Kilohana Plantation Reviews

Tired old sugar cane plantation, now over run with animals and overgrown fruit trees. Train ride was just okay

My family and I went here for something to do with the kids. It was serene, educational and enjoyable. You can get discount tickets for the train if you book online prior to arrival. Fun experience! Tiny, was a great tour guide. Favorite part was feeding the pigs.
We had lunch at the restaurant after the train ride. Delicious fish tacos!!
A must see!

We had a nice Nifty Fifty massage at The Cottage very relaxing. Then went to the free rum tasting which was very tasty and yummy. Then off to the train ride of the plantation which is beautiful. Very informative and calming looking at the beauty around.

This is a great place to spend part of your day, especially with kids. As one of the larger attractions on the island, there are several fun things to do while on the property. First, I highly recommend the train ride. It's an enjoyable way to explore the property. It's also comfortable, interestingly narrated, and the stop to feed the animals is great fun. Second, this location is excellent for rum aficionados. Free samplings and a large selection are available for purchase. Finally, just wandering the giant house and the surrounding properties is a good time. There's so much to see in one place. We will definitely be returning next time we're on the island.

I always bring my visitors or even take time to come as a family. The shops are great, not too expensive either. The restaurant and cocktails are so delicious and the train ride is fun!!! The luau show here is one of he best ever ...

This Estate hosts a luau, Gaylord's restaurant, a number of nice shops, a good Hawaiian bar (at Gaylords) and a rum tasting room and shop. The estate is beautiful and a small gauge train runs around the property. This is a good stop for both adults and children.

Lots of great shops and artists. Local rum was great found several I liked. Railroad train was nice if you are into trains.

The plantation is interesting but doesn't hold enough to make a long stay unless you eat there as well. The train ride is good for kids, but a bit boring for adults. The luau is great but is separate from the tour and the train. The picnic with locally prepared food would probably make for a fun outing.

Sean, our guide was very knowledgeable about the property, the flora and fauna and the history. He was enthusiastic and attentive to our needs. We really enjoyed every aspect of it - the forest walk, train ride, feeding the animals, lunch and orchard walk including “dessert” from the trees. Well worth the price. All the staff were welcoming and friendly, putting the customer first.

We really enjoyed our visit at the tail end of our trip. After beaches (and sunburns) this made for a lovely relaxed day. Hop on a train, enjoy farm animals, descend by foot into a lush valley learning all the flora, back up to a picnic lunch with fresh pineapple and coconut. Then meander to the orchard for fruit tasting and take home fruit you pick. We most enjoyed some amazing cherries that pack 125% of daily Vitamin C in a single cherry! Then hop aboard the train to see the rest of the plantation and back to board point for free rum tasting. End the day with a relaxing stop in the Mansion at the lounge for really excellent MaiTais and a variety of appetizers. Great gift and chocolate shops too. A perfect last day on our Kauai adventure week.

They offer FREE Rum tasting! Adults ONLY! even if you have a new born, she/he will not be allowed in the tasting room, They offer three rums to try (dark, light and spiced). And a awesome rum cake. They offer the tastings every 30 minutes. You only get to go once every 24 hours. It was a fun FREE tasting!

Nice place to visit for a couple of hours with a very informative tour. The buildings were from the original plantation.

We always make it a point to stop at the plantation. We’ve attended the Luau, taken the train tour and always visit the Kaloa Rum store!

We went for a family event (6 adults + around year old child). Two of us took a train with our little boy. It was good ride with a highlight of petting animals (cows, horses, pigs).
Then we all went for a dinner Luau show.
It is a very nice artistic piece and we enjoyed it. For me it was second time and it seems that the dinner buffet had less choices than 2 years ago.
Overall nice evening and good experience.

My toddler really enjoyed the train ride. The grounds are beautiful. You stop and feed some pigs. It takes about 40 minutes. What’s not to love?

The plantation itself is beautiful. The train ride was a little boring and my son fell asleep. The Lualu was horrible. We were seated far away from the stage, so we could not see anything. I would prefer a more intimate Lualu next time. Bought a lot of jewelry gifts from the gift shop, they were hand-made and looked amazing. My son got a baby shark tooth necklace. Food was meh...

For a splurge, this was worth the high price. $52 each for Brunch. The quality, variety and abundance of food was amazing. For $10 more you could have unlimited champagne but wish we had opted instead to spend the $30 on a bottle of wine. The Champagne was just so-so and had to ask and wait for refill.

My little family, three generations, had a great time visiting the rum shop, browsing the wares of local artisans and riding the train. The plantation has become a perfect picture of "sustainability through diversification," which is Hawaiian agriculture in a nutshell and a great lesson to the rest of us. My kiddo wasn't feeling too well, too much sunshine maybe, so we didn't stay for the whole luau, but the food was great, the entertainment we did see was pretty great too. If you're looking for a big luau to attend on Kauai, and maybe to learn some about the Island, this is the place to go! Mahalo and Aloha!

This is really is a great place for variety. It was previously a sugar plantation which has been converted into a tourist site with various shops, restaurant and a big show area that can be hired for weddings etc, but mainly used for the Luau and Buffet Dinner. We have visited twice now and have always enjoyed a few hours looking around.

This time we took the train ride around the plantation followed by lunch in Gaylords restaurant. On another evening we took in the Luau but not the buffet. A great evenings entertainment.

There is shopping here with various small outlets offering purchases for all pockets.

Also on site is the Koloa Rum Company which offers free tasting to visitors aged 21 or over. We visited on our first visit and now can't stop having a tipple on our Hawaiian visits.

The train ride takes about 45 minutes and takes you around the plantation at a nice slow pace and shows you various tropical plants and a number of residential animals.

This is a well thought out trasformation of a business that is well worth a visit.

Close your eyes and pretend you lived in this beautiful plantaton home that now houses one on the best resturants on the island. Outstand food, and tropical drinks. Take in the variety of shops on the upper level, walk the grounds, and taste the great KOLA Rum.

We stopped at the plantation for a visit, but other than wandering through shops, we didn't do much else. We didn't have time for the train tour so decided to just pop into Gaylords for a drink. It's a beautiful, relaxing setting so we sat down. And waited, and waited, and waited. Never did have a waitress come over. So my husband went up to the bar and just ordered our own drinks. We saw some sort of a spread on top pf the piano with food (sllders etc) on it, but no idea what that was for as we never saw a menu. A bit later we noticed people talking about the great mai tais, and overheard the bartender say that she did a mai tai special that day in honor of a deceased staff member. (We had no idea of any drink special, but others sure seemed to be enjoying them).

After wandering back outside we went to the place where they have the luau and learned that they were having a big memorial service that day for a young staff member who had passed away tragically. So, we are willing to chock up the bad service to staff members maybe being "off" due to the tragedy. So sad.

The grounds are nice and beautifully kept. Shops are unique and interesting. Did not eat at the restaurant, although the site is lovely and the bar is really cool. Staff are friendly and accommodating.

Former plantation, at one point the largest in America. Interesting history and part of the Hawaiian historical landscape. Several attractions on site.

Koloa Rum has a tasting room on site. The tasting is free, 21 and older only. Entertaining, engaging, delicious rum an it is free!

Our guide made the tasting experience fun and informative. The rum is delicious and they will let you go back every day. Then stop in at the bar for a premium cocktail made with Koloa Rum!

Fun little distraction while on the island.

There is also a restaurant, gift shops, chocolate and sweet shop along with a bar.

The bar is friendly and our bartender, Dustin, was very entertaining. He was a fountain of knowledge about the islands, language and customs. Made some pretty great drinks as well. Food is good too.

This is one of my favorite stops on Kauai. They have revamped the large gathering room into a nice social lounge and hang out. If you are in Kauai over a weekend you have to do their Sunday brunch! It is excellent! I also recommend the rum tasting and train ride. Both are Kauai "must dos". This is an excellent place for the entire family!

My wife and I took the rum safari and had a great time. Our guides, Fletcher and Tiny were great. They were very personable and were ready with some top notch dad jokes. The tour is a great way to see the grounds, the animals, and of course sample some of the tasty Koloa rum and other cocktails they whip up. Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Kauai.

Firstly, this was a lightning trip on the Hop on Hop off bus, our driver mentioned that Laurie made the best mai tai in the world, and you know how it is, its a challenge, and one we were willing to accept.
Could it be true? Well we went into the lovely bar and waited for our hostess Laurie to turn up, Mai Tai duly requested she then went on to make it with freshly picked ingredients that she collected herself, it was awesome!
We did not have time to see the rest of the estate, as this was a lightning stop off before getting back to dress for the luau that was held in the estate this evening.

We went for the rum tasting, stayed for the train tour of the grounds and the shops! A delightful place, with helpful, happy service. Our train conductor "Tiny" (?) was quite knowledgeable about the various fruits of the orchards, and the train ride included feeding a few animals along the way, accompanied by his just-right humorous narration. The shops here are excellent, and included souvenirs, sweets, clothing, rum, and more.

We went to the plantation for the rum tasting and luau. Beautiful grounds to experience with a fantastic luau that I would recommend to anyone if they are looking for one. The rum company on the grounds has some fantastic rum to taste and I liked it much more than most other types of rum. The staff was also top notch!

We went to the Friday Luau and had so much fun. Drinks are good and the show is beautiful and exciting. Worth the price. The property is beautiful. If you are able to go on the Rum Tour with Tiny and Rick it’s an amazing experience. Extremely fun and entertaining. The drinks they make are amazing and you get history of the land, vegetation and Kauai. Am amazing unforgettable experience!

The train ride was fun and very informative, then you can go for free rum tasting at Koloa Rum Company. The food at Gaylord's is off the hook. Great taste and large servings.

the train ride was super and we had our own car for our group. we fed the feral pigs and donkey. alot of history of the island was so appreciated.

Especially if you have kiddos, take the train ride before you go eat at Gaylords. Fun little trip around the property to see and feed the animals before you have a truly memorable meal at Gaylords -- food is top-notch!

We did the train then the Luau. The train was fun and informative. It ran precisely on time which was nice for going to the luau directly after. The food and show at the luau were both amazing! We also bought some stuff from the vendors out back.

This show was fantastic!! The food was good and the vendors on the estate prior to the show have unique and beautiful goods. Definitely recommend!

The plantation estate has many things for different interests including a train and farm tour, Koloa Rum plant, a wonderful luau, interesting shops and Gaylord's restaurant.

Let me preface that I've attended numerous Luaus on other islands (Oahu/Maui). This was by far the worst experience out of all the others I've attended.

Food was good, you basically line-up and scoop the food on your plate. I really liked the pork and some of the fixings. Open bar was good when it was "open".

The show was good, however was held inside, where you ate. Was not impressed with the show. They had a small circular stage that was raised maybe 3 feet off the ground, which was hard for those in the back of the room to really see everything. (-1 star)

Location was OK; felt like going to an amusement park. (-1 star).

For comparison, in Oahu we attended a Luau @ the beach/waterfront and another Luau where they had the show on water using boats/canoes. Both of those shows easily trumps this one.

At $100++/pp, I would have rather gone to a nice restaurant instead.

We did the luau which was the best we have been to. The railroad ride was very enjoyable. We go in all the shops and the restaurant is great. We make this our last stop on the night we fly out. Close to the airport and quick to get to after dinner.

We visited the Kilohana Plantation Estate while on the island. We were so glad we didn’t miss this beautiful place. We took the hour long train ride around the plantation and learned the history and what their goals are today. Our guide was very informative and personable. The grounds are kept in immaculate condition and the flowers and trees make for some awesome photos with the mountains in the background. There is a very nice gift shop, ice
Cream store and the Rum Shop. Make sure and wander through all the lovely shops in the main house. Lots of art work, jewelry, and many beautiful handmade items are available. Make time to enjoy a meal in the lovely restaurant to top off your visit. Always check the opening and closing times before visiting to ensure you have plenty of time to see everything.

We went there one day when it was pouring down rain, and went through the gift shops. Then we went back there to Gaylords for dinner which was really good. The service was great, and a wonderful atmosphere. The gift shop people were super nice. I was chatting with a short beautiful women who said I needed to be a tour guide which she once did. That was because I knew more about John Wayne's movie Donovan's reef! That was fun. (I was able to discover many of the places where the movie was filmed)

Food very good, price normal for the island
Service very good. Dinner in the evening.
Did not take the train

We went one evening and enjoyed a wander around the various shops and galleries. They were busy with a cruise ship crowd but the place seemed to cope with lots of people.

