Hualani's

"Hualani's gets 4.5 stars. This was a surprising find, actually, and we will certainly be back. Don't be scared off by the long winding drive around the airport to find it- this is the restaurant in a resort located on the bluff behind the airport. It was going to be a Ritz Carlton (now a private development according to our waiter) but the grandeur was still visible. Very elegant dining room up on a cliff viewing the pool, the sea, and a lighthouse. Gorgeous!! The food was good- some items were exceptional, others just ok. The seafood dishes were better than the steak; the lilikoi cheesecake was one of the best desserts I've had."

"First time in Hawaii and my first favorite place absolutely outstanding from the service to the food amazing ambiance and surroundings we had the rib eye and the filet and they were both cooked to perfection we had the most amazing server Darren I highly recommend asking for him if you choose to have dinner here! He made our honeymoon dinner awesome! The manager is also extremely nice he walks around and checks on everyone making sure they are having a great experience we had a great conversation with him. Can’t wait to go back! Amazing!!!!!!"

"We had a very nice experience here, it feels like you are driving into another world. Would’ve been nice to come for lunch and see the full dramatic cliffside. Feels like the setting of White Lotus, had live music near the bar, very nice extensive menu. really good service, all around, very freshly prepared and very well executed high-end meal experience."

"This place lived up to my expectations of a resort-style restaurant. Nice, open-air ambiance overlooking the ocean and distant decommissioned light house. Our server was kind but did at times seem distracted by a table next to us. Not sure if they were regulars or just talkative, but we did have to wait on things we needed a few times because of it! But not terribly. The meal started off great with the ox tail dumplings! The honeycomb salad dish, while not outstanding, was good and a unique addition. My wife and I split the 14oz ribeye. It was miso marinated, I believe. It seemed to be of decent quality, but wasn't the most tender and flavorful steak I've ever tried. Also, not sure why they are marinating a dry-aged steak. You miss out on those beefy nuances when they're covered up with another flavor. Dessert was a pretty big let down. The warm peanut butter cup and the lilikoi cheesecake tasted more like desserts from the refrigerated section at Costco. Okay, but not great-especially for $16 a piece. Again, decent but not great. I would go back again with certain dishes in mind, but I would look at other local options first."