Hey Hawaii experts!

Anyone know a good place to buy a lei? I'm not interested in the artificial pipe cleaner or cloth kind. I want real flowers!

Yes, I already know that you can get them cheap at Walmart or Costco or even at Foodland. Those are all okay. But I'm looking for a little bit better quality ones with really fresh flowers that will hopefully last for a few days.

I've tried the lei shops at the airport but they are kind of expensive and I don't think they are particularly fresh. I've seen plenty of small independent florists in town that sell Leis. Does anyone have any experience with one? I've heard the shops in Chinatown are really fresh because they make them in the morning each day but I don't know how true that is.

Anyone have any suggestions? IslandMom? You always seem to know the answers to these kinda things!

Hi,

I just got back from my Hawaiian honeymoon 2 days ago. I had a blast - and to answer your question: On Oahu you can buy beautiful leis at the International market place next to the Hyatt in Waikiki. They are only $5 and are made of plumeria (not orchids). Plumeria smell sooooooooo sweet and fresh and the ladies there sell them in every color you can think of and they will last you about 4-5 days if you keep them in the fridge in the evenings when you get home from wearing it all day. hope this helps - I didn't see fresh flower leis anywhere else. Everyone has fake flowers, shells, and candlenut leis.

Not sure about Oahu but on Maui and Kaui we had the best luck with roadside
stands. We found one place we liked so much we bought a dozen and just laid them all around the room to make the whole place smell great. (also Plumeria)

$3 for amazing ones in Chinatown. There are several good shops along the main road... it is either King or Beretania...I get them mixed up. The oneway road heading towards the airport. The shops are on the far left side of the road. They'll mist them and box them up for you.

Besides that I like the outdoor florist shop in Moiliili by the 7-11.

Now at the airport down below by the car rental return I often get them for $3 - $5. They will give everyone a different price. It probably helps to drive up in a local car. I have paid from $10 - $20 when I first moved here. I think the second lady from the right end usually gives me the best prices.

Since my mom's house is near Chinatown, it is very convenient & cheap for me to go there for leis. HOWEVER.....my new fave for inexpensive, lovely leis is at Le Flowers, at 2567 S. King St. (toward UH). Do not open the fridge, let the staff help you choose. The leis are really pretty at prices competitive to Chinatown.

Thanks for the tip!

I have always thought that leis were meant to be ephemeral and you only wear them for one day (or evening). They aren't meant to be re-worn again. Having said that I've noticed that the plumeria ones seem to wilt rather quickly, more so than orchid or puakinikini(sp?). Also the ones where they tightly weave lots of smaller flowers together to make a thicker lei seem to look better the next day vs. larger single flowers. They do cost more since there's more labor involved.

Another Lei question, when do you wear the lei? If you get one at the airport or hotel, do you wear it all the time, at dinner? or just until you get to your room and then you don't wear it again.

Thanks,

Scott

I second Le Flowers (get it?? Lei Flowers... )as having the best variety and prices. Otherwise I tend to buy at Cindy's Lei shop in Chinatown. They will also do floral arrangements packed for the mainland.

As far as lei etiquette..Accept it with a kiss, wear it as long as it looks nice and smells nice, and you'll be in style everywhere in Hawaii. You can refrigerate each night if you want to get more use out of it!

One place you might think about not wearing a lei is if you have a really fragrant white lei and are going to a small or very enclosed place. Many people are allergic to the white flowers.

If someone gives you a lei, don't just take it off and toss it on a chair if you don't want to wear it...arrange it nicely on a table to display it. Lei can be quite expensive, and like any gift, require time and effort to purchase or make.

How about in Maui? Any good places to get some leis? Thanks!

oooohhh lcuy I get it! I didn't see it before....I thought they were trying to be French!

I agree with lcuy on the wearing. I am not much of a lei-wearer so when I get one at the office, I wear it politely for a couple of hours then drape it decoratively on my chair. If you get one made of ti leaves or a combination of ti leaves and flowers, you can hang the ti leaf lei on your door to dry out. People hang the dried ti leaf lei for good luck (although it's the fresh leaf that's luckier).

ok, i'm following a tangent here, so first of all i have no useful new information on leis.

however, since le flowers is also a favorite among family and friends, the different interpretations of the name keep coming up. it's owned by a vietnamese family named le, a common surname in vietnam. not as common as nguyen, but it's up there. so the correct pronunciation is actually (and conveniently) 'lei.'

ok, back to the topic.

Panhandle, A DOZEN???!!! In one room? Yikes! A man got on our plane wearing one of the white flower leis, and even though it was a huge plane and he sat way in the back, that lei scented the whole plane for the next 5 hours! Fabulous!

LOL Joan!! I know what you mean. We put them everywhere(including the rental car) We stayed at the Royal Lahaina on Maui and the hallway smelled really bad. It was coming thru the door!@#@!
Sooo...the leis were very useful. =)

Icuy,
Good point about the allergies. I'm actually allergic to plumeria. I love the way they look and smell but can't wear them. It even bothers me when I sit next to someone with a plumeria lei.

Knew you guys would come through.

Thanks MelissaH! Le Flowers is definitely one of the best in the city! And prices from 3 for a simple plumeria to 25 or the intricate, time consuming layered petal one that reminds me of ribbon candy.

Plus, they are right at corner of University and King so I can make an afternoon of it and go to Puck's Alley, get some cheap used books and lunch as well!

Now, I'm wondering, what colors are best for a wedding. I know different color/flower combinations seem to be used for different things. Does anyone know what ones are used for when? And can anyone tell me, is there a reason why Gov. Lingle is wearing a lei EVERY time you see her. I even saw her going to the movies at Ward one time and she was wearing one! (to see Whale Rider, I believe). Is there some unspoken requirement for the governor of Hawaii to wear a lei every day?

We had a lei greeting on Kauai last year and very pleasant it was too. We took care of them & were told of the "throw them in the sea & you will return" belief. So that time rolled around but when I looked at the leis I saw the string was in fact some sorta plastic that, if thrown in the sea, could perhaps get tangled in birds, turtles etc, so we stripped the flowers off first. Anyone else notice what's used on their leis for the threading ?

I'm allergic too. I usually float them in a pretty bowl of water.

I dunno, when I go to the lei stand I often see them using regular (thin) string for their leis. However, when I make them at home I use dental floss!

As for weddings.....do you mean for your date or for the bride & groom? A lovely pikake lei is nice because it is fragrant and the flowers resemble pearls. We don't usually give a lei to the bride & groom unless they ask though. So when my cousins get married on the mainland, they usually ask for a pikake lei for the bride and a maile (or maile/pikake) for the groom. Unfortunately, pikake is delicate and doesn't last long.

I guess Lingle uses the lei as her signature "proof of local" thang?? Mrs. Cayetano was always wearing muumuus, remember? She always claimed it was perfect because you did not have to dry clean.....