Opened in 1958 by Pat Gilmore, the Islander Lounge is the oldest continuously open beach bar from Destin, Florida to Orange Beach, Alabama along that 70+ miles of Gulf coastline.

To put that in perspective, it was opened the same year as the Tonga Hut in North Hollywood, California.

The Islander has expanded over the years. A game room area with its own bar was built years ago to adjoin the main bar. The club added an upstairs bar, the Cypress Bar, long ago, which is used for private parties and charity events, and open to the public on weekends. It leads out to an outside deck that looks south toward the Gulf of Mexico.

However, the striking remodeling from an immaculate 1950s Polynesian themed bamboo bar to a generically decorated neighborhood dive bar is disheartening for purist tikiphiles to look at. The gray walls and floor, not to mention the blaring televisions and signs for lotto and whiskey -- make it tough to spot any semblance of the former Polynesian theme.

Despite this, the bar is a survivor and still sports a few more modern tikis at the entrance and the upstairs deck. It is also much beloved by locals and doesn't need approval from outsiders who might disapprove of its decor.

The Tonga Hut in North Hollywood also saw a slide into generic dive bar status for several years, though, before being updated and refreshed. So, too, did the Bahi Hut in Sarasota, Florida. Perhaps the Islander Lounge also has a tiki remodel in its future?

In Hawaiian, Ala Moana means "path to the sea" and this hotel is exactly that -- a resort located only a block away from the beach and the beginning of the Wildwood, New Jersey boardwalk.

It is known for its vintage moai neon light with flaming tiki torches.

This hotel and several others along Wildwood Crest are 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.

Built in 1977. The Polizzes took over the Ala Moana in 1999 by redesigning the interior and exterior of the motel. 18 winters were spent refurbishing the Ala Moana Motel to the modernized resort it is now.

At this same time, the Polizzes bought four adjacent houses to expand the Ala Moana Motel Resort. The four houses were turned into suites and special motel selections known as the Ala Moana Tiki House, the Quiet Cottage, the Beach House and the Coconut House.

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.

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.

Opened June 1975 (the hotel opened the year before).

This Kona Kai was part of a chain of restaurants that included locations in Chicago and Philadelphia. This location was the second to be built in Kansas City and was at the Plaza International (later the Hilton Kansas City Airport Hotel).

The second Kona Kai location was at the Plaza Inn just a block away from The Castaways.

Both Kansas City locations closed in the 80s and both locations featured "signature" 8-foot tall tikis carved by Oceanic Arts in Whittier, California (the tiki at this location has somewhat smaller nostrils -- a shorthand to tell them apart -- see last photo below). These tikis now reside in a private collection.

The Hilton Kansas City Airport Hotel is still running but all traces of the Kona Kai appear to have been removed. Instead, they now have the Asado Urban Grill as their hotel restaurant.

The Tahiti Motel was opened in 1963. Its original owner was Robert Gerhardt Jr.

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.

The Tahiti Motel was demolished in December of 2004.

It appears the letters of its sign were saved and displayed (at least at some point) at the nearby Tangiers Hotel which is also from the same era and has an A-frame out front that used to be a coffee shop but is now their office.

Kahala Koa opened in August 2020 and is located in Arlington Heights (Prospect Heights), about 27 miles (1 hour) from Chicago.

Located in what used to be Secret Garden, next to a Thornton's 24-hour gas station.

They are a family owned and operated pizza place (Lola's Pizza Palace) that developed a love for tiki and made a delightful transformation.

You can sip your tropical cocktails underneath the giant outrigger (originally from Chicago’s Kona Kai, relocated to California when they closed, and now recently returned) while enjoying some thin crust.

Opened January 2018.

“Tiki’s all about escapism,” says owner and general manager Christopher Straub. “We really want people to feel like, when they come in the door, this is a portal to a new world.”

