The Waikikian Hotel, right on the beach & lagoon at Waikiki, was a long-time touristy institution on Oahu. The Waikikian housed the Tahitian Lanai restaurant and Papeete Bar; all three opened in 1956.

The hotel is instantly recognized by its unusual lobby, a dramatically stylized A-frame fashioned from a massive hyperbolic paraboloid, designed by architect Pete Wimberley. Much of the decorative carving and other touches were from Edward Brownlee. The grounds also included tiki-spotted gardens, and the lobby housed a gallery of black velvet Leeteg paintings.

The Waikikian closed in 1996; in December 2008, a 38-story timeshare opened in its place as part of the nearby Hilton Hawaiian Village complex. The new tower is called the "Grand Waikikian."

In 1928 the Kona Inn was built by the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company. This venture was considered to be a pioneering effort in the neighbor island hotel industry. Previous to the Kona Inn, the passengers aboard the company steamers had only haphazard room arrangements at outlying stops.

The rambling 2-story Hawaiian structure, carefully designed to blend with the Palm fringed Kona shore, found its 20 rooms booked solidly for months in advance. The Kona Inn became Hawaii’s favorite refuge for kamaainas as well as the world traveler. The new hostelry was responsible for the popularity of the colorful Kona Coast.

The Inn was also instrumental in developing the Kona Coast as one of the world's greatest fishing areas. With the Inn as unofficial billfish tournament headquarters, the place attracted marlin fishermen from all over the globe.

It was a celebrity hideaway in the 40s and 50s.

Although the hotel has been closed now for well over 30 years. The hotel's restaurant of the same name is still open (as of 2021) and a great place to sit and watch the sunset. The shopping area of the hotel is also open. The hotel rooms are used for storage and offices.

*NOTE: Cocktail menu is current as of 2024.

Formerly Don the Beachcomber's.

Duke Kahanamoku's restaurant opened on September 1, 1961 with none-other-than Donn Beach handing over the keys to the Hawaiian surfing legend.

The restaurant hosted many regular musical acts, including Martin Denny and Don Ho.

*NOTE: Small standing menu below in last photo is signed by Zulu 5, the original Hawaii 5-O.

This location may be gone today, but currently, as of 2025, there is also a Duke's chain of restaurants that carry on this tradition with 3 locations in the Hawaiian Islands -- Waikiki, Maui, and Kauai. They also have 3 on the Mainland -- Huntington Beach, La Jolla, and Malibu.

This was the "Ward Avenue" Trader Vic's location in Honolulu.

"The Companies We Keep" by Bob Sigall , a history of Hawaiian companies, (and also confirmed by an article in the 1955 Honolulu Advertiser) states that this Hawaii location opened in December 18th, 1940. Four months later, Victor Bergeron sold his interest to the co-owner, Granville "Granny" Abbott.

Note the giant rusty anchor in front of the building both in photos and on the menu cover art. A pre-statehood drink menu is shown below...

There was another Trader Vic's location in Hawaii, at the International Market Place in Waikiki that opened later in 1967.

Ernest Beaumont-Gantt, who legally changed his name to "Donn Beach," opened this Waikiki version of his popular stateside restaurant chain in 1947 on Kalakaua Avenue after finishing his service in WWII. All other mainland Don the Beachcomber locations were actually owned by his ex-wife and business partner Sunny Lund, but this location was owned by Beach.

The designer, Paul Wimberly, built three main grass huts for Don, including The Crossroads Bazaar, The High Talking Chief's Hut, and The Tahitian Dining Hut -- all centered around the Queen's Royal Gardens.

This was across from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

This first Hawaii incarnation lasted 10 years which is how long his original lease was for.

Don the Beachcomber moved to the International Market Place, a short distance away, after it was built sometime in 1957, and this was on a new lease of 17 acres.

Duke Kahanamoku's moved into the Don The Beachcomber building at the International Marketplace at some point and Don moved to another nearby location (circa 1971), although this final location was named The Colonel's Plantation Beefsteak and Coffee House. This location burned in a fire in 1966, due to outdated and faulty wiring.

Opened in 1967.

This was the International Market Place Trader Vic's. There was another Trader Vic's in Hawaii prior to this, on Ward Avenue in Honolulu.

La Mariana Sailing Club is the last remaining bastion of true original Polynesian Pop in Hawaii. It opened in 1955, and over the years, it has become a sort of museum of Waikiki's tiki past: the tikis here came out of the Kon-Tiki in the Sheraton-Waikiki, lamps came from the Trader Vic's, and tables and chairs came from Don the Beachcomber. Original owner Annette La Mariana Nahinu ran the operation until her death in 2008. La Mariana features a lively piano bar, and guests can join in on the singing.

La Mariana's original location was 50 yards from its current location; it moved in 1973. There is an 80-boat slip attached to the restaurant which sits on Ke'ehi Lagoon.

After a 2-year-long shuttering because of COVID, La Mariana re-opened on May 31st, 2022. During the shutdowns, Gecko made many renovations and they did much to the front of the house and bar, including the addition of a new point-of-sale system. This was a soft re-open with many ongoing renovations still taking place, especially in back of house.

The Inter-Island Resorts' Kauai Surf Hotel - at Kalapaki Beach - Kauai opened on July 1st, 1960.

