Tiki Bars (Commercial)

The Castaway (or "Cast Away" as it was sometimes spelled in advertising) was a bar located just outside of Geneva on the Lake, Ohio on Route 534 (eastside) heading north. South of The Strip although not located in the village, the night club became closely associated with the party scene of The Strip during the 1960s (it was open at least as early as 1963). The owner was James Brown (Jimmy). The entrance to the Castaway was a huge Easter Island Moai with gas flames coming out of its eyes. You entered through its mouth. The bar was destroyed in an arson fire in 1979.

The bar was known for its Go-Go shower dancers and for its live musical acts.

Conway Twitty recorded a live album there called "Conway Twitty Rocks At The Castaway: Geneva-on-the-lake, Ohio; 3rd-9th August 1964".

This modest motel has a spectacular neon sign probably built in the 1950s, but except for a few palm tree cut-outs along the fence line, is otherwise non-tiki in appearance.

Bretton's was open from 1945 to the mid-1970's. The Bali Hai Room was added in 1954.

Today this space is an office building.

The Tropics Lounge was a pre-tiki establishment opened sometime during World War II and was located on the third floor (they counted the basement level as #1, so the third floor today is more like the second floor or mezzanine level).

Here's a quote from the hotel's history flyer:

"After dinner, the gentlemen would retire to the third floor to the popular lounge called the Tropics. The sound of thunder was piped in and the lights fluttered and went out. A mechanical hula girl would emerge from behind the bar and dance in a grass skirt while it rained behind the bar."

Although the hotel is still running, it has undergone many remodels and it is difficult to see any sign of where the bar once was.

Tijuana's first pre-tiki bar opened in 1928.

A legendary social spot for over 80 years, the Aloha serviced the Prohibition crowd from the U.S. and sailors come to port. Originally it featured amateur boxing as its source of entertainment but then turned to dancing, featuring classic romantic dance numbers from Old Mexico and the popular Aloha girls, swaying and sashaying their way around the room to the music of the tropics.

It was burned down and rebuilt in 1938.

This was not a tiki bar as we think of them today and even by pre-tiki standards it was still essentially a Tijuana tequila bar. Other than a few decorations and tropical murals (which were on display for many years), the name, and the occasional hula dancing, this location blended in with other bars in the area.

However, it proved a popular spot for tourists throughout the 20th century -- the club grew and evolved with the times in both good and bad ways. As the century reached its final decades it operated as a disco in the 70s and a strip club in the 80s. In 2011, the Aloha burned down, thus ending a legendary bar and restaurant experience. The building's marquee however survived, and can still be seen on the front of the building to this day - a symbol of Mexican history and a physical reminder of Tijuana's once bustling, enterprising nightlife.

Originally named Tiki Village, the Tiki Hotel is an iconic Apartment Hotel located on the banks of the Nerang River at the end of Cavill Avenue in Surfers Paradise, Australia.

Built by Bernie Elsey (around 1965), who also built the Surfrider Hotel and the Surfers Paradise Beachcomber. Bernie's in-house entertainments were legendary. The pyjama parties and Hawaiian nights pushed the edges of the law, filling national papers with copy and his establishments with patrons. He also famously introduced the Surfers Paradise Meter Maids, clad in gold bikinis and armed with sixpences employed to rescue motorists from expired parking meters. They became internationally famous and still operate, nearly fifty years later.

Tiki Village was the first purpose built Timeshare Resort in Australasia and ran as such from 1982 until December 2018 when it was relaunched as a Full Service Hotel and renamed the Tiki Hotel Surfers Paradise.

Milan Flores Guanko (1906-1994) had a carving shop at Gray's Nursery on Beach Boulevard in Westminster.

Guanko learned to carve from his father in the Philippines before immigrating to the U.S. in 1928. During WWII, he began carving full-time. His tikis appeared at Disneyland, the Western Hills Hotel, the Royal Hawaiian Restaurant in Laguna Beach, The Islands Restaurant in Phoenix, Ren Clark’s Polynesian Village in Fort Worth, Texas, and many more restaurants, hotels and apartments throughout the world.

He died at age 87 in Glendale, where he’d moved his shop in later years.