We had a great time here. We did the train tour and then a fabulous lunch at Gaylord’s and after rum tasting. The guy who did the rum tasting was awesome I wish I could put his name but we didn’t catch it. I booked everything in advance-looked like plenty of room on train for walkups but if you want to do the rum tasting book online so you can get in. Several people inquired while we were waiting but only availability was the one 2 hours later. Have the fried Brie if you go to Gaylord’s it was amazing.

I liked this place for it's variety of things- a very good restaurant, a historical building where you could view rooms as they were, train ride which gives you history of plantation and you view animals and other parts of plantation, nice shops in the building. very enjoyable. we did not go to the Luau there but heard good things.

We first stopped for the Luau, but noticed that there was more to this converted sugar plantation. A nice slow scenic train ride around the plantation, several nice local shops, and the Koloa Rum Company. The rum tasting was very nice and informative. Nice place for a slower paced day.

We stopped in here on our last day in Kauai...wish we had more time to go on the train ride or take in the rum tasting. We did however have lunch in the restaurant (Gaylord's) and visited the little shops..bought a couple of gifts here to take home.

We did the full tour--train, walking tour & lunch. Be advised that it's about 2 miles of walking-- but all level with frequent stops. It's a very informative tour-- guide Kai (not sure of spelling, sorry!) was very informative. Lots of info about fruits, some of which you get to sample and farming in Kauai. Lunch is brought to you in "the fields" so it's warm, not hot. Also, there will be chickens, wild pigs, horses, sheep, cattle & alpacas!

We spent the day here, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Don't miss the train ride through the grounds, or the rum tasting.

Enjoyed the luau here, a large venue very busy but the show is good, very good looking crew members, good food I would recommend if in the area, the vendors out the back sell high end products at high prices

We have been to Kauai a number of times already; so we were looking for something to do that we hadn't done before and this fit the bill.
The main thing to do here is the train ride. The ride takes you all around the grounds, and is narrated........with a stop to feed the pigs. After the train ride there was plenty of time to walk around and visit the shops.
A very popular spot was the "Dole Whip" stand, and yes, we did buy some ice cream and it was good.

This is a nice place to stop on your way to the airport or for shopping. There are 11 stores on site including a small pottery store. There is also a restaurant and a train ride and luau. We having ridden the train or done the luau. I liked the shops as I found some things that were locally made.

Ok place to wander around, some shops, not many, a great restaurant. Train rides stop at 2p. which is a shame.

We took our 3 year old here on the 3rd rainy Kauai day. It was a great place to have lunch, shop for local art and other things. We took the train which was informative for adults and fun for little ones! Beautiful scenery!

We did the rum tasting as well as the luau. People in the tasting room and gift shop were so friendly. Talk to Jayne shes a hoot!The rum was the best Ive ever had. The luau was incredible.

5 out of 5! What a Great night. Great experience! Great food! Amazing entertainment! Loved the story! Start your night with a craft fair or maybe a train ride. Enjoy a pre-show and a wonderful, tasty buffet and then the show starts!

Enjoyed the train ride around the property seeing all the floral, vegetation, and animals. A little misleading when it talks about the pineapple plantation and there's only a few rows growing (no samples). The information indicated a petting zoo of sorts but you could feed the pigs through the fence, no petting. I was surprised to see horses, ponies, and donkey racing the train for bread to be thrown out. Is bread good for these animals?

Visited the many shops and went to the bar for a drink. Bar tender needed help as she was serving drinks, taking orders for food and then serving AND tending bar at the same time.

Okay... so a cool, old time plantation converted into shops, restaurant, and some touristy stuff. But it has been completely commercialized, so there really is minimal historical value.

We are unsure where the train goes because we didn't try that, but there was nothing that made me say "I've got to do that!". The Koloa Rum Company stops tastings at 4 pm... (we got there at 4:30) and the shop just sells overpriced rum and souvenirs.

So, we thought we would check out the rest of shops. Holy cow,.. I can't believe anyone can make a living off the stuff they sell there.

Needless to say, I will be recommending to friends that ask for advice to use this as a way to waste some time... nothing more.

On our visit to Kilohana Plantation on the island of Kauai, we boarded a narrow-gauge rail line that circumnavigated the 105-acre plantation. We passed sugarcane and taro plantings. We also passed mango, banana, papaya and pineapple groves on this two and one-half mile train trip in open cars. While on this ride, we got off to feed pigs, oats, sheep, horses and a friendly donkey. Upon return to the “station,” we wandered through the various buildings housing a museum, shops and dining facilities. We were ushered into a large hall where we enjoyed a wonderful hula show.

This tour is new to the Plantation and not on their website. If you don't have children and want an adult experience equivalent to the train ride do the Rum Safari tour. Tangey and Le'on were great. Highly recommend this.

We chose the Plantation Owner option and it was so worth it!! After a 4 course dinner at Gaylord's restaurant with first class service and meal we were escorted to the show. Our table for the show was reserved in the front row. The show is beautifully choreographed with a nice story line. The fire dancers were a highlight. We have been to luaus before and this was a nontraditional show that is worth your time while you are visiting Kauai. All ages will enjoy this show. If you have been to a luau in Hawaii and think you've seen one, you've seen them all...do yourself a favor and enjoy this entertaining show!

I went with my husband to the show and dinner. It was really fun! Great music, beautiful scenery, fun show - it was a Luau but it had a great story about the folklore/culture... definitely recommend doing!!

We did the 4 hour orchard walk tour. It was beautiful, and such an amazing day. It was myself, husband and 20 year old son. We started off on a train ride, which was so much fun and allowed us to see the plantation, which is stunning. Then we got off to feed the pigs, donkey, and goats. From there we took a 30-40 minute hike thru the jungle which was amazing. Our guide “Tiny” was extremely knowledgeable and full of great information. After this we had a nice picnic lunch, we also had fresh cut pineapple and coconut, and fresh coconut water. Then we took about an hour walk thru the plantation orchard and got to try some absolutely amazing organic fruit picked fresh right off the tree. The bonus was......everything we got to try, we got to pick one for ourselves to keep and take back to our hotel, which was a huge treat. After this we took the train back to the plantation station. A fabulous day!

We did the 4 hour trip, train ride small hike, orchard & lunch. It was fun hike was small, lunch was a sandwich, fruit orchard was the best!!!

The Kilohana Plantation is a beautiful estate and must have been something in its time. Now it is a collection of shops, galleries, The Koloa Rum Company and a high end restaurant (Gaylords). There is a train ride around the plantation which is interesting, but not real exciting. The shops have some great deals if you look for them. The history of the house is displayed in photos and information plaques through the house. The Galleries and shops are in what were bedrooms, etc.

I had an unexpected business meeting in Lihue and it was suggested to go to Gaylords for lunch--what a nice surprise, I've been here for dinner and luau's in the past -- lunch was as expected- Beautiful setting, great service and delicious.

I visited to take the Plantation Train and sample the rum, but was intriqued by the rest of the site. Wish I'd had time to try the food -- I'm always a sucker for a Rueben (which I saw on their menu). Nice old Colonial Building to wander around.

The 'Estate' is a must see in Kauai. It's historic building is very interesting, and the restaurant's outdoor seating is inviting. Excellent dinners and service. Not a place for children. A+

We enjoyed our happy hour visit. Really great cocktails and appetizers. We had the ahi poke and the Hummus delish.
Our bartender, Cisco even did a demo of pressing sugarcane and gave the three couples sitting at the bar a little sample of fresh squeezed sugarcane juice. Delish!!

We went here for lunch. The atmosphere is really nice. We sat outside on the terrace. The grounds behind us were beautiful. Food was good. We all had the french dip. It was very good. Staff was really nice and service was timed nicely. Portions were a nice size.

We reserved a spot on the Rum Safari tour based on seeing a video by On Hawaii Time. We weren't disappointed. Found out that this is a relatively new tour, but you wouldn't guess by how well the tour guides ran the event. The tour takes you around the property and includes two stops for rum and mixed drink tasting. Our favorite part was a walk into the tropic forest foliage on the property -- stopping at a covered pavilion that was built right next to a huge banyon tree. The guides are very knowledgable about all the plant and animal life on the plantation. The drinks are great too! Come for the fun and drinks, but leave a little more educated about this area of the island!

Ship night which means 500-700 people. But it was a great adventure. Would highly recommend. We watched them take the pig out of the ground. Food was very good and plentiful. Desserts were great. Poi - well it’s and acquired taste I’m sure. The stage show was very well done and I even got to dance.

A few little shops, very nice restaurant and rum tasting...really can't go wrong. It's a nice way to spend a few hours.

The plantation train ride/ walk was quite amazing!
The rain forest hike, the beautiful orchard trip, were all well worth it!
Sean , our guide was excellent, knowledgeable and friendly.
Highly recommend this to all!!

We had a great time on this tour. Walking into the valley was educational and scenic. Be sure to wear shoes that can take a bit of mud.

This two star review is strictly for the Pua Room. When we were finished with our 5 Star train experience and 5 Star shopping plus Sweet room, it was around 2:45pm and we walked into where the bar was located. A few people were at the bar hanging out and another couple who had a couple of children had ordered from the menu that was basically bar food. This was completely fine with us. We walked in, said hello to the bartender, looked for a bar menu, found a menu that had dinner options. We took it to our table, the bartender saw us take this menu, said nothing, and as we were looking through it at a table we were sitting at, a young male waiter casually tossed the appetizer menu on our table and kept walking. Hmmmm.. ok. He came back by maybe 5 minutes later and asked what we wanted to drink. We said water for the moment while we looked at the menu. He walked off. Maybe 10-15 minutes he walked past us, no water, so I flagged him down and said we would like to order please. He just looked at us and said,”we don’t serve this menu until 3:30.” and he just walked off. It was 3:10pm and there was nothing on the menu or any signs saying what the times were to order from the bar menu. Bartender never said anything and they seemed to not really care. We would never go back here to eat but we will definitely be back for the train ride and everything else.

We took our 4 year old on the narrow gage train around the property. Especially fun at the stop to feed the wild boar population and goats. Lunch at Gaylord’s, where we sampled their claim to the origin of the Mai Tai. Food and drink most enjoyable.

Kilohana is 1900's sugar plantation....the building and tours are excellent. The shoppes in home are fun to visit. Love the open air courtyard restaurant. Food very good and service courteous and helpful. We go there at least once in our trip each year!!

Loved the shops, train tour, and later went back for dinner with family.
Dinner pricey but it was expected.
Delicious meal and special time to spend with my mom, brother, and daughter.
Really liked the Rum Tasting Room!

This tour is borderline a waste of time, not at all interesting. They then fill time by getting guests to feed pigs and goats pieces of white bread!!!???!! What? Is this good nutritionally ?
But the worst part was a mature goat who was very obviously lame and at times not weight bearing. When I pointed it out to staff they said he wasn’t sore. Sorry Charlie he was very very lame. This 2017 we do not let animals suffer, call a Vet. Get him meds to fix his problem! No excuses!!

This trip was a very poor experience for our entire family. They corral you around like cattle, sit you down and make you wait for the next instructions over and over and over the entire experience takes way too long -you spend most of your time waiting and being told mundane instructions repetitively. It is mindnumbing.The food is mediocre. If you want to see a luau the show was great, skip the dinner and the crap prior/ skip the train ride & the manor house debacle and just go for the show.

Fun, 40-min train ride through the plantation. Enjoy lovely views of all kinds of fruit trees and other blooming plants. Stop along the way to feed pigs, a goat and a donkey on the plantation! great fun for kids. There are nice shops and a pretty restaurant on the property, too. A nice bit of Kauai history. We didn't do the hike, but you can hike the property, too, and pick/keep your own fruit. We enjoyed our train ride. The staff is incredibly friendly.

The rum store was closed for inventory but still enjoyed our visit. Walked around the gardens a bit and ventured into most of the little shops. Did not take the train as we did not have the time. Enjoyed our time here.

We went to the luau at the Kilohana Plantation and enjoyed it. There was lots of traditional dancing, the service was good and the food excellent.

We rode the train and fed the goats and pigs. We saw some beautiful horses and a beautiful garden. This is not a super exciting trip but it was a very nice relaxing day. We rode the train. If you ride the train book it online before you go and tou will get a discount.

