Came to the plantation on a Monday after lunch while waiting for our hotel to be available for…read morecheck in, and I'm super glad we did because the rum tasting room experience was super fun! We signed up in the shop area an hour before and they just checked our IDs and added us to the list. Our host Randy was super engaging and very informative, taught us a lot about the Koloa rum company, history, and great stories around the flavors! We tried the white rum, the coconut rum, the mai tai mixer, and we ended up buying some minis to take home. I liked learning about the history and the alcohol itself - it's made out of pure Hawaiian sugar cane instead of molasses so the taste is super clean. The tasting experience is free but of course cash tips are encouraged. They had some chairs inside but overall it's a mostly standing room only. I would honestly not mind coming back on a different day, since we heard the tastings are different!

A must to do when in Kauai is to do the free Rum Tasting at Koloa Rum. The spot is fun, the guides…read morealways a blast to hang with, and the rums tasty AF. Koloa Rum is located at the Kilohana Plantation. They have Single Batch Premium Hawaiian Rums, RTD Cocktails, and food items to go like rum cakes and rum fudge sauce. In the Tasting Room is where you get to do your experience. Every day is a different selection of things to taste. On our day, we got to try the Rum Punch Cocktail (pro tip, top with their Dark Rum). Then the White Rum, Dark Rum, Coconut Rum, and Cacao Rum. We of course bought some rum to take home and can't wait to make some Mai Tais. ___

I found HouLau on yelp after looking into chocolate farm tours on the island. With the 5 star…read morereview and the economical price, my husband and I decided to book. What a fabulous experience! There was only one other couple on the tour, which lasted nearly four hours. Howard and Sally gave us the full story of how they came to be chocolate farmers, took us on the tour of the property, we picked our own ripe pods, then opened them to taste the matrix. They then took us into the building where the chocolate is made, showing us the step-by-step process. Both are great communicators, with a gentle mannerism and easy humor. The final part of the tour included a tasting, with the option to buy some of the chocolate, the amazing brownies that Sally makes, homemade vanilla and also the local honey. We both left very inspired by Howard and Sally's story and dedication. If you are inclined to take a chocolate farm tour, HouLau is highly recommended for a personalized and memorable tour.

I loved this place. Howard and Sally were awesome! They treated my gf and I like we were long time…read morefriends, showed us their whole process from picking cacao pods to roasting beans and pouring the chocolate molds. They gave us more than a chocolate tour by giving us their interesting family history and how they learned to make chocolate. Not only was the chocolate great but they also make the best brownies (not this kind lol!) Email them on their website to schedule a visit and learn about these great people.

Spring for the deluxe tour. At the end instead of having to decide what you want you get a great…read morevariety. Our tour guide Sherry was amazing, great energy. Expected to have my husband pass me his dark chocolate as normally it's not his thing but he tried it and I'm sad to say he kept eating all the chocolate. If you're looking for a good intro to fine chocolate and eco tourism this is it.

