Aloha (love) is always in the air in the Hawaiian Islands. Couples vacationing across the islands are spoilt with sensational sunsets, beaches perfect for long walks and plenty of romantic dining options.
The following restaurants are dinner-date approved and are sure to make your loved-up clients’ hearts flutter.
Tidepools, Kauai
The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa is home to Tidepools, touted as the island’s most romantic restaurant. It’s easy to see why, with its series of thatched-roof bungalows surrounded by a koi pond, tropical foliage and mini-waterfalls. The menu centres around contemporary Hawaiian-style cuisine and garners rave reviews.
As far as dinner dates go, this is an exceptional venue.
Azure, Oahu
With pink walls and Juliet balconies, sun lounges and beach umbrellas, The Royal Hawaiian is Waikiki’s most distinctive hotel and a dreamy destination for a romantic dinner. Inside the “Pink Palace of the Pacific” sits Azure, a fine dining restaurant overlooking Waikīkī Beach and Diamond Head crater. This is the spot for visitors to lavish a loved one with seafood – from Kona lobster to Hawaiian ahi (tuna) and Kauai shrimp, it’s all sourced fresh daily from the Honolulu fish auction.
Paakai, Oahu
Located on the tip of Oahu’s north shore, Turtle Bay Resort is not only a great place to stay, but the perfect setting to wine and dine while watching the waves roll in. Paakai, meaning sea salt in Hawaiian, is the resort’s chic farm-to-table restaurant featuring a hanging light installation and large windows with beach views. Couples can savour feel-good food here, the ingredients are of the highest quality, organically grown and sustainably farmed in the Hawaiian Islands.
Merriman’s Kapalua
Your clients can surprise their partners with a Hawaii regional cuisine feast. This unique style of cooking blends local ingredients with ethnic flavours and can be sampled at Merriman’s Kapalua. This fancy dining room and oceanfront bar in north-west Maui is also famous for magical sunsets, live music and Merriman Mai Tai’s with lilikoi (passionfruit) foam. The restaurant’s award-winning menu is mouth-watering – not surprising when 90 per cent of its contents are locally grown or caught.
The Restaurant, Maui
The boutique Hotel Wailea is perched above Maui’s south shore, and is the Hawaiian Islands’ only adults-only resort and the only place to guarantee a child-free culinary experience. It features a Relais & Châteaux restaurant, aptly named The Restaurant, that exudes romance with sweeping ocean views from the balcony and under-the-stars dining in the garden. Voted by OpenTable as one of the Top 10 Restaurants in Hawaii, guests are treated to the finest local, seasonal and artisanal products.
Gaylord’s at Kilohana
One of Kauai’s best restaurants is found at Kilohana Plantation set around the courtyard of a historic mansion with a line of sight to Mt. Waialeale. Gaylord’s At Kilohana has an upscale yet relaxed atmosphere, and dishes up delicious island-influenced fare with a side of live, local entertainment. For the ultimate date night, visitors can ride the plantation train before dinner and hit up the onsite Koloa Rum shop for rum-tasting after.
Manta, Island of Hawaii
Kaunaoa Bay, fronting Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, is one of the few white sandy beaches on the Island of Hawaii, making it a prime position for leaving a lasting impression. Locals and visitors alike are drawn to the hotel’s restaurant Manta for its bay views and five-star gastronomic delights, with chefs on show in the exhibition kitchen. For the best seats in the house, couples can grab a table for two on the open-air patio and cap the night off with wine by the fire pit.
The Rim Restaurant
The Rim Restaurant at Volcano House, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, boasts an extraordinary vantage point with front-row seats to the rim of Kilauea caldera. Guests can visit this attraction for dinner and/or choose to spend the night. Either way, they should aim to arrive before sunset to explore the volcanic landscape. A five-star culinary journey awaits, with the sweet tunes of local musicians adding a romantic touch to this experience.
Ashlee Galea is an Aussie living in Hawaii who enjoys sharing Hawaii insider knowledge and travel advice on her blog www.thehawaiiadmirer.com.