Claire Fieberg opened The Tiny Tiki in 2018.

It is true to its name at less than 500 square feet, but provides a needed dose of tiki to the Spokane area.

Opened June 1975 (the hotel opened the year before).

This Kona Kai was part of a chain of restaurants that included locations in Chicago and Philadelphia. This location was the second to be built in Kansas City and was at the Plaza International (later the Hilton Kansas City Airport Hotel).

The second Kona Kai location was at the Plaza Inn just a block away from The Castaways.

Both Kansas City locations closed in the 80s and both locations featured "signature" 8-foot tall tikis carved by Oceanic Arts in Whittier, California (the tiki at this location has somewhat smaller nostrils -- a shorthand to tell them apart -- see last photo below). These tikis now reside in a private collection.

The Hilton Kansas City Airport Hotel is still running but all traces of the Kona Kai appear to have been removed. Instead, they now have the Asado Urban Grill as their hotel restaurant.

It appears that Asian Outpost was established here in 2013 but that the Hawaiian Hideout remodel and change happened in 2020.

AO Hawaiian Hideout describes themselves as "A hidden tropical gem, serving onolicious homestyle cuisines from East Asia, Southeast Asia & Polynesia."

They don't call their restaurant a tiki bar, but it has all the hallmarks of one. Some of those details include tikis, tropical wahine paintings, Witco carvings on the walls, Orchids of Hawaii lamps, an outrigger canoe on the dining area's ceiling, a life-sized shark hanging over the bar, and tapa-cloth-patterned booths.

The owner, Betty, is extremely passionate about her menu and taking care of their guests, and her husband, Duane, has done most of the island-themed buildout himself. Keeping with their tradition of supporting the local tiki community when they ran Chef Shangri-La, they built a stage to host the area’s surf, exotica, and rockabilly bands, as well as their popular Elvis tribute show.

Opened in 2016.

The Hotel Tiki Tiki Tulum has only fifteen rooms and is surrounded by a magnificent jungle. Its architecture was inspired by mid-century modern architecture and it would be right at home in Palm Springs or Miami Beach.

There is a lounge area with bamboo bar, but other than the name, there are no tikis on site. However, they have started embracing tiki imagery and recently created some drink coasters with tikis and might be adding some other flourishes to match the namesake.

The hotel is an hour and a half from Cancun International Airport.

It is a 10 minute drive from the beach and not far from the Tulum Monkey Sanctuary.

Opened March of 2020.

Phat Sammy's began as a pop-up restaurant in spring of 2017. Co-owner Jeremy Esterly would do them at places like karaoke dive-bar Moody Monday's, cupcakery Sugar Belle and local brewery Yellowhammer. His Asian flavors/American dishes mashups quickly earned a local following.

Esterly was considering pivoting to a food truck for his next step forward, but he quickly found support and with 3 other co-owners was able to make this restaurant a brick-and-mortar reality.

Phat Sammy's has a very low key entrance marked outside by a small neon yellow and green pineapple sign -- located down two flights of stairs in a basement level room that is able to hold that perpetual state of twilight, blocked off from the outside, upon which tiki bars thrive.

With a capacity around 100, Phat Sammy's décor includes a mural, painted by local artist Logan Tanner, a full bar populated by tiki mugs and glassware to showcase signature as well as classic tiki cocktails (and rum flights).

They are a bit light on actual tikis, having a few signature pieces like the large molded Moai in their entryway and a giant filipino ifugao mask in their lounge area, but hopefully they will add more with time.

Located along the Historic John's Pass Boardwalk, The Hut Bar & Grill is known as a live music venue with great waterfront views. It is also attached to Skulley's Seafood Restaurant.

The Hut has a 15' tall carnival style pass-through tiki head entrance in front which opens to an outside breezeway where you can see a large house-like structure painted brick red with lime green trim -- matching the adjacent Skulley's Restaurant. The interior is a very large hall with some floor-to-ceiling tiki columns.

There is a wood-beamed tin ceiling. Flat screen TVs surround the room just below the ceiling, and along with the beer signs, you quickly realize that despite the exterior this is going to be more of a Florida style surf shack place than a traditional mid-century inspired tiki bar.

