Oktoberfest Girls at Umalu

The Hyatt sure knows how to throw a party!

Last year for Umalu’s Grand Opening, the Hyatt Resort and Spa, Kaanapli, hosted an event par excellence complete with live bands, dance contests, the Budweiser Girls and elaborate food stations showcasing the restaurant’s exceptional selection of pupus and entrees.

Last Saturday, to celebrate Umalu’s One Year Anniversary (which happened to coincide with Oktoberfest) organizers once again lived up to previously established event planning expectations.

The night started with entertainment by the Ompapa Trio, a German style band which set the tone for the evening. Servers dressed in their finest Oktoberfest costumes greeted guests with party favors in the form of keychain bottle openers, courtesy of sponsor, Gordon Biersch. Participants who paid the $25 entrance fee received six food and drink tickets to be used at various food stations and the bar.

Chinese Salad in Carryout Boxes

Although Brats with all the appropriate trimmings were the only real nod to Bavarian cuisine, the balance of the island-centric menu included many Umalu favorites; Uncle Kimo’s Ahi Poke Nachos, Chinese chicken salad in cute carry-out style packages, Kobe beef sliders on poi rolls with caramelized onions, edamame guacamole, lomi salsa, “Surfing Goat” chevre & firecracker caviar appetizers. Yum! Inside the adjacent food court we discovered a grand selection of sussigkeiten — aka tortes, cakes and Napoleons. Yummier, still!

As the sun set, closing yet another stellar day in paradise, The New Project Band took the stage. The Motown inspired music along with the tapping of a few Gordon Biersch kegs sent the festivities into high gear. Ja, ja, there was dancing! Naturlich there was toasting! Bestimmt there was flirting and feasting! There was also considerable celebrating at the end of the season closer being broadcast on big screen behind the bar area, creating an even greater sense of community and intimacy at the party.

We would never want to wish away today, but before the night ended we were already looking forward to Umalu’s next anniversary. In the meantime, stop by Umalu any time you’d enjoy “a shady spot,” which is what the name means in Hawaiian, or if you simply want to catch sport broadcasts in an upscale outdoor location, or when you long for Uncle Kimo’s Ahi Poke Nachos, which is just about every day for WCM.

Night View of Umalu

Umalu is located Oceanside next to the giant cascading waterfall and pool at the beautiful Hyatt The inviting bar and toes-in-the-sand seating under colorful beach umbrellas offer an enticing place to relax, dine on one grinds, and enjoy Maui’s island ambiance!