For a picture-perfect postcard view at sunset, the Bali Hai Restaurant at the Hanalei Bay Resort in Princeville is a great choice. The open-air dining room, with panoramic views stretching from the lush Kauai mountains and waterfalls to the beautiful Hanalei Bay and Bali Hai, offers memories you won’t forget.

We heard the restaurant was popular for sunset dining, so we called for reservations earlier in the day. At that time, we were offered the opportunity to attend a 90-minute timeshare presentation in exchange for a $100 voucher towards our meal, and though it was a great offer to save on our budget, we passed.

We looked around as our hostess seated us and couldn't help but agree, "This was the exotic, tropical Hawaii," we had been expecting. The large dining room was surrounded in a near valley of greenery of tropical plants and flora and sounds of the creatures of nature. Music from the nearby Happy Talk Lounge also complemented the setting.

We began our meal with the Bali Hai crab cake appetizers, served with the standard (yet surprisingly tasty savory) house bread and butter. The spicy crab and Kauai sweet corn cake was warm and well complemented with spicy butter sauce and mango papaya relish. The lowest-priced entrée was pasta with chicken for $21, with the rest of the dinner choices $28 and up. The Hukilau (fresh catch of the day) is another offering, and this evening it happened to be ahi. It was prepared four different ways, and I chose Tropical Breeze, which means it was sautéed with papaya and pineapple salsa and served with garlic mashed potatoes. The meals were fair, but honestly, the bread and butter and crab cake appetizers were the tastiest part of the evening.

The service was good and the wait staff was friendly and attentive, but the true star of the night was the spectacular sunset we enjoyed from our dinner table of blues and golden yellows cascading over the ocean and mountains. As soon as the sun began to set, the cameras came out and our waiter was more than happy to take our photo against the back drop of the Bali Hai peak amidst the colorful sky and swaying palm trees. Remember your camera, because you'll definitely get a photo to showcase on the mantle here!

Overall, though the dinner was expensive, this was our only splurge meal of the trip and definitely worth the $80 price tag, for 1 night at least.

Dinner hours are from 5:30pm to 9:30pm, and reservations are necessary.**Ask for the tables along the rail, which offer the best views. To see a sample menu, click here