They do have some cartoony large molded tiki figures holding bottles but otherwise the decor is typical beer hall with some beach-style surfboard signs and made in Indonesia tiki masks thrown into the mix.

They have a full food menu, but their drinks menu emphasizes their machine-blended frozen slushy drinks and a limited cocktail list of what they refer to as "Surf Drinks" which don't include any of the Trader Vic or Don the Beachcomber classics favored by tikiphiles (no Mai-Tais or Navy Grogs here). The Painkiller dusted with nutmeg might be the safest bet if you aren't in the mood for a slushy drink. This is also the same drinks menu as the attached Skulley's restaurant, so you can order them at either location.

Along the boardwalk in back, you can see the entire top of The Hut's roof is thatched, which is an impressive amount of thatching.

They also have a 70 foot waterfront dock, which extends out into John's Pass for outdoor dining. Customers say it's not uncommon to see dolphins there.

Les Valentine's large Holo Wai Miniature golf course (next to Holy Family Cathedral) lasted from sometime in the 1960s until the late 1970s or early 1980s. It was apparently wiped out to make room for a freeway exchange.

Adjacent to Holo Wai was the A-frame Chinese restaurant, Kim's, at 574 South Glassell. Both Kim's and Holo Wai appear together in early advertising on matchbooks and other ads. Kim's apparently was re-christened as Yen Ching's in 1979 and stayed in business until New Year's Eve 2018. The restaurant was bought by a national senior living company that plans on tearing the restaurant down and building a 35-room permanent memory care facility.

Burnt Ends opened in March 2021, above the Dr. BBQ Restaurant, located in the EDGE District of St. Petersburg.

Frank Simontics, known as the Tiki Rancher, was called on to blend classic tiki design with Dr. BBQ’s smokehouse roots in the second-floor bar. Design elements include charred end cuts of wood with red backlighting, and simulating glowing embers. There is also a thatch and bamboo awning and an 8-foot moai-like figure of Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe greeting guests at street level.

The Avery family operated three very different types of Vermont Inns. They owned a country inn near Dartmouth College in Norwich, a downtown hotel near the state capital in Montpelier and Bonnie Oaks Lodge and Bungalows in Fairlee, Vermont (a television Newhartish setting with a population then of about 600).

The lodge was located on Lake Morey.

The season was from mid June to mid October.

It's unclear when the cocktail lounge was added but it was open through at least the early 70s.

Isla Nu-Bar is a walk-up bar located on the Lower Lot of Universal Studios Hollywood. It opened in summer of 2019.

The name is a play on words -- "Isla Nublar" is a fictional island that serves as a major setting in the first Jurassic Park novel and its film adaptations.

This bar was part of the newly renovated and imagined Jurassic World The Ride section of the park and features machine-blended slushy drinks as well as shaken cocktails -- all served in plastic take-home souvenir tiki mugs.

Opened in 2019.

This small tiki bar is located behind a nondescript sliding bamboo door and curtain inside the McFadden Public Market -- sort of a speakeasy vibe. It probably can hold about 30 people.

Among the interior decorations is a large octopus chandelier on the ceiling, fish floats, ukuleles, tiki masks, palm & monstera leaf wallpaper, and lots of bamboo. Dimly lit with lots of purple and blue and red mood lighting.

Word on the street is their drinks are well made and dialed in to what the tiki crowd likes also.

This otherwise normal-looking complex has a great tiki mask sign in front and is marked "Molokai".

*1948-1960 as The Outrigger & 1960-1969 as Trader Vic's at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel.

This location at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Seattle was the second Trader Vic's, after the Oakland location. It was located at 1980 5th Avenue.

It opened in 1948 and originally it was called The Outrigger (a sub-chain within the Trader Vic's chain that lasted several years) but the name changed in 1960 to just Trader Vic's. This location stayed open until it moved its Seattle branch to the nearby brand new south cylindrical tower of the Washington Plaza Hotel (now the Westin) in 1969. The Benjamin Franklin Hotel was demolished later on 07/1980 to make way for the matching north cylindrical tower of the Washington Plaza (Westin).

