Smith’s Tropical Paradise Luau

I felt it was necessary to counter a couple recent harsh reviews. I can’t comment on the authenticity here or make comparisons with other luaus, this is my first, but I wanted to put in my two cents. It’s a luau for tourists so I think you get out of it what you expect going in.
First, the grounds are very nice. The gardens are well kept and they give you time to wander after shuttling you back to the dinner pavilion. It’s true that some of the equipment and facilities are dated to mid 1970s but everything was very well kept and clean (from the trams to the restrooms). It’s a far cry «better than camping» as one reviewer put it.
The dinner pavilion is huge, it must seat 300, so don’t expect an intimate atmosphere. To have drinks included is unusual but it was nice to see that people weren’t getting drink or abusing it. While the standard Mai Tai was pretty weak, every mixed we ordered at the bar was pretty strong, and some even needed extra juice or mix.
The food was also pretty good, overall, particularly for a buffet. We were among the middle tables to be called up and the salad was still fresh and veggies were more crisp than most other buffets. As others have said, the pork is the clear highlight, most everything else was good, and the desserts were pretty tasty overall.
Finally, I was a bit wary about the show, particularly after reading others comments about prejudiced or ethnic slurs. I teach geography so I’m a bit sensitive to stereotypes, bias, and generalizations. I listened carefully and didn’t hear anything that was as offensive as noted in other review this year. The clear theme was actually one of inclusion, since each different group of dancers represented one of the ethnic groups who came to Hawaii over the years. Yes, most are referred to as «our cousins from…» but that seemed to suggest common cultures and similarities, ranging from NZ to Phillipines, among others. Only the Japanese represented some stereotyping as it focused heavily on restrained manners and cultural isolation. All in all an interesting, if somewhat campy version of local theater.
On our night, the stage was surrounded by water and each dance group either emerged from the back (under the volcano) or came to the side or front of the audience where there was a closer dance stage. Transitions were pretty smooth and choreography was strong. It was clear that it built up to the fire dancer so I was surprised to see that others thought the show ended early.
Again, it’s not Broadway, but it’s hardly offensive either. Sure, it’s expensive but not any more so than all other luaus on the island. If you go in the spirit of being fed and entertained in a setting unique to a vacation in Hawaii, you’ll get exactly that.

Food was good, but everything needs updating.
The grounds were nice, bathrooms are a bit better than camping.
The show was like Lawrence Welk in the tropics. Very slow.
We thought the show was over during a rather long musical interval. No announcement, people left. Then a truck races up and out comes the fire baton performer. I’ve been to many luaus and was looking forward to this one as it’s advertised as best on the island… but I was disappointed and disappointed for my family members who’d never been to a luau. Skip it, go to the one at the plantation instead.

Warning: not only is Smith’s not worth your money, it may well cost you your soul as well.
My GF really wanted to attend a luau while we were on Kauai. This was the one she had heard the most about, so it’s the one we signed up for. But yikes, the reality doesn’t approach the hype, such as it is. The grounds were squalid and campy, the food and drinks were generally mediocre, but worst of all, the after-​dinner show was cartoonishly racist. At various points the MC reduced Chinese people to «industrious workers known for their kung fu» and Filipinos to «lovers of cockfighting.» (Yes, it’s 100% true– that really happened.) We cringed with shame so much from being even passive participants in this disgrace, that our faces remained frozen for half an hour after we left.
I hate to hate on a family-​owned business, but this is just an over-​commercialized, lowest-​common-​denominator tourist trap. Next time we’ll definitely look for something smaller and more authentic. Hopefully it exists.

A wonderful luau. I was weary to try one since the one I experienced in Oahu last year did not live up to my expectations, however this one does not disappoint. The grounds are just beautiful and the staff is so friendly. The food was AMAZING. I wasn’t expecting too much from the food but everyone was so impressed. The show was great and all the seats are very good. It started to rain during the show pretty hard (don’t worry the audience seating is covered) but that didn’t stop the dancers! I feel the show was a little on the long side and may have been a little better if they didn’t showcase so many different dances from the various countries. The Maori chanting is always my favorite.

