The original long and low building was Pike’s El Rancho back in the 1940’s.

Arne and Carolyn Jacobson added the A-frame and theming. They opened Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in 1957 and it closed in 2009.

Originally, those staying in one of the 43 rooms could enjoy color TV, a rec room, tennis court, and a swimming pool.

The rooms featured Hawaiian inspired motifs, including palm tree murals and rattan furniture.

The iconic sign and the impressive A-frame with curved beams (even more impressive in an interior view) caught the eye of many a traveler on their way to Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, after its closing, it became a focus for graffiti and vandalism.

Many hoped that someone would re-open or salvage this site, but it was not to be.

The building was leveled in 2025.

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.

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.

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.

This location opened around 1960 and advertised steaks, burgers, and seafood, as well as Cantonese Cuisine and tropical drinks.

The inside featured a nice courtyard with palm trees, lava rocks, and a waterfall using giant clamshells. Beside this was a large unique standing tiki also replicated on their napkins.

Closed some time prior to 1970.

This location later became the site of a Hungry Tiger Restaurant, a Bobby Mcgee's (circa late 70s-early 80s), Ellis Island Restaurant, and then Lucy's Bayside Bar & Grill (circa 1992).

Today the entire site has been developed and no traces of the old restaurant are left.

Opened in late 2024.

Shipwrecked Paradise Island was launched by the same team that operates the Shipwrecked Tiki Bar in Davis, California -- Nate and Melissa Yungvanitsait.

This downtown Sacramento bar is deeply immersive but tilts away from the usual Polynesian beachcomber aesthetic of most classic tiki bars and instead embraces a tropical Balinese jungle island atmosphere that looks like it could easily accommodate the next film installment of Tomb Raider. After entering past huge Balinese temple guardian statues, visitors will find themselves confronted with a tiger, a giant man-eating plant, and with a huge anaconda hanging from the ceiling. If they can make their way past these obstacles to the bar, they will find a long menu of tropical and tiki cocktails waiting.

This location had their soft opening at the end of August 2025.

Nestled right beside the entrance of LA’s Oldest Bowling Alley, Highland Park Bowl.

Metered street parking is available, and there’s also a parking lot just behind the building.

Run by Bobby Green and the 1933 group.

In keeping with the speakeasy theme established at the West Hollywood location, you must figure out the secret entrance...in this case, look to your left for your old sailing buddy, and play a little shell game for entry.

Once inside, the interior is decorated much like the West Hollywood location, with a plethora of fantastic swag lamps hanging from the ceiling, as well as lit netted glass fish floats, thatching, tapa cloth, actual carved tikis, and a large outrigger canoe suspended from the ceiling as well.

Opened August 1st, 2025.

Located in the basement of pop-culture-themed emporium Stage Nine Entertainment—home to one of the largest authorized Disney Fine Art galleries in the country.

This underground speakeasy occupies a vault-like, 300-square-foot space (that’s about the size of a one-car garage) in the historic “What Cheer House” building.

Can hold up to 21 guests.

Decorated with a variety of movie props and reproductions, including full sized animatronic poles from Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, the golden Chachapoyan Fertility Idol shown in the beginning of the first Indiana Jones film, a section of the dart trap wall from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and a full sized haunted dive suit holding a glass bell jar that covers one of Johnny Depp’s rum bottles from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

A $95 per-person admission price includes an immersive 90-minute experience (The live entertainment lasts approximately 60 minutes and they then allow for approximately 30 minutes of open exploration time afterwards), two cocktails, a Dole Whip and a lanyard for your collectible pins (a new one available for each successive visit). Hawthorne’s Hideout is also available for private parties.

The Hawaii Kai Motel and Luau Restaurant were adjacent to each other and managed by the same owner, Ben Holmes.

There was also a third structure, a gift shop, called the Kona Tiki Treasure Trove.

This whole complex operated at least from 1966 - 1971 (but probably opened earlier and closed later).

This space became home to the Coral Beach Resort, which was built in 1987 and consists of three oceanfront towers. In 1998, the resort was recognized by the Travel Channel as the #1 Family Beach Resort Hotel on the Grand Strand. The Coral Beach Resort was converted to condominium ownership in 2006.

Hotel Lankershim was a landmark hotel located at 7th Street and Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in downtown Los Angeles's historic core.

Hotel Lankershim was designed by Robert Brown Young for James Boon Lankershim, whom the building was named after. Construction started in 1902 and was completed in 1905. Prior to construction, the land was the site of a vineyard owned by Judge Wilson Hugh Gray.

The hotel had 200 servants, 250 rooms, and 160 baths at its opening, and was considered far superior to the other hotels in Los Angeles at the time.

In 1979, the Broadway Theater and Commercial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with Hotel Lankershim listed as a contributing property in the district. Despite this, the building was largely demolished in the early 1980s following structural damage caused by the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. Post demolition, a six-story parking structure was built on the building's remaining first floor, which was converted to retail, and the building was removed from the register in 2002.

The Driftwood Room was a pre-tiki bar and lounge located inside the hotel which flourished in the 1930s.

The Driftwood Room menu below is dated from 1936.

There are no known photos of the Driftwood Room from the time, but photos of the interior lobby of the hotel, probably adjacent the entrance of the Driftwood Room give a sense of the opulence of the time.

This store is run by David Condon and opened on June 14th, 2025.

Here you will find tiki related items, collectible tiki mugs, misc.

The store also carries vintage Hawaiiana, Elvis memorabilia, fountains, artwork, and an epic Titanic display.

Movie memorabilia for sale also, as well as sports cards, vintage Hawaiian shirts, and a bit of Disney.

Adding cool finds daily!

Opened December 6th, 2024 at their new location at the old Santana Mavericks building (40771 Big Bear Boulevard).

Owned by Michael Sterling Eaton and Sanoe Lake Eaton.

Their first site (40616 Village Dr, Big Bear Lake, California 92305) was a much smaller location, and opened in Big Bear in 2016.

This new location is a full restaurant, and as with their previous incarnation, is known for their sushi and poke bowls and tropical non-alcoholic drinks.

They do not serve alcohol.