I wanted to be a bit farther back so we could get the background in the pictures; we decided to sit on the edge towards the back so I could stand and film without bothering anyone. The sunset right behind the stage with the surf crashing against the rocks, occasionally throwing up a large enough spray to catch the overflow of the light from the stage was beautiful. It was a truly ideal setting for a luau show.
Before the hula performance really kicked into gear we were invited to the buffet to sample some foods that are typically found in Hawaii. The assortment of cuisine that they had laid out ranged from typical things like rice, steak, teriyaki chicken, salads and sweet potatoes to not so typical things like Kalua pig, chicken long rice and poi. It was interesting to see how everyone made their plates at the buffet. Some people went for the typical things exclusively, and others couldn’t help but to try a little bit of everything just to see what it’s like. I personally love to get a bit of everything, but I always go for a little extra Kalua pig and poi. The poi neutralizes the saltiness of the Kalua pork, and the combination of the two is always my favorite part of the meal at all the luaus I attend. When we were done making our plates we made our way back to our seats to eat and watch the show.
The show started a few minutes after we got back to our table. The dancers were dressed in all kinds of colorful clothing from all over the Pacific Rim. There were traditional Hawaiian Hula dancers as well as Tahitian, Tongan, Samoan, Mallory and Fijian entertainers. I ate my food and went through a few more cocktails from the bar as I watched the show. My favorite part was the fire dancer.
The fire dancer at the Kona Village Luau was extremely talented. As he whipped and twirled around his blazing sticks I alternated between shooting video and taking pictures on my DSLR. For the pictures I always like to slow down the shutter speed a bit for pictures of the fire dancers. This allows the fire knives to leave a trailer behind them and with a little luck you can sometimes get a good shot.
After the show we said good bye to the people that were sitting next to us and made our way back home. Pretty much everyone was impressed by the setting of the show. The backdrop of the sunset with the ocean splashing right behind the performers is something that cannot be duplicated, except for in a few select locations across the state. In addition to the setting the buffet also got thumbs up from all the members of our group (as well as everyone else that we talked to during the night). The luau at the Royal Kona Resort was a great experience that I would recommend to anyone that is looking for some evening entertainment in Kona Town.