The Trader Vic's at the Washington Plaza Hotel (Westin) closed in June 1991.

Operated in the early 1960s.

Postcards list the location for the Mirimar only as downtown on Highway 98. It appears to have been at the site of the present-day Suites at Marina Bay.

The Tiki Apartments were an example of dingbats -- boxy apartments, usually supported by stilts, with open stalls below for parking. (Their name is likely to have been coined by architect Francis Ventre while he was lecturing at UCLA in the early '70s.) Thousands of the inexpensive 16-unit structures were built in the late '50s and early '60s to accommodate the huge number of people moving to the West Coast. Dingbats are being demolished by the dozen to make way for multi-story complexes with underground parking, so they are doubly ephemeral when paired with a tiki theme and tiki imagery.

Other than the sign, there doesn't appear to have been any other tikis or tiki features about this property.

Permits were issued for demolition in 2019 to build a 6-story, 56-unit new complex called Lake City Apartments.

The Hale Kai (House by the Sea) operated during the 1960s and was located at the Brant Inn in Burlington, Ontario. John Murray Anderson was the owner and director.

The original Brant Hotel opened in 1900 and burned to the ground in 1925. It was reconstructed that same year. Anderson and his partners, Kendall and Cec Roberts, purchased the property in 1939. Anderson became sole owner in 1954, having bought out the others.

Anderson is credited with being the first to bring big bands and floor shows into Canada and specifically with getting the popular Sky Club, which extended out over Lake Ontario, built at the Inn. There was Sophie Tucker, Victor Borge, Lena Horne, Louis “Satchmo” armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Liberace. And the big American bands came through — Goodman, Les Brown and his band of renown, and Stan Kenton, who packed 1,600 people into the place.

Poor health led Anderson to sell the Inn in 1964 to a firm called the International Atlas Development and Exploration Ltd.

In 1968, the decision was made by the owners of the Inn to close the entertainment landmark following the New Year’s Eve celebration. Demolition took place in 1969.

A commemorative plaque marks where the Inn once stood, located at the western end of Spencer Smith Park close to Maple Avenue.

*Today not much is known about the Hale Kai. Focus seems to be on the 1940s and 50s which are considered the high point of the Brant Inn. So, the Hale Kai may have only been around for a very brief time in the 1960s.

The Tahiti Motel was opened in 1963. Its original owner was Robert Gerhardt Jr.

It is commonly referred to as being a part of the Doo Wop style of architecture, named after the popular music of its time, but this style is also referred to as Googie architecture in California and other parts of the country.

The Tahiti Motel was demolished in December of 2004.

It appears the letters of its sign were saved and displayed (at least at some point) at the nearby Tangiers Hotel which is also from the same era and has an A-frame out front that used to be a coffee shop but is now their office.

Dragon Seed opened for business in April 1949 and closed July 1993.

The name probably came from a contemporary novel of the same name by Pearl S. Buck first published in 1942. The book describes the lives of Chinese peasants in a village outside Nanjing, China, immediately prior to and during the Japanese invasion in 1937. The story was adapted for the big screen in 1944, starring Katherine Hepburn in a whitewashed role as "Jade".

It was a very popular Chinese and Tiki fusion restaurant. There were beaded curtains and a wishing well. You could order Mai Tais and Zombies, which were served in tiki mugs with fruit garnishes and paper umbrellas, and they had a pu-pu platter.

It was also a favorite restaurant of Louis Armstrong and his wife, Lucille. The neighbor kids would go there while he was eating and ask for autographs and he would oblige them, but sometimes his food got cold so he would just eat the fortune cookies and when he got home his wife would make him a Dagwood sandwich.

After closing in 1993 the tiki decor persisted a surprisingly long time, especially a couple of moai outside the front door which were brought inside at some point and then disappeared prior to the last remodeling in 2017.

Since 2017, this location is Raices Colombianas, a Colombian restaurant.

Mojave Oasis was opened in Spring 2011, in Newberry Springs, by Amy Boylan (Queen Kamehameha on Tiki Central).

