged me to take the plunge on the Feast at Lele. Good point bringing up the individual tables - I meant to be more explicit about it, but yes, it was so nice with it just being the two of us. Especially with the family style food, that would be odd sharing with another group.

Oh my goodness @pepperandchips thank you for this extremely comprehensive Feast at Lele section of your report. I have always wondered if it was worth the $$$. Looks like you guys really enjoyed yourselves!

I would say it was absolutely worth it for us, and I would think it would be worth it for anyone who's willing to try all the different food and drinks alcohol. After a nice gratuity for our server (the service was absolutely excellent, bar none) it was an expensive outing, but all of the luaus I looked at were also pricy and had poor reviews of the food. I would actually do it again, despite thinking at the time it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Lusty dancing, tasty dishes and amazing cocktails, OH MY!!! That looked like so much fun and definitely worth the cost for sure.

I know right?! The lusty dancing bit cracked me up, I must not have read that while we were there, because by the time I'd had mai tais and pina coladas and sparkling wine I would have been a giggling idiot! The music and dancing was great and the food was amazing. SO much fun!

The Feast at Lele has intrigued me, too! Thanks for the in depth review and all the food pictures. It looks like an awesome experience. I am just a bit concerned since we don't like seafood very much and I would not want the food get to waste! Can you tell them not to bring certain items?

You're absolutely welcome, I am glad to have you here reading! I asked R if he remembered whether you could customize the menu and he said he thought so. I am sure they make accomodations because so many people have allergies, eat kosher, and so on. If there were dishes you knew you would not enjoy I'm sure you could ask them not to bring them. I am not much for seafood myself but really enjoyed most things I tried in Hawaii. The seafood is very fresh and tasty there! There were some dishes that we finished on this evening and some that we just had a few bites of, like the cured beef and poi.

I’m thoroughly enjoying your TR! I love Maui and have been several times. Love the Wailea area best. Liked Lahaina for all the food choices. Done the road to HANA with a tour and on our own. Definitely liked on our own best. Found the wetness and clouds to be gloomy both times and couldn’t wait to get back into the sunshine of the beaches.

I’ve also spent some time on the Big Island which is very different, but enjoyed it also.

Thank you! We have not made it to the Big Island yet but I am sure we will return to Hawaii at some point and I definitely want to visit the island of Hawaii. We loved Kauai so I think the big island would be a hit with us!

I’m curious about whether I will like the big resort feel and the manufactured environment instead of the natural beauty of Hawaii. Do you ever feel that way? It sounds like everyone loves it, and finds it magical. I’m hoping we will too!

I was a little worried about that too, the first time I went to Aulani. Who goes all the way to Hawaii and stays at a big Disney resort? But I feel that Disney did so much to make it feel Hawaiian, it doesn't really feel cheap or icky. And, there are plenty of places around the resort to admire the beautiful ocean and mountain views. I can't really explain why it des feel magical, but it does seem that way. I hope you love it and aren't disappointed!

Sounds like the food prices are outrageous! Guess we won’t be eating on property too much.

We thought the food prices in Hawaii were crazy pretty much everywhere, including at Aulani. Even the grocery store prices were crazy to us, which is why we packed so much of our own food for this trip. We thought that the hot food prices at the Island Country Market across the street were fairly reasonable and the Pizza Corner was definitely high cost for pizza but it makes each meal very reasonable if you split it between multiple people. Overall, I would say there are dining deals to be found if you look for them and I'm not sure you "have to have" anything in particular from Aulani so I would definitely shop around!

Thanks for reading along!

 

[thumper*]

HI Melinda not sure why I hadn't noticed this TR in your siggy before???? Loved this TR can't wait to hear about Ioa Needle. We're planning on going to Maui in a few years. Hope to spend about 10-14 days so really need to get the PTO built up at work. I've been researching Maui for about a month now and was glad to read your review of many of things we want to do.

I ultimately found a great deal on a basic one bedroom condo in Maalea, right on the ocean.

I decided that Kihea would be a great location for us but Maalea would be a good alternative. Did you get your rental from VRBO? Would you by chance have a link to that? TIA

We were feeling adventurous, so off we set in the Nissan to Haleakala National Park.

