Built around 1967.

The Kala Kai Motel (not to be confused with the Kala Kai Apartments in Los Angeles) was situated at the western most end of Grand Avenue, in the Pacific Beach section of San Diego.

From their postcards:

"Located half way between colorful San Diego and famous La Jolla. Rest in a gracious Polynesian setting on the blue Pacific. A short five minutes to Fishing, Boating and Water Skiing at Mission Bay - or - off pier Fishing. Shopping and Dining. Just steps to sunning on the warm sands of the Beach and delightful swimming in the surf. Or enjoy our musical pool and sundeck overlooking the Ocean."

As can be seen in the photos below, they did have some tikis on the grounds, a moai head fountain with clamshells by the pool, and some tiki masks and other Polynesian artifacts decorating the exterior walls overlooking the pool.

Last photo shows flooding of the motel in 1983.

The motel closed in the 1980s and today this area is occupied by The Ocean Park Inn.

Opened in May of 2019 by owners Prudence Farquhar and Byron Marzinotto.

Blue Kahunas is a tropical rum bar located in Newcastle NSW, cocktail driven and friendly banter to boot. A vibrant inclusive space with tiki inspired cocktails.

Open at least as early as 1965.

It featured a Pancake house, kiddie train, 2 swimming pools, thermal baths, water skiing and boating.

Apparently, a fire burned the office and cafe to the ground in 1973. Some of the development was leveled and converted to parking.

Later on all the rooms left from the Aloha Lodge were turned into low cost government housing which are still standing today behind what was known then as the Freeman Shopping Center on Central Ave.

Circa 2025, the sign advertising Freeman Center Parking appears to be the original Aloha Lodge sign without the Moai head and spear points any longer, but the three spear shafts are still apparent and it corresponds with earlier illustrations...

After a temporary closure and remodeling, Danville California's Vine and Spirits reopened in April 2025 as Kaia’s Island Kitchen and Tiki Bar.

From Kaia's website:

"At Kaia’s Island Kitchen & Tiki Bar, everything starts with family, love, and the aloha spirit. Our story began with countless unforgettable trips to Hawaii—lazy beach days, laughter around the table, and the simple joy of sharing great food with the people you love most.

For Randy Negi (A local restaurant Entrepreneur), those island memories meant everything. They were filled with warmth, happiness, and a sense of belonging. He wanted to bring that feeling home — to create a place where every guest feels like part of the family, and every meal feels like a little escape to paradise.

Kaia’s is named after Randy’s granddaughter, Kaia — the heart and inspiration behind this dream. Her joyful energy, curiosity, and love for the islands are woven into every corner of our restaurant. From the food to the atmosphere, everything here reflects what Hawaii means to us: connection, happiness, and living life with aloha.

We believe food is more than just a meal — it’s a way to bring people together. Whether you’re gathering with family, meeting friends, or simply unwinding after a busy day, Kaia’s invites you to slow down, savor the moment, and embrace the island spirit. Our menu celebrates authentic Hawaiian comfort food, island-inspired cocktails, and the freshest ingredients, all served with aloha. We serve everything from savory Loco Moco to vibrant poke bowls, tropical cocktails, and sweet island indulgences.

Sip on our silky-smooth Chi Chi Cocktail, the ultimate creamy, coconut refreshment. Discover why our 44 Mai Tai is the most loved — a bold, balanced island classic, bursting with aloha. And don’t forget to save room for Hula Pie, the ultimate Hawaiian dessert — macadamia nut ice cream stacked on a chocolate cookie crust with whipped cream, toasted mac nuts, and chocolate drizzle.

At Kaia’s, every bite and every sip carries you to the heart of Hawaii — where aloha lives, the breeze whispers, and everything’s made with love."

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Kaia's offers a food-first, tiki bar second experience.

The entire location is tastefully decorated in island-inspired decor, with all of the typical design elements: bamboo, tiki statues, thatching, tropical prints, etc.

The food menu features Hawaiian and Hawaii-inspired fare. The drink menu offers beer, wine, traditional tiki bar drinks (mai tai, painkiller, zombie), as well as their own custom tiki drinks (Three Hour Tour and Ohanapod Mai Tai).

For swag, they offer a number of shirts, baseball caps, branded glassware, and multiple tiki mugs.

Previously known as Caffeine Bistro or Caffeine Wine Bar (opened @2011), this location had a tiki bar outside with some poles and decorations, but in 2013, the interior and exterior underwent a major makeover and re-naming to become Grind Gastropub and Kona Tiki Bar.

The outside makeover included a tall, peaked thatched roof over the tiki bar, which was lengthened and expanded to accommodate more beer taps. Large televisions were added. They retained the wood deck, tall carved tiki statues and string lights of Easter Island heads all up against the side of 1924-built carriage house.

An uncovered area sits between the tiki bar and restaurant building and includes a music stage where they regularly have live entertainment. It features some tiki themed murals.

Inside, the building has a large Italian wine cellar-style banquet room that can seat up to 50 persons and a smaller private room that features an entire wall filled with framed SHAG prints.

Opened in 1971 and closed in 2019.

Since at least 2005, the restaurant had all of its tiki decor removed, including the mask on the front A-frame shown on postcard photos.

