My friends are going to Maui for their honeymoon in August. I would like to get them a gift certificate to a nice romantic restaurant in Maui for a bridal shower gift. Preferably somewhere there is a nice sunset, on the water, etc.
Any suggestions?

If your in Wailea, go to the Shops at Wailea to Longhi's.

I would recommend Pacific O's...I was there two years ago for my honeymoon & it was the best place to see the sunset & the food was excellent! It is right on the beach in Lahaina...

Jill:

There's a great fine dining restaurant in the Hyatt in Maui. Something w/a swan's name in it. Beautiful all open w/swans swimming in a small area of water w/a waterfall right outside the restaurant. Usually after dinner there is some sort of entertainment in the lobby bar as well

Hyatt in Maui is Swan Court. Exceptional dining experience but very exspensive.

Mama's Fish House, which is past the airport towards Hana (a bit out of the way if they are staying in the Kaanapali area), is a very nice restaurant. Excellent food, on the beach with palm trees and benches to watch the sunset. Very nice. Expensive though. $100 for my wife and I, with only 1 glass of wine.

Longhi's ..... A definete yes!!

You may want to read some of the restaurant reviews for Maui in the 'rants and raves' section of Fodors to get ideas about which restaurants have received positive reviews.

Mama's Fish House by far!!! Wonderful food and atmosphere. John (above) is right, it is expensive, but WELL worth it! Also, Longhi's is great! Great food, atmosphere and reasonably priced.

Definitely Mama's Fish House--greatfood, great service, great atmosphere--somewhat expensive but well worth it!!

My vote goes to Mama's Fish House as well. The food is incredible and the view is wonderful... I do think Mama's is the most romantic place in Maui. You better make reservation for your friends - Mama's is always busy!!!

if Girard's in Lahaina is still around, go with that one. Simply amazing with a table on the porch

Girard's is still around and I second that one. Without doubt the most romantic place, fabulous service, mouth watering food. Make reservations! Sit outside. You just don't want to leave, although I suppose if you're on your honeymoon, you might.

My wife and I have been to Maui twice and would recommend the Plantation House in Kapalua. It's situated high up on a mountain golf course and provides spectacular views of the the coast and surrounding golf course. We have eaten at all of the above mentioned restaurants, and believed Plantation House was the best. It's a little more reasonably priced than Mama's Fish house. And BTW, the food is fantastic.

I'd recommend a late lunch (2pm). It's been almost empty both times we ate there at lunch at that time, and you can pick whichever view you like best.

Enjoy!

Jill, I have to 2nd Scott's recomendation. We went to the islands for the 9th time this past winter and The Plantation House is Very romantic and excellent food. You can't beat the sunset views and make sure to tell your friends that it's their honeymoon when they make the reservations. They will get a great table and TLC.
The Restaurant is at the Plantation Golf Course in Kapalua, Maui. We sent our son and daughter in law to Hawaii as a wedding present last fall and they loved The Plantation House.
Aloha,Bart

No doubt...Mama's Fish House is the best and is very romatic. Well worth the 30 minute drive from the resort areas.

One more vote for the Plantation House, we went through the same thing researching for our 20th anniversary dinner and the tiebreaker between the Plantation House and the Swan Court was the fact that we wanted an ocean sunset view and the Swan Court does not have a view of the ocean, but the Plantation house does boast the best views on the island, and let me tell you it is a VIEW you cannot beat, not to mention the view of Moloakai, the ambiance in the restaurant and the food, our hotel recommended it, and it was our final evening and our anniversay and they made it very special, our hotel reserved it the day we got there, they knew it was our anniversary, and we had the best table in the house. IT WAS AWESOME!!

I've tried all of those mentioned (Mama's, Plantation House, Swan Court, Longhi's, Gerard's), but my recommendation for a romantic restaurant would be Pacific 'O or the more expensive Bay Club at Kapalua. Both feature beautiful sunset views and great food. The Bay Club is a little more exclusive (dress code enforced). There is no bad seat in the house at either of these restaurants and the smaller size dining rooms make the experience more intimate. Mama's is too big, crowded and noisy, but the food is good.

We just got back from Maui, where we got engaged. We visited Mama's Fish House b/c we were driving by and had heard favorable things. The atmosphere was nothing special (like a lot of restaurants here in CA -- might be magical if you are from Idaho, I guess). We split an appetizer (four small fried shrimp -- which were no better than most Chinese restaurants) for only $17 (I'm not kidding). We each had entrees which were very good (snapper stuffed with crab and lobster). No wine, no coffee, no desert. Tax + Tip $110.00. Restaurants are very expensive in Maui, but none left me feeling quite so ripped off. I gladly spent over $200 for our dinner at Seasons at the Four Seasons -- excellent meal, paired with fine wines. Very romantic location with sunset view and nicer beach. Guess it all comes down to value.

i have agree with dawne that pacific 'o is a great spot for romantic dining. the restaurant is beachfront and the tables outside have beautiful views. we managed a small table along the grass which sits adjacent to the beach. the outside dining area is primarily lighted with candles and torches which gives it a very romantic atmosphere.

i also liked mama's fishhouse, but thought it was a more romantic spot for afternoon and sunset dining rather than straight nighttime dining. i guess what makes it so romantic is the views. if you're lucky enough to get a table with a view, you get a beautiful scene of the ocean, with a cool ocean breeze blowing through the screened windows. the waitstaff there was excellent, as was the food. we liked it so much the first time we were there, that we made reservations to stop by for dinner on our way to the airport on our last day.