Newberry Springs is a very isolated area, located 20 mi (32 km) east of Barstow, approximately 40 mi (64 km) due west of the Mojave National Preserve, and approximately 100 mi (160 km) south of Death Valley National Park.

Mojave Oasis was a private campground centered around a small pond/lake with both tent and trailer camping.

In addition to vintage trailers which could be rented, the property had paddle boats for going out on the lake, a wrecked vintage plane, dozens of vintage tikis (some from Benzart Davis and some from Ben Wilson who ran the old El Tiki) and new carvings (like the carved mermaids by Tiki Ray for instance), a clam shell roofed bar (The Mermaid Lounge) and a hut called The Rapa Nui Roost -- both created by Danny Gallardo (Tiki Diablo), and an A-frame stage for live music performances.

Camp spaces could be rented out by appointment and Amy also held an annual Mojave Oasis event.

Financial difficulties forced the closing and sale of the property in 2016.

Ben Wilson 7/7/1929-2/18/2021 was the owner of El Tiki. Ben opened El Tiki in 1962 on Highway 111 and Worthington Rd.

They served great Mexican food combined with exotic Hawaiian decor, and it was the site of many memorable birthdays, anniversaries, and prom dates. He carved all the Tikis himself, collected nets and shells and tropical curiosities, and decorated it in true beachcomber fashion. There was even a full whale rib in front of the restaurant. The booths were lined with bamboo and had thatched roofs, it was dark and mysterious. Ben was the consummate host and bartender, he always had a smile and a story for everyone.

He closed the restaurant around 1978 but converted the property into a house and lived there for many years. The building is still there. Many of the original Tikis proudly stand guard on the property to this day.

3 of the larger tikis were purchased by Amy Boylan (Queen Kamehameha on Tiki Central) for her Mojave Oasis location in the early 2000s.

This open-air dining area opened in December 2018 and is nestled between the Jungle Cruise and Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland's Adventureland.

It replaces the space that had previously been Aladdin's Oasis, although there is one small section to the left as you wait in line that is still decorated with lanterns and barrels filled with Persian rugs from the Aladdin era - hearkening back to the street vending of Agrabah.

This was not a full turning back the clock to the original Tahitian Terrace, which had live shows and occupied the space before Aladdin's Oasis, but it is a significantly better use of the space - diverting traffic from the Enchanted Tiki Room's Dole whip line and providing a pressure relief valve from an area that was growing more and more congested each year. Before this, the Aladdin's Oasis was only opened sporadically as a character greeting site.

The Tropical Hideaway features an open-air dock where patrons can sit back and relax on the Jungle River waterfront while enjoying sweet and savory bites (bao dumplings or chilled ramen shaker salads) or enjoy a Dole whip. As the sun goes down, flickering torch lights illuminate the area. Rosita is also hanging out with the visitors, awaiting a Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. boat (which is running uncharacteristically late) to take her on a journey towards a solo career. She spends her time telling jokes and reminiscing about the Hideaway from way back when.

Souvenirs from this location include collectible sporks - each with Adventureland inspired imagery on their handles - occupying an ambiguous collector niche adjacent to swizzle stick collecting.

The Glenlani Tiki Apartments were built in 1960.

They are an example of dingbats -- boxy two-story apartments supported by stilts, with open stalls below for parking. (Their name is likely to have been coined by architect Francis Ventre while he was lecturing at UCLA in the early '70s.) Thousands of the inexpensive 16-unit structures were built in the late '50s and early '60s to accommodate the huge number of people moving to Southern California. Dingbats are being demolished by the dozen to make way for multi-story complexes with underground parking, so they are doubly ephemeral when paired with a tiki theme and tiki imagery.

The Glenlani has apparently lost its sign, reading "Glenlani Tiki" and possibly the swag lamps as of 2021, but the whitewashed standing tiki on the other side of the structure is still there.

According to Redfin, the space has 11 units as of a 2020 assessment, so it was either slightly smaller than the normal dingbat or 5 of those original 16 units were incorporated into the remaining units to make them more spacious, probably now considered as condo conversions.

Tiki Boom opened some time around or before September 2020. It replaced the previous bar, La bodega de la soif, that was in this location until October 2019.

