Best Restaurant with Great View on Kauai?
 

I'm urgently looking for recommendations for Kauai's best restaurant, hopefully one with a view. My friends are going on their honeymoon, and as a present I had hoped to get them tickets for a helicopter tour of the island. Unfortunately, one of them is too scared to make the flight.

As a backup, I'd like to get them a gift certificate to a fabulous restaurant in Kauai. They will have a rental car and have no meals planned yet for their honeymoon. Looking for great food and wine, doesn't matter if it's fancy or casual, and a great romantic view. Does such a place exist? I put all of my efforts into finding them the perfect helicopter tour and now I'm left without a gift and they are leaving tomorrow!

Thanks!

That would be The Beach House in Koloa/Poipu. Great views. We had great service and very good food. memorable.

The terrace at Cafe Hanalei at the Princeville Hotel. The views of Hanalei Bay and the pali are awesome. Food is B+ to A-.

The Hyatt and the Princeville also arrange private beachside dinners.

-Bill

The Beach House :)

They are staying at the Sheraton Kauai, so the Beach House is probably more convenient to their location.

Does anyone know of any private dining options in the Poipu area?

Thanks again, as always you are all great!

Beach House too..but it would be good to be there for sunset and a cocktail..so you might need to give them this gift early so that they can make a reservation.

The Beach House at Sunset is a great idea. It's relatively casual and has very good food. While the Princeville has great views we found the food very
mediocre(bad night, wrong choices who knows).

Get them "Hidden Kauai" to enclose with your gift certificate. It's chock full of great places to visit while there.

so as not to mislead..The Beach House at sunset.(Otherwise you might be looking for some joint called The Beach House at Sunset).

Might I also suggest you call the concierge at their hotel so as to get some tips.

Thanks everyone. I'll see if the concierge has any other recommendations. Otherwise, it sounds like the Beach House...at sunset.

Maybe the concierge can help me include the Hidden Kauai book you mention. That sounds like a great idea.

I just want to mention that The Beach House is such a scene at sunset- literally everyone gets up from the table to get their pictures taken at sunset, so the view is spoiled by about 40 people milling around getting photos taken. It's as if the place was selling sunsets and photos, and the restaurant was an afterthought. It was annoying.

Soleil, that's a great idea!!

Also on the same end of the island as where they'll be is the Hyatt. Maybe provide them with a romantic three hour evening at the property-- perhaps two different venues, e.g. pre or post-dinner and dinner. They could start with a drink at the outside patio area at the back of the lobby (it has a name, but i dont recall what it is!)--fantastic view!! They have hula some nights, and evening torchlighting there. Choice of several restaurants--there's Tidepools, which has good food (mixed reviews--from great to fair)and ovelooks the Hyatt ponds, or Dondero's, which I've never heard one negative about--elegant setting, elegant ambiance--where they'll serve dinner at tables on the lawn (that was the case in 2004 at least)or inside, with ocean views. They can go upstairs after for a nightcap drink to Stevensons Library. And the grounds of the hotel are absolutely gorgeous for a post dinner stroll.

If you choose this option, here's a web site that will help:

http://kauai.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/...ants/index.jsp

or "google" Kauai Hyatt for their main web site.

The staff there canfill you in on details of how to do this--maybe present the gift certificate at the front lobby? They'll write it out from you--you can charge it to your credit card (I've done this as a gift for a Hyatt in California)

For the price of a helicopter ride, your friends will haev--with any of the options given in above Fodorite responses--a beautiful evening they'll never forget.

I would say The Beach House. We did not see the problem that Ag3046 mentioned. I didn't see anyone get up from their table at sunset when we were dining there. It's an awesome restaurant.

But I like your idea of private beach dining also. Maybe a hotel on the south shore can do this? I know the Princeville on the north shore does. That would be the best choice.

But still, The Beach House is an excellent choice.

Not to steer away from the Beach House, but as a possible alternative....

On our Kauai honeymoon last year, my wife and I had our most romantic dinner at Tidepools at the Hyatt (mentioned once above). I was surpised by how atmospheric the little open air huts on man-made pools could be. Though it didn't hurt that we had a nearly full moon shining brightly above.

We weren't staying at the Hyatt, and frankly found the massiveness of it off-putting. But what a memorable meal.

Also, during our November honeymoon, we never ate dinner before that early setting sun. An issue to take into account for any sunset dinners.

I *really* liked Tidepools too. What a great atmosphere there, but no views of the ocean. The food was excellent as well. Sigh.... I miss my honeymoon.

We went in July though so sunset was later.

I agree that Tidepools is very romantic especially if you get one of those tables at the edge kind of away from everyone. It is a great choice for dinner after sunset when you wouldn't see the ocean anyway - unless it was a full moon as described above. I also did not have the experience of anyone standing up for pix of the sunset. How Rude!

I wasn't crazy about Tidepools at the Hyatt. It seemed old and sort of dirty to me, but maybe I was on the wrong side of the restaurant, not facing towards the ocean (you can't see the ocean from the restaurant). I had a better time eating on the balcony at the Stephenson's bar. Had a much nicer view of the palm trees and beach. It is the bar, so you will have some noise, and you have to get there early (like 5pm) to snag a table, but it was very pleasant and pretty.

I've been to the Beach House several times and the only reason that I go there is the Sunset, which means that if you don't have a 5:30 or 5:45 reservation, you probably don't get the sunset view. Reservations are best made before you leave. The food is good, but I always have some problem with it, either service (too slow or arrogant) or burnt lava cake one time ... it's always something there. There is usually a professional photographer on the lawn offering sunset pictures and people are frequently milling about, but they have never obstructed my sunset view. In fact the last time we were there, we not only had a beautiful sunset, but a whale did a little twist and flip for us. Very exciting. On our last trip to Kauai we dined at the Tidepools at the Hyatt and requested one of those tables at the edge of the pond. The tables have a somewhat private feel since they are on their on little alcove. They bring you fish food to feed the koi fish from your table and the food is very good, not amazing. For awesome food, it's Roy's, but no killer view, unfortunately.

Another vote for the Beach House.

For the view, I don't think you can beat the sunsets at the Beach House. However, I wouldn't ever list it as Kauai's best restaurant. In my experience, the food is quite average. I would definitely go there for drinks and hors'd'orves to see the sunset, but would pick one of the other restaurants for a great meal.

Personally, I really like Tidepools at the Hyatt for both the food and the romantic atmosphere. For the same reason, I like Plantation Gardens at Kiahuna Plantation. Roys is still good, but living off of its reputation. Its also noisy (in a shopping center) and anything but romantic.

The Hyatt says they can't organize one of their private beach dinners right now as the area is under construction, regardless of the restaurant.

So it comes down to Tidepools without a view with mostly good reviews on the food, or Beach House with a great view and mixed reviews on the food.

Does anyone disagree that Tidepools has great food?