We have been coming to Kauai for 7 year with our boys and finally came just as a couple and tried the rum tasting. It was so much fun. I work recommend. Thank for the fun 40 min.

I usually always go to the Smith Family luau when I visit, but the dates did not work out this time. Was referred to this luau and could not of been happier. Outstanding food, great staff, and they even have local vendor booths set up with great shopping. They take great pictures and give you the option to buy the photographs at the end.

My husband and I visited the Luau at the Plantation and it was simply wonderful. The show was so well organized you couldn't tell there were probably over 300 people there that day. They made sure the food was well prepared, everyone got to eat to their heart's delight, enjoy a very beautiful, colorful, and touching Luau performance. We were fortunate to share our table with a local family who were there for the first time, too, and it was great to know a bit more about Kaua'i from them. Great and unforgettable event. Highly recommend it.

We did the train/walk tour. It was three hours and 40 minutes and included snacks and lunch. It was fun and our guide was very knowledgable when we were walking throught the fruit orchards. He allowed us to pick and sample all of the ripe fruit. The walking part was easy and slow paced. The train ride was nice. We were able to feed the amimals there. We enjoyed shopping when our tour was completed.

A Out of Africa moment at the Kilohana plantation estate for me. We spent 2.5 hrs touring the orchards and tasting all the fruit! The train was used in the movie Jungle Cruise! Paul our guide was entertaining and informative! A highlight of my visit to Hawaii!

This plantation features a small railroad that offers rides to visitors. We eschewed the train and shopped the many stores to our heart's content. In the trolley gift shop I found a wooden hatpin that was truly the envy of the island. Everywhere I went thereafter, the shopkeepers questioned where I got it!

I also found an aloha shirt that I couldn't resist, and my wife found inexpensive potholders and other souvenirs that we didn't see elsewhere.

The food was below average and too expensive. The food trucks actually have better food, the portions of fish in particular are more generous and the prices are better. Very disappointing. Was happier with my visit there last year.

We loved Gaylord's restaurant for years and years. Went there in December to celebrate our anniversary and the food is just awful. We were told the ownership of the restaurant and the chef had changed. Very disappointing. However, Kilohana's tours throughout the estate and are still worth every dollar and your time.

We ate here as a part of Luau Kalamaku PlanTation Owners Dinner. It was lovely start to finish. Our server was the consummate professional, and it was without a doubt the best dinner and service we experienced all week. She was attentive without being intrusive, and anticipated any requests beforehand. A member of our party is gf/vegan and she was accommodated beautifully. Hats off the the chef, and our server for not making the request a big deal. The courses were all tasty and presented beautifully. The setting was lovely. We were on island for a special anniversary and appreciated the leis and family photo. The staff here is on their toes, and no detail overlooked. Hats off to the management and team for an exemplary experience.

A great train ride around the plantation with the very entertaining conductor Tiny. A good history lesson on time that has passed and of fruitful times ahead. Feeding the pigs is great fun for everyone. Well worth the visit!

Kilohana Plantation is basically a museum that's become a retail venue. Keep in mind that the only industry Kaua'i has is tourism. The train tour is pleasant and laid back. What more do you want? Dinner at Gaylord's, the on-site restaurant, is upscale and delicious. Seated on a plantation garden patio outside is marvelous. My husband and I love going there for a celebratory dinner. We love seeing what the shops and stores offer. Kaua'i is restful and peaceful and Kilohana offers adventurers just that. Good food, great service and lush surroundings.

You can pay for a train ride, there is a beautiful pottery shop in the back - I believe they give lessons or workshops every now and then - beautiful pottery. There are tons of other shops with Hawaii memorabilia. Gaylord's restaurant looked to be quite a serene, we did not go but looked wonderful. The rum taste shop was the best ;)

This is one of few attractions on the island that young children will love. Feeding the pigs and donkey is a fun part for them too. Not much for adults, but we have all the other activities available on Kauai.

The food itself was buffet style, and a bit rushed to get it, and eat. The same with the desert. The food was a 3 out of five and the show was a 10 out of five. The restaurant prices on the Island were Hawaii "high", so the fact that one gets good food and a show is a bargain. I would go again and I would recommend it to my friends and family.

The train ride through the plantation was fun and informative. Open air cars and even time for the kids to fee the animals half way through the trip. Pigs and horses for the kids to feed.
Sign up for the rum tasting and then ride the train. Thee is a waiting list for the rum tasting and you sign up for appointments every 30 minutes. Rum was very good with some nice history as well.

Stopped in to visit all the shops in the mansion and the rain started, so decided to have lunch at the restaurant. Had a nice cocktail, "hot" margarita, and lunch. Sandwich was very tasty and the leisurely lunch was just right. Finished when the rain stopped, and went on our way. Very pleasant.

We came during lunchtime and did the rum tasting. It was fun, the grounds are the highlight and we enjoyed wandering around.

We spent a fun afternoon at the plantation. The train ride was fun for the kids who loved the animals. The shops and grounds were a nice when you need a break from the beach.

Wasted time and money on a crappy lunch at the restaurant to find out we missed the train. Love (sarcasm) that no one at the restaurant around the corner knew anything about the train. Largely a tourist trap. Don't bother.

We went to Kilohana primarily to do the rum tasting. We ended up doing the train ride too to see the grounds. The 40 minute ride goes by pretty quickly. You stop and feed the pigs, goats and donkeys at one point which was cool. The property is beautiful. The train was definitely an attraction for travelers with younger kids.

I found the train ride to be quite disappointing. 40 minute ride around the property with 20 minutes of it spent feeding the animals. The Rum tasting is definitely worth it though.

A wonderful reminder of the past, and the 'sugar 'barons', and their part of history in the Hawaiian Islands. Gaylord's and the Koloa Rum Co. are located here. The train ride is entertaining.

My wife and I went on the train ride, lunch, and nature tour. It was very interesting and absolutely beautiful. The grounds are kept immaculate (like Disney World). Our guide was Paul and he did a fantastic job of identifying trees and vegetation as well as providing much humor in his presentation. He may be vertically challenged, but he is a giant of knowledge regarding this plantation. I highly recommend this adventure.

Dinner was very good. Grounds are beautiful, peaceful and well-maintained. Live accoustic guitar music was a nice touch.

We visited while waiting for our Luau, and found some charming shops inside that were converted bedrooms, etc. The people there were very nice, and it made the browsing experience easy and fun. There is also a restaurant in there, but we didn't visit it, just walked through to the back yard grounds on our way back to the Luau. It's beautiful, and worth 5 minutes if you are there for some other reason

Really quaint and lovely plantation and buildings, you get the feel of the privileged life even though most of the plantation is shops. There is the TrainDepot where you get tickets for a fun ride thru the plantation orchard and farm.It is a cute building, medium size gift shop with a good selection of items for train enthusiasts. Another cute building is the Koloa Rum tasting and gift shop. Well worth stopping to taste and shop.Sign up for tastings in the gift shop, tastings every 1/2 hour ,they last 15-20 minutes ,taste about 5 rums.they do not sell at the tasting but you go into the gift shop to buy if interested . Nice little stroll around the luau area then over to the mansion. Lovely quaint plantation home, beautiful woodwork ,a few pieces of authentic furniture like stepping back in time. Half of the building as been converted to several gift shops -they are worth looking into for some different types of souvenirs.And the other half divided into a wonderful old timey “era “lounge and excellent slightly pricey restaurant. There is a small working pottery shop on the grounds with some but not many items for sale. There is a very cute coffee shop with limited seating outside.They have great coffee drinks and cakes and lots of samples of fudge. Easily stroll around here maybe 1 hour to shop and 1 hour for either lunch or train ride.
Very relaxing area.

Spent a lovely afternoon on the plantation's narrated train ride. The open air cars provide a pleasant breeze while traveling through the open fields and jungle areas. We stopped midway to feed leftover rolls to the wild pigs, goats, and chickens. We enjoyed this as much as our 2 year old granddaughter. Our tour guide provided a nice narration sharing the history of the plantation and pointing out many of the plants as we passed. The tour lasts about 45 minutes. Just enough time.

Happy Hour at the Lounge was Amazing!!! Great shops, Beautiful restaurant (Gaylords). Also the Koloa Rum Tasting & shops was awesome! Lots to see!

Great Happy Hour! Mai Tai good but go for the Pau Hana Mule! Best we have ever had. Pupus are good minus the chicken sliders .. all bun .. crispy chicken was excellent just 1 bite of chicken left a LOT of nothing in the bun.
Won Tons were excellent

Went to check out the shops in the Plantation house after attending rum tasting session at adjacent Koloa Rum Company. The house itself is pretty large with courtyard portion marketed as Gaylords restaurant. There are quite a few boutique shops and galleries on the first and second floor.

Be ready for a night of entertainment from start to finish. I loved the show something comparable to cirque de soleil. Put together so seamlessly and organized so well. The dinner, dessert and drinks were great as well. Would go back to see this show again.

Lots to enjoy here, but if you want to do the Rum Safari or tasting please reserve early. Free parking, gift shop and bathrooms available.

We have been to Kauai 4 times and this was the first year we took the train tour around Kilohana Plantation. It was a great tour, very informative guide, stopped to feed the "wild" pigs bread and there were a couple of week old piglets along with maybe 40 other pigs. Good tour on a cloudy day, leaves every hour from 10AM until 2PM and lasts about 40 minutes.

We went here because it was the first time my boyfriend had been to Hawaii. I wanted him to experience a luau. I liked the reviews of this luau and the train ride. I had never been here before. The train ride was lovely. The conductor was very informative and told us the history of the property and foods and plants that grow there. I really enjoyed feeding the wild pigs they have on the plantation. The luau was very nice and we had plenty of food. The entertainment was very nice and told a lovely story. We really liked the fire dancer. A very lovely evening. We went back another day to go to the shops and had a delicious ice cream cone at the chocolate store.

Originally built as a residence for $180,000 is now worth 12 million. It is filled with shops and Gaylord's resturant.

This location has many things to do. Art shops, a restaurant, pottery and Koloa Rum tasting that is a must see and do!

We after extensive research booked two reservations on their website. Owners dinner, train ride, the works. After they charged my card almost 400 dollars we received a phone call that we couldn't ride the train due to time restraints. We said "OK" and hung up. After abut 30 minutes we received another phone call that they then said that the Friday wasn't available after all. Again, their website says otherwise. They said that they could get us in on Monday the day we arrived at 2PM.
When we asked to speak with a supervisor "Rebecca" we were going to do the buffet if they covered the difference for preferred seating. She said "that she had presented her options and that was that" and that we shouldn't book if I was uncomfortable because they had screwed up our reservations. I agreed and cancelled. I do not know if this is a booking company as they were called Oahu Zipline on my credit card or the owners themselves but they do not present a professional atmosphere in deeds or verbally on the phone. Maybe we were fortunate if this is how we were treated before we got there, how would it be when we arrived? IT SOUNDED LIKE BAIT AND SWITCH TO ME!

Nice to walk thru but the shops and restaurants are very tourist driven and expensive. The living room and rear dining area is pretty.

The house is lovely as are the grounds. The train ride was a waste unless you have children. You ride around looking at fruit trees and then stop to feed a donkey, some goats and wild pigs. (Ask fir kama'aina rates if you are a local.) A few interesting shops. Enjoyed the rum tasting. Had an unpleasant lunch at the restaurant.

Walking through the main house is worth a visit - the lower level restaurant, bar,old dining room and entry will give you a good idea of what life was like 100 years ago for those who owned/ran the sugar plantation. Much of the plantation has been turned into small shops, which for me detracts from the experience, but is probably a plus for many folks.

Dropped in to do rum tasting and also have a look around the estate which was very interesting. Stpuid me lost my rental car keys/remote which would have cost lots to replace. Luckily were handed in adn the staff were super helpful

The shops and gallery, with their jewelry and art, are worth a visit. And the train ride was interesting, fun, and informative. It’s not that often that we get to feed pigs.

We didn't have time for the train. Next time! It does cost about $20 though and is about 45 minutes. We did the rum tour which is free and gratuity is appreciated. They open at 10 but first rum tasting is at 10:30. Lasts 15-30 minutes. Sign up in gift shop-- space is limited. Enjoyed the new coffee run and the rum cake at the end. Different rums different days.