This 34,356 square foot condo features 74 bedrooms and 42 bathrooms. It was built in 1963 and still has many of its original tikis in place.

Opened in Fall 2020.

Located in a secret lounge above the Downtown Grill.

You need a reservation to go and they only seat 8 people at a time.

Previously Wild Thyme Restaurant, Canoe House opened in January 2012.

The restaurant design layout features a canoe hanging from the rafters as you would expect. They also have several very nice tiki lamps throughout the building, paddles, Hawaiian art prints, and at least one large Papua New Guinea tiki mask.

Big screen TVs at the bar and throughout the restaurant kill the island ambience somewhat but it brings in a sports crowd.

Food is sort of Hawaiian fusion -- not as high-end as a Roy's -- although you can get herb crusted mahi mahi -- but with a wide variety of sandwiches, burgers, and tacos it feels more like a Hawaiian-styled Applebees.

They have a very limited cocktail menu and don't feature traditional tiki cocktails, but do have an island style mai-tai made with Gosling's and Malibu rum as well as pineapple and orange juice.

The restaurant also has a very nice outdoor patio with a fire pit.

Lava & Tonic opened in Spring 2019 in Wichita, KS.

The front is rather plain and unmarked in true speakeasy fashion. Look for the Donut Whole and the Hopping Gnome Brewery, it is sandwiched in between.

The Polynesia was built in 1962 by Mr. Max Resnick, a Southern California apartment builder.

The property measures 25,840 square feet on a total lot size of 29,992 square feet with 27 units with a total of 49 Beds and 28 Baths.

Unlike most tiki apartment complexes, The Polynesia did not have an A-frame at the entrance. Instead, it had an interesting arrangement of large beams decorated with exotic patterns to provide an entrance canopy.

The Polynesia still stands and the mural on the front of the building remains.

However, the decorated canopy beams have long since been removed, about the time of the Northridge Earthquake (1994 or so). Beams on the other side of the building give some idea of what was there.

This site is right next door to the Del Rosa Palms Apartments at 2640 Del Rosa Ave and they were probably two sides to the original complex which was envisioned as a sort of Hawaiian Village. They are often mentioned together or interchangeably in apartment listings or other posts.

Opened on May 3rd, 1964, the complex advertised itself as having 71 one, two, or three-bedroom and efficiency units, a putting green, badminton and shuffleboard court, and 2 swimming pools.

This was also the former home to 15 large tikis, some weighing up to 5000 pounds, by local tiki carver Ramar, but they are now long gone. Little is known of Ramar beyond this location.

The Del Rosa Palms has an A-frame entrance in front, but the Del Rosa Isle has an even more impressive A-frame building back by the pool, that is HUGE, with 10-12 original lucite swag lamps hanging from the rafters (the flower blossom variety in multiple colors). This A-Frame was probably meant to be more of an open entertainment area or pool house before, but today the lower half has been walled off to use as a laundry facility and there is a stairway leading up to the top which is a rather bare patio area.

This site is right next door to the Del Rosa Isle Apartments at 6262 Del Rosa Ave N and they were probably two sides to the original complex which was envisioned as a sort of Hawaiian Village. They are often mentioned together or interchangeably in apartment listings or other posts.

Opened on May 3rd, 1964, the complex advertised itself as having 71 one, two, or three-bedroom and efficiency units, a putting green, badminton and shuffleboard court, and 2 swimming pools.

This was also the former home to 15 large tikis, some weighing up to 5000 pounds, by local tiki carver Ramar, but they are now long gone. Little is known of Ramar beyond this location.

The Del Rosa Palms has an A-frame entrance in front, but the Del Rosa Isle has an even more impressive A-frame building back by the pool, that is HUGE, with 10-12 original lucite swag lamps hanging from the rafters (the flower blossom variety in multiple colors). This A-Frame was probably meant to be more of an open entertainment area or pool house before, but today the lower half has been walled off to use as a laundry facility and there is a stairway leading up to the top which is a rather bare patio area.

The Mona Kai Apartments were built in 1965 on Sawtelle Boulevard in Culver City, CA. They feature a large A-frame entrance.

