Hawaii 2019: Legends of Hawaii Luau

Our hotel, the Hilton Waikoloa Village, just happened to host one of the highest rated luaus on the Kona coast: Legends of Hawaii Luau. We decided to splurge on the VIP “Ali’i seating,” which included a table right in front/center of the stage, table service with drinks and desserts, plus extra appetizers. It was well-worth the upgrade, especially as we didn’t have to drive and could float back to our hotel room after all of the mai tais.

The doors opened about an hour before the festivities began and we were greeted with orchid leis.

To the side of the arena, they have pre-show games and kid’s crafts. My step kids were a bit too old to be interested, but younger children were really enjoying this aspect of the event. There was also a small local crafts market for souvenirs.

We sat down and started in on the cocktails! (or mocktails and soda for the kids)

The Ali’i upgrade was worth it for the drinks alone. We had unlimited beverages and they were brought by a very attentive server. We barely finished a cocktail before it was refreshed. If we hadn’t upgraded, we would have faced very long lines at the bars. An open bar is included with all ticket levels, but certainly having the Ali’i tickets saved us time and allowed us to enjoy the experience. Mai Tai’s are my favorite tropical cocktail and the ones at the luau were strong!

Here are some shots of the appetizers =. edamame and a type of dried plant, similar to a plantain- perhaps even a plantain? There were other appetizers too. To be honest, the appetizers were the least necessary and enjoyed part of the Ali’i seating. We nibbled at them, but we didn’t want to spoil our appetites for the buffet.

Our attention was called as they trotted the roasted pig through the arena. Pork is a mainstay of Hawaiian cuisine and is usually served for special occasions, such as a luau. If we had been interested, we could have watched the pig being prepared and placed into the pit early in the morning.

The buffet was broken into multiple stations, including a section for the kids. My stepson was thrilled to discover that they had his favorite meal, Mac and cheese. With the Ali’i tickets, were were called up first to the buffet, although there was an abundance of food for everyone and double-trips was encouraged. The meal was one of my favorites for the entire vacation.

I feasted on pork, roasted chicken, green salad ( with a tropical dressing), macaroni salad ( which is also quite popular in Hawaii), fruit, et….so many things that I can’t even remember them all, but it was delicious. I also forced everyone try a tiny bite of taro root. Taro root is a traditional Hawaiian side, but it is also quite a strange experience if you’ve never tried it. I can’t say that I enjoy it, but I always feel compelled to take a taste when offered.

There was a dessert and coffee station, but with the Ali’i tickets, these items were brought to our table. As with the bar, this was a great time saver and made our experience better.

As soon as dinner was served, the entertainment got underway. Our master of ceremonies had been hosting the Legends of Hawaii Luau for decades. He was on hand to explain various Hawaiian traditions and the significance of the dances/songs. I know that many people would consider this type of Luau to be a tourist-trap, but it was quite interesting and I was happy to have my step kids learn about a culture that is so different from their own in Sweden. During my childhood trips to Hawaii, we stayed on a less-touristy side of the island, where more of the locals lived and we didn’t attend the big hotel luaus, so although I’m quite familiar with Hawaiian culture, this experience was new for me as well.

All small children, no matter what ticket level, were invited to sit on mats directly in front of the stage. I thought this was a nice touch. It’s a very family friendly experience.

Our M.C.

We were given a demonstration of how to cut open a coconut. Do not try this at home!

A fashion show, including different ways to tie a sarong.

The luau continues with traditional songs, hula dancing, fire spinning, and a nod to Hawaii’s cowboy culture…

The show was part history/part culture and all together very entertaining. We even got to join in with the singing and we were taught some hula moves.

I highly recommend the Legends of Hawaii Luau and I’m sure if we return to the big island, we will experience this again. It was one of the highlights of our vacation.

Obligatory 2021 New Year's Resolutions Post

Obviously 2020 has been a difficult and unusual year. Despite this, I feel like I’ve achieved many goals, even if they might not have been the ones that I set for myself at the beginning of the year. Let’s see how I did…