a must-stop three hour tour for chocoholics if visiting the island of Kauai…read more Like coffee, the cacao plant grows in the tropical belt with Hawaii being the only state in the Union that can grow it. Thus, taking a chocolate tour (and sampling chocolate) became something my wife wanted to do during our visit to Kauai. I booked it on the first day on the island, with cost being $140 per person via Viator, and was able to reserve spots for the following day at 11:00. It's well set-up with clear signs pointing you to the farm (need to pass by other houses through a small residential area). Guides will tell you where to park your car...we intentionally came only 10 minutes before the start and were some of the last ones to arrive. Our tour was fully filled with a maximum of 25 guests. The property is hilly, and the tour does involve a bit of walking, with 3 separate sitting areas where we sampled different foods. In our initial gathering spot, we met Mason (our primary guide). He later told us that he was going into civics. His charismatic personality and willingness to help others, really serves his guests well during the tour and his future (in politics, I'm assuming). We learned a lot about the farm, and had access to bathrooms, natural bug spray (mosquitos definitely bite here) with a place to wash hands, and distribution of umbrellas (for the occasional shower and protection from the sun). Got to sample an apple banana and cocoa tea while learning about the history of the farm. There was so much information, I had to take notes on my smartphone...apologies if I looked like I was not paying attention. In addition to the 3968 cacao trees on the farm (46 acres), other products are grown and raised to supplement the viability of the main crop: apple bananas whose leaves are used the cacao fermentation process; honey from the 50 hives to pollinate the cacao (the parasitic destructor mites that have devastated honey bee hives across the world have not yet made it to Kauai...makes me appreciate the Hawaiian agricultural controls); the vanilla plant vines that are hand pollinated to produce such rare extract that the public can't buy it. We walked to the second spot, passing by various plants and crops. There we sampled unusual tropical fruit (rambutan, soursop, and white pineapple), chocolate covered macadamia nuts (grown in Hawaii), and different honeys. Made me love mac nuts again. The final spot was to taste the chocolate bars. We sampled 5 of theirs (70% dark, 70% with sea salt, 75% with rum, 78% reserve, 50% milk with coffee/nibs), 3 Valrhona, and 1 Hershey. Mason gave a demonstration by hand of how cocoa liquor is made from the fermented seeds (this part is done by machine at a plant in Oahu...their plan is to do future expansion in Kauai so they can emphatically state that it is a completely Kauai product). The 70% dark 1/8 lb bars are $18, and I ended up buying quite a few to give as gifts (Mason didn't buy this explanation). We tried one bar when we got home, and can confirm how creamy and sweet they are (no bitterness). Other tidbits: -- chocolate is a fruit, not a bean or vegetable. -- Only Hawaii can grow it in U.S. -- Grafting is common for consistency -- Chocolate is purple. Black means there were moldy shells. No mold here, so discarded shells can be made into tea -- Most macadamia nuts sold in Hawaii are grown in Australia, and only packaged in Hawaii. -- White chocolate is real chocolate, just using cocoa butter only. -- AI will tell you dark chocolate is bitter cause raw cocoa is earthy (i.e. bitter). Instead, Mason proposed that it was because mass production causes uneven, incomplete fermentation. Smaller batches = careful watching = less bitterness. This was a revelation to me. -- the owner is a fifth generation farmer in Kauai, with him recently changing the name of his farm to his family name. -- At the 2023 Cacao of Excellence Awards held in Europe, Lydgate won the top prize (gold medal) for the Asia & Pacific region, along with six others in the same region, including 2 others from Hawaii. They had previously been named Top 50 in the world multiple times. -- Because they are such a popular tour, there are multiple time slots and days available. The most important thing to note about the quality of the chocolate: cacao plants bear fruit all year round, with Lydgate farms picking and fermenting by hand when it is the right time (as opposed to bigger operations where they combine ripe and unripe fruit all together for the sake of efficiency). Even for a layman like me, it was a convincing argument on why their dark chocolate is premium, costly, and has no bitterness (even at 70%). The major awards that they have received is just confirmation of this fact. And the tour being 3 hours long in such a small area...the time went by really fast.

Came on a Tuesday, party of 2, for the 9:30am tour (they only do one 3 hour tour per day), price…read morewas $125 per person. Now I originally was aghast that a botanical garden tour was this expensive, but after doing it, I think it's actually well worth the price. This isn't one of those gardens you can just walk in and wander around - it's guided tours only with staff. Pros: - Probably the most entertaining and varied botanical garden tour I've ever done, complete with a chocolate tasting sit-down learning experience with the guides. - It's BEAUTIFUL - and doubles as a leisurely hike if you're very able-bodied. It felt like a very HAWAII experience given the lush greenery, the number of new plants I had never seen before, and fun facts about Kauai and this specific botanical garden. - There's different "stops" on the tour where you'll get to try more uncommon fruits and bites (we had longan, rambutan, apple banana, sugarcane plant, and this really delicious honey!!) and you get to try a cacao fruit (which tastes nothing like chocolate lol) - they provide organic herbal bug spray if you don't bring your own - Pretty easy to find, the staff were super communicative beforehand via email and text with directions - Our tour guide Lauren was super knowledgeable and answered all our questions kindly, even when she was visibly quite pregnant! I was impressed at her stamina - I personally liked that it was a pretty "active" tour, where you hike across a bridge, uphill a bit, etc. You should definitely wear comfortable walking or hiking shoes, because the dirt can get pretty wet if it rains. I wore hiking pants and hiking shoes and felt pretty comfortable, and I felt sorry for people who came in sandals - The chocolate tasting was really unique - we got to try their in-house chocolate that had notes of cinnamon - and they said that it was a cinnamon tree in their grove where water would pass that gave it this flavor! - They also provide walking sticks and umbrellas for people if you want them - Reservation only, online booking in advance - I think this preserves the magical vibe of this nature-y place and keeps the quality of the service high - The staff clearly love and care about what they do, which is very refreshing to see! Cons: - It can be pretty strenuous if you are elderly or have orthopedic issues.