Beautiful grounds, sweet family. The price for what you receive for the evening is reasonable.

Smiths Tropical Luau is a nice evening under the stars for anyone looking to walk around a garden area, see some basic wildlife, and all you can eat dinner. The evening ends with an entertaining show that takes you through several different types of dance and costume.
Don’t bother with the fern grotto boat ride as its a slow chug up stream, a very short stroll up to a tiny cave entrance and then boat ride back to the dock.
Everyone should try Smiths once when visiting Kauai but don’t expect repeat trips to hold up.

The pig was awesome. The rest of the food was just okay. The entertainment during dinner wasn’t any better than the live music at the restaurants here. The drinks were not very good.
The entertainment at the end was like watching a high school multi-​cultural show. The band for the show was very good. The guy doing the fire dance at the end was entertaining. The rest was very boring.

I appreciate what the Smith family is trying to do at the luau. I like that it’s a family atmosphere with people from the Smith family helping to run it all. I also appreciate knowing that the Smiths really are natives of Kauai. The food was great and the show was great. It honestly just felt like too many people and felt too commercialized. After dinner, the last thing I wanted to do was go and sit in the dark to watch a show. I almost fell asleep during the show. The restroom lines are too long and should really be addressed. The grounds are beautiful and the staff informative. The buffet lines move quickly and we were allowed to go back for seconds if we wanted. I didn’t like paying $ 20 for the photo after the dinner (optional I realize) but why charge so much for a photo that’s easy to print?
This was a bucket list item for me but won’t do it again. I want a less-​crowded more intimate feeling during the next luau I do.

Booked this before we left on vacation. Saved 20.00 by purchasing online. The grounds were beautiful. The staff was kind. The food was what you would expect. Lots of tables and people on a
Friday night. They excuse guests to the buffet table by table. Didn’t take too long. There were 6 buffet lines so it went quickly. All you can drink. There was some musical entertainment during the meal. We were then ushered to their theater for the show portion. Bleacher type seating with padding. Show was well put together but felt like it dragged a little with all the dances from neighboring islands and the slow dances. Over all it’s was an experience. Glad I went but probably wouldn’t do it again. Bucket list item for me. Give them a try.

Amazing! Cannot explain it in any other word. We will definitely visit every time we’re in Kauai ! Every single staff /​smith family we came in contact with left a lasting impression. Also, left my jacket and since we were flying out the next day on a red eye flight they offered to ship my jacket without any hesitation !! Thank you for a beautiful memory !!

I had a lot of fun with this. The Lady and I stopped by here and stayed for the luau. We did not stay for dinner here though so this is strictly my take on the luau. A few other reviews mentioned dancers who were «too sexy» which I thought was kind of strange. The Lady nailed it when she said to me «these girls are all normal looking. I like it.» The girls were amazing dancers and although the story of the origins of Hawai’i was very cheesy, it was a lot of fun. The seating was ancient bleacher-​style seating and the place looks like it had seen better days but in spite of that it was a lot of fun.
Definitely worth a try if you’re on Kauai.

A fantastic experience. My wife’s favorite part of our entire Kauai trip. Definitely up high on my list as well. One of the greatest perks of this luau is they’ll actually come pick you up from your hotel! We didn’t have a rental car for our entire Kauai honeymoon and we found ourselves wondering what to do one evening… We had just arrived the previous night, and decided that we may as well cross off a luau off the list! The whole experience was great. It was a blast walking around the beautiful grounds, and they have bird food to feed the chickens, roosters, and peacocks, which was a blast!
The dinner was great, there were many delicious options, and it was one of our favorite meals on the island! The pork and teriyaki beef were particularly good.
The Rhythm of Aloha show after dinner was great as well, showcasing many cultural dances from throughout Polynesia and Asia.
Highly recommend! The only luau I’ve been to, but I’ve heard it’s the best from many people, and I don’t doubt it! Check it out!