We're hoping to do this at sunset also. I was wondering what it would be like driving down it after dark.

Many folks just hopped out of their cars and were rewarded with the view above. But the real treat is found by crossing the road and walking down a fairly short path to the overlook. You are just walking along lava rock and low shrubs and then all of the sudden, there is the crater. It's really hard to describe how vast it is - and photos really don't even do it justice.

This is one recommendation I hadn't heard yet. Thanks

We decided to head down to Kihei to Coconuts Fish Cafe,

It's on my list

we were going to experience the famous road to Hana and we wanted to get a jump on things!

Can't wait to do this. Thinking of doing this 2 days. One day south of Hana and another date the regular route.

How's the new house going? Now get back to work on finishing this TR. LOL

 

[pepperandchips]

I came to finish this stinking report after so long leaving it hanging only to find that half of my photos have disappeared! Ugh! I will have to try to figure that out and come back to fix them.
In the meantime, for anyone still interested, our final day... today we would be visiting the Iao Needle and experiencing one of the activities I was most looking forward to - whale watching!
First we headed to experience the Iao Needle, which I expected would help kill a little time on our departure day. It was fairly easy to find and we enjoyed driving through a part of the Island that looked more of a locals area and less of the main tourist drag.


Here's what Hawaii Magazine says about the park:

The 4,000-acre, 10-mile-long state park is a top outdoor destination on Maui, recognized for its iconic Iao Needle, a 1,200-foot rock formation that overlooks the Iao Stream. In addition to being a popular outdoor destination, Iao Valley is a popular cultural and historical destination. It was the infamous setting of the Battle of Kepaniwai in 1790, in which Kamehameha I defeated the Kalanikupule in a battle so bloody it’s said the bodies of the dead dammed the waters of Iao Stream.

The large cliff on the left is the needle:

I remember thinking how beautiful and verdant this valley is - but it's best to set expectations that this is just another of Hawaii's gorgeous nature parks. The needle itself was not an overwhelmingly moving experience, though I am glad we climbed up to see it. But there is a beautiful overlook facing the opposite direction, where you can see clear out to the ocean - we enjoyed spending some time up here and just savoring our last day in paradise

We enjoyed the meandering nature paths below the cliffs, probably most of all. There's a beautiful and quiet stream where Mr. Pepper was able to dip his toes in

I should say it was quiet and peaceful - when we were there. Apparently severe flooding closed the park to visitors a few years ago after major damage.
Iao Valley is a nice place to kill an hour or so, but it's not a major diversion or even a must-do, in my opinion, but it wasn't hard to get to and I'm glad we visited.
Next we headed back to the Maalaea harbor, very near where we'd been staying all week. We had pre-purchased tickets online for the Pacific Whale Foundation whalewatching afternoon tour. This one was offered at a few dollars' discount and worked with our schedule best anyway. Our total for two people was $86.94. You are asked to arrive 45 minutes prior to the tour start time and there is a little shopping plaza there where we found clean restrooms and a place to sit after checking in. I also rented binoculars for our tour, which I definitely recommend, and the price was reasonable - $5 or $10 I think. We shared one pair.

We were led down to the harbor to our boat - the Ocean Odyssey - a two level catamaran that had theater-style seating at the top front.

(photo lifted from their website)

At first I was nervous because we didn't see any whales for the first 30+ minutes we were out on the water. If you don't see any whales, they let you take another tour for free, but as this was our departure day we'd gambled on getting to see them on our tour.

Shortly after my worries kicked in, we had an amazing up-close sighting and saw several more whales all around us for the duration of our tour. I was trying to balance looking with my eyes and documenting with my phone camera, and I have about 10 videos of whales surfacing - there is just no describing the wonder of seeing it with your eyes, though. As a little girl, I was always fascinated with sea life, especially whales, and this was truly a dream come true to experience the whales in person.
I can't figure out how to post a video, and watching them is making me a bit seasick, so here are some poor quality screen captures:

There are actually two whales in this photo, the one blowing there in the center and another whale surfacing just above the lady's hand holding the phone on the left.

