Loulu Palm Estate vs. Lanikuhonua

[jampies]

Hey Everyone! I'm considering the Loulu Palm Estate and Lanikuhonua for my wedding and having a hard time deciding between the two. Besides the location on the island, what are some major differences between the two? I've heard that Lanikuhonua does not have a bridal suite or kitchen facilities for the caterers. Did anyone find this to be a major inconvenience? I also heard that Loulu is poorly managed and is having financial issues, but if I use a planner to handle everything, would that have a huge effect on my wedding? I'd love to hear some personal experiences for both locations. Thanks!!

[Laakea]

Aloha, Jampies

 

I'm not too familiar Lanikuhonua.  All I know is a beautiful place, but I'm VERY familiar with Loulu Palm Estate.  We have done lots of weddings there.  And one of the most important things that Loulu Palm has a venue is the flexibility to accommodate any of the brides' desires.  As you stated, they may have some financial problems which I'm not sure, due to the fact that Linda Kress, new CEO, for the past 8 months has gone beyond the call of duty to help us produce some of the best weddings.  From all of our venues, we can say that every wedding we have done at Loulu Palm has been absolutely fabolous and we have the brides' review as proof of this fact. 

 

As wedding planners, we don't worry about the internal financial problems of a company, unless it's going to affect our job and the job of our vendors.  All I can tell you is that, we have received from Loulu Palm Estate; first class service. 

 

Let us know if you need any more information or any other help.  Check out website to see some videos of Loulu Palm and our blog for some wedding pictures at the venue.  www.laakeaoceanwedding.com

 

Mahalo

 

 

[cran]

Loulu Palm Estate is horribly managed.  We scheduled a viewing with them which they did not show up for, having laid off a week earlier the person who was supposed to show it to us.  Since we were already there for the appointment, we showed ourselves around the estate, and once we left, we were contacted by the management at Loulu, who then proceeded to lie to us and tell us they missed the appointment because they were held up by an accident and traffic (for an hour and a half?  on the north end of the island? early in the morning?).  It was very clear the individual was not telling us the truth.  We had already spoken to the woman who was supposed to show us the estate and so already knew they were having personnel problems, and simply did a poor job rescheduling the tour.  It was the most bizarre viewing we went through.

 

When entering Loulu Palm Estate, you go through a large fence gate and down the driveway to the main house.  Guest bathrooms are at the front of this main house, but guests are not allowed access to any other area of the house.  To get to the wedding area, guests must go around the side of this house to essentially the backyard of the house.  The backyard is comprised of an expansive lawn sitting next to the ocean.  The first impression of the estate, going through the gate and coming onto the house, is very disappointing.  The driveway and "front yard" of the estate are mostly dirt, since that area is used for parking cars I believe.  The impression improves, however, once you reach the backyard.  The lawn is nice and very large, and certainly has enough room for a large tent and other reception activities, with access to the ocean at the end of the lawn.

 

Lanikuhonua was our second choice overall.  It is a nice property with numerous palm trees throughout the site.  It is much easier for guests to get to than Loulu, and the sunset view I'm guessing is significantly nicer than what Loulu's location gets.  However, without kitchen facilities, I'm guessing you'll have more costs associated with your caterer, who will need to bring in much of their own equipment, including refrigeration, which I think uses a lot of power (and may require a second power generator?). You may get extra noise coming over from the Paradise Cover Luau.  Also, without a bridal suite, you will need to find a place to "hide" while guests arrive.  We used our bridal suite at our location for storage, as well as "hiding" 45 minutes prior to guests arriving, and then never stepped foot in it again.  However, based on our tour, we significantly preferred Lanikuhonua to Loulu.  If I remember correctly, Lanikuhonua is priced a bit lower than Loulu, so the money you save could be put towards a bridal suite at the JW Marriott, and the extra caterer costs.

 

We were wary of our experience with Loulu, and crossed them off of our list immediately.  Any vendor who chooses to lie over minor issues will most likely cause major problems later on.

 

 

[Samoana]

Hi Jampies,

I've seen a few videos on you tube that show the area of Loulu Palms. Here are the links below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MfWfRidkKs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPPvP9TpxBE

 

I was looking at using Loulu Palms as a ceremony/reception area, but thought that the costs would be too much as we would need to hire tents/tables/chairs etc on top of everything else.

I've seen photos of weddings that have been held there & they're all beautiful. It doesnt help though when you hear negative stories on staff etc though.  I've read some negative reviews on Loulu as well.

 

 

[alanagirl]

Good insight on Loulu vs Lanikuhonua but cran - what other venue did you end up going with then?

[alanagirl]

Cran - thank you for the insight, it is helpful. What other venue did you end up choosing then?

[Kirra2013Jake]

I visited Loulu Palm and thought it was beautiful.  Their management has changed and they seemed great.  They have great reviews since the change in management. I fell in love with the North Shore.    I am going to visit Lanikuhonua next week.  I've heard great stuff about them too, but I heard there can be multiple events at the same time, but they have great reviews too.

[cherbear327]

The person who said Loulu Palms is horribly managed must have dealt with old management. Although I ended up choosing Paradise Cove due to price and date, the person I dealt with at Loulu Palms, Kristina, was a sweetheart and always answered my emails promptly. My first choice (if money wasn't an issue) would be Lanikuhonua but their prices are outrageous. Almost $5K JUST for the venue fee (not including rentals). What I liked about Loulu Palms is you get their entire venue for whole day and it is all yours! As someone said, no multiple weddings going on at one time. At Lani, I believe there are now 3 different places to get married, Phase I, II and III. Kualoa Ranch was another top choice of mine but I never got a call back I maybe left about 3 messages and multiple info requests on their website...