Many families in Hawaiʻi throw big 1st birthday parties. We were one of them. Our parties always included 200-300 of our closest family & friends (yes, we had to "narrow" down our list).
I would spend 4-5 months planning the party (besides reserving the venue a month or so after baby was born). With Mehana, we actually reserved her venue and had planned her luau to be on Oct 17. But with COVID, we realized early on that our normal celebration would have to change.
In April we made the call to cancel her party. We figured that large gatherings probably would not be allowed and we wanted to make sure we got our deposit back.
I went back and forth on what to do. As the number of people allowed to gather continued to change, so was my plans. It went from a small party with just the immediate family (which is still big with 3 sets of grandparents plus our siblings) to maybe we will just post pone it until 2021 or whenever we can gather again.
At the end of August, I talked with Tiff (owner of Keiki and the Pineapple) and I felt super comfortable reserving their play area. We are very cautious with taking our children out in public. I do not want them to get sick and with my husband being a fire fighter, we also know that he has a higher exposure risk to COVID as compared to someone like me who does not interact with many people outside of our tiny bubble.
Not only is Keiki and the Pineapple mama owned, their food is delicious and their play area is perfect for babies and toddlers. We have eaten here a couple times before when we venture into town. They are on the corner of Kapiolani and Ward (right across from the Blaisdell). I love their unicorn toast, avocado smash, and affogatos!
On the day of our small family party, we did our temperature checks and the kids got to play while waiting for our food. 1 hour was perfect for us (enough time to eat, play, and sing happy birthday)!
Mehana was very shy considering this has been her first time out (besides doctors appointments) and seeing 2 new faces (Tiffany and the other girl working).
They clean & disinfect before every reservation which made us feel great. For us dining out for the first time since before COVID (dining with Kili has never been easy and the last time we ate out might have been January)....I love that the kids can move around and I do not have to worry about them disturbing other diners.
If you are like us, a little cautious, consider reserving a spot at Keiki and the Pineapple! And if you are totally good with going out with your keiki, this place may still be your jam!