We had an amazing time on our visit to Princeville Botanical Gardens. The vast beauty of the…read moregardens were surreal. Our guide was wonderful and knowledgeable. She answered questions and explain many details of the tour. Along the way we tasted many fruits grown in the garden. The chocolate tasting was more than just a tasting. We learned so much and enjoyed many varieties of chocolate. It is truly an interactive tour. We had several younger people and it was wonderful seeing them ask questions and engage with the group.

Overall: 10/10…read more PARKING: Free large lot available at the strip mall. FOOD: Always great! I like the clams in the butter sauce with the little toasts it comes with. Best to do family style if with a group, because then you can try more items! VIBE: It's a local spot for sure, casual vibe, great bar, live music on Thursdays, and Trivia Night follows. SERVICE: They have lots of tables to manage, so servers checking in with you can be sparse, but if you need something just flag someone down, and they will take care of you quickly.

Visited Good Times Grill during our stay in Kauai. The staff were warm, friendly, and very…read morewelcoming throughout our visit. They also had a live band playing, which created a fun atmosphere and it looked like a lot of people were really enjoying themselves. If you're just looking for a quiet place to sit and eat, though, it can get a bit loud, nothing against the live music, just something to keep in mind depending on what kind of dining experience you're looking for. The ahi nachos were a bit disappointing for us. The ahi itself was fresh and tasted great, but the "nachos" were actually more like fried wontons instead of traditional nacho chips, which felt a little odd and just wasn't really our thing. It would've helped if that was disclosed on the menu or if the server gave a quick heads up beforehand so expectations were clearer. On the positive side, the Tempura Ahi Bites were our favorite dish out of everything we ordered, definitely the standout item for us. The rib plate was also decent with satisfying portions overall.

Mixed bag here. I thought the food was good, not great. Just good. The desserts were just ok…read more But I thought the show was excellent. This is my first lu'au even though I live in Hawaii. I was impressed. I thought the performers were awesome, especially the fire dancers. Just really awesome and the dancers were enthusiastic which made for a better performance. I thought the audio was a bit off. The volume was crazy loud to fill the huge tent but it was hard to hear the individual voices of the narrators. So maybe something to boost the midrange a bit in the balance of the sound system or whatever. I'm not a sound engineer. So if you're visiting Kauai and are looking for a lu'au, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Kalamaku. I think you'll have a good time.

This was the first luau I've attended in a long, long time…read more This was one of if not the priciest luau that we found when we were shopping around for one. I feel like if this is your first luau, it's worth the price, but I would not pay the same amount to attend a second time. They have a pretty good variety, and number of vendors stationed in their outdoor area. The items sold range from sweets, to jewelry, to little knick-knacks. It's a pretty good selection of things for people looking to buy gifts to bring back home. The ambiance is very lively and enjoyable however at times it felt a little too lively since there were a good amount of kids running around. It would've been fantastic if there existed the option to attend a child-free luau. How enjoyable the event is would also depend on where people are seated. People on the outskirts of the stage would have a harder time being able to listen and watch the show, while people closer to the stage would have an amazing time. My party got to have both experiences since we were initially seated on the outskirts and were brought closer to the center. It really upgraded the experience. The food was pretty hit or miss. Some of it was pretty good, specially for the catering style service, while other dishes were less than average. The drink options weren't the best. If you've a sweet tooth the open bar would be fantastic, though, as all their options were definitely on the sweet side. It would be nice to be able to opt out of the open bar, or have more options for those that want less sugar with their alcohol. Between all the good and the bad, I think this totals out to a very average luau experience. 3/5

If you have kids, this is a fun place to go with them in Kauai. The train ride is informative and…read morethe MC was funny. The best part is getting to feed pigs, cows, chickens, etc. they give you food to feed them. Make sure you buy your tickets ahead of time.