However, they continued serving tiki cocktails for a time.

In 2015, they had their liquor license revoked for over-serving customers -- seems there was a 24-year-old who had three scorpion bowls in a row and proceeded to become belligerent and untruly and the police got involved.

Now home to Great Road Church since March of 2020.

Open since at least 1959.

Initial postcards advertised: "El Paso's finest motel. 60 beautiful units. One and two room suites, three room apartments with kitchens. Dining Room and Coffee Shop. Heated and filtered pool. Refrigerated air conditioning, central heat, room phones, television, tiled baths, tubs, and showers, wall to wall carpeting, children's playground."

Today, this location is known for its sign, but is otherwise unremarkable and has only become the worse for wear over the years -- the pool being filled up, chain link fencing surrounding the grounds, and looking a bit run-down with "modest pricing" as its main draw.

Opened in December of 1975.

Located at the Northland Shopping Center. Mrs. O'Hara was the original Manager.

One of their main dining areas was the "Banyan Tree Room".

This restaurant hosted lots of live pop music entertainment, but also included Polynesian groups such as "The Aloha" Polynesian dance review and "Roselani and Her Royal Tonga Islanders" (from the Polynesian Village in Disney World).

There were several Hu Ke Lau locations across the East Coast. This may or may not have been a part of the family chain which included several under this same name but it's a good bet it was since it has the same logo and drink menu.

On June 21, 1979, this location began offering Italian food. It closed July 16th, 1981 for re-modeling, to reopen as the Luna Key.

Vern's Tiki Bar opened in March of 2025 in the back of the Public Domain craft cocktail bar, where Neon Tiger used to be located.

The bar is named after Vernon Burke, a young bootlegger from the 1930s who also ran a speakeasy. The owner, Van Voorst, who’s a history buff, saw a 1932 article about Vern’s arrest, at a time when he and his brother-in-law were smuggling booze in Wisconsin and Minnesota. “I thought that’s kind of a fun story so let’s just name a tiki bar after Vern,” he said.

The bar is minimally decorated with some lauhala matting, thatch, tropical leaf wallpaper, some tropical plants, and dark booths with outdoor patio lights strung across the ceiling.

It's not an over-the-top immersive environment like some of the leading tiki bars around the country, but there is always room to grow and they have received good reviews on their tiki cocktails, which are served in inexpensive tiki mugs.

It does not appear that they have a house mug as of yet.

Opened April 1st, 2025.

The original 4th Street location for Fong's Pizza closed on March 9th, 2025. This closing was part of a planned relocation with plans to reopen in early April, here, in the former Peace Tree Brewing Co. space in the Market District.

The new location offers double the seating capacity, expanded parking, a patio, and a pick-up window.

Chef Dennis Epps plans to expand the menu with new noodle and rice dishes, salads, appetizers, and late-night options.

This complex was located on the South side of McDowell, just West of 68th St., and included Polynesian Paradise condominiums (built in 1962), The Polynesian Dairy Queen (built in 1964), and The Polynesian Plaza (built in 1964).

The Polynesian Paradise condominiums were built in 1962 by Kaufman and Broad. The condominiums are located just to the South of the Polynesian Dairy Queen, which (along with the rest of the Polynesian Plaza) was built by Haver & Nunn two years after Polynesian Paradise. Based on historic aerials, there was a street entrance to Polynesian Paradise that went right by the Polynesian Dairy Queen. The mall and condos were demolished in the 1990s.

The former Dairy Queen was referred to as the Polynesian Dairy Queen in phone books at that time. It originally had a thatched roof reaching 42' in height. It was open for about 20 years, closing in the mid 80s. After its incarnation as a Dairy Queen, this building housed an Enterprise Rent-A-Car for many years but it was left vacant since 2009. In 2014, the building was put to use as office space for Scottsdale RV. In 2019, the building was dismantled. The A-frame structure was recreated at a different location in 2022 for Oliver's restaurant (still open as of 2025 and shown in last photo below). Some of the rocks were used from the previous location.

Cora Irene Sund was born in 1910 and died in 1974.

*Her gravestone says born in "1909" but that appears to be an error according to her obituary and other sources.

In any case, she had a remarkable impact on tiki and cocktail history. She built-out Don the Beachcombers as a real business, expanding it across the United States. While Donn Beach's name often overshadows her impact on the business's history, Sunny Sund emerged as the visionary leader, overseeing its growth from a modest twenty-four-seat bar into a flourishing chain of million-dollar restaurants.

Sund met and married Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt (Donn Beach) in Hollywood in the 1930s, with Gantt opening Don’s Beachcomber, the first of what would later be known as exotic restaurants. The bar was wildly successful and Sund became Gantt’s business partner, raising money to expand the business, which they began (first to Chicago) in 1940. The marriage didn’t last, but Sund and Gantt remained business partners, with Gantt as figurehead and host, and Sund running the growing business behind the scenes. Through the 40s and 50s, Sund grew Don the Beachcomber’s to some sixteen locations, selling the business to Getty Enterprises in 1968.

Sunny died on January 8th and was laid to rest Saturday, January 12th, 1974 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. She was 64 years old.