It doesn't appear that there is any other surviving tiki decor.

There is also a Mona Kai Apartments in Goleta, CA but it is not clear if there is any connection other than the use of the name.

This apartment complex features 4 A-frames in front and is 2 stories with 21 units.

Other than this, it doesn't appear to have any other tiki decor.

There are also Mona Kai Apartments, originally built in 1965, at 4600 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles 90230 (Marina del Rey), CA. It is not clear if there is any connection to the apartments in Goleta other than the name.

Opened in 2010, this is a tiki-themed bar and nightclub in Gandia, Spain.

Circa 1956-1982.

This restaurant was especially known for its use of Canadian Beauce ceramic tiki vessels (including the much coveted pink Vicious Virgin Bowl with arm up) in its Tahiti Bar.

The Marie Antoinette is today known as Le Marie Beaupré Restaurant.

It was one of a chain of 12 restaurants founded in 1956, of which at least three had a "Tahiti" bar.

David Tallichet's Ports O' Call Restaurant, housed in a Polynesian longhouse and surrounded by a forest of tropical foliage in pure Adventureland tradition, opened in February 1961 and proved an immediate success. A lagoon at the entrance, ringed jungle-thick with tropical plants, had a Chinese sampan boat partially sunken in it. Rooms inside were themed to Hawaii (Waikiki), Tahiti, the Hong Kong Yacht Club and a Japanese "Tea Room" - a concept lifted wholesale from Steve Crane's Kon-Tiki Ports chain in Hiltons across the country.

The restaurant sat in the larger Ports O' Call Village -- a seaside plaza that featured souvenir and gift shops, along with restaurants, sweetshops, fish markets and quick-bite eateries. This New England-style seaside village encompassed 15 acres of shops, restaurants and attractions. A meandering promenade of cobblestone streets connects the specialty shops.

More than 40 surrounding merchants were in place when the entire complex held its grand opening on July 13, 1963. When the Whaler’s Wharf section, south of the restaurant, opened in 1967, there were 85 businesses operating in Ports O’ Call Village.

The village drew a good number of people who passed through San Pedro to visit Marineland, a high-profile aquarium/theme park attraction next door, in Rancho Palos Verdes, that closed in February 1987.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, village merchants began to complain about their leases and the upkeep.

By 1984 Tallichet was forced to make some changes and address concerns. The Ports O' Call Restaurant was given a new look and they added a second level with banquet facilities, although the Polynesian theme was done away with almost entirely. Described as "Nautical Victorian", photos of the place which survive online resemble more an 80s retirement home recreation room with bits of tropical decor here and there.

The refurbishments weren't enough and the village continued a slow decline over the years...

The Ports O' Call Restaurant hung on until 2018, when it was forced to close.

Currently, as of 2021, this area is being re-developed and has been re-branded as West Harbor (with restaurants, shops, and fresh markets) tentatively scheduled to re-open in 2022.

When the Trade Winds Motel was first opened in 1962, it was considered modern and vibrant with its amazing moai sign flanked by two tiki torches, unique curved structure, kidney-shaped pool and bright colors perhaps more reminiscent of Los Angeles or Miami than Spokane.

The plan of the 4-story building is a graceful curve, with rows of rooms with balconies which face an inner court. It was designed by Donald E. Neraas, a prolific local architect who was noted for his many Mid-Century Modern designs for buildings throughout the Pacific Northwest. The building displays characteristics of the International Style.

But the motel fell into serious disrepair later on its life, languishing for years as an eyesore and shadow of its former glory. The sign was taken down and replaced and the pool filled in.

In 2018, this location underwent a badly needed renovation that improved the property a great deal. As of November 2018, it opened as the Baymont by Wyndham Spokane.

There are several historic Trade Winds features that developers kept intact. Those include the outline of a kidney-shaped pool (now just a filled-in patio), a parking garage, two elevators and the balconies. They appreciated the bones of the structure and have commented publicly that they just don't make them like this anymore. It may not have been restored to its tiki glory but is now a nice modernized hotel on the order of a Holiday Inn.

Costa Mesa’s Kon Tiki Motel was the New Harbor Inn for a time up until about 2017/2018 but is now the Mesa Motel.