My husband and I had a great time exploring the planation. We hopped on the train and after feeding the animals, we followed our tour guide on a 'hike' around the plantation. We were able to see ALL the fruits that grow and we were also able to sample them. Based on the time of the year, you can taste different fruits that are in season. One of our favorites part of our trip was this tour because we were able to taste our way around the plantation. We weren't on our tour alone, there was also a small family with us. The family had two younger kids and they did so great on the tour! I think this would be amazing for families!

Our guide was knowledgeable and super friendly, his name was Kai. He showed us around, was patient while we took pictures, and answered any questions we had. I would greatly recommend a tour with Kai.

We plan to take the tour again if we are ever back in Kauai!

Super lame. The train takes you through their land which is just a few acres of fruit trees and grass. They have sharecroppers on their land and they keep pigs, donkeys, cows and horses for show. Barely learned anything about the family that owns this land or about sugar plantation at all. Very little to see here. Not worth the time. The kids were bored and I was embarrassed that I bought tickets.

Meant for kids who want to ride the train. The building is very pretty. There were a few shops but nothing unusual just tourist things.

The shops are fun, the food at Gaylords is great, but the house itself brings me back again and again. I love old houses, and this one is unique in how it combines the feel of Hawaii with the New England roots of the Wilcox family who built it.
I like to picture what it must have been like to be a guest there when the Wilcoxes owned it. It's not only beautiful, but also intriguing; 16000 square feet and only 3 bedrooms? Apparently they didn't want overnight guests!

We were celebrated Father's Day at Gaylord's June 1989. The carriage driver was from the same neighborhood in CA. Small world

Kilohana Plantation House is beautiful! The current owners have turned many of the upstairs rooms into interesting shops and there are a couple on the main floor. A lovely lounge and restaurant areas occupy most of the main floor. The lounge is full of antiques and is a wonderful place to cool off and relax!
Besides the restaurant in the main house, there is Luau Kalamaku with traditional foods and a wonderful evening entertainment. Make reservations and enjoy!
The grounds have a railroad ($$$), the Clayworks Gallery for made on site or make your own ceramics; a day spa; and Koloa Rum is there to sample and purchase. Have a relaxing time!

Really enjoyed the train ride with history of the plantation, as well as the Luau. A great experience!

To wonderful and beautiful property. The old plantation the state has been converted into a restaurant, shops and a bit of a museum.
Special events are held there as the environment is perfect for your special gathering. Enjoy the rum tasting and you may wish to call ahead to ensure that you can participate. We did not take the train ride since we did not have time. Would love to try it in the future. Take the time and enjoy.

Kilohana is a large house built in 1936 that has been converted to house a number of small gift shops and galleries, as well as a restaurant. It's worth a stroll through some of the shops, but probably not worth making a special trip to do just that.

The Koloa Rum Company on site offers free tastings every 30 minutes or so - just sign up on arrival. The guide you have makes this experience, and they are very good. Funny and informative. You can buy the products including their yummy rum punch.

You can purchase tickets for a short train tour of the plantation that goes through some agricultural areas where the guide highlight the fruits and plants grown locally. There is opportunity to get off the train at one point to feed some goats and pigs, which is fun. There are also longer tours you can sign up for that include guided hiking and lunch.

Overall, worth a stop if you're looking for a diversion from beach activities.

Besides the typical store selling touristy kitsch, this plantation offers a paved walkway through coffee trees with informative signs about growing and harvesting coffee. The self-guided walk takes about 15-minutes and is a nice way to stretch your legs.

Then go through the store to a patio area where 8-10 carafes are available for tasting different coffee blends. The coffee is free but there's also a window for buying something to eat. This is a low-key no-pressure stop where you can learn a bit about coffee; if you come with a tour you might be lucky to have a guide and learn more than the simple signs convey.

The parking lot is huge and I assume the place can become very busy when tour buses arrive. But for us, this was a nice side-stop for getting out of the car and walking around a bit.

A lovely plantation estate with little boutique shops and art. Train ride available for a fee and can walk around grounds. Nice restaurant on Site, Gaylord’s, did not eat there though.

This employee [that I cannot describe so as not to offend the sensitivities of TripAdvisor] working there at the gift shop snapped at a guy for asking directions. He was disabled and she looked at his implement of disability with a scowl, which suggested that she disapproved of his disability (am I being politically incorrect TripAdvisor?). I saw her being overly kind to tourist earlier that were well dressed and not disabled, which suggested that she was not keen about his disability (oops I did it again). So, it seems if you want good service there you have to be rich and not disabled (the nerve of me pointing such behavior out). I'll never go back.

Very nice and loved our guide he was young and very knowledgeable absolutely beautiful plantation worth the trip

Great place to visit. Had fun walking around and visiting the shops and learning about the history of the plantation. Folks in the shops are friendly and eager to share.

This is a beautiful place. Did a quick visiting while we docked in Kauai and im glad we did. The plantation is beautiful, plenty to see. The house is lovely with some pretty affordable boutiques inside. Definatley worth a visit

We really enjoyed visiting the Kilohana Plantation. Had lunch in the main house at Gaylord's. Visited all of the little shops and art galleries. Also tasted the Koloa Rum. Was a great afternoon, I'd definitely recommend adding this to your trip!

This mansion is a beautiful shingled house. There's tons of artwork and cool Koa furniture throughout it. The grounds are beautiful. Although we did't eat lunch or dinner there (we did do a luau one evening on the grounds), you can tell from what was being served and the expressions on the patrons that it is top notch. When in Lihue....... Mark from Cincinnati

Kilohana Plantation was at one time one of Kaua'i's largest and most profitable sugar plantations. Today, it is home to a variety of high-quality attractions: the plantation's short-line railroad, the historic plantation owners' home (now home to Gaylord's restaurant and a number of appealing shops), the tasting room for the Koloa Rum Company, and the venue for "Luau Kalamaku," one of Kaua'i's very best luaus (which also includes live music, a buffet dinner, full bar, and a wonderfully-presented music and dance production). Whether visiting for an hour, an afternoon, or an evening, the plantation has much to please any visitor.

We visited the plantation as part of a tour and it was great afternoon. There is a lot of history about the plantation and the change of use for the land over the last few years. There is a little train that takes you round and a rum tasting if that is up your street. Well worth a look.

Nice grounds with quaint shopping and fine dining and bar. Local luau is excellent and Koloa Rum shop & tasting. Tour via trains also available.

Train ride on a rainy day... guide's joke delivery needs some work. rum tasting is first-come, first-served and runs every half hour. some shopping in the main house. grounds too wet to explore the rest... Drinks in the bar while we contemplated our next move.

Excellent menu choices at a reasonable price point. Had the linguine bolognese for lunch and my wife had a great Cobb Salad . Our server , Kate was absolutely wonderful . Cheerful and patient with great serving and people skills . Very enjoyable meal !!

Beautiful, well-maintained grounds. The estate home housed a great restaurant and a few cute stores. I bought too many adorable dresses in the store upstairs and had a delicious lunch of fresh Ahi tuna. There was a rum-tasting building and a train that toured the grounds, A worthwhile experience!

The estate is right next to a rum tasting facility and Gaylords, a nice restaurant. They have luaus and a train to ride around and see the beautiful gardens. Worth a stop.

Great place to shop, learn about the Koloa Rum industry, and see a luau! Definitely recommend visiting!!!

Don't miss wandering through this gorgeous plantation when on Kauai! The grounds are breathtaking and the house is so gorgeous - little quaint shops with lovely folks working there! Not to be missed!

Went for lunch one day and then rode the train. Excellent food, service and atmosphere! Also went for Sunday Brunch- wonderful!! we made a reservation for Sunday brunch.

I enjoyed puttering around here for the morning. The train ride was relaxing and interesting, and I enjoyed their little art gallery. I do wish that they had a walking path through the trees.

Great house to see what wealthy plantation owners lived in when sugar cane was king. Interesting grounds with a pottery shop, but other shops are more of the touristy nature.

We enjoyed the drive and tasted rum. We did not take the train but will be back another time for it. Really loved the ambiance and friendly people. Feels less touristy than beach front places

Stopped for lunch. The food was great and reasonably priced. The staff was great and helped get us a reservation for that evening's Plantation Owner's Dinner and show. The dinner was a specialmenu 4 course meal with unlimited champaign. Then they escorted us by torch as a group to the Luau show. The show included a limited open bar. Only one alcoholic drink at a time so you couldn't get one for you and your wife. However the lines were short because the people who came to the Luau and show pretty much had their fill while eating from their buffet. The VIP seating was great because this is a large room with a circular stage. Around the stage were mostly tables of 4 and every in couple had their own private table. For this Luau show the Plantation owners dinner show was the best option even at the more expensive price. The show itself was very nice with more of s story feel than continuous dancing.
Also on the estate were shops and a train ride that we didn't do.
We did however do the FREE rum tasting and were not disappointed. Great flavors and a great bartender. You sign up in the shop and about every half hour they take 20 people into a tasting room for 5 different tastes of rum. Fortunately they sell in California so I don't have to carry back.
The Gaylord restaurant also has a happy hour with music later.

I visited here because of the history but this place is really about tourist shops, but with an open air restaurant added. It is worthwhile to simply take a look around. The old home has been subdivided into a number of shops.

Laidback outing riding a train through a former sugar can plantation. Learn about the history of the sugar industry in Kauai and how that has disappeared and what new transformations have replaced these plantations.
The restaurant Gaylord’s on the premises is a hidden gem.

We did a rum safari with rum tasting on 01/26/22. Our driver was Fletch and I'm sorry I can't recall the other guys name but they were so fun and super awesome. The rum tasting was amazing. I now like rum, so good job guys! I have been recommending this activity to everyone who asks. The only problem is I can't find Koloa Rum where I live in Utah! 😭 Anyway, the grounds are beautiful, the cocktails were awesome and I would 12/10 recommend! If I were to give any constructive criticism it would to advertise more! We only went because we drove past it on the highway and I was like what's that? And I looked it up.

Wanted to take in all the exhibits but there was a wedding and they closed Everything down. Very disappointing
Jim from Chicago

Looking for a luau and was fearful that the rain would make our experience bad, but was pleasantly surprised that the area is covered and no worries.
Good story about history of arrival into Hawaii. Good food, and endless drinks. Decent for the price.

For those looking for history of hawaiian rum this is the place for you. for members of your family over 21, I recommend the rum tasting. I also recommend doing the train ride which lasts 45min but is deep in history of this plantation. Want to go the full length do the train ride and luau, and and show I highly recommend that. Over all there is plenty to do here.

We chose to have our one 'fancy' meal at the planation and were not disappointed. Everything from the food to the service was fantastic.

My husband had Cioppino for the first time and could not stop talking about how amazing it was! I had the pork tenderloin and it was also pretty amazing.

We had after dinner drinks in the lounge (what used to be the living room) and it was just gorgeous. Live music and an upscale atmosphere not usually found on Kauai.

Highly recommended.

We did this tour as a package (produce tasting, Mia Tia Making, and dining) and as a package it was great! The tour person was very helpful..very relaxing. Food, beverages and dining scenery were great. If you travel just to see the plantation...don't. We did this several years ago and this was more of a see a pig, goat, chicken and trees tour. Combine it with the Gaylord Restaurant and it is more enjoyabe.

We did the rum tasting a few times (review left for Koloa Rum Company there). We also decided to do the train ride on our last day in Kauai since we needed something else to do. The guide was very informative. We saw a lot of trees/plants growing on the property which is pretty expansive. You even get to feed the pigs during the tour. It was a nice ride for 40 minutes.

We have been to the luau (our favorite) in the past and long ago learned how to make Mai Tai's at the rum sampling shop. This time we took the 4 hour train ride and hike. We were not disappointed. Our guide, Alex, walked us through orchards where we sampled (and picked) many different fruits. He told us about each flowering tree, different plants and where the many trees call home. It was delightful and the walk was quite leisurely paced. There were also animals with unique stories relayed by Alex. We had a delicious lunch before returning to the train to leave.

Not much here besides a few shops that have been set up in the old house. The grounds are nice but unless you plan on the train or luau you won't spend more than an hour here.

We started by coming to a evening luau, which was top notch! They have a wonderful bar, locals merchandise, then the show followed by dinner, then the show continues. Very easy to park and leave! We liked it so much we returned to taste the rum sold on property, darn good! The shops on site were great, bought a very nice shirt. Years ago we took the train tour and had lunch, great service!

Beautiful grounds to visit with gift shop for shopping. We did the train ride and really enjoyed it, educational and beautiful! We also did the rum tasting... really great rum!

