We went to Mina’s by walking from the beach path, and we sat outside, so we really didn’t see the resort building at all.
Whoa! I remember the Ihilani and there was *nothing* out there….
You only let us pick 1! I would have picked AMA AMA and Mina’s as a close tie and Roy’s below that because of the building/ambiance and just a notch below on food.
For “higher end” dining, we tried Momkeypod, AMA AMA (it autocorrects to all caps on my device, don’t know why), Mina’s and Roy’s. We enjoyed all of them and took our 7 and 11 yo daughters (also foodies) to both of them. The server at Mina’s helped us organize a family-style meal that helped us save some money (i.e., 3 of us shared a whole fish, and we added bulky sides and appetizers), but I don’t think it would have been that much less $$ if we’d ordered the same level/quantity of food. The setting was magical - sunset (although AA‘s sunset view is a little better), with live music and great service. The kids ran down to the beach and played between courses, and it was overall a very relaxed experience.
Roy’s - we actually considered going back a second time (and then decided to just eat casually by the pool because no one wanted to get dressed up any more). Its standards (butterfish) and other fish dishes were really excellent, but because it has no view and the indoor restaurant doesn’t feel very fancy (and it’s a little dark), I think it detracted from the experience a bit. But the *food* was very good and our server was knowledgeable and attentive. So we didn’t have the issues that other people mentioned upthread. Yes it’s a “chain”, but we are from NYC so a PacRim “chain” with good food is still worth a try. Because of the decor and lack of view, we probably had lower expectations, but they were more than met.
Ama AMA - the food here was the best. Yes, it’s far more expensive and it’s restrictive in the sense that it’s a prix fixe, and you have to pick an appetizer and a main and a dessert, but that freed us up to try a LOT of stuff. We were there for a spectacular sunset, and our server was super friendly and knowledgeable. We probably messed with their schedule a lot because we kept getting up to take pictures everywhere, but they didn’t miss a beat and they never told us we should sit back down, either. And the food was sooo good. Also - we’ve taken our girls to some pretty high end restaurants in NYC but not the upper-level Michelin starred places, so they really appreciated AMA AMA. (Really, autocorrect??) It was our last night, I believe, and everything came together to make for a magical experience. I will note that the adult beverages at AA are a step above those at Mina’s also - Mina’s are good but they are fanciful and don’t take themselves too seriously (e.g. one comes in a SPAM can). AA had an ube cocktail that was very memorable.