We bought tickets for just the show. We thought it was pretty good. The Tahitian Dancers were a bit too sexy if you ask me. I liked how the show paid tribute to all the cultures in the melting pot that made Hawaii what it is today. I especially enjoyed the Filipino dance. They also had water right outside the performance area which was really nice after a long day playing in the sun.
The show is not as good as the Polynesian cultural center but is better than other shows I have seen on other islands. The stage area sits below an amphitheater that provides great sight lines.
The grounds at smiths are simply stunning and should be visited. Walking in and out of the performance was really beautiful.

This is for 12/​28/​2015.
I’m knocking down a star simply because it wasn’t as nice as the luau I went to in Maui. That one was open air seating in nice long wooden benches, right on the water, with the show right in front of us (instead of the «official» show after dinner at Smith’s). The food there was much better and with more variety. They also had as many made-​to-​order drinks as you wanted versus the pre-​made mai-​tais here and then just beer, wine, sodas at Smith’s.
The food I got was DELICIOUS. The cucumber salad was so refreshing that I had seconds of that. The teriyaki beef was so tender and flavorful. The adobo chicken was good but nothing outstanding. The purple sweet potatoes were done plainly (not a diss) and were so delicious. The star attraction kahlua pig was to die for. I could have just eaten this, the sweet potatoes, cucumber salad and mashed potatoes (for something to cut the pork) all day every day. OMG it was so good. If you’re not squeamish, take the skin. I loved that everyone in line around me avoided it so when I went back for seconds there was tons of skins so I just got a ton of it. That pig was perfectly cooked for 9hrs in the ground. It’s a lot of hard work but I appreciated it and so did my stomach.
I don’t know what some people were complaining about regarding the buffet lines. No one was racing and no one was pushing anyone when I was there. Everything was orderly. They called people up in tables (several tables at a time). There were 4 lines total with identical food so you didn’t have to switch lines in case you felt like there was something special that wasn’t in your line. Everything was orderly. Then when everyone has had a chance to get their 1^st plates, you’re invited back for seconds or thirds or whatever you wanted.
The drinks were free flowing. My girlfriend had 3 mai tais and some white wine. I stuck to coke/​pepsi.
One thing I found a bit annoying is that at $ 80/​person, they had tip jars out. That made me feel uncomfortable because at $ 80, that’s the most expensive I’ve paid for a buffet and I feel like that should cover tip. Instead, I felt this awkward expectation to tip each time I went to grab a round of drinks. I know I didn’t «have to» but it just felt weird to me.
I personally was not a fan of the environment. It felt like a well oiled machine in a not very attractive banquet. Minus the clothing, food and entertainment, it could have been anywhere. I wish they made it feel less like a business like at some luas I’ve been to before. It was a massive event and it took away from the experience. This is by far the largest of 3 luaus I’ve been to. I wish it wasn’t so big as it took away from the ambience.
Also, they really need to invest in expanding the bathroom facilities. Cramming that many people in and expecting only 4 or 5 bathroom stalls is pretty annoying.
The show was interesting and exciting if this was your first luau. If you’ve been to several, you feel like you’ve already seen it all. I liked the theatre and the show in general. I just wish there was a way to have an open air dinner in the environment like the theatre so we can eat and watch the show. Instead, we were stuffed and watching a show and nodding off due to the food coma.
My other complaint is the $ 20 for photos. I know this is a business but for $ 80, they could include the photos considering how inexpensive it is to print photos now. On top of that, if we don’t buy them, you chuck them in the trash. So even if you didn’t want to give them away for free, make it cheaper to like $ 5 and maybe everyone would buy them.
The service was great. Everyone was friendly and welcoming from start to finish. The people welcomed us at the entrance. The guy at the imu was really friendly and gave us directions towards the dining hall. Every employee in orange was really friendly as well. Was treated like a guest from start to finish.
TIP: Book your luau online on their site to save some money!