Kauai Surf is still with us, in another incarnation and after all these decades, it is still one of the most popular Hawaiian destinations. It was bought by Westin in 1985, completely overhauled (to the tune of $22 million) and reopened in 1987 as the Kauai Westin. Out went the tikis and in came an over the top pan-Asian motif! They added dozens of Asian statues, some small, some huge, still scattered across the hotel's incredible 51 acres. What was the Kauai Surf's pond and gardens, became the Westin's swimming pool, the biggest in the state, measuring 26,000 square feet of water surface and 210 feet in diameter. Barely out of debt, the hotel was devastated by Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and stood vacant until 1995, when the property was purchased by Marriott.

It then became the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club. Remodeled yet again, Marriott replaced most of the Westin's Asian art with Hawaiian art. As mentioned above, many of the Asian statues still remain. But the overall decor is now Polynesian. Throughout the hotel's common areas are dozens of exhibits of shark-tooth weapons, hula instruments and drums and Kapa cloth (a couple of pieces dating back to the 18th century) and all the art is of pre-colonized Hawaii. Bright tropical patterns characterize the newly reupholstered restaurant and lobby furniture. The new lobby area rugs also have tropical themed patterns. Overall you will definitely feel that you are in a Hawaiian resort.

The mid-century furniture and swings are gone, and most of the original Tikis are history, except for 3 carvings on the beach, but the rooms still look basically the same.

The Planter's Lounge is now Duke's Canoe Club, the main restaurant and bar at the resort.

Throughout these remodels, they never tore down or altered the basic structure of the original Kauai Surf. A new tower has been added, flanking the pool, but the original towers still remain, seemingly untouched!

The hotel with which Marriott's Kauai Beach Club shares a campus has changed management and been re-branded as the Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort Lihue Hotel effective March 24, 2021.

This is the first Tropics restaurant opened by Peaches & Tony Guerrero. They also operated The Tropics at Ala Moana.

Tony Guerrero was an "Island Boy". In the 1930's he went to Hollywood and acted in several movies. While there he meet the beautiful Peaches Jackson, who was pursuing her career in the movies. Tony co-owned his first bar/restaurant, the Hawaiian Hut, in Hollywood. When he sold it they moved to Hawaii. In 1940 they bought a waffle place and made it into the first Tropics restaurant (at Waikiki).

It was situated opposite the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

The Tropics at Waikiki flourished and became an institution for visiting Hollywood stars to hang out at. It was eventually renamed "The World Famous Tropics at Waikiki".

This grand pre-tiki establishment was decorated with tons of bamboo, thatch, greenery, and art -- including an Edgar Leeteg black velvet painting (as can be seen in postcard photos -- see background image and below).

Local legend also states that the first ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) agreement for sugar workers was signed by flashlight at night on top of a garbage can in the alley in back of the Waikiki Tropics.

In 1952, Peaches and Tony went to Paris to study at the Cordon Bleu, opening a second restaurant upon their return to Hawaii, the Tropics Ala Moana. This restaurant was as successful as the Tropics and the special house dressing became so much in demand that it was eventually bottled and to this day, Tropics Salad Dressings are popular on the West Coast and of course, in Hawaii, where they are made.

Dates are unsure for the close of The Tropics at Waikiki (still in business as late as 1955) but it became the Royal Lanai by the early 1960s.

The Tropics Ala Moana closed in 1958.

Tony died in 1985 and Peaches in 2002.

This is the second Tropics restaurant opened by Peaches & Tony Guerrero. They also operated The Tropics at Waikiki.

Tony Guerrero was an "Island Boy". In the 1930's he went to Hollywood and acted in several movies. While there he meet the beautiful Peaches Jackson, who was pursuing her career in the movies. Tony co-owned his first bar/restaurant, the Hawaiian Hut, in Hollywood. When he sold it they moved to Hawaii. In 1940 they bought a waffle place and made it into the first Tropics restaurant (at Waikiki).

It was situated opposite the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

The Tropics at Waikiki flourished and became an institution for visiting Hollywood stars to hang out at. It was eventually renamed "The World Famous Tropics at Waikiki".

In 1952, Peaches and Tony went to Paris to study at the Cordon Bleu, opening this second restaurant upon their return to Hawaii, the Tropics Ala Moana. This restaurant was as successful as the Tropics and the special house dressing became so much in demand that it was eventually bottled and to this day, Tropics Salad Dressings are popular on the West Coast and of course, in Hawaii, where they are made.

Dates are unsure for the close of The Tropics at Waikiki (still in business as late as 1955) but it became the Royal Lanai by the early 1960s.

This Ala Moana location existed until 1958 when the property was bulldozed to make room for the Ala Moana Shopping Center.

Why the Ala Moana location chose a wolf in an Aloha print cabana set as their mascot is unknown, but it was undoubtedly some sort of inside joke. This was, after all, pre-tiki times and the tiki iconography had not caught hold as the default for most mascots and advertising.

Tony died in 1985 and Peaches in 2002.

Opened @2022.

This bar & restaurant is more tropical/Hawaiian styled and less classic Tiki.

However, they do serve a rotating list of tropical cocktails, including the Blue Hawaiian and Mauna Mama (coconut, pineapple, and orange). Some cocktails are served in Tiki mugs.

They are also famous for their pizza burgers, which are enclosed in pizza dough like calzones.

Bali-Hai was one of the original classic Spanish "Hawaiian" bars. Opened @ 1960s.

According to reports, it was huge -- the biggest in Spain ever!

Photos below show dilapidated exterior sign years after close and a rare interior shot with a Spanish rendition of Mr. Bali Hai (with bone through nose) hanging from the ceiling.