What a great experience. Located just west of Lihue, Kauai. It's a good idea to book your train…read moretickets in advance, but you can buy them on the day of, as well. It's $23 for an hour of fun! Just note, if you want to do a free rum tasting, which is a separate business at the building next door, they close at 5:00p and you will need to book online for the free rum tasting, and not just walk in with no reservations. You get a tour on the train of the entire gardens and see a variety of plants and trees. The highlight was the stop to feed the animals. You throw tortillas at piggies, and feed hay to the horses, cows and goats. The horses are so friendly, they eat out of my hand. Since we couldn't get a reservation for free rum tasting, we just paid $27 or $28 for the rum tasting at the restaurant on site. The rums are superb. See separate review for the restaurant.

The positive reviews for the Rum Safari sucked me in, and the experience did not disappoint! The…read moreRum Guys, Bruce and Tanji, led us on a delightful journey through Kilohana Plantation with detailed info on the history, animals, and plant life there at the plantation. We especially enjoyed touring the orchard, including the banana slap experience (!!!), and learning about different types of fruits that can grow in the Kauai climate. The rum tasting also did not let us down. We sampled different flavors of Koloa Rum (the safari and the Rum Guys are unaffiliated with Koloa Rum, which had a separate tasting room and shop on site), followed by a Mai Tai and an additional fresh cocktail. Bruce and Tanji were excellent guides and comedians, delighting my whole party, which contained a range of ages and senses of humor. My uncle was really impressed with their ability to read the room and crack exactly the right jokes to make all of us laugh. They were also incredibly informative and provided local tips on where to go (and where to avoid) next. Mahalo, Rum Guys!!

The Kauai Rum Safari was hands down one of the absolute highlights of our trip and easily one of…read morethe most fun experiences we had in all of Hawaii. The real stars of the tour were the guides, aka the Rum Guys. They were fun, fantastic, and truly made the entire experience unforgettable. Incredibly knowledgeable, hilarious, and full of personality, they kept the energy high from beginning to end. They shared fascinating behind-the-scenes details about the rum-making process, told great stories, and made everyone feel completely at ease. If you are visiting Kauai, this is an absolute must. Best tour we went on, 10/10, and one of the most fun things we have ever done in Hawaii. Huge thanks to the Rum Guys for an unforgettable experience. Highly recommend.

Tasting Kauai food tours are always the highlight of our visits to Kauai. Susan is a delightful…read moreguide, bringing her island style, friendly and inspiring perspectives, and excellent storytelling to each stop. She is also extremely accommodating to all the guests. The food is always incredible - excellent dishes at wonderful eateries supporting local, family-owned businesses. Portions are generous and the food is top quality! Susan offers great recommendations for other eateries and local activities that are worth the price of admission alone! We highly recommend Tasting Kauai - all of the tours are fantastic and well worth the reasonable cost.

ZERO stars to this company!!! We (4) signed up and prepaid, was at the meeting place as requested…read more12:45 in Kapa'a. Stayed there for over 45", hubs called and texted at least 4-5 times. No call back, no text back. What a sham, no customer service, call back your damn customers. I'm sure we'll never see a refund nor explanation!! Bye bye $500 bucks. Reporting you to the BBB and TripAdvisor!!! What a rip off, do not book with these clowns!!!!! Oh, and there was "no refunds" stated on our vouchers!

Super interactive and educational program. What a lovely way to spend the morning and....the…read morechocolate tasting was quite entertaining and analytical. We learned so much of the history, biology and social aspects of something I took for granted. No longer!

We had a fantastic visit. Delicious welcome fruit table. The service and knowledge about chocolate…read moremaking and the growing of cacao trees was amazing. Angie Villa is so informative and kindly answers all questions. Delicious chocolate!!! Plan your visit.