I went with my family-​a total of 16 of us-​on New Year’s Eve. Oddly, we had the opposite experience of the person who went on the same night and gave it 1 star. My mother would give it 5 stars, if she Unilocaled.
The grounds were beautiful and set on the gorgeous Wailua River. The explanation of how the pig was to be cooked was done in a sacred and sharing way. The drinks were not the best, but free. The tables were allowed to go one at a time when you were told. There was order and freedom. There was plenty of food for everyone. I am giving one star off because I found the food to be bland and not particularly fresh or favorable, but I am from San Francisco, land of great restaurants, and have high expectations.
The entertainment was top-​notch. While we ate, a male singer with a pure tone and incredible range, sang and played a small guitar. He was joined by a female ukulele and male bass player. Then an incredibly graceful woman came onstage and danced a slow hula showing us what the movements meant. A few of us went on stage including me! Very fun!
After dinner, we all went to the outdoor theatre. Incredible! it’s quite evident that the dancers enjoy what they do. it was also a fascinating learning experience to see all of the many cultures that make up the islands of Hawaii. I thoroughly enjoyed the harmonies of the live musicians and lead vocalist. I even asked if they had a recording of the music after the show but they do not.
I would highly recommend this experience to anyone. Lastly, I really didn’t want to go but my sister encouraged me since she had done it before. I’m glad she did!!!

We enjoyed this luau very much. We took our 10 and 6 year old and our 6 year old was so excited and happy from the time we walked in until the finale!
The food was great and the Smith family is very organized and everything ran very smoothly.
I wished we would have shown up a little earlier (we got there at 5:15pm) to explore the grounds some before the Imu ceremony.
This was our second luau and compared to our first one this one was much better. I would recommend this to anyone if you would like a great evening for your family.

Of course a Luau is an experience that everyone should have once in Hawaii. We decided on this one and were a bit disappointed. It’s not cheap-​$ 80 for adults. It includes a short tour around their grounds, a buffet dinner, drinks and a show.
The grounds have seen better days. The greenhouse is severely damaged. There are beautiful flowers there and nice trees.
The dinner was just fine. There is plenty of it. The pork was very tasty.
The show was fine. Long and uncomfortable seating. The actors did a good job and had nice costumes.

A good time was had at the Smith’s Luau. A few friends back home told that this was the one to go to and some locals said the same thing. It was very well organized and was good fun. Once you enter and get your picture taken, you take a short shuttle ride that gives you a tour of the grounds which is very scenic with multiple lakes, beautiful flowers and peacocks walking around everywhere. Then you see the Imu ceremony where they bring out the roasted pig. They also explain the story behind the name of this place which had been on my list of questions.
The food was decent and service was great. The shows were nice and explained the history behind the island which was very interesting. My guess is that some people will probably find it too touristy and commercial but it worked out well.

Really had a nice time at this Luau.
From the funny tram tour of the Smith Family Farm to begin the night, to the ceremonial removal of the smoked pork from the imu, to the ridiculous buffet to the actual dance performances, it was just a great night all rolled into one package.
The price seems high, but it’s 4 – 5 hours of activity and eating, so by all accounts, it’s not that much to spend on your entire’s night.
The food was delicious, particularly the kalua pork, which is smoked for a full day with just salt and pepper, and the delicious simplicity of its flavor caused me to his full meat-​sweats after my 4^th portion.
Fruits and desserts are good. They have 3 drink stations where the beverages are pre-​cupped so the lines move at a very fast clip. There’s also teriyaki, sweet and sour mahi, chicken, potatoes, salads, veggies and more!
The dances were maybe a little corny, but it was a storytelling and the fire chief was great.
Nice job!

Smith’s was a good Luau. The location is in between Poipu and Princeville. If you are in Poipu, I would suggest going to one of the Luau’s that is closer to your hotel. That way you can take advantage of the included drinks, and not have to worry about driving.
However, if you are staying in Princeville, I suggest making the trip down to Smith’s. There are not any good Luaus up in the Princeville area, so Smith’s will be your best choice. If you don’t like Luau food, they have a «show only» option that is quite good, and very inexpensive. I think that it is only $ 25, so well worth it.
If you enjoy Luaus, they you will like Smiths. However, if you are not a «Luau Person,» then Smith’s is not going to change your mind.
Book early, as they have a tendancy to sell out. However, there is also a waiting list, that you can get on, if they are sold out.