After Grove Farm, the train didn't have much new information. Kilohana hasn't grown sugarcane since about 1970. I think the kids had a much better experience on the train, because they stopped and gave us tortillas and leaves to feed to the animals.

I was a little sad that I didn't see anyone else give anything to the guide. The tip jar looked woefully empty.

As we started on the train ride, there were Kauai chickens eating tortillas on the lawn. I asked the tour guide and he said that they used to feed them day-old Love's bread until Love's went out of business. NOTE: Love's was bought by a company on the mainland.

I liked seeing the "wild boar" of Kauai. They were much smaller than I thought they would be. I don't remember seeing any of them in the "wild" ... and then found out that a bunch of people at Kiahuna golf club have been feeding a baby wild boar for months. (Some girls were leaving out fruit and someone else left half a watermelon.) They're not thinking ahead to a fully grown wild boar approaching people and cars expecting food.

If you're going to do some shopping at Kilohana, you'll get some "free with purchase of $**" coupons on the back of your souvenir ticket, so don't shop first!

We didn't do the Koloa rum tasting, but we did buy some at Costco and Walmart. Oddly, Walmart was cheaper and had a better selection?!?

Wetook the train tour and it was very enjoyable and educational - now I know what those flat-topped trees are called! Many different trees and plants visible from the train, and the stop to feed the pigs was very amusing. While waiting for the train, the posters show a lot of the history of the plantation.

We were a little apprehensive about going to our second luau of the week. We were thinking if it was like the first we were going to leave. The food was good. We are glad we stayed for the show. There was a story line, we were close, and it was very exciting to watch. We would do this again.

We came mostly for our 2.5 year old to ride the train and it didn't disappoint. We were Ble to make reservations the night before for the early time slot. We hit so much traffic driving there that we called and they had no problem moving us to the next time slot. The train loaded promptly. Make sure to get there early ro line up early so you can get in the open car. There are 4 train cars, 3 with open windows but 1 that's nearly all open. We sat on the right side of the train (as you are sitting looking forward) which allowed my son to see the animals. The orchards are mostly on the left and animals on the right. He talked about the train for the rest of the day and woke up this morning asking where the conductor and train were. We were able to make reservations online during the train ride for lunch at restaurant there which was also great.

After 20 years we have returned. The shops were interesting but seemed like other tourist areas. Very nice

Parking was easy, stores on 2 floors with stairs.

This turned into a better than expected visit as we had only planned to go to the Koloa Rum store to buy some of their rum cakes, but then, we took a leisurely stroll around the gorgeous grounds surrounded by flowers, shrubs, and trees blossoming everywhere! A well-known restaurant, Gaylord's, is also located here along with a HUGE pavilion that seats close to 1000 people for their luaus held twice a week! The many tables were already set up with dishes and silverware for that evening's luau, and it looked beautiful! If we'd have wanted to do another luau, this might have well been a good place to do it as the stage in the middle was situated so everyone could see well. By the way, the rum cakes were delicious!!

Restored into a commercial venue, the old planation grounds host a few boutique shops and a fine dining restaurant. Worth a visit.

We came here specifically for the rum tasting experience! We enjoyed a pleasant lunch at Gaylords restaurant and enjoyed looking through the little shops at lots of arts and crafts and jewellery.
The best and most important part was the rum tasting and shop! We really enjoyed the experience, the host Cynthia was fun, informative and bubbly! The rums and rum cake are delicious and it was nice to hear a but if background about them.
The rum shop has lots of spices, sauces and options- we enjoyed our time shopping in there and bought a bit! A lot of the food and drinks are available at supermarkets slightly cheaper. The girls in the store were super friendly!
Definitely recommend the rum cake and coffee rum (and I don't like regular coffee!).

If you plan to attend the Lu’au here, it’s an experience of a lifetime. I’ve been to others on other islands, this was by far the best hands down! Great food, drinks, entertainment and really engaging with the audience.

We have done this train ride many times as our oldest child now 13 years old loves trains! We weren’t sure how he would like it now that he is much older he still said he had fun. The guide was excellent and all 3 of my kids loved feeding the pigs!! We love the train ride!

Super fun Rum Safari Experience! It was a torrentially rainy day so my husband was reluctant to go, but it was an amazing experience and we are so glad we went! The giant truck used for the safari was covered and they provided ponchos which kept us very dry. It was a very fun and educational experience and we didn’t even mind the weather! We got to see lots of native crops and fruit trees (including three rows of banana trees whose wet leaves slapped some people sitting on the sides of the truck) - papaya, pineapples, rambutan, all kinds of citrus including a tangerine crossed with lime. We got to sample fresh fruit juice in the Mai Tai’s they made for us- delicious! Possibly the best I’ve ever had! Also got to see all kinds of livestock including goats, horses, cows, and loads of domestic and feral pigs! Nothing was more adorable than seeing the pigs running up to the truck as soon as we arrived! Including lots of babies- so cute!!! The scenery is gorgeous and the two major stops for the rum tasting are in sheltered areas- the first stop is in the jungle surrounded by gorgeous tropical flowers and plants. The second is a pavilion next to ponds full of fish. It is very picturesque and beautiful. Our guide Tiny and bartender/ driver Tongee (Tongy? sorry if I got his name wrong) were both hilarious and entertaining. Learned lots, sampled delicious flavours of rum, saw indigenous flora and fauna, and overall had an amazing experience!

I visited this farm on a shore excursion as part of a recent cruise to Hawai'i, and the visit was well worthwhile. It gave me the opportunity to learn about plantation life in the 19th and 20th century, and how the plantation has diversified to stay viable in the 21st century. A train of the type that used to help harvest sugarcane now carries tourists on a trip through fields now growing all types of citrus fruit, avocados, and even a bit of sugar. The farm only has a few animals: a family of cows, a couple of donkeys, and (the most fun for the passengers, who had the chance to feed them) what seems like dozens of once-feral pigs which, we were assured, would never be on the menu in the onsite restaurant. I had the opportunity to wander around and take in more of the grounds, but it was so hot (nearly 90 degrees F.), that all I wanted to do was sit in the shade and eat the delicious ice cream. The store in the old plantation building sells all kinds of local products, including some (rather expensive) local rum, which I didn't taste. I definitely enjoyed the visit!

Positives: Great atmosphere, especially upon arrival and prior to the show. Excellent customer service. Beautiful grounds, costuming, and luau production. Great performers whose show was based on a narrative about the Polynesians’ journey to Hawaii. Awesome choreography and sound effects. There were vendors with gorgeous offerings for purchase, which we did. Open bar.
Things To Be Improved Upon: Need a larger selection of food. There was a plain salad, rice, potato macaroni salad, salmon, fish salad, pulled pork, and teriyaki chicken thighs. I left hungry, only having eaten some fruit and a bit of the tough, dry chicken (I’m allergic to seafood). I tried to have more salad, but the waitress took it away even though the serving bowl was still half-full. One of the bartenders was rude, seemingly because it’s an open bar and many people probably don’t tip, though we always do every time. From our seats, which were probably 2/3 of the way back from the stage, we could not see the bottom 40% or so of the show due to the stage not being high enough as well as the people in front of us holding up their phones to record it. Consequently, my two kids and I became disengaged pretty quickly once the show started. We won’t return.

The pianist here on Tuesday& Friday evenings is awesome. It is a highlight to our trip. Not only is Hank the only piano player that does shows but he is very nice , world class pianist,and makes the whole experience at the Kilohana Plantation one to remember. Don’t miss this.Tues.,& Thurs 6:30-9:00 p.m. ALOHA

If you decide that you have had enough of the beach for a day and want to take the day at a slow pace, visit Kilohana Plantation Estate and take the train ride through the property. Enjoy riding on the old train either in an open air car or enclosed. The engineer is a great narrator and as you chug past the fields and orchards, he explains the layout of the orchids and the fruit that is abundant on the trees. You feel you are on a train ride through Kauai's past. Always a surprise is the stop at the field where the feral pigs await their daily treat of bread. Up close and personal, the passengers disembark and are given pieces of bread to throw to the pigs--great photo opportunity--children love it. You can pet the goats, but not the pigs.

There is and option to take the train and a walking tour of the property. I was too lazy that day to do the walking tour, however it is a great tour and have done that tour years ago.

After the train ride, Koloa Rum is next door to the train station and you can go into the tasting room for samples or just wander through the shop with all the Kauai Made goods. Hungry for lunch go into Gaylord's and enjoy a wonderful lunch either in the courtyard or at the bar. What makes this a different experience is Gaylord's is in the restored home that was built by Gaylord Wilcox who started Wilcox Hospital. It is definitely a walk back in time to go through the rooms and continue your tour of the home up the stairs to where the bedrooms are now lovely shops. The photos on the wall and the furnishings depict a time long gone. You will come away relaxed and well fed and ready for a visit to the museum in Lihue.

It's not amazing, but if you want to see an historic building with tourist trap shopping here you go...rum was good.

A wonderful stop on our tour. The rum tasting was amazing and the gift shop was well stocked and the items for sale were reasonably priced. The surrounds are immaculate.
Absolutely thoroughly recommended

We did the train ride and it was shorter than expected. Just up to see animals and back - about 40 minutes total. Then we are lunch at the restaurant. The food was great. Things in the shops are pricey.

A great spot for dinner luau with incredible local entertainment.

The show was a hit with the adults and the kids.

The food and drinks were ok, the service was great, the entertainment was spectacular!

This is a very scenic historic site. We had a nice lunch outside on the patio and then did shopping. The food and service were great.

This estate was originally a sugar cane plantation. No there is the huge house, restaurant, lounge, shops, and a nice little train ride.
The train is narrated and although advertised at 40 minutes there is a rather long stop to feed feral hogs.

We did the train ride through the plantation and the rum tasting. Got to feed some animals, which I'm sure little kids would enjoy more than we did. It was a nice tour though. The rum tasting was also fun.

We liked the shops - worth a brief visit. On the grounds, there is a place you can get a massage which looked reasonably priced.

Beautiful grounds! Lush, green and gorgeous! We weren't able to sign up for a rum tasting as it was quite crowded and the next one was going to be a 90 minute wait. We did explore the shops and surroundings. Beautiful bar/lounge area and the restaurant, Gaylord's, looked very inviting. We did visit the Sweet Shop and purchased the Hawaiian Sea Salt Caramels. Yes, you may sample the flavors!

There are several shops to check out while you wait to take the train ride. Don't forget to walk a little further and check out Clayworks. Lots of beautiful raku and other pottery - all made on Kauai. The artist was very friendly and told us about the piece we purchased. It's well worth checking this studio out if you are at all into pottery or want some unique gifts to bring back home.

I return to surround myself with art available from vendors and the history of the house and grounds. Sitting in the lounge during happy hour was one of my sweetest Kauai moments.

We came to the estate to experience it all and fill the day. Had lunch at Gaylord’s - it was delicious and the grounds were lovely. The estate now is full of little art galleries and Hawaiiana shops. Next we took the train. Way overpriced to see a lot of groves and stop for 20 minutes to feed pigs. The rum tasting was free and very interesting. You get a taste of 4 different rums. To fill the time until the luau, we went to the cocktail bar for happy hour. Reasonably priced drinks with an island flair. The luau was the big expense and not worth the money. The food was terrible and we were crowded together 10 to a table in a big barn-like structure. The show was definitely 2nd rate. Save your money.

Kilohana Plantation is a great place to visit. Before we had our son, we loved coming here to visit Gaylord's for dinner, the Koloa Rum tasting room, the luau, and variety of unique shops.

On our trip this time we visited the train ride. It was perfect for our son who is obsessed with trains. The 40 minute train ride rode through the plantation giving history of the area and a lot of great information regarding the trees, plants, and animals. Half way through the ride you had the opportunity to stop and feed a variety of farm animals. The narration on the train ride was engaging and top notch. Make sure to spend a couple minutes to wander the train depot. It's adorable.

My daughter-in-law and I enjoyed the Rum tasting first.Left the kids with my son right outside where they were entertained with Hawaiian music and dance. Then we grabbed our complimentary Mai Tai's and headed for the railroad tour of the plantation which included feeding the wild pigs along the way. The grandkids(21/2 and 41/2) were fascinated by everything especially the train ride and feeding the pigs. We then proceeded to the Luau, where the kids watched the digging up of the buried pork pig and filled our plates with some of the best food I had on the Island. The open bar had anything you could want and the dessert table was extensive. The show was very entertaining and captured the attention of both of the kids who thought they were watching Moana. They both were excited and awake the whole time as were the rest of us adults. One of the best evenings we had together! Excellent for all ages.

