Papa Kona Events & Catering — Attraction in Hawaii

I cannot believe the lack of professionalism from this restaurant. At the end of 2019, I began planning my dream wedding in Hawaii for 2/22/22. I fell in love with Papa Kona online and reached out for a quote. I worked with a lady named Michelle creating a quote that worked for us. I was informed that my date was "locked" because I got the quote and would receive a right to refusal email should anyone else inquire about booking that same date. That would give me 24 hours to place a down payment. I last spoke with Michelle in the spring of 2020 that we were saving for our down payment. Then, of course, COVID happened and with everything going on I waited a bit longer to place my down payment seeing how things went with the tourism industry being down in Hawaii. I was secure in knowing I would receive an email should anyone inquire about my dream date.

In the meantime, my parents who live in Hawaii, made it a point to visit the restaurant and speak with the staff about our plans, as well as dining there to help their business during these tough times. I followed their Instagram, liking every post, reacting to their stories and dreaming.

Flash forward to this month, when I decided to check in again with Michelle via my quote which was still active online. I planned to place our down payment by the end of the year.

I shortly receive an email back from Alycia letting me know my date has already been claimed but there are other dates available... this news broke me. Michelle is no longer with the company and I guess they changed systems. I was in tears! Not even an apology, just a "I've got other dates for you" email and also letting me know the prices had gone up. It was a total slap in the face. She admitted they still had ALL my wedding details but somehow just didn't send me the right to refusal email.

Alycia played the blame game on Michelle, again not apologizing, and admitting I should have had first right of refusal but it just didn't happen for some reason. Then tried to sell me on other dates. My mom called her and the excuses continued. She at least offered us a better deal after speaking with my mom.

A mere few days later even my back up date came with a 24-hour right of refusal notice. I couldn't in good conscience trust this company to handle my wedding now. They left an absolutely bitter taste in my mouth and I can't imagine how they could handle my wedding if they couldn't even handle my date correctly let alone apologize profusely and offer to make it right...

I have literally nothing negative to say about my experience getting married with Papa Kona Events. I can't even remember how we found the venue, but when we did find it it ticked off all our wedding boxes, it almost seemed too good to be true. Alycia, our initial contact was kind, and incredibly informative throughout the covid crisis, which we couldn't believe was still a crisis but it was. Alycia really took the time to understand what we were looking for and was constantly reassuring that we could have everything on our wishlist (and baby, we got it.) The big thing for me as a bride was, I just want the best vendors to do what they do best. I didn't want to make any decisions other than the food (Thank you Korie for taking us through that and thank you for letting me change in your office) (Absolutely do the taco bar, it's exceptional). ALL OF my vendors were incredible women owned businesses (except for the DJ but Glenn you're the real hero), and I basically gave them full agency to do what they do best and they did not disappoint! It was truly a wedding surrounded by support, and for a bride who never dreamt about her wedding day...I can honestly say it was the best day of my life, of our life, and we couldn't have done it without our amazing team. I also just want to give a special special shout out to our end event manager and day of coordinator and bridal attendant Teira Ila, who is a STAR! She absolutely rocked it the night of our wedding. There was a pipe burst (what are the odds) the night of our wedding and my guests had no idea until we left. She is a problem solver to the max and an incredibly attentive day of person. She also radiates this light and love you can't find in stores. She's really special. Anywho, you'd be a fool not to get married here. It's worth every penny. We can't wait...

Papa Kona hosted a Welcome Pau Hana (happy hour) for our wedding in November of 2024. I’d been struggling to find a space that could accommodate 45-50 guests without requiring a restaurant buyout or dinner catering package, but when I found Papa Kona I knew it was the one.

Alycia, Chey, and Korie worked with us to create an event within budget that far exceeded our expectations. I even went so far as to say it was going to upstage our wedding in some ways! The views, atmosphere, and service were all top-notch. We ended up doing an open beer/wine bar and five appetizers. The food was delicious and very generously portioned, the pork sliders and coconut shrimp being quite popular. (There were several guests with allergies and those were graciously accommodated in a way that far exceeded my expectations.) I was allowed to bring in some decor, and the team at Papa Kona made themselves available earlier in the day so my aunt could drop things off in time for them to be setup. The icing on the cake ended up being the Bluetooth sound system that Papa Kona has available for guests to use during their event. My husband is very into music and had been struggling with letting our wedding DJ take the reins (he was wonderful, btw) so the setup allowed him to be fully in charge of the music for one special evening. Overall I cannot say enough about this amazing venue and their wonderful team. Any event you choose to have there is guaranteed...