A Luau experience by Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Back to all Big Island tours.
Tour Summary: The best food we've had at a Big Island luau, with sunset views over Kauna'oa Bay from the oceanfront lawn of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
The full cast closes the show after dark. The stage lighting and costumes are a step up from most Big Island luaus. 
Hula at the Mauna Kea Luau traces Polynesian migration. Each dance covers a different island and era, with the bay as the stage backdrop. Guests are welcomed with a mai tai before the imu ceremony begins. The imu ceremony opens the evening. Staff lift the kalua pig and hot rocks out of the underground oven by hand before the buffet opens. The buffet runs Hawaiian and Polynesian plates plus grilled items. Kalua pig and ahi poke are the items most often named in reviews. The fire knife finale closes the show as darkness falls over the bay. The buffet includes ahi poke, kalua pig, lomi lomi salmon, poi, and island sweet bread. Live music runs throughout the evening, covering traditional Hawaiian songs between dance performances. A plated dinner from the buffet line. The kalua pig and ahi poke are the two items most consistently named in reviews. The hula performance traces Polynesian migration. The ocean backdrop is part of the show, which is why the lawn faces west. Premium ticket holders are called to the buffet first. The white shell lei included with premium seating is the more visible upgrade.
5 Tour Highlights:
- Held on the only oceanfront lawn of any Big Island luau, with the stage facing west over Kaunaʻoa Bay
- Imu ceremony: staff lift the kalua pig from the underground oven by hand before the buffet opens
- Hawaiian buffet including ahi poke, kalua pig, lomi lomi salmon, poi, and island sweet bread
- Hula performance tracing Polynesian migration through dance and music, with a fire knife finale at full dark
- One of the longest continuously running luaus on the island, on the same stretch of beach since 1965
Important: Children ages 5 to 12 qualify for child pricing;
Tour Information:
| Price: | Adult | Youth |
|---|---|---|
| (excluding taxes & fees) | $256 | $180 |
Price note: Premium seating runs $289.63 for adults (13+), $213.24 for ages 5 to 12, and is free for keiki ages 0 to 4. The upgrade adds a shell lei on arrival and first call to the buffet.
Tour Provider: Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Activity: Luau
Tour start time: 4:45 PM
Duration: 2.5 hours
Location: Kohala Coast
Pick-up available? No
Included: Welcome mai tai on arrival. Hawaiian buffet dinner with multiple Hawaiian, Polynesian, and grilled plates. Complimentary valet parking (tip customary)
Cancellations: Customers will receive a full refund less booking fees for notice of cancellation 24 hours prior to scheduled seating.
Read more: about luau in our Big Island luau guide.
Read more about this tour
The Mauna Kea Luau runs on the oceanfront lawn of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Every other Big Island luau uses an inland hotel garden or a hillside terrace. The tables face Kaunaʻoa Bay. The stage faces west. The show begins as the sun drops toward the water.
In reviews, the sunset over the bay comes up more often than the food or the dancing. The hotel has hosted the luau on the same stretch of Kaunaʻoa Bay since the resort opened in 1965, and it is one of the longest continuously running luaus on the island. The lawn predates the planning rules that would push a venue like this further back from the water today.
Buffet, imu ceremony, and the show
The evening runs in the usual luau order: a welcome mai tai on arrival, the imu (underground oven) ceremony, a Hawaiian buffet, and a performance covering Polynesian migration through hula and music. Have your camera ready for the imu ceremony, since photos aren’t allowed during the show. Staff lift hot rocks out of the underground oven by hand and the kalua pig comes up wrapped in ti leaves. The buffet that follows includes ahi poke, kalua pig, lomi lomi salmon, island sweet bread, poi, fresh pineapple and papaya, and a rotating set of additional plates. Of the Big Island luaus we’ve attended, the food here is the strongest. The ahi poke and the kalua pig stay good even on a buffet this large.
The buffet includes ahi poke, kalua pig, teriyaki short ribs, and a full spread of Hawaiian sides.
The performance is roughly 30 minutes of staged hula and music inside a 3-hour evening, with the fire knife finale running last as full darkness sets in. The luau doesn’t allow photos or video during the performance itself, only before and after. The lawn is open before the ceremony starts, so you can walk it and watch the bay at dusk.
Hawaiian buffet spread at the Mauna Kea Luau
Premium versus general admission, and what you actually get
Tickets come in two tiers. Premium adds a small white shell lei on arrival and a first call to the buffet. The chair you sit in isn’t meaningfully different. If you’re booking for the food, general admission gets you the same buffet for less. The complaint reviewers raise most is that the two check-in lines aren’t always clearly signed at arrival, so guests end up in the wrong queue. Confirm which line your tier uses before joining.
Logistics: timing, parking, what to wear
The luau gates open at 4:45 PM on Tuesdays and Fridays, with Wednesdays added in some weeks. Confirm the date you’re booking. Arrive at 4:45, not later. Reviewers who showed up at 5:00 ran into the queue confusion. Valet parking is complimentary (a tip is customary). Dress code is Aloha attire. A light layer is worth bringing. The Kohala Coast wind picks up after sunset and the lawn sits directly above the water with no shelter. For guests staying in Kailua-Kona, the drive is 40 to 50 minutes north.
Book this luau if you’re staying on the Kohala Coast and want a sunset setting on the water without a long evening drive. If you want the production scale of a Polynesian Cultural Center-style show, pick another luau: the performance here is about 30 minutes, and most of the evening goes to the buffet and the imu ceremony at sunset.
[Video] Watch a 5 minute guest video about the Mauna Kea Luau
About Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel was Laurance Rockefeller’s first Hawaiʻi property when it opened in 1965, built specifically on Kaunaʻoa Bay for the view. The luau has run on the oceanfront lawn since the hotel’s first season, which makes it one of the longest continuously operating luaus in the state.
We list it because nothing else on the Big Island matches the setting, and because the kitchen treats the buffet as a hotel-restaurant operation rather than a banquet warmer line. That distinction shows up on the plate, and it’s the reason we point Kohala Coast guests here when they ask for the luau pick.
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