Early menus and other items are labelled "120 Via Lola," which maps to the south face of the site rather than the east face. The Palm Springs location site dates back to at least 1941, but this Don's was opened there on March 2nd, 1953.

Frank Sinatra was a regular here, and was reportedly a big tipper, but also a demanding customer. He liked the Navy Grog.

Today, this same spot houses Bootlegger Tiki.

The now restored rooftop tiki torches from the old Don the Beachcomber's now form the logo for the adjacent Ernest Coffee Co., which opened in June 2014. The two entrepreneurs behind this independent coffeehouse, photographer Jaime Kowal and designer Chris Pardo, also paid tribute to the history of this site by calling it after Don the Beachcomber’s real name: Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt. (They also own neighboring bar Bootlegger Tiki, a nod to Don’s occupation before he essentially invented the tiki bar.)

Opened July 23rd, 1959 and was popular through the 1960s.

The Tiki-Jo was in the Miramar Hotel (now the Fairmont Miramar), and featured a tiki carved by Eli Hedley, grandfather of Bamboo Ben.

In 1961, the Thunderbird International Hotel was built at 525 N Sepulveda Boulevard, in El Segundo, California, just a few blocks south of Los Angeles International Airport.

Originally, it had a coffee shop, but a year after it opened, in 1962, they changed their mind and remodeled the coffee shop and re-opened it as the The Huki Lau.

A few years later, the Thunderbird International was sold and re-named the Hacienda. Along with this name change, The Huki Lau was re-named to the simpler "Tiki Hut".

Most recently, the Hacienda was split into two and completely redone, with the Aloft being formed from the south building and a Fairfield Inn formed from the north building.

There are no longer any signs of The Tiki Hut.

The Zombie Hut was a Hawaiian/Polynesian-themed restaurant, nightclub and Tiki bar located on Freeport Blvd. between Florin Road and Sutterville Road in Sacramento, California that originally opened in 1945 after the end of WWII and continuing for 45 years until its closing in 1990.

It was known for its dance entertainment, including the Samoan Fire Knife Dance and Slap Dance.

This location is now a strip mall.

This 2-story, 118 room motel was built in 1961. Designed by Armet and Davis.

Originally it had a bar/lounge called the "Tropics Room", now gone.

Formerly run as a Days Inn and as a Knights Inn, it was recently called the Clarion Pointe Fresno (as of 2021-2024). As of 2025, its future remains uncertain.

You can still see some rock tiki faces built into the rock wall in front and the signature wood tikis out by the pool area (as part of a bench). The interior appears to have been completely gutted and redesigned, however.

Harry "Sugie" Sugarman, manager of Grauman's Chinese Theater, opened his Tropics supper club on November 27th, 1935 at 421 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. The Tropics was one of the earliest exotic theme bars in the Los Angeles area, with an interior decor consisting of bamboo and tropical foliage. The club's dance floor was located in the "Rain Room" which had a glass roof upon which tropical showers fell several times each night.

The Tropic's food menu consisted mostly of Chinese and American dishes with the specialty being Sugie's Indian Curry Chicken. Sugarman capitalized on his motion picture connections by naming exotic drinks in honor of the celebrities who frequented the Tropics (such as Shirley Temple -- shown below...although her signature mocktail is said to have been invented in the late 1930s by a bartender at Chasen's in Beverly Hills). A few of the celebrities and the drinks they inspired at The Tropics were Sonja Henie (Thin Ice), Lana Turner (Untamed), Caesar Romero (Deep Purple), Rita Hayworth (Karanga), Paulette Goddard (Captain Blood), Barbara Sanwyck (Papeete), Robert Taylor (Coquette), and Bette Davis (Samoa of Samoa).

The Tropics was purchased by Stephen Crane and renamed The Luau in 1953. The Luau was demolished in 1979 to make space for a Rodeo Drive shopping complex. In addition to his Beverly Hills club, Sugie also opened another Tropics club at Sunset and Vine in Hollywood.

Hula's Island Grill in Monterey started off initially in 1998 with more of a Hawaiiana/Surf feel, but has been deepening its tiki roots over the years, most notably with the addition of their Tiki Room. Carved masks and trim details by the artist Bosko are throughout the restaurant, and a very large Tiki Tony carving shares the space with much bamboo and Leeteg reproductions. The restaurant is enormously popular with locals, and has a very cozy, intimate feel. Traditional drinks include a proper Mai Tai, and Hula's has their own branded glassware and their own branded tiki mugs available (call ahead to make sure they are in stock).

