Well if Dennys or Mc Donalds ran a Luau.... The Kam would be it !!!

lowest class and poorest of all the Luaus

Better is the Royal Kona at another hotel.... you can get a drinks and show only option ( no meals) for $36 pp. but it is one step above Kinh Kam..

Spend a few more dollars and go to the Kona Village Resorts Luau twice a week Wed and Friday for $98 per person..... about 1000 % better............... consider what ou spent to get here..... rather than have the finest you opt for the worst just to save $30... thats only one dinner out here......... look at the big picture its pennywise-pound folish to go for the cheapies. The lesser activites here are the ones that offer discount.... the good ones dont give discount as they are in demand for a reason. Think this one through

Cupon books are not used here to any extent...... Maybe a orange julius in Hilo........ beware of the timeshare shysters who line Aliidrive and many to the hotels...... they offer discounts.. in return for 10's of thousands of your money......

Aloha,

My favorite luau is at the Kona Village Resort. It is authentic and the setting is lovely. It is a tad pricey and you would want to reserve ahead. If you decide to do a luau in town the King Kam or Royal Kona Resort are your options. I would not worry about reserving either of these until you are in town and at that point you can be a tad impulsive. I like the setting at the King Kam better, it is very historical. I guess the food and drinks are better at the Royal Kona. I may be the only person who goes to a luau and cares not for the food... I am more interested in the setting, show and people. That said I am guessing you will have fun at either.

Wow....this is definitely the most scathing review of King Kam that I've seen. From what I had read, I thought it was good entertainment, decent, but not great, luau food, and an open (if watered down) bar. What do you think is so bad about it?

My friend and I are going, and we're both students who managed to find a timeshare to stay in for pretty cheap & score a free 'companion fare' flight, so we are definitely on a budget, and $65 was already pushing it to spend on a single meal, but this is my friend's first time on any Hawaiian Island and she wanted to experience the luau.

Based on the "BIg Island Revealed" book from 2006, it had said that the quality of the Royal Kona luau had decreased considerably...have you been lately? Most of the comments re: luaus I had seen on this board were posted in 2005 & 2006 (but maybe I'm just not looking in the right places), but they had said good things about King Kam at the time at least--listing it second to the Kona VIllage Luau.

We might be able to splurge on a better luau, but we really want to make sure the difference is palpable. If King Kam is super bad, and the Kona Village Luau is the only one really worth going to, we might just have to skip the luau this time around!

The Kam luau is in a little stage with no ocean view.... the hotel is in a sade state of dis-repair and has been sold..... no remodel in sight The Kam is famous for poor foods... Sam & Ella. do the food prep. Its performers are old and tired..... it reeks tawdry in comparison .

. The " revealed books here are pretty bad when it comes to where to dine, activites and where to stay...... so far off its laughable to us who live here. good for beaches...... and thats IT !!!! toss it...

The Royal Kona has a killer oceanview, it a remodeled Hilton.... and the Kitchen is Don The Beachcomber.... excellent and quality and a good show in an upscale place by comparison.

and as I said if you skip the meals you can do it on a budget of $35

and save $30 !!! for the show.... cant do that at the Kam

I would scrimp somewhere else and do the Kona Village.... we are talking only pennies in comparison

I hope food critic and luau expert TT will chime in to confirm this is not just me......

If you are on a budget don't waste your money on the luau at the King Kamehameha Hotel. It's the typical tourist trap, bad food and marginal show. The only authentic luau on the island is at the Kona Village Resort. If that price is too much for you than my second choice would be the Royal Kona Resort. (I actually went to the luau there two weeks ago, I was invited by some friends.) Some recommend the luau at the Sheraton but their pig is done in the kitchen with liquid smoke.

I have seen on some other posts that if you are willing to go last minute/ are flexible in your plans you may be able to go for less by buying from vendors off the street (not sure which street that would be though....where exactly are you likely to run into these people--and know that they are reputable!!?!?). However I noticed these were in March, when I imagine there are many fewer tourists. We will be in Kona the week of July 14-20, is it likely that we might be able to take advantage of/ find these types of offers for either of the two recommended luaus?

well, the Kona Village Resort is a secluded luxury high end resort that has its lu'au open to the public, if there is room, and you would not find them resorting to hawking discount seats on the streets.

I very much get what it's like to be on a student budget, but when you talk lu'au I think you're talking some of the least value you can get for your money. They are not all that ... unless you want to go to the KVR which most everyone recommends if you can afford it.

Why go to an inauthentic show on Hawaiian culture?

I hope for your sake you don't waste your time on the streets looking for deals on activities and listening to the hustlers. It is such a waste of vacation time.

Go swimming, snorkeling, hiking, exploring, enjoy yourselves, don't waste your time on blistering hot streets (July!). If you want an activity, go directly to the vendor ...

yes, there are crooks amongst activities vendors, one of the biggest just left hundreds of customers in the dust with vouchers that the tours won't honor ... as you don't know who is honest and who isn't, I would say stay away from that scene.

July 15-20.... are you joking..... low season.... its the high of high season ....as it gets. !!!!!!

TT ; KK and I have all given you our best advice.. what is it you dont understand ????.. if you beleive there is a better option and you can get special deals off the street from the time-share sharks then go for it......remember you dont get anything here for free............... I will say no more.... it is up to you to figure out....

Ball is in your court..........................

Looks like they are spending 25 million on the King Kam....about time.

starbulletin.com/2007/…story03.html

Aloha,

Re: "July 15-20.... are you joking..... low season.... its the high of high season ....as it gets. !!!!!!"

I am sorry but our expert is wrong. Dec 15 - April 1 is the High of High season... July is low season, not as low as August which is the slowest month. Just look on reservation calendars...

Since you are students and trying to save money how you spend your time is different than people who can afford the four seasons, there is nothing wrong with these differences.

Yes if you go to a time share presentation you will get something free, maybe a luau or a snorkel trip. When I was 20 something I had friends who did this and had it down to a science, both are now successful business owners here on the island.

Most of the fun we have in life is how we approach what we are doing. I am sure you will have a wonderful time in Hawaii.