The advertisements that my wife saw for the plantation lauded the vast assortment of shops and reasonable prices. We visited with our family and were very disappointed. The prices were way higher than anywhere else and although the selection was better than most places, the touristy items can be found elsewhere

Rode the train and it was fun, feeding the pigs was fun. Shopped a little did not eat at Plantation. Good adventure if you need something to do before catching the red eye back to mainland.

Visited and took the train tour while in Lihue for the day in June 2018. You can buy tix online and get a discount through the Kauai dining guide ad or this week Kauai brochure of 15% off. Very hot day, but nice breeze from train's open cars. Travels through property of former sugar cane plantation. The mic died near the end of the tour so the guide had to come visit the cars to finish the commentary. Enjoyed feeding the wild pigs the taro bread and seeing the piglets.

The Plantation is a popular spot for tourists. The grounds are very large, and a small train for the kids (big and small!) travels on a tour through the property. The main attraction is a beautiful dining area, open to a center courtyard, offering convenient outside dining. There are also several shops adjacent to the dining area, and information on the history of the property and area. A great place to relax and enjoy a meal!

If you have any free time at all, please carve out just 60 minutes to feel the history that still lives within the walls of this wonderful old home. They are doing a good job of preserving it while simutaneously promoting local artistry. You can even step back in time and enjoy a meal inside the garden at Gaylord's. If you enjoy rum, then look out, because Koloa Rum Co. has free tastings and you WILL leave happy. All ages will enjoy this lovely spot on Kaua'i.

Nice variety including Kauai made souvenirs and activities for various ages including rum tasting and train for the kids.

Pleasant activity. Train ride OK. Kids will like it. Feeding wild pigs was fun.

Are in the diner/restaurant. Appropriate price and very good food. Wait staff was exceptional.

Went to Kilohana Plantation Estate for the Sunday Brunch at Gaylord's. I suggest you arrive early as it became extremely busy later in the day. The brunch was really good with a wide variety of things to eat with a omelet station and a Prime Rib carving station. Next we wandered around the main house of the plantation which now houses art studios and craft stores. Eventually we made our way over to the railway for the train ride around the property. The guide was extremely helpful with my mother-in-law who was vacationing with us, she has limited mobility. The tour started and the Chickens and Roosters began following the train. The guide rows bits of tortilla to them so they follow along! We made our way around the property and learned a great deal about the different fruit and plants that grow in their fields. The train stopped to feed the pigs and goats which was pretty cool. The trip took about 40 minutes total. We made our way over to the rum tasting room. This was a highlight for me as we were able to taste different kinds of rum and bought a few bottles to drink during our vacation and to take home! All in all this trip was great!

We only went for the show and it was a real treat. The actors and dancers are first rate. Very enthusiastic cast you will enjoy

As a sad, former Hawaii resident ( 8 years) this was the best Mai Tai I have ever had in Hawaii! Thank you very much to an energetic, excellent bartender!

We did the train, hike, and lunch tour with Paul as our guide. The tour is 3hrs 40 minutes. The grounds are beautiful and meticulously maintained. This tour covers over two miles of easy walking but is not in the shade for most of it. We were not able to try much of the fruit as it was between seasons; we only tried midnight valencia orange and a cara cara orange along with an egg fruit. Our guide was Paul, who did a good job of gauging the needs of the people on the tour as some with little kids left after lunch. The lunch was delicious. We fed the pigs, cows, donkeys, and alpacas after lunch. The animals were absolutely adorable, with one of the cows being hysterically trained to eat as many treats as possible. Tiny, the train conductor, was super informative. The tour was too slow paced for us, but understandable given the size of the group. We were also super disappointed that the fruits were not in season as it was the sole reason we booked the tour. After the tour we did the 25 minute free Koalo Rum tasting. Note that children are not allowed in the tasting but ours are old enough to entertain themselves on the grounds playing cards and exploring. The tasting was good, the bartender was great. This is a true tasting room so no alcohol can be ordered. But the rum is incredible- especially the coffee and cacao! You don’t get to try the coffee rum but you can buy the samples in the gift shop and taste it in the lounge. The gift shop has great stuff at reasonable prices. We also stopped in at Kauai Sweet Shoppe, which mostly sells caramels flavored with several flavors (samples are provided) and dark chocolate bark. We also ordered a flight of three rums at the lounge; coffee, cacao, and spice, $10 each, along with the non alcoholic Kauai Tai for the kids. There are stores inside the large plantation building but they are a bit pricey. An enjoyable few hours but definitely geared toward tourists.

We spent about a half day at Kilohana after it started raining in the morning. That meant we were too late for the day tour charge. You can wander around at no charge, but if you want to do anything then it costs. We started with the Koloa Rum tasting, which is free. In all we tasted 6 rums and a coffee liqueur, and we made our own Mai-Tais, albeit very small ones. It was not possible to taste their top end rum; for that you have to go to the Mahiko Lounge and pay $12 a shot. The tasting room is attached to a good shop, which sells T shirts ($26), salts, rubs, creams and of course rum. We did have lunch at the restaurant, just simple soup, bread, salads, and of course their version of Mai Tai; I will warn you it is not cheap and the service was a bit slow. The shops in the main building were interesting. We liked the Artisans Room which sold reasonably priced and good prints. Also the Sea Reflections had good prices for costume jewelry, with the pearls looking very like the real thing. As it continued to rain, we walked back and took the train ride ($19/ adult). The trains winds through the property with various trees and fruits planted, and stops so you can feed the semi-wild pigs, chickens and goats. In the more expensive ride version you can apparently stop and walk through the orchards and try the fruit, but when we visited there was little ripe for picking so probably not worth it. All in all, a very enjoyable afternoon.

We went and rode the plantation train and it was a fun way to spend an hour with the family. My only suggestion is don't sit in the first car because the exhaust from the engine is suffocating.

Visited the estate as part of a day trip. Spent some time here. Great restaurant (Gaylord’s) and a range of other food and gift shops. The Koloa rum company has a shop with half-hourly tastings. You can also take a short train journey around the estate. The actual house is visually very impressive. Good activity.

We did the train ride, fed the pigs, and wandered around. It's a beautiful property. The train ride was cool. Feeding the pigs was stinky. All experiences the kids loved.

The plantation is a vintage estate that provides a bit of everything to everyone. It has a train, rum tasting, a spa, shops, and a lovely restaurant.
My wife and I went there for lunch at Gaylord's Restaurant. The food was good. I had fish tacos that were well made, while my partner had crepe which she thought was delicious. The atmosphere at the restaurant was very pleasant , it was overlooking the beautiful garden. We went for a stroll around the grounds afterwards, visiting the train station and the rum tasting site.
All in all a pleasant experience.

We came here on one of the ship's tours which included a tour of the plantation, dinner at the estate, followed by the show. The pros in short: good food, a very interesting tour (by train) of the entire grounds and a really good Polynesian show. The cons: the service isn't stunning and the entire estate is basically one big souvenir shop.

Very interesting tour and it was finally open when we arrived. Beautiful grounds and well worth the stop

A very cool place to visit! We went for Gaylord's then the luau. Very cool shops in the houses rooms.

Started the trip with the train tour then dinner at the mansion.
VIP seating during the show which was an absolute must see, the performers were top knotch.

We first took the 40 min. train ride. Very informative with beautiful vegetation. Our guide very informative about history of Plantation and Island. We stopped to feed the animals which can be very fun for the kids. Cute little shops to browse. We had delicious lunch at Gaylord's. Then completed our experience with Koloa Rum Company tasting. It was excellent. Our bartender was delightful and taught us about the rum. So fun! The tasting is free and about 30 minutes or less. Be sure to sign up in the gift shop when first arriving to the Plantation. We're very glad we made this a part of our vacation.

Lovely grounds. Enjoyable and informative train tour. Fun to feed the animals. A couple of nice little gift shops. i wouldn’t call it a wow, but enjoyed by all.

When we arrived in kauai we were told that this was the best luau on the island. Although the show and the story were very good, that was all I really enjoyed. The food was average at best. The luau took place inside of a pavilion which was sooooo hot people had to get up and go outside for air. The tables are crammed so tight together that it was difficult to get up and away from the table. The dessert options were just okay but were not especially good. All in all I have been to much better than this. However, there were vendors set up outside before the show which offered a good variety of items ranging from art to jewelry to food to island specific items. We did not take the train but there is a train ride that takes you around the plantation. There is also a rum tasting at Koloa Rum Shop and there is a nice restaurant on the premises as well. Will go back to try the rum tasting and eat at the restaurant so we will have the full experience.

We chose this over the standard luau, and were extremely pleased. The four-course meal was excellent with more than adequate choices and great service. The entertainment was different than we had seen previously, and was very good. We would strongly recommend it.

We had an awesome time on the Rum safari and loved the overall experience. It was great to see how the different sorts of fruits are grown on the estate and the two tasting stops in between were perfect. We were quite sad that we couldn’t take any Rum with us because we were traveling with hand luggage only. 😉

This is a perfect place to see a working farm and animals just like old Kauai.

We first took the train ride where a guide takes you around the plantation teaching you about all the orchards they grow and animals they raise. Halfway through the tour you have quick stop to feed some adorable pigs. The train is comfortable with open air and closed cars for you to choose from.

After the train ride we went to eat at the Gaylord's restaurant, but unfortunately only the lounge was open so we enjoyed some lava flow's and cheeseburgers there before going back to shopping. We wanted to try and do the rum tasting, but had just missed the last one. The rum gift shop we were able to get some great Hawaiian food souvenirs.

We kept driving by this place as we drove to and from Lihue. We finally decided to drop by and found a charming location. The shopkeepers told us about the history of the place. Unfortunately we were on our way to the airport to go home so we didn't have a chance to go on the train ride or eat at the restaurant. We are adding this place to our to-do/must see list for when we return to Kauai hopefully in the near future.

We walked thru the mansion while waiting for our Rum Safari tour. Cute gift/art shops, and a nice restaurant. A historical formal home to check out while on the Plantation!

Took the plantation train ride one day and went to a luau on the grounds the next day. Both events were well done and enjoyable. Feeding the wild pigs is a high light of the train ride. The food and mai tai's at the luau were fantastic. There is a story that connects the entertainment during the luau but unfortunately the sound system garbles the spoken word so you are left to make up your own narrative. Still, the performers work very hard to entertain.

Nice way to spend half a day with free local Rum tasting, Train rides around the plantation and one of the best rated Luau show and dinner. Higly recommend it!

We were waiting for a tasting at the Koloa Rum Factory and decided to have a drink and some appetizers at the restaurant here. The service was excellent, the drinks cold and the food great! A lovely was to while away the afternoon!

We did the luau there, and paid extra to have the VIP experience. Was not worth the price, instead of eating the luau food, they have you go to Gaylords for dinner, the waitress was great, the hostess was boarding line rude. The food was nothing great, the food that they had at the luau looked way better including their dessert choices versus ours. The entertainment is more of a story line with acting, versus what I expected from previous luaus. It seemed "not authentic", which was a disappointment.

Two store owners were rude and spoke offensively about certain groups of religions. TripAdvisor keeps removing my post about this, which is not fair. People should know

We never miss an opportunity to come here during our annual visit to the island. There is a lot to choose from. The grounds are just beautiful. The restaurants are wonderful and the small shops are fantastic.

This article is more about how the business is run than the actual plantation. We were going to visit Lihue via cruise ship and due to weather this port stop was cancelled. We tend to like to plan our time ashore on our own and I had purchased tickets online. I emailed them and requested a refund due to circumstances beyond our control, we discovered 12 hours prior to our scheduled arrival we would not be there and their refund window was 48 hours. They gave me a full refund immediately, literally the next day. Even though we didn't get to see the sights this time around, I will be visiting them the next time.

so easy to get to when your either passing through Lihue or staying in town. Rum tasting was a show in and of itself.

If you are visiting Kauai with your family take time to stop by the Kilohana Plantation Estate. There is a 2 1/2 mile long train ride that will take your family around the plantation. There are about 25 different type of crops (fruits, veg, herbs) being grown. You will be about to feed bread to the pigs and goats at a planned train stop. The former home is a great place for lunch or dinner. For the adults there is rum tasting at Koloa Rum. Several nights a week there is also a great Luau.