In 2006, a second location opened up the coast in Santa Cruz. Then, Hula's Modern Tiki opened in Phoenix (2009-2018) followed by Hula's Modern locations in Scottsdale (2014) and High Street (2020). The first Hula's Modern Tiki in Phoenix re-located on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 to a new location on Seventh Street north of Camelback Road, less than a mile away from the original.

This used to be Samoa Hut.

The Harbor Hut has been family owned and operated since 1951.

There is also a fish and chips take-out building on the property called "The Li'l Hut".

Their original outdoor tikis have deteriorated and they have replaced some of them with more modern carvings. One old standing rootball headed tiki has lost his body and just the head remains if you compare earlier to later photos below...

Opened 1963 and closed in 1980.

The Beachcomber was a Canadian chain of elaborate Polynesian restaurants in the same vein as other popular chains like Kon-Tiki, Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's. Other restaurants in the chain were located in Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria and Winnipeg.

The Beachcomber reportedly was owned by Zane Feldman, the original owner of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team.

It was razed in 1980, an office building now stands in its place.

Opened in 2003.

The Conga Lounge, situated above Cafe Rustica, was a small oasis. The cozy space was decorated with a variety of tropical trappings, but not exclusively Polynesian Pop. Co-owned by the same brothers who own Forbidden Island in Alameda, this was where they first cut their tiki bar teeth. The soundtrack included Exotica, and there was a small menu of food available. The Conga Lounge was also available for private party rentals.

Conga Lounge (and Cafe Rustica) closed at the end of February 2015.

The Islands Restaurant was situated in the former Hanalei Hotel, now called the Crowne Plaza. This once-elaborate mid-century Polynesian restaurant was designed by George Nakashima along with Hendrick & Mock Architects, starting in 1964. It had an A-frame entrance from the hotel's courtyard, elaborate water features and lush surrounding landscaping, and was thoroughly and richly decorated inside. The restaurant featured lovely carved railings throughout, large glass float lights, and dramatic clam shell fountains. Some of the tikis here were salvaged from Steve Crane's Luau in Beverly Hills.

Over the years, remodels of the restaurant (and surrounding hotel) gradually stripped the restaurant of its defining features. In November 2006, a six-month renovation of the restaurant began, which removed many of the waterfalls, fountains and other water features, along with nearly all of the tiki artifacts. The end result was a fairly generic hotel restaurant, though some decor in the hallway outside remained intact for some time after.

In the beginning of the Covid pandemic the hotel was contracted by the city to house homeless Covid victims and this restaurant was closed since @2020 to the public. Fences and security were put up and those not registered to stay were turned away. Then, another remodeling was completed and the hotel opened back up in 2024 to show that all traces of Tiki decor had been removed from the premises, save some lava rock on some of the walls and some tiki railings.

So, although you can visit the hotel now, as of 2024, it is essentially finished as a tiki point of interest, save for the memories.

The Crowne Plaza, originally the Hanalei Hotel (built in 1959), was host to Islands Restaurant and Islands Sushi and Pupu Bar.

The hotel became part of the the Crowne Plaza chain, and was later formally called the Crowne Plaza San Diego. Before becoming a Crowne Plaza hotel, it was a Red Lion hotel, and before that it was a Best Western. The sign for the Hanalei used to be a fantastic example of Googie signage, but tragically, it was replaced with an exceedingly bland sign when "updated" by Best Western. The "Hanalei" name was dropped entirely from use when it became the Crowne Plaza in 2007.

For many years, the Crowne Plaza was able to retain a little bit of its Polynesian feel, including tikis salvaged from Steve Crane's Luau in Beverly Hills. It is a large hotel, and the remaining tiki touches were more scattered than immersive.

In late 2006, the Islands Restaurant was gutted for "renovation", and the amount of tiki to be found here dwindled to near nothingness by 2024.

*This site was a host of the ever-growing Tiki Oasis event (2006-2019) before it moved and was held at San Diego's Paradise Point (2020) and later re-located to San Diego's Town and Country in 2021. From 2001 to 2005 Tiki Oasis was held at the Caliente Tropics in Palm Springs.

In the beginning of the Covid pandemic the hotel was contracted by the city to house homeless Covid victims (and then later, apparently immigrants) and this restaurant was closed since @2020 to the public. Fences and security were put up and those not registered to stay were turned away. Then, another remodeling was completed and the hotel opened back up in 2024 to show that nearly all traces of Tiki decor had been removed from the premises, save some lava rock on some of the walls and some tiki railings.

So, although you can visit the hotel now, as of 2024, it is essentially finished as a tiki point of interest, save for the memories.

*NOTE: House of Buzz (Buzzy Meeker) was able to salvage much of the removed decor and tikis. He sold them through direct sales and through an auction, complete with auction catalog. The catalog could be purchased through his Etsy store.