Shop! Dine! Hula! Ride!

At Historic Kilohana Plantation. A Great Hawaiian Experience

Don’t be surprised if you spend more than a day at Kilohana. It is much more than a historical plantation estate. Kilohana Estate captures the spirit of Kauai’s sugar era, past and present, with its elegant home, award-winning Gaylord’s Restaurant, the Kauai Plantation Railway, a train ride that follows a route once ruled by sugar, and Lu’au Kal-amaku, a spectacular theatrical production!
A State of Hawaii Historical Landmark, the 105-acre Kilohana Estate is Kauai’s premier touring, shopping, dining and entertainment venue. Its centerpiece is a Tudor-style mansion built in 1935 as the residence of sugar baron, Gaylord Wilcox, where you will find boutiques from Hawaii and the Pacific, and courtyard dining at dinner and Sunday Brunch. A carriage house has been converted into an enchanting Polynesian setting for Lu’au Kalamaku, and cottages on the grounds feature handmade pottery and beautiful blown glass. You can immerse yourself in an incredible day and night full of fun, adventure, storytelling, dining, shopping, and hanging out with the “locals” at a truly amazing destination that caters equally to singles, couples and families.
A great start to your visit at Kilohnana Estate is the Kauai Plantation Railway, an authentic narrow gauge train, pulled either by a 1939 Whitcomb or a 1948 General electric diesel locomotive, that conducts fully narrated 40 minute train tours through the 105 acres of agriculture and exotic fruit orchards of sugarcane, pineapples, bananas, Kauai sunrise papayas, acerola cherries, red navel and caracara oranges, rambutan, longan, lychee, star fruit, and mountain apples to name a few of the plethora of fruit grown on the property. Koa, milo and lehua are a few of the native Hawiian hardwood tress that is grown on property beside forests of Eastern and South American specialty tress like the rainbow eucalyptus or the vibrant orange African tulip tree. Midway along the 40 minute tour the train stops for passengers to disembark and feed a herd of friendly wild pigs, sheep and goats.
For the full experience there is a three hour, forty minute Train-Hike-Lunch-and Orchard Tour that includes the 40 minute train ride. You will be dropped off at the animal feed area where a fully informative Hawaiian guide will lead you into the dense and lush ginger scented Kahuna Nui Valley. Learn, see, touch, taste and feel and be introduced to native plants, fruit, flowers, insects, birds, and mammals that is part of the Hawaiian forest. The forest walk will stimulate all the senses. A gourmet deli lunch is served under the cool shade of towering Norfolk Island pines. After lunch the tour continues as you walk into the  Fruit Orchards where you will taste fruit that you pick fresh right off the tree. Break off a stalk of sugar cane and taste Mother Nature’s sweet treat. The history of the Estate, the crops and other island “tidbits” are delivered by knowledgeable guides who leave visitors with a taste of life on Kauai – slow-paced, home-grown and real. So what’s taking you so long to SHOP! DINE! HULA! RIDE! at the Historic Kilohana Plantation, a great Hawaiian Experience.
Can you imagine coming all the way to Kauai only to miss coming face to face, heart to heart, with Kauai’s unique people? Lu’au Kalamaku is a journey of a lifetime beginning with a belief that is so great it compels you forward. Only after experiencing the courage, love, enduring spirit and inner fire of determination do we find a place, the people and perhaps a new home for your heart. If you enjoy the essence of Hawaii but always thought “there must  be something more…” follow your heart to Lu’au Kalamaku. You will laugh, cry and be touched by the exceptional cast and crew.
When we asked the producer and show’s creator, Nani Marston, how she would describe the experience she replied “This is an event not to be missed. Whether you are visiting or call Kauai home, this show will move you. Every now and then a project comes along that is so inspiring it takes on a life of its own. Cast and characters, music and song, laughter and food, new friends becoming like old ones…and we all become witness to something bigger than ourselves…this is it! Each night we are humbled by locals and visitors visibly taken aback by the sheer beauty and range of feelings they had during the peformance…saying thank you, some with tears in their eyes. Each night we say mahalo ke Aku for the magic of the moment.”
This exceptional performance comes alongside a lavish Hawaiian buffet of local delicacies prepared by Gaylord’s Restaurant. The authentic dishes features taro rolls, fresh island fruit (picked from the plantation’s orchard’s), poi, lomilomi salmon, Okinawa purple sweet potatoes, mahi mahi, Hawaiian rum-soaked roasted chicken and Kalua pork, cooked in the tradtiional imu pit (underground oven). For those who would like a quieter, more romantic dinner, the Plantation Owner’s Evening is a great option. The evening begins in Gaylord’s Restaurant with gracious dining in its famous courtyard setting, a fresh flower lei greeting and champagne welcome. The signaure menu includes a pupu (appetizer) of duck spring rolls with wasabi plum sauce, a salad of fresh Kilohana greens with papaya seed dressing, then your choice of entrees including fresh island fish, slow-roasted prime rib, chicken Kauai with papaya and pineapple relish or the daily vegetarian special. After dessert and Gaylord’s signature blended coffee, guests can linger through the unique shops in the plantation home. The guests are then gathered in the restaurant foyer for a torch lit walk to the Lu’au pavilion. There they will find a reserved table, and a Mai Tai to sip on while they enjoy the feature performance, Lu’au Kalamaku. There is a special introductory price for this offering of $125.000 (plus tax) per person, a great value!
Lu’au Kalamaku takes place each Tuesday and Friday evening, please call 245-5247 for reservations or more information or visit our website at www.luaukalamaku.com to view our special offer for online bookings.

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