If you are going to splurge, this is a highly recommended place to do it at!

The menu is a la carte - we ordered a variety of tasty salads or seafood chowders and then made our choices from the catches of the day. They were all delicious, especially the Royal fish - supposedly once reserved only for the King. Only I had room for dessert - Kona Chocolate Macadamia Pie - oh boy. All this surrounded by the scent of flowers and the sound of the surf gently washing by on the beach right at the restaurant.

Not to be missed, even if you eat cheap the rest of the week!

The cuisine is very Hawaiian with the popular Poki (raw Ahi appetizer), seared Ahi, Ono (local fish means "yum"), Taro cakes and much much more!

The waiters and waitresses wear fine Hawaiian floral pattern dresses and shirts. The women wear flowers in their hair. If you ask, they can probably teach you some Hawaiian words. To add to the decor, the table cloths have Hawaiian patterns, and local fresh ginger flowers are placed on the table. There are views of the ocean out the open screened windows. And the inside is made all of a dark wood, making it very comfortable and cool to sit in on a hot day. Feel the breeze come in from the ocean, and watch it tremble through the palm trees, this is pure delight while sipping a scrumptious Hawaiian inspired martini awaiting the beginning of your meal!

Mama's is a busy place. Stop by just to attend the bar and enjoy a scrumptious drink! Definitely get reservations if you want to have dinner.

To get there, drive from Paia along the Hana Highway toward Hana (and Huelo and Haiku) for about a mile or two. It's on the left hand side (ocean side) with a large sign saying Mama's Fish House. There is plenty of parking and a nice beach with tiki torches, outrigger canoes, palm trees and that aqua blue ocean of your dreams. Bring a camera, it's very picturesque.

Situated on an isolated stretch of sandy beach, it conjures the perfect vision of a tropical hideaway. I've been to Mama's when the sea churns violently as if thrashing through nightmare visions, spewing high into the air on the surrounding rocks and lava tubes. I've also been there when the ocean laps gently onto the beach under the coconut groves that form Mama's front yard. In spite of the ocean's fickleness, Mama's remains supremely predictable. Just one thing. Where did the classic woodie go that used to act as the road sign for Mama's?

I forgot to ask. As I made my way down the path formed from cleverly designed interlocking gecko-shaped tiles, past the tiki gods and torches to the reservation desk, a thatched roof hut typically mobbed with waiting visitors, I was already so happy I forgot to worry about the missing surf mobile.

I tried once to figure out the site plan and architecture of Mama's. It looks like an added-on beach house. A few rooms have really large umbrellas for roofs and bamboo screens for walls that form the many separate dining areas. It would be a mess in lesser hands, but here the warm native wood floors, the tapa cloths, the beams and paneling pull it all together for a warm, upscale look. There's much to see while you wait even when the views outside go dark; vintage Hawaii posters, all sorts of Hawaiiana and locally made works of art.

Fish rules at Mama's. Sashimi, poke and fresh island fish are served with wonderful Pacific Rim flavorings and locally grown ingredients such as maui onions, paholo fern, roasted kukui nut, fresh hearts of palm, pineapple and lettuce and tomatoes organically grown vegetables from nearby Haiku farms.

Each day Mama's excitedly informs you who caught the fish you are eating and where on the island they snagged it. One of the specialties of the house is the mahimahi and luau leaf cooked in a ti bundle and opened at your table old Hawaiian style. If you'd like to try something other than fish order the duck cooked with lemongrass and bok choy or the filet and Kona lobster served with macadamia nut pesto potatoes. My mouth waters to write about it.

Mama's is the dream come true for the Christenson family who founded it after traveling extensively through Polynesia and falling in love with flavors and sights of this region. Hard to believe now, but when Mama's opened her doors in 1973, it was the first fresh fish restaurant here. That more than anything explains the enduring appeal of this Maui classic and reminds us of the importance of following your dreams.