We didn't see too many whale flukes but this one was a major payoff!

Can you see the rainbow in between the mountains in the above photo? It was like a smile from nature after such an amazing experience.

I have major motion sickness issues and wore a scopolamine patch for this experience. Even with the patch, I still felt a bit green by the end of our trip. It was worth it and truly a bucket list experience for me but I just wanted to provide a word of caution if this is an issue for anyone else. The boats must idle with no motor running when whales are nearby, which I fully support, but the boat bobbing along in the waves really made me queasy. I was glad when we returned to the harbor!

With our trip drawing to a close, we decided to return to a previous favorite for one last meal before we left the beauty of Maui.
We drove back over to Three's Bar and Grill in Kihei for another round of happy hour specials. We sat at the bar as there were seats available and we needed to eat and get on the road to the airport.

20 oz beers were on special for $6.50 during happy hour - this would be a decent price even at home so it was a great value with Hawaii's inflated prices, especially for a local draft. We each had a couple of Kona Lava Man red ale drafts.

To eat, we shared the fish taco (happy hour $3.75), the kalua pork nachos (happy hour $8.00), and a couple of happy hour spicy tuna rolls (happy hour $5.50 each)

The food was once again absolutely superb and the environment warm and welcoming. We enjoyed chatting with the bartender and eating our happy hour snacks.

Before long, our trip to Maui had come to a close and we were back on the road to the airport.

The airport had a bit of a sad Christmas display still going strong, and we reluctantly said goodbye before departing Maui for the journey home. We connected through a near-deserted Honolulu airport for a 10:30 pm flight back to San Francisco before our journey back to Atlanta.

... and just like that, our trip was over. It was truly an amazing adventure and just re-living it has me longing to return to the Aloha Islands again. There is no place like Hawaii and every minute there was paradise. Please let me know if you have any questions. If you've just found my report, I'm sorry that half the pictures zapped themselves and I will work on fixing them.

Until next time, Mahalo and Aloha! ~ Melinda

 

[missjackiemcg]

Hi, Melinda! Sounds like you planned a perfect final day. Whale watching is definitely a bucket list item for me, as well, and that picture with the little rainbow is simply gorgeous! I'm glad you came back and wrapped this one up. A perfectly tropical holiday

 

[pepperandchips]

Okay, I think all the pictures are finally back! Man. Lesson learned: do not use facebook to host TR photos!!!

 

[pepperandchips]

Hi, Melinda! Sounds like you planned a perfect final day. Whale watching is definitely a bucket list item for me, as well, and that picture with the little rainbow is simply gorgeous! I'm glad you came back and wrapped this one up. A perfectly tropical holiday

It was about ding dang time I finished it! I have been longing to start another TR/DR but I've done so poorly finishing them lately that I hate to even start a new one. I've been reading up to prepare for a couple trips we have in the works though and wanted to share my last few recommendations.

 

[carejo]

Just found and read your entire report. Loved it. My husband and i went to Aulani for our 30th Anniversary and it was fabulous. Loved all your photos and details of your trip! My son and his girl friend are arriving there in about an hour! i don't think i will get too much info from him , so I'm happy to see all your info and pictures.Thanks

 

[pepperandchips]

Just found and read your entire report. Loved it. My husband and i went to Aulani for our 30th Anniversary and it was fabulous. Loved all your photos and details of your trip! My son and his girl friend are arriving there in about an hour! i don't think i will get too much info from him , so I'm happy to see all your info and pictures.Thanks

Thank you for the kind words, Joanne! I hope your son and his girlfriend have a great trip. I love binge reading through these trip reports too - it's a nice trip down memory lane. I hope you are able to return one day!

 

[cgattis]

@pepperandchips add me to the list who are glad you finished this off! Loved your whole TR—great pics, funny stories, and y’all are just too cute

Really loved the whole menu and pics from Feast at Lele. We did Paradise Cove and enjoyed it, but next trip is probably just Maui and Kauai, so this was great. I love the show but I like the idea of table service versus a big buffet. (We did VIP at PC so we didn’t have to hassle with that there, either.). But this food looks fabulous....thanks so much for sharing! Happy anniversary