Aku-Aku came into being in 1968 when Bobby Seto bought nearby Polynesian Village and moved it to this new location with a new name. The front entrance was flanked by two very tall moai that originally were at the Polynesian Village.

The back wall had a mural of Polynesian scenes running its entire length.

Aku-Aku closed in April 2000, and the location is now Jasper White's Summer Shack. The left moai is gone, but the right moai remains, undercover as a bearded fisherman clad in yellow rain gear.

This cafe was open from 1950 to 1963.

Built in 1962.

This manufactured home community consists of 90 one-story units.

The community lies very near the Pacific Ocean, and once boasted a Manager's Office built to look like a long house, with two large tikis guarding the entrance. The tikis were removed sometime @2006, and today nothing noteworthy remains.

Opened in 1995, this was a store in Venice owned by Joe O’Brien, a surfer who followed his passion for the ocean and incorporated it into his interior design, collecting vintage items that brought that tropical beach feel. Joe's wares included reproduced vintage fabrics as well as authentic beach furniture from a time gone by.

It is now home to Pretties, a lingerie shop.

The Caliente Tropics Resort began its life as simply "The Tropics" when it was opened in 1964 by Ken Kimes. Kimes owned 40 motels, and five of them were the Polynesian-themed Tropics chain with locations in Blythe, Indio, Modesto and Rosemead. The Kimes family later earned headlines when Ken's wife Sante and son Kenny were wanted, and later tried & convicted, for a variety of crimes including murder and kidnapping.

In its '60s heyday, the Tropics, especially its Congo Room steakhouse and underground Cellar bar, attracted the celebrities of the era who lived and vacationed in Palm Springs, including members of the Rat Pack. The front of the resort held a Sambo's coffee shop. In later years, the Cellar bar was closed, and the Congo Room became the Reef Bar.

The Tropics fell into rough times in the '80s, attracting unsavory characters who disrespected the hotel. The hotel was rescued by new owners in 2000, and after a $2.2 million renovation, it was restored to its former tiki glory.

A couple years later the Reef Bar was remodeled to bring it up to speed with the newly refreshed hotel, with bamboo work by Bamboo Ben. In 2006, the Reef Bar was transferred to independent owners, and was called Hawaiian Bill's.

In 2009, the Reef Bar/Hawaiian Bill's had been gutted of all tiki details, and the hotel was advertising the restaurant/bar space on site as available for lease. They were planning on making some major architectural changes to the building, including the removal of an A-frame entrance to the bar and restaurant. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

In 2015, new hotel owners reinvested in the tiki theming, having the artist Bosko complete large tiki signs ringing the courtyard, representing different Polynesian islands. The grounds still have several detailed vintage tikis by carver Ed Crissman.

In February 2017, Rory Snyder took over and refreshed The Reef Bar overlooking the pool.

In Summer of 2022, Snyder added Sancho's Mexican Restaurant and a second bar, Le Fern.

*This site was the original host of the ever-growing Tiki Oasis event (2001-2005), before it moved to the San Diego Crowne Plaza (2006-2019), and was briefly held at San Diego's Paradise Point (2020) before moving to San Diego's Town and Country in 2021.

**Since 2009, Caliente Tropics resort has been host to the annual Tiki Caliente event (as well as other tiki events like Circa Caliente) which some describe as a smaller and more intimate version of what Tiki Oasis is like now. The resort also sees a great deal of traffic during Palm Springs' Modern Week.

Opened circa 2015.

This is about as far from a themed & decorated poly-pop tiki bar as you can get with its all-white walls, ceiling, and bar.

It sort of looks like an empty apartment that somebody just filled with some wicker furniture and bar supplies.

However, the bar looks to be well stocked and they are said to have very good tropical drinks.

Closed circa 2022.

Opened in 2000 and closed in 2006.

This location was in the Sheraton Royal Gardens Hotel.

Built in 1964, the Tiki Apartments in Canoga Park was a multi-family 2 story construction with 5+ units (17 beds and 47 baths).

It is unclear how long many of the tiki elements held on, but most were certainly gone after the Northridge Earthquake in 1994.

As of 2025, the only vestiges of its original construction are the sections covered by lava rock and the A-frame in the center.

Open from around 1962 (or '63) to at least 1980.

It was housed in the former Haslett Warehouse, now known as 66 Franklin, which was originally constructed in 1926 for the Lawrence Company.

Around 1961 it became home to the Mikado restaurant on the ground floor, and a special glass elevator took guests up to the Castaway which opened in 1962-63, a Polynesian-theme restaurant in a new penthouse that was constructed on the roof.

Later the Castaway venue became home to the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant.

The Warehouse was again remodeled in 2006 to restore the appearance closer to the original design. It is now home to Forge Pizza and other restaurants on the ground floor.

This Castaway location had a sister restaurant at The Castaway - San Mateo - at Coyote Point Recreation Area.

John Douglas Jacks remodeled a cafe in 1938 into a Hawaiian-themed restaurant and bar. The cafe was located on the island within eyesight of the Hotel del Coronado. Island Cafe was decorated with primitive weapons, palms, bamboo, and murals by local artist Russell Dale Moffett. This pre-tiki bar served exotic okolehao and rum drinks. It closed in 1943.

The new Carnival Cruise Line ship Mardi Gras set sail on Saturday, July 31, 2021, marking the first official passenger cruise from Port Canaveral since the pandemic began in 2020. The ship has a capacity of 6,500 passengers and 20 decks, making it the eighth largest cruise ship in the world. The Mardi Gras is also the first ship in North America powered entirely by liquefied natural gas.

Note, there was also a much smaller Mardi Gras ship launched in 1972... but this one dwarfs it in comparison.

The 2021 Mardi Gras specializes in Caribbean cruises. It is docked and leaves out of Port Canaveral, Florida, United States.

The RedFrog Tiki Bar is located on the 5th level Lido deck and is the first of 3 RedFrog Tiki Bars planned, with the Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee next in line.

Carnival Celebration's Red Frog Tiki Bar opened when the ship was completed on November 2, 2022.

These Red Frog Tiki Bars are distinct from the Red Frog Pubs or Red Frog Rum Bars on other ships in this line.

The Carnival Mardi Gras' bar is 2 stories tall and has both bar and dining table seating. They have extensive themed decoration including some Oceanic Arts style lights and some Oceanic Arts Papua New Guinea masks and other hangings.

The bar features a wide array of rums listed by region but the bar name reflects their line of beers which is served on tap. They do have unique branded tiki mugs and mai tai glasses available for sale as well as other merch.