Tiki Bars
Kona Kai Motel - Wildwood Crest
Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1962 by Manuel Santos. Designed and built by Lou Morey.
This motel had a wonderful lava rock wall front entrance with neon signs and tiki torches.
It was commonly referred to as being a part of the Doo Wop style of architecture, named after the popular music of its time, but this style is also referred to as Googie architecture in California and other parts of the country.
Before closing in the early 2000s, the owners appeared to be trying to restore things back to their original 1960s look.
Demolished in January of 2006.
Ala Kai Motel
Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, United States
The Ala Kai Motel was opened in 1963. Its original owners were Kurt and Gertrude Burghold.
It is commonly referred to as being a part of the Doo Wop style of architecture, named after the popular music of its time, but this style is also referred to as Googie architecture in California and other parts of the country.
It still has its cool neon sign with a surfing hula girl and the basic structure is the same. Fake full-size palm trees adorn the exterior. It also has a large pool.
However, other than these details, it is a basic family-style motel.
Tiki Docks - Riverview
Riverview, Florida, United States
Opened September 10, 2020.
There are 2 Tiki Docks locations -- this one in Riverview and another one in St. Petersburg, Florida. Both locations have indoor and outdoor waterfront dining.
The Riverview location is 15,000 square feet and has tiki murals on the exterior. The interior is a huge open space with blue painted support beams and blue floors, a large central bar with lots of televisions stacked upwards, and several Bosko carved masks behind the host area in front. The bathroom hall features a mural of an octopus that extends into both the men's and women's restrooms.
Orchid Island Hotel
Hilo, Hawaii, United States (Closed)
Built in 1967 at the site of the Legionnaire Clubhouse.
The hotel itself was a standard multi-story structure, but with the addition of an ornamental 6 story A-frame entrance and huge standing tiki next to it out front.
Inside was The Monkey Bar. Live monkeys were in a large cage behind the bar with a glass window.
Ownership changed hands a couple of times, and then the hotel went out of business and finally closed in 1977.
The building burned in 1986, and the lot was cleared.
The property is now part of Reed’s Bay Beach Park.
Undertow - at The Century Grand
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Previously at Sip Coffee & Beer Garage next door, Undertow closed their first location in December 2020 and re-opened in this larger location at The Century Grand in March 2021.
This larger space allowed Undertow to enhance the experience by adding more audio and visual effects, decorations, and a little bit more seating.
They've added six more seats to the bar, a second six-person booth, an additional two-person table, more portholes, and cinema-quality sound.
Some of the newest decorations include a new hand-carved bar by Tiki Diablo (Danny Gallardo) and "Emily," a real figurehead that was salvaged from the bow of a ship
As of October 11th, 2022, there is also a sister location in in Gilbert, Arizona.
House of Ming
Madrid, Spain (Closed)
House of Ming was a much venerated tiki bar and Chinese style restaurant located in Madrid, Spain. It opened around 1965 and is said by many to be the first tiki bar in Spain.
Some of the oft touted perks of visiting House of Ming were its: -Uninterrupted Hawaiian music -Tapa cloth from floor to ceiling -Incredible index of tikis per square meter -Drinks served in custom OMC vintage mugs -Waiter with jacket -Absence of TV
Closed in September of 2007.
Apparently the owners had three separate Chinese restaurants at one time, including one called China Doll.
Jungleland - at Storytown USA
Queensbury, New York, United States (Closed)
In 1954, Charles Wood invested $75,000 on five acres on the east side of U.S. 9 between Lake George and Glens Falls, launching Storytown, U.S.A., an amusement park themed by the Mother Goose rhymes. It closed in 1983 and is presently known as Six Flags Great Escape.
Jungleland was a walkthrough attraction at Storyland that was supposed to show the African jungle complete with animals, warriors, chiefs and temples. They incorporated South Pacific Style huts, bamboo fencing, and Witco carvings into their front entrance.
As the years went by other attractions were added.
Some of the exhibits would be considered politically incorrect by today's (or any) standards -- like the white explorer being cooked in a cast iron pot by caricatured African natives.
Eventually through multiple remodels, neglect, and a change in ownership, the attraction was in need of a major overhaul.