2020 Resolutions

Blog: Commit to two blog posts a week and catch-up on old book/travel reviews. = I’ve mostly achieved this. I posted two blog posts a week without missing a deadline and I’ve caught up on a majority of my older posts.
Attend a Writing Conference = Fail, primarily due to Covid
Read a Minimum of 50 books.= Fail. Although it would seem that this would have been an easy accomplishment during quarantine, my mind was elsewhere. I completed 24 books. I’m not happy with this one.
Start my Youtube Idea: Keeping quiet for now, but I have a business idea for YouTube, which ties into my tutoring job. = I actually started this and posted a few videos. It was time consuming, but I will restart this idea in 2021.
Start my Podcast =. I have the equipment, I have a name, and I have a solid plan. I hope to get this going in the the first quarter of 2020. = Fail. I simply didn’t do this, even though the everything is set up.
Maintain Going to the Gym =. Dan just bought us gym memberships and I’m hoping that we can get this to become a routine. We both need the exercise and to shed a few pounds. I’d also like to get better, build up to a longer, more intense cardio workout. I love strength training and pilates, but I currently avoid cardio. = Until Covid hit in mid-march, we were going consistently. I was even running on the treadmill. Our gym closed with covid and we really didn’t start exercising again until the summer, when we got bikes and went on walks. It’s turned too cold and icy now.
Maintain Food Log = Be aware of what we are eating and focus on eating more sensibly. This always works when I need to focus on my health. =. I kept this going until August and then we traveled, which derailed my efforts and I haven’t gotten back on track.
Achieve and Maintain good Blood Test Results = Earlier this week, my annual blood test came back with high triglycerides ( a problem I’ve had throughout my life) and prediabetes (a new and scary diagnosis.) I need to do my best to focus on healthy eating and exercise to change these issues. This is definitely the most urgent and vital resolution of 2020.= Partial success, see number seven.
Visit a new country, state, or major city.= I’m writing this on December 18th and on the 20th we will head out on a road trip which will include several new states before January 1st= Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee! I’m so excited!
Finish Scanning photos and documents - this should be easy to accomplish. It just feels great to know that precious photos are backed up on the computer.= Complete fail
Add several new recipes to our repertoire. We can throw a great dinner party meal, but we usually resort to the same tricks..I’m looking at you, English roast dinner! I’d love to expand and be more creative in the kitchen. =. Accomplished! We cooked a lot more during Covid. I made my first layer cake completely from scratch from Nigella Lawson’s recipe. I learned some Greek dishes and how to make delicious buffalo cauliflower. We also have two new oatmeal recipes and two incredible fish dishes.

Now the fun part…2021 Resolutions. Since we have the kids with us and are traveling until mid-January, I am officially starting my Resolutions on January 16th.

Read 50 books. I’m setting this same goal again, since I know it is possible.
Stick with my inked Voices Writing group and finish my novel before summer.
Submit a minimum of 25 pieces to literary journals.
Finish three courses at ACC.
Start an exercise routine when we get our new home gym ( likely in March) and build up to running a 5K.
Maintain a food journal and limit sugars/alcohol/fried food ( when not on vacation/special occasions) in efforts to lower blood sugar and triglyceride levels.
Blog twice a week- same as in 2020.
Try two new recipes a month from our cookbook library.
Finish scanning old photos/documents.
Organize family recipe cards/print outs.
Visit new Country/State/Major City
Continue with Duolingo Spanish tree and work through Spanish text book.
Creative write for an average of 300 hours a week. I actually kept to this goal for a majority of 2020, but crumbled in the fall.

I’m excited and hopeful for 2021. I think it is going to be a year where goals are completed and many areas of life are improved. Although I set goals throughout the year, I always love this reset in January.

2020 Wrap-Up

What can be said about 2020 that hasn’t already been said? It was a rough year, but we had it better than most. The biggest impact was we had to cancel two vacations with my step-kids: their summer trip and a fall trip to England. It was depressing, especially as we had not seen them since the summer of 2019 and they are still young. However, they are with us now for the winter holidays and we are extremely grateful. Vacation disappointment aside, we are most grateful that all of our family ( and friends as far as I’m aware) have stayed healthy. There has been job loss and hardship, but people are healthy.

We spent most of the year sheltering in our home, which we bought in November 2019. We are settled, but it still feels new. We have met many of our neighbors, who are wonderful and are new friends. It was even possible to have some socially distanced events with them in the summer. I’m constantly reminded about how lucky we are to have ended up in Sterling Ranch. I love it here.

We had our garden completed in the spring, including a gate to connect with our neighbor’s yard. I tried to plant flowers and I managed to kill half of them. I do not have a green thumb, but I like to try!

We took a few trips, two to Florida ( where we nearly bought a vacation property), a California/Nevada/New Mexico road trip, and several shorter vacations around Colorado. We visited Breckenridge, Vail, and Colorado Springs. In Colorado Springs we biked down Pike’s Peak, which was one of the most thrilling and perhaps dangerous things I have ever done.

At the end of this year, we will be taking a road trip to Florida. I’m still not sure of our route, but before the end of the year, I will see a few more new-to-me states. I believe I will see Texas and Louisiana! I want to eat in a real Texas road house.

Other than Covid, the presidential election was a big event. I was thrilled that Biden/Harris won and I feel hopeful that life will be better in 2021.

I was published in Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, which was a really big deal for me. I also joined a writer’s group where I feel a bit intimidated, but it is good for me.

I didn’t read as much as I wanted, but I improved my cooking skills. Before Covid, we were on a successful workout schedule, but when the gyms closed, we started on evening cocktails and cakes. We are getting a home gym in March, so I’m anticipating a return to healthy habits in 2021. In the meantime, I’m being forgiving of myself. I’m going to enjoy all of the chocolate!

There isn’t much more to add. It was a low-key year and one to feel thankful for all we have. I don’t take for granted our health or fortune in life. I hope that 2021 will bring us back to a sense of normalcy.