I'm not sure if this is meant to be a review including the luau or not but we did both the train ride and the luau on a Monday evening and enjoyed both experiences. The site was very well organised, plenty of parking and directions on exactly where to park. Lots of advice on where to go while waiting for the train wearing your free lei - real flowers for the ladies and shells for the men - plenty of scope for souvenir shopping before boarding and a 40 minute ride around the estate with an expert guide giving a running commentary. A stop to feed the pigs and donkeys delighted most passengers especially the children and then it was time to find the table for the feast. Excellent Mai Tais are served at the bar, and pretty powerful they are too. The food was very well prepared and quite substantial and the waiters performed their tasks with great enthusiasm.

For me the show was a bit too loud, lots of drumming and wailing but performed beautifully with excellent choreography and outlined a traditional tale of love snatched away and finally found. The fire scenes at the end are the best I have seen at any luau and the cast remained close to the stage for ages afterwards so that visitors could have their photograph taken with the,

Smiths or Kilohana? Tough call, certainly equal on food and drink. Smiths allows much more freedom while guests are waiting for proceedings to start, the Smiths show does have more content regarding the various nations that inhabit Hawaii while Kilohana is probably more authentic.

See them both if you can.

On the Kilohana Plantation is an auditorium for luau, rum tasting room, and a restaurant with a gift shop. They are all first class. There's also a train ride to take around the plantation. I haven't done that, but I've eaten at the restaurant. It was a lovely Kauai day with trades and we sat on the lanai overlooking the grass area. The food and service is good. The tasting room is fun. There are about 5 types of rum made on property and your pourer tells an interesting story about them.

The train was nice. Our guide tried hard. From reading the description of this tour we thought we would be learning a lot about the history of the sugar plantation. It was only mentioned in passing. We learned more about it from the posters at the train depot than from the tour. We saw a lot of beautiful fruit groves and were able to feed some pigs and a pretty horse. I would liked to have had more of the history.

We stopped in for the rum tasting and did a little tour of the grounds.The rum was excellent the guide was very knowledgeable and funny. The plantation was beautiful with native plants.

We arrived by the Hop on Hop off bus. It has lovely gardens. Once there we took the train ride (US$17.00 - good for families with kids. Other than a lovely open area of parkland, there wasn't that much to do. Kids would enjoy the pigs and goats. They do have a Rum tasting tour (more money) which we didn't do. Then there is a restaurant if you need to eat. I believe it has a Luau at night, we were only there in the day. I wouldn't need to go again!

Touring this plantation and then having dinner with the luau show gives one a good feeling for many facets of old Hawaii, I am sure. Of course this is a bit "touristy" but hey, we were tourists. I very much enjoyed the train ride around the plantation with running commentary by the tour guide on the train. As it was a special evening for us, we opted for the dinner, with champagne, in the manor house. The restaurant was in the open air around a courtyard with entertainment while we ate. The food was excellent. My husband even enjoyed the poi. There was also a luau buffet being held in another location. I was under the impression that there was a tour of the manor house included with our visit, however the house was filled with small shops and we were told to just wander about. There was also a kind of craft fair outside that was interesting. We moved into the larger hall where the buffet was held for the most incredible part of the evening, the luau show. The luau told a story, which was touching, incredible, very well orchestrated and professionally done. Everything about it was wonderful.

The plantation is very beautiful and I recommend taking the train ride as well to really see the property. The Luao show is phenominal and a must see!!...they offer before the show picture taking. Definitely do that, the photographer does an amazing job and is worth every penny!! Unfortunitely the food at the buffet was very disappointing. Some of the food was bland, others were dried out. The desserts were just as disappointing. The individual banana creme pie wasn't even two inches. It was crust with a touch of whip cream, the pinapple upside down cake wasn't even an inch wide. Had been to other luaos and was surprised about the food here. I would not do the buffet again, but would absolutely do the show, ride and pictures!

Did a Luau here and it was pretty cheesy. We though it was run through the plantation and we would be able to enjoy the rums, but it is completely contracted out to a 3rd party (I think one of the cruise lines). Food was like a cruise ship - plentiful but over salted and not very good. Drinks were bottom barrel well drinks. I felt like I was at Epcot, not at an authentic experience.

I was really looking forward to learning more about this place, But in the 3rd car couldn’t hear much on the train ride, as if speaker system not working well.

This particular luau had a very close feeling as the stage was right in the middle of the tables. The food was excellent and the show itself was outstanding. I would recommend this luau to anyone.

I had read so many positive reviews about the train ride and ended up disappointed. We took my 4 and 6 year olds but they were bored and we could hardly hear the guide over the clanking of the train. Feeding the animals consists of throwing bits of old bread over a fence at the boars. Also, the price was way to high for what we actually got out of it.

They have a train that goes around the property. There is also a place to eat. We really enjoyed the koloa rum on site. They do tastings every 30 mins.

We went on a Sunday afternoon. The building was beautiful, but we didn't realize they closed at 3:00 on Sundays. None of the tourist brochures that we had showed that. We got there shortly before 3:00 and everything was closing - and they let you know!

They have a very old style train to take you around but it was a pleasant way to kill an hour. They have some animals (horses, goats, bulls, pigs) and beautiful flora. We did not time it right for rum tasting and it was pretty warm so we were not sure rum would really cool us off. :-)

We spent about 4.5 hours here. We totally enjoyed the train ride, the rum tasting, lunch in their restaurant and going through the house. the rooms in the house are set up as small stores/shops and it was very unique.

We came here twice on the same day. In the morning we came to ride a historic train through the old plantation. This was a pretty good and unique experience. They do a decent job of telling you history of the estate and showing you which flowers and plants grow where. You also make a stop on the way to feed wild boar and donkeys. That was kinda neat and kids liked it a lot. After the ride we visited the Koloa Rum company gift shop and did a free Rum tasting. My wife and I both really liked this experience. They give you 4 samplings to taste and all of them tasted phenomenal even though I am not a huge rum fan. Keep in mind that they don't let kids into the tasting room, so we had to take turns doing the tasting while the other person stayed outside with the kids.

Then in the evening we came to the luau which is a big Hawaiian style celebration and show. They serve you a great meal in the beginning, then a show starts with dancing and singing. Luau was jam-packed with people. There must have been at least a thousand people in there. So we didn't really like it as much. Also, our kids were getting restless by that time (it was getting late for them). As a result, we didn't enjoy the luau as much.

We took the 40-minute train ride around the plantation as a lark. Much to our surprise, it was really fun. The tour guide was interesting and entertaining. Loved watching the children feed the animals. Not inexpensive (but we had free passes), but not a bad deal at $18/pp.

We had a free day before we left Hawaii and this train tour was just enough to fill up the time before a meal and flight. For the train fanatic in our party, this was a highlight. The working train was from the plantation during the sugar cane era. Lots of interesting information posted at the station but we missed the museum and house because it wasn't open on Sunday afternoons. The shops were closed by 3pm and the restaurant was booked for a private event. While we enjoyed our train ride and there was lots to see, we were curious about the historical house and would loved to have eaten at the restaurant. There is also a large hall that is set up for an elaborate luau...but again, doesn't operate on Sun.

This plantation, after the decline of the sugar cane production, is now working on sustainable vegetation. All types of fruits, including Valencia oranges from California are being experimentally tested and grown on the many acres. Apparently, Hawaii would not be able to feed its own population for more than a week if imports were not regularly brought in from mainland USA. However, wild pigs and chicken abound, brought in many centuries to be a source of protein for the immigrant population. These are still lawful to be caught and eaten. There are over a billion chickens running wild on Kauai.

The Wilcox family, who owned the farm for 3 generations, were a famous family in Hawaii with the first female senator as well as first female public health officer coming from this clan. They all worked tirelessly for the betterment of Hawaii.

Luau Kalamak
We recently attended Luau Kalamaku at the historic Kilohana Plantation in Kauai. Overall, it was a decent experience. The performance was quite captivating, with a mix of traditional Hawaiian dances, fire poi ball twirlers, and fire knife dancing. There was a storytelling element which provided a unique touch and added to the cultural aspect.
The buffet offered basic but a variety of local favorites. While the food was good, it wasn’t exceptional. People are brought to the buffet by tables so there is a little rush, but the lines move quickly. For included drinks, they offered the tourist favorites of Blue Hawaiians and Mai Tai’s along with beer and wine. The mixed drinks were strong and very sweet. Soft drinks, waters, and other non-alcoholic options were available.
The stage set up is elevated about 3-4 feet and is in a round. Ten person round tables ring the stage and go back about 4-5 deep from the stage. The more you pay, the closer you are to the stage which is normal. However, you are assigned a table and seats are allotted on a first come first sat basis. We were in the second ring from the stage which offered a good view. However, service staff frequently passes between the audience and the stage.

There is a live band playing traditional music. Before the show and dinner, you can walk the grounds where craftspeople are selling wares. There’s also a short audience participation Hula lesson.

The show centers around a story which likely has some basis in local lore and legend. The atmosphere, storyline, and some of the theatrics make it seem a little amateur theatre hour, but the performers are committed and put on a great show. The narration does help explain some of the movements. About three-quarters of the way into the show, netting is raised and encircles the stage and the lights dim. This is for the fire twirling act. It was as impressive as the dancers.

This is our second luau. The first experience was much more traditional and a smaller group. They focused on educating attendees, along with entertaining, and food. We were told it was the most culturally aligned, and we did a review previously. This luau is what you expect from an over commercialized luau experience. Produced for the masses, okay food, dancers performing in colorful, revealing, but suitable for General Audiences costumes. A storyline which is easily digestible and understood by every tourist family who doesn’t want to think too deeply on the significance of what is happening. An entertaining night worth the money.

Is important to know that they used a lot plastic and they should be more environmentally friendly and protect Hawaii because at the end they are profiting from the cultural past of the island so how about protect it?

We went on the train ride before the luau. Train ride was semi interesting and the kids can feed the pigs. The show at the luau was good but the food was average

One of our favorite places to visit while on Kauai. Home to Gaylord’s restaurant, Koloa rum tasting and an impressive luau all at one location. View the grounds from a train that takes you around the perimeter of the property which is a working farm. Highly recommend Gaylord’s for brunch on weekends and the plantation dinner luau which serves dinner inside Gaylord’s and gives priority front row seating at luau after dinner.

The train ride around the plantation is very pleasant with a entertaining guide. There is a 20 minute stop to feed the animals at the petting zoo. So the train doesn't really go that far, but it is relaxing and worth the trip.

My father-in-law purchased the Plantation Owners Dinner and Luau and it WAS NOT worth the price paid. WHY? You get a planned menu with only 2 choices for each category - Appetizer, Entree, and Dessert. Appetizer selection was crabcakes or salad (with mushrooms - never had a garden / green salad with mushrooms on it). Entree's were a fish not recommended by the waiter due to storm issues and no catch of the day. Other choice was pork ribs - which you got a total of 3 per plate. Portions were very small.

Service was excellent, which was only part of dinner that met that criteria.

While we did get a front row set of tables for the Luau Show, the way the show goes - no table had really great views since they are all around a circular stage. Show was amazing and well done.

Would have preferred the buffet with my grandchildren who had never eaten poi or other items served at the buffet. Probably gotten more food to eat as well - not to mention a far better price per person.

Can't recommend the Plantation Owners Dinner unless they upgrade your choices on that menu - as it is not the same menu regular guests inside the restaurant had available to them. Most people go to the Luau for the buffet anyway - so go for that and save your money for something else.

This luau was just excellent. We had a party of eight and all of us commented on the quality of the food in a buffet - and the great show - not only a fire performance, but also a women's fire performance - outstanding. So glad we were able to attend.

We have visited here numerous times. The Gaylord restaurant inside is a delightful place to dine, even in the rain. The food is good. The train ride around tells much of the history and is a delight to see what used to be there.

There are a number of tourist opportunities at the Plantation. It is a wonderful example of an art deco building built around the early 1900's. It is well preserved. There are shops in the house and a beautiful restaurant on the patio area. It serves excellent food and the best 3 rum drink! There is a tour of the plantation area on an open car train. It is narrated and very interesting. They have recently added a Luau in a tent next to the train station. Excellent performance with pretty ordinary food served. Well organized and efficiently run. I have returned frequently especially for the dinners. Koloa Rum has a sales and tasting room on site.