Opened October 8th, 2018.

Jan & Dean’s Tiki Lounge opened on the second floor of the Ruby’s Diner on the Huntington City pier.

The lounge featured bamboo walls, carved tikis, dim lighting and artwork from Disney contributing artist Jeff Granito. The build-out was completed by Bamboo Ben.

Visitors could order from Ruby’s standard menu along with a new collection of appetizers such as Huli-Huli Wings and Mini Ahi Tacos and tropical cocktails. For dessert, there was the popular pineapple soft serve ice cream Dole Whip.

The lounge’s name paid tribute to pioneering surf music duo Jan and Dean, which included Huntington Beach resident Dean Torrence and is known for hits such as “Surf City,” “The Little Old Lady from Pasadena” and “Dead Man’s Curve.”

This Ruby's site closed, along with the lounge in February 2021.

This location was opened by Captain Dug Picking in the 1960s. A former Merchant Marine, Captain Dug found himself landlocked in Carson City and established a tiki bar serving Polynesian food and tropical drinks.

The restaurant was decorated with tikis and sailing paraphernalia: fishing nets, ropes, anchors, nautical flags, seashells. It boasted a “Shark-Infested Men’s Room.”

The following is from a former employee and was posted on Tiki Central:

"Dug would address all adult males as, 'Governor'.

He loved telling stories to the clientele, and I remember them bellying-up to the bar just to hear a good story. I never heard him repeat one. He did have a little fun with the tipsy, 'know-it-all' clientele: he kept a bridge compass near the middle of the bar area and a nautical map behind the counter. He would bait and bet the uninitiated by telling him that Carson City was farther West than Los Angeles. (He explained to me later that, since Los Angeles is actually on the Pacific and Carson City is east of the Sierras, we create a spatial error. After a few flabbergasting moments, out would come that map and the incredulous client would have to buy rounds.

He said that he and Victor Bergeron went 'way back,' and told ever-growing, ever more embellished stories of their years of carousing and drinking their way around the Pacific Rim, and how he got the best of Victor sometimes and sometimes not.

I got to watch Dug earning his fame with his 'Blue Mai Tai,' from-scratch Pina Coladas, grogs and flourish drinks (he cheerfully did five and seven-layered Pousse cafes on-demand.) He didn’t water-down or scrimp on anything for the guests. Nothing in the place was inexpensive, and, conversely, nothing was cheap. …except for the endless tape loop of Hawaiian music that he had wafting through the place every night."

Starting in 1974, Dug also created a series of liquor decanters themed after Nevada brothels. These decanters have turned out to be very popular with collectors. At least a couple of the decanters focused on Dug's West Indies for the first two years (a clipper ship design the first year in '74 and a sailboat with man and woman the second year in '75).

This location was sold by Dug in the late 70s or early 80s because of financial problems brought about because of his investment in another location that failed -- the Windjammer.

Dug's West Indies persevered for a time as just "The West Indies" but it eventually closed. Today the site is home to a Burger King fast food restaurant.

"Giganticus Headicus" is a half-buried, 14-foot-tall pseudo-tiki sculpted of metal, wood, chicken wire, styrofoam and cement, created in 2004 by Gregg Arnold, a migrant from New Jersey. It stands outside what was once the Kozy Corner Trailer Court.

Other artworks on the property include a plywood sign shaped like a rocket ship, a windmill that uses 1950s furniture for blades, a painting of an astronaut with a cut-out hole for your face (apparently a retired photo op), and a pit filled with "baby rattlers" -- rattles for babies.

After 13 years of effort, Arnold was finally able to transform the A-frame into a gift shop selling miniatures of Giganticus Headicus in 2017.

There is also food and visitor information available.

The Bam-Boo Polynesian Restaurant was located at Place Ste-Foy, Boulevard Laurier, Quebec, Canada.

Place Sainte-Foy is an upscale shopping mall located in the former city of Sainte-Foy of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was built in 1958.

Bam-Boo had an entryway built-out into the main hallway of the mall with tiki railings and lots of foliage.

There were also several Witco pieces throughout.