Eventually, Six Flags Great Escape took over and turned Jungleland into “Elmer Fudd’s Rabbit Seasoning”. A revamp to make Jungle Land fit into the Looney Tunes National Park children’s area. There is very little little left that resembles the old Jungleland.
Tanela Restaurant & Lounge
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, United States (Closed)
For a number of years during the mid-1970s, the Tanela Restaurant was a fairly popular location for local people to get some Polynesian cuisine.
The Tanela was known for its large Moai statue and Polynesian-themed décor on the outside of the building. The business added several motel-like apartments at the rear of the property, but soon fell on hard times, the restaurant closing down, but the motel units remaining in operation.
During the early 2000s, an attempt was made to revive the location, and it re-opened as a heavy metal-type venue called “Trance Buddha.” That didn’t work out either, and soon closed. Within a few more years, the apartments were closed.
The building, along with the large Moai statue, remains intact at the Rt.e 20 location, although they are deteriorating. The property appears to be abandoned.
Toltec Tiki Room - in the Toltec Building
El Paso, Texas, United States (Closed)
Noelle Coley and Martin Armendariz opened the Toltec Tiki Room inside the Toltec building in December 2020 and it quickly become a staple in the property’s revival.
The Toltec Building is a historic structure in downtown El Paso built in 1910. Its original purpose was to be the home of a men's organization called the Toltec Club, which was founded in 1908. Members of the club were prominent business, civic and political leaders at the time. British-born architect John J. Huddart designed the building in a combination of the Beaux-Arts, Renaissance, and Sullivanesque (named after American architect Louis Henry Sullivan) styles. As such, the Toltec Building is one of the more unique landmarks in El Paso. Notable features include arched windows, geometric terra cotta decoration, and balconies in front of the second-floor windows. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, it has been used for office and commercial space since the club closed in 1930.
The bar added to an existing Peking restaurant that is open for lunch during the week and a passport business.
*NOTE: December 24th, 2022 marked the end of this bar at the Toltec Building location.
Their social media announced a grand opening at their new space at 115 Durango St D, El Paso, TX 79901 in Union Plaza for January 2023 with "Toltec" dropped from the name.
Trader Hall's Hawaiian Village
Heeia, Hawaii, United States (Closed)
This store in Heeia, Oahu, Hawaii flourished in the 1950s and 60s.
It was located across the Pali from downtown Honolulu at Kealohi Point, Heeia...a short distance beyond Kaneohe Town.
Here one could purchase gifts, jewelry, and curios, including koa wood bowls and other serving items.
It was also a photo opportunity and many people posed outside in front of the store next to the large tiki and outrigger canoe.
Hugman's Oasis
San Antonio, Texas, United States
Hugman's Oasis and House of Má, the new tiki bar and restaurant concepts from Esquire Tavern owner Chris Hill, opened in April 2021 in downtown San Antonio's Historic Witte Building.
Named for Robert H. H. Hugman, the architect responsible for the creation of San Antonio's River Walk, the bar occupies the building's river level. The restaurant, focused on Vietnamese homestyle cooking, is located at street level.
Bamboo Ben did the build-out on Hugman's Oasis, which features glass floats, bamboo trim, black lava, neon lit fountains, a ton of skulls (including skull chandeliers!) and a wall of hand-carved and painted tiki panels similar to the ones installed by Bosko at False Idol in San Diego.
Hugman's bar menu features drinks such as the Bermuda Triangle, a tropical rum-based sipper, and a Piñagroni, a pineapple take on a traditional Negroni. House of Má features separate libations including the Old Siam and Soi Cowboy.
The Tropics - at the Hotel Phillips
Kansas City, Missouri, United States (Closed)
The Tropics Lounge was a pre-tiki establishment opened sometime during World War II and was located on the third floor (they counted the basement level as #1, so the third floor today is more like the second floor or mezzanine level).
Here's a quote from the hotel's history flyer:
"After dinner, the gentlemen would retire to the third floor to the popular lounge called the Tropics. The sound of thunder was piped in and the lights fluttered and went out. A mechanical hula girl would emerge from behind the bar and dance in a grass skirt while it rained behind the bar."
Although the hotel is still running, it has undergone many remodels and it is difficult to see any sign of where the bar once was.