Drums of the Pacific Lū‘au — Attraction in Maui

Read on for a local's perspective! This is a highly promoted luau show that packs them in like sardines.

ATMOSPHERE: They're located outdoors, ocean front in a courtyard-like setting at the Hyatt Regency Maui at the south end of the property. Parking is very limited so I'd recommend valet. The grounds sport a concrete floor, long communal tables, a theatrical-style stage with sound system & lighting, an imu pit where the pig is cooked and unearthed daily, high hedges all around, and is shaded with monkeypod trees (AKA bird sanctuary.) Even though they're ocean front, the views are impeded due to the high hedges and the sunken down floor of the venue. It feels crowded yet intimate at the same time. Professional photos are available. They also feature live handmade wood carvings of tikis and other symbols for purchase. If the weather turns for the worse, they'll either move the event into the hotel's ballroom if it's available or just cancel and refund.

CHECK IN: The last time I was here, you had to pick up your tickets from the luau ticket office which was located underneath the resort's spa, then stand in line as the seating was first come, first served unless you opt for pricier reserved seating. The wait in line can be hot, but there are great views of the ocean to distract you. The luau grounds aren't that big so the majority of the seating have good views of the stage. Everyone was greeted with a shell lei and a choice of a mai tai or juice.

ENTERTAINMENT: Overall they have a nice show, from the torch-lighting, to the slow style of hula, to the fast-paced Tahitian, and even fire dancing. They also recognized honeymooners and those celebrating certain milestone anniversaries. A warning, you may be pulled on stage to perform in a group hula lesson lol.

BEVERAGE: Open bar! Woohoo! Beer, wine, or whatever floats your boat.

FOOD: Everything was very tasty and seasoned well. Traditional foods like the ahi pokē, poi, kalua pork, lomi salmon, huli (rotisserie) chicken, and taro leaf luau are served, along with non-traditional items like fried rice, mac nut crusted fish, salad, and veggies. Even if the traditional foods look odd or gross, TRY IT! You just may like or even love it. Get out of your box! The desserts were plentiful and included mac nut pie, haupia, pineapple cake and bread pudding. I'm not a big dessert fan so I just stuck with haupia, which is like a coconut-flavored Jello.

SERVICE: Everyone was friendly and professional, from the ticket office to the photographers, bartenders, and servers.

OVERALL: Good food, entertainment and service,...

The drinks were a watered down sugary mess. Recommend going to the bar yourself and ordering beer, wine or spirits yourself. Stay away from the house cocktails. The first course was the only course we actually ate. The ahi poke was decent. Strong flavors but I could taste the air of the refrigerator on it. Seasoning was good though. The pickles were decent. Flavor was a bit weak but the seasoning was there. The macaroni and potato salad could have come from the local supermarket, and the pineapple garnish didn’t taste like the other Maui Gold pineapple we ate elsewhere on the island. The taro bread was ok, nice flavor but it sat out so long before it was brought to the table it was kind of stale. I don’t remember if there was anything else in the first course but relatively unremarkable.

The waiter had poor communication skills. After telling him 3x not to take my wife’s drink, he still took it. Then, never replaced it with the wine we ordered. That’s how I learned the trick of going to the bar and ordering from there. I was gonna get her a glass of wine that she’d been waiting on, and then saw the decent whiskey selection.

The main course was the worst thing we ate (didn’t eat) on the island. The mahi mahi was over cooked. It was so dry it was almost the texture of tuna fish from a can and the mango salsa on top was Luke warm from sitting under the catering trays. The pork was dry (no sauce for this). The steak I was looking forward to was over cooked. There was a very thin strip of red through it, but the rest of it was gray. I’ll Spare you the photo. The food was atrocious for a resort. I wouldn’t eat there again. Especially with so many local choices. We actually left early to go eat dinner at Down The Hatch again. They are open late have excellent drinks and the food is delicious. Also the staff is great.

The show was a mix bag. The performers were fine but you could tell the production team was trying a bit too hard. It felt forced and un-authentic. In fact the whole thing was very un-authentic. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. We weren’t the only people that didn’t eat.

If you’re looking for a Lua’u where you don’t feel like herded cattle, this...

If you’re looking for a Luau Dinner experience, LOOK NO FURTHER, THIS IS IT! They have a very user-friendly reservation site to select the night you’re interested in and pay in advance. Tickets are pricey, but so worth it. They seat folks in order of booking which I didn’t know. I’m a planning freak and booked this dinner 6 months in advance for our honeymoon in June 2022, so we happened to be the first to book for the night we attended and got the front row corner next to the bar! You also feel very welcomed with a drink while being seated, along with a shell necklace. They also take your picture when checking in of course to make some extra cash, and when they came around to our tables to try selling them, they were only 20 bucks surprisingly. And it was a decent picture too! I was totally expecting 50 bucks and then wouldn’t have paid, so I believe that’s a reasonable price.

Depending on the time of year, I recommend bringing sunglasses. We were there at the end of June and the sun was setting. We actually felt like we were getting burned just waiting to be seated. The show was absolutely phenomenal, all the performers were very talented and looked like they enjoyed being there. Servers were on par as well, even though we ended up getting most of our drinks from the bar since it was right behind us. Drinks were delicious, especially the Mai Tai. They have virgin drinks as well. The dinner is set up so everyone gets the same Hawaiian style meal (I believe the menu of what they serve is on their website). I was shocked how good the food was! I was very new to the Hawaiian culture and didn’t know what to expect. I am now a huge fan of Ahi Tuna Poke from this dinner! Completely exceeded my expectations and I was guilty for eating everything on my plate. When I return to Hawaii, this is a must to do again. I...