Inside the dining room, there are bright blue vinyl-seated rattan bar stools and orange-tufted vinyl banquettes, hand-painted scenes by Boston artist Joanna Ciampa, tiki masks on the walls, and a wall of scallop shells—culled by Straub’s mother in Chatham—near the restrooms.

One lounge area features several Design Toscano tiki head tables (one of which is a design based on the signature tiki from the Crown Plaza/Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, California).

The kitchen serves Polynesian-inspired food like sushi, Crab Rangoon, and barbecue skewers, with classic and proprietary tiki cocktails made with fresh juices, homemade syrups and eccentric garnishes.

Live music acts play here on occasion.

The Shameful Tiki Room opened on November 17, 2015, and is in the Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto. It is the sister location of The Shameful Tiki Room in Vancouver, B.C., which opened in 2013. Both locations are owned by Rod Moore.

The bar has a capacity of 70 people, and has a semi-secluded raised "Christian's Hut" area, in tribute to the historic Christian's Hut in Southern California in the 1930s. Classic exotic cocktails and pu-pu platter items are available, prepared and presented in the traditional style. The soundtrack is a mix of Exotica and surf.

*NOTE: On April 25th, 2025 The Shameful Tiki Room announced through social media that they will be changing locations. Their final night at 1378 Queen Street West will be May 27th, 2025. They will be reopening just down the road at 777 Queen Street West on June 9th, 2025!

This Kona Kai was part of a chain of restaurants that included locations in Chicago and Philadelphia. This location was at the Plaza Inn (later the Hilton Plaza Inn), just a block from The Castaways.

There was also a second Kona Kai location at the Plaza Inn International by the airport that opened in June 1975 -- now the Hilton Kansas City Airport Hotel.

Both Kansas City locations closed in the 80s and both locations featured "signature" 8-foot tall tikis carved by Oceanic Arts in Whittier, California (the tiki at this location has somewhat wider nostrils -- a shorthand to tell them apart -- see last photo below). These tikis now reside in a private collection.

Most recently, this location had been the Holiday Inn Country Club Plaza Hotel, but it was bought and scheduled for demolition in late 2020.

Opened July 13th, 1961.

This was the flagship restaurant in a chain of Kona Kai restaurants, with locations in Chicago and Kansas City. It was in the City Line Marriott, at the start of the "Golden Mile" of hotels in Bala Cynwyd.

Created in a ‘not to be outdone’ competition between the titan hotel empires, Marriott commissioned this as the jewel in an elaborate chain of its own Polynesian themed restaurants. As a shot across the bow to Hilton’s Trader Vic’s and Sheraton’s Kon Tiki, The Kona Kai was arguably the most obscenely extravagant of the challengers on the field. No expense was spared and rather than utilize stock or simply procured décor for its outfitting, practically every decorative element of the Philly location was custom designed and created. Wall treatments, tropical carpeting and signature figural Tiki carvings were all fashioned from tailor-made blueprints furnished by the prolific architects.

The Kona Kai Frigate Bird from the front roofline was carved by Southern California tiki artist Jim Casey. Jim’s work is quite recognizable and can be seen in other venues such as Aloha Jhoe’s and Pacific Ocean Park. Aloha Jhoe's had a very similar frigate bird in front of their restaurant.

The hotel closed in 1985 and was demolished. However, many of the carvings were saved and ended up in the collection of Jordan Reichek. Jordan later put up these pieces for auction at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, CA in 2017 where they were purchased by Mark Sellers, the owner of Max's South Seas Hideaway in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and incorporated into that bar and restaurant where they can still be viewed in all their tiki glory.

Zombie Hut opened in Brooklyn in 2002.

It is a small neighborhood bar with tiki-lite decor, very dim lighting and an outdoor patio.

Among other decorations, they have an interior mural of the menu cover art from the now long-closed Zombie Village in Oakland, California.

They also have a selection of board games.

The bar is particularly well-known for serving strong, cheap tropical drinks. Lots of frozen slushy drinks, but they also do flaming scorpion bowls and other cocktails as well. Cash only.