Don The Beachcomber - at the International Market Place

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

The first incarnation of Don The Beachcomber's was across from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, at the Queen's Royal Gardens.

This first Don's lasted 10 years which is how long his original lease was for.

Don the Beachcomber moved to the International Market Place, a short distance away, around 1956, and this was on a new lease of 17 acres.

It was at Don the Beachcomber’s that Martin Denny got together with vibraphonist Arthur Lyman and bassist John Kramer to play jazz. The trio got a record contract in 1955, and bongo player Augie Colon joined the group the following year. Denny played at the International Market Place Don's on a regular basis.

This version of Don's had the famous Dagger Bar with walls covered in Don's collection of daggers he had picked up during his travels.

Adjacent was also Don's tree house, which was inspired by earlier tree houses that he had on his property in Encino, California.

This one was built on an existing large banyan tree on the property. This tree, planted in the mid-1800s by Henry and Eliza McFarlane served as the anchor point from which Donn lived and worked. It most popularly served as a private dining room which could be booked for up to 2 people to enjoy. For most of the week Donn hosted Tahitian performers below the treehouse and on Sundays he hosted a Luau which became a mainstay of the International Marketplace. As the years passed, Donn’s treehouse morphed into a radio studio, playing Hawaiian music live on the air eventually becoming a private office.

Today, Donn’s treehouse no longer exists however, a tribute treehouse has been built in its place to honor the history and legacy of Donn’s presence and impact on the landscape of Waikiki.

Duke Kahanamoku's moved into the Don The Beachcomber building at the International Marketplace on September 1, 1961 and Don moved to another nearby location, although this final location was named The Colonel's Plantation Beefsteak and Coffee House. This location burned in a fire in 1966, due to outdated and faulty wiring.

So, absent the original building, it is the tribute treehouse that remains as the most prominent feature on site today.