We did the Plantation Train Tour here before we left Kauai and had a wonderful time. It’s conveniently located 10 minutes away from the airport so it was the perfect end cap for our time on the island. We still had some time to kill before our flight so we wandered into Gaylord’s (the house) where they have several shops and a restaurant. We went into the Artisan’s Room Art Gallery. We thought the art by one particular artist was stunning and some of her pieces perfectly captured how we felt about our time in Hawaii (nearly 5 months). We considered purchasing some pieces but knew we did not have room in our luggage. My partner took a photo of the nameplate with the artists’ name ONLY. We did not take a photo of any of the art work. The older woman behind the counter was extremely rude to us even as we explained that we just wanted to remember the artists’ name (and it was obvious that she was only taking a photo of the name). We tried asking several questions about the art and she continued to be short and unwelcoming. Explaining that we were traveling, I asked if any art was available to purchase online because I was interested in purchasing. Again, she was EXTREMELY rude and short. We continued to be polite all though we could feel her disapproval in the room. She said it wasn’t available for purchase anywhere but in this particular shop. We looked up the artist after and that is not true. There is not only an online store that sells prints but her art can be found in several other shops across the islands. This was the worst experience we had on the island and was completely unnecessary. This is NOT HOW YOU TREAT COSTUMERS or even other human beings for that matter.

Beautiful historic house with period furnishings and exhibits. Two floors with stores, restaurants and art and historical exhibits. Beautiful banyan trees outside the building.

TRAIN: we were 2 adult couples. We enjoyed the train ride and learning some history of the plantation, but noisy children in our car made it a little hard to hear the narration. The stop to feed the animals was a highlight for young and old!
RUM SAFARI: All adults on this excursion, and fun guides! We got to see other parts of the plantation. Plus learned about rum making. We tasted half shots of 4 kinds of Koloa Rum (our favorites were the coconut rum and chocolate rum), then enjoyed a Mai Tai (delicious!) at the 1st stop in the forest. Then back on the jungle truck to another stop where we enjoyed snacks with a second rum cocktail.

Went on the train ride with the grandkids and they really enjoyed feeding the wild pigs. Other than that is was pretty much a slow ride through the plantation.

The train ride was really interesting. Got to see all sorts of fruit growing in the fields. “Tiny” gave us an amazing tour on our drive around. We stopped to feed some animals. And learned a lot about the plants growing in the area.

A fun couple of hours. Good for families with kids or for couples. Decided to do the rum tasting. Have never done that before. The rum tasting is complimentary. BEST rum around. Decided to take the 40 minute train ride around the property. Was very informative. Had fun getting off and feeding wild pigs and boars. Could take a 4 hour ride which includes lunch, picking fruit in an orchard, and feeding the pigs and goats. You could go on Sundays and do brunch in the dining room. There are stores on site: candy, clothing, art, souvenirs. Fun day.

Unfortunately, most of this place is dedicated to shops, galleries, boutiques, and a restaurant. I would have preferred WAY more history and way less merchandise. I suppose history does not sell as well.
To get much of the history, one apparently has to go on the train ride around the plantation grounds. The grounds have some pictorial history as well as some brief written material on plaques. Most of the rooms of the plantation manor have small signs to indicate the initial use of the room. The grounds are beautiful, and the history associated is probably amazing. You just won't get much of that historical background here.
As for the rum tasting, the Koloa Rum Company offers tastings each half hour; this operates on a first come/first serve basis. If you have tasted rum before, you can probably skip this.
Some of the shops and galleries have nice offerings, but there is nothing terribly special about most of these stores.
If you stop: there is a fair amount of parking, though the lot is not overly large. Part of the availability may depend on the number of tour buses on the premises when you arrive. I am not certain about ADA access to most of the buildings. I did not really notice ramps or elevators, but maybe they exist here.
I would rate this stop as MEH.

I walked through some of the plantation and rode a 45 minute train ride through the estate. Great for children and families. Feeding station for pigs and goats. Worthwhile for all.

It's a lovely property with shops, rum tasting, cafe/restaurant and a train ride through fruit orchards and animal farm. The train ride is perfect for young children as you can see lots of barn animals along the way. The train also stops so you can get close to the animals and feed them. Highly recommend it for families.

Good shops. Local artisans and shopkeepers are super friendly. The bar was great - try the Mai Tai!!! Best ever.
The house is cool. Historical and neat.
Also, the rum tasting was fun.
We didn’t do the train.

Our family visited on two occasions. We could not get lunch as it was closed to a private party. Twice we tried for a train ride and it was closed, and closed for luau guests. We were able to get Rum tasting 1 of 2 tries.

The former plantation has a lot of interesting things to see. There are several shops to visit. Lots of food available, Ice Cream shop, Chocolate Shop, Rum Shop, and a great restaurant. Ride the train, or enjoy an Island Safari! They have a Luau and other events too! You can do most things in a morning or an afternoon.

We rode the train and enjoyed learning about the plants and animals on the grounds. Also enjoyed lunch at Gaylord's and the Rum Tasting at the Koloa factory store.

Lots a green grass, plants, and trees. The train tour is interesting but expensive. The Estate is working at improving plant cultivation and expanding into more commercial growing of native plants.

The train ride is similar to other plantation tours that have used tourism to replace agriculture. It was fun in the open air train to hear about the various fruit trees and local history. We were glad we did the train ride and not the hike that is offered. The pigs, roosters, and goats made a little feed the animals stop on the tour. The family in front of us were local, and celebrating the birthday of a boy around 8. Small children for sure would love this train ride. We went just to check it out, and it made a nice low-key day amid other busier sight-seeing days.

The small train station office offers reasonably priced souvenirs.

The Koloa Rum building is also next door to the train station. It was pretty, but the rum was not that great, and the talk at the tasting seemed more based on how to get drunk quickly, rather than how the rum was made. It made me think that it was probably made elsewhere and just labeled Koloa, since sugarcane is no longer grown there and it wasn't distilled on site.

The mansion next door is a lovely little piece of history. We ended up eating at Gaylords, which was scenic and had good food.

Stopped originally to visit the Koloa Rum tasting room and ended up returning to Gaylords Resturant for dinner on a different night

We were on the way to Lihue Airport and enjoyed a yummy lunch here. We walked around the property and were impressed with it's beauty and history. We didn't have time for the train ride but it looked like a lot of fun.

We have been to the plantation 3 times. We love it. Very cool historic home turned into cool shops. Great ice cream at the sweet shop. Gaylord's has great food, the kids love the train and the rum tasting is free.

The estate is a free tour, it has several shops that are open to the general public. There are approximately twelve shops that are only open when the Luau show is scheduled. These shops are only to people attending the Luau. It has a great but expensive resturant. There is a Pomelo tree on the property.

we made a quick stop at Kilohana as part of our trip back to Lihue from Princeville to take our flight back to Calgary. The Plantation is just north of Lihue - actually just across the highway from the Costco where we were going to fill up our rental car before leaving town. Anyway, the Plantation is a stunning place to see! It oozes history - the old home is beautiful, and the grounds are very scenic. We did not have time to take the train ride around the property, but plan on doing that next time. Also had to pass on the rum tour at Koloa Rum, but will also do that next time. Did visit some of the little shops in the Plantation, and admired the setting of Gaylord's Restaurant (also another must do when we are back in Kauai). This is a MUST SEE stop when in Kauai - whether you just spend a few minutes or a few hours.

If you want to go to an awesome Luau in Kauai...this is your place! Very close to Lihue, the grounds are beautiful, the food and drinks were great, the program was very organized from start to finish, and the show was fun and exciting for the entire family. Met all our expectations and more!

After spending 8 wonderful days in Kauai, we had one day left with a flight leaving at 10pm. We couldn't check out late, so we didn't want to get sandy and dirty before the flight. This was a great way to spend some time (and not get dirty). The house and grounds are beautiful. There is a restaurant and sweet shop for food and there are also cute boutique shops. Don't miss the pottery shop around in the back.

Took the train ride. It was pretty fun and informative. The train takes a couple of small loops around the nearby property, showing fruit orchards and animal ranching activities on the property.

The grounds around the plantation were lovely and the house was interesting to wander through. The pottery studio behind the main house was disappointing- not much inside to look at, and most of it covered in cobwebs. The luau was fun to watch but the food wasn't anything spectacular and the whole dinner felt rushed. Honestly the highlight of the dinner for us was the train before the luau, as it explained the history behind the plantation and highlighted the local produce used.

The Plantation has history and shops and is a working farm with the old manor house. The shops and galleries are scattered throughout the home and the property. The Kauai Sweet Shoppe has delicious ice cream and other sweets. Gaylord's Restaurant and the Mahiko Lounge are also on property along with Koloa Rum Company which does Rum tasting. The Kauai Plantation Railway will take you on a tour of the working farm making a stopover to feed the animals which is fun for kids. They also have a very large luau on Tues. & Fri. nights, but we didn't experience it. A nice tour for families with young children. They will love the train ride. Discounts for seniors, too.

We always stop at this beautiful house when we are on the island. My wife likes looking through the shops, then we stop at Koloa Rum for a taste. This year we also had a drink in the lounge, which turned out to be a nice afternoon break.

Stop over on your way in or out of town. Train ride looks like fun but we concentrated on Rum tasting and their shops.

This site combines so many attractions for the visitor. The Koloa Rum distillery and its gift shop drew us multiple times. Gaylord's restaurant was superb. And the train ride looked like fun, although we didn't take it this time.

We had a very enjoyable day exploring the shops, enjoying the train ride and cocktails in the lounge followed by a delicious dinner at Gaylord’s. We didn’t do the luau but it looked like it would be great. A lovely place to visit! Great food and some of the best shopping on the island!

This was one of the events we were most looking forward to and I love events like this. With that said, the train itself was so far gone into disrepair that it made too much noise for you to possibly hear the tour guide and there were noises of various pieces of metal falling from the train or the tracks rattling in various spots, lots of screeching from rusted metal and nothing to see except a few pigs, a chicken, a few plants and that's about it, very short and very underwhelming.

Mainly I was looking forward to the dinner anyway so I didn't hold the train ride against them, although if you are wanting to enjoy it, you probably won't. The open bar ends rather early so you're encouraged to get whatever you want to drink before the show, once it starts no more drinks, of any kind, not just alcohol but no juice, soda or even water refills! This hall holds roughly 4,500 people when full and it only has a few regular sized ceiling fans while being mostly enclosed you get no breeze, no AC, no significant cooling from the fans and it was more than half full and so hot several of us got sick from the heat, even locals were complaining of the heat and most were drenched in sweat.

Once the show began we stopped getting water refills and went through all of our water, while still sweating and being very thirsty, a few of us, myself included, left the hall for fresh air for 10-20 minutes just to avoid getting more sick and/or dehydration. The show itself was ok at best, mostly very bad acting, a story that wasn't well told and it was just a miserable experience with the heat. to top it off the food had little to no variety, unlike most of these celebrations that are full of all kinds of food, the desserts were terrible and that's coming from people in my group that will often pass on good food to have more dessert and the biggest part of it, the pork, was worse than the chicken which was done asian style.

There's a lot wrong with these events, first and foremost they need much better cooling in the main tent area, need more and better food options and give the train some TLC for the tracks before they're gone completely!

We did not have the dinner with the luau, just enjoyed the show, along with a cocktail. Overall it was an enjoyable experience

Very informative and scenic train ride. Lots to see and enjoy in all the different shops in the property

We loved the edamame and the wantons. The bar tender Dustin made the best drinks and was very nice. Awesome place!

we had a great time on the train ride along the plantation. it was very informative and the views were beautiful. the kids had a blast feeding the pigs

Nice place to stop for local color and history. Nice restaurant, art galleries and boutiques. Worth the stop, maybe take a train ride while here.

I'm trying to decide which thing to do was my favorite. The train ride? The house? The shops? I think feeding the pigs wins!!
This place is equally great for older people or families with small children. Can't wait to come back and eat at Gaylord's restaurant!

We stopped by one morning, and unbeknownst to us we were there 5 minutes before the official opening time. Shop doors were open, the lights were on, and staff was fussing around. We tried to step into one store and were reprimanded and told "we are not open". So much for the Aloha Spirit. Yes we were "wrong" to be there 5 minutes early, but if they were staffed, had the door open and the lights on, you might think they would want to make a sale to start the day. Well they didn't from us, as we took our money elsewhere.