Hawaiian Punch Village at SeaWorld, from the collection of matterhorn1959

Hawaiian Punch Village was an area tucked into the back of SeaWorld in San Diego — SeaWorld used to have lots of Polynesian theming, but it’s sadly gone now. (One of SeaWorld’s creators, George Millay, also owned The Reef, a Polynesian restaurant in Long Beach.)

Matterhorn1959 has posted several tropical pictures from SeaWorld on his Stuff from the Park blog, including this picture of an unusually snazzy fellow at the Hawaiian Punch Village entrance. Even his pants look punchy. Aside from his spectacular pants (if you need another moment to revel in his polyester pant fantasia, go ahead, I’ll be right here…)… aside from that, it’s a great shot of the shields & poles that decorated the entrance.

Here’s another picture, with Hawaiian Punch Village visible in the background:

Hawaiian Punch Village at SeaWorld, from the collection of matterhorn1959

• Sea World 1973 [Stuff from the Park]
• The Reef, Long Beach [Critiki]

Tiki Oasis 8

Robert Drasnin! Waitiki! I’m there!

Taking place once again at the former Hanalei Hotel (now the snoozetastically-named Crowne Plaza), with a special Thursday night meet-and-greet at the Bali Hai. There’s also burlesque & musicians & vendors & all the usual trappings, but of course it’s really all about the room parties. Though I am hoping I can manage to not be too hungover for the seminars…

August 14-17, San Diego… way too many details to go into here… just go over to the Tiki Oasis website & buy your tickets already!

• Tiki Oasis
• Crowne Plaza, San Diego [Critiki]
• Bali Hai Restaurant, San Diego [Critiki]
• TIKI OASIS 2008 Aug 14-17 Voodoo Zombie Island [Tiki Central]
• Tiki Oasis Room Crawl… It’s on!… UPDATED List Pg. 1 [Tiki Central]

Tiki Farm’s annual parking lot sale is coming up this weekend, on Saturday, April 14, from 9am-3pm. It all goes down in the parking lot at Tiki Farm’s HQ in San Clemente, and it’s a great way to see where the magic happens, and also take home some great tiki mug deals. In addition to special Tiki Farm deals, there will be a couple dozen tiki-centric vendors, including Bamboo Ben, Crazy Al, Velvet Glass, BarTiki, Ken Ruzic, Chongolio, Tiki Magazine, Monkeyman and Doug Horne. Many of the vendors have posted examples of what they’ll be bringing on Tiki Central, and it’s a pretty impressive lineup of goods. The event also includes a free concert by the Glasgow Tiki Shakers. Be sure to get there early and get the best deals!

Saturday, April 14, 9am-3pm
Free admission
1305 Calle Avanzado
San Clemente
Call (949) 940-1006 for more info

• Tiki Farm’s Parking Lot Sale this Saturday - HUGE!!! [Tiki Central]
• Tiki Farm

Tiki Oasis 7

Tiki Oasis tickets are now on sale! This year, Tiki Oasis will be bigger and better than ever — the entire Hanalei Hotel has been booked for the event (that means room parties are a big go!). Speaking of go — that’s the theme this year (beyond tiki, of course) — Otto von Stroheim is combining his love of tiki with his wife Baby Doe’s love of go-go dancing. The event is a mixture of tiki, go-go and burlesque, with performances by the Blue Hawaiians, the Tiki Tones, the Martini Kings, LA dance mainstays Satisfaction and Bardot-a-Go-Go, and Baby Doe’s own Devilettes. It’s a jam-packed weekend, for full details and to purchase tickets, visit the Tiki Oasis website.

• Tiki Oasis
• Tiki Oasis 2007 Announced [Humu Kon Tiki]

The new Islands Restaurant, photo by bamalamalu

Not that anyone’s hopes were high, but it’s still crushing to see… above is a photo of the newly renovated Islands Restaurant in San Diego, taken by bamalamalu and posted to Tiki Central yesterday. Blech! It doesn’t even look like a restaurant any more, it looks like a hospital waiting room.

• Is the Islands Restaurant/Hanalei Hotel being gutted? [Tiki Central]
• The Islands Restaurant, San Diego [Critiki]
• Islands Update: Here Come the Jackhammers [Humu Kon Tiki]

Chongolio has created this great little video clip of the Islands Restaurant in San Diego, using footage he took at last year’s Tiki Oasis. It includes a nice, lingering pan shot of the clamshell fountain that was demolished last week (you can see heartbreaking before & after pictures on Joel Delano’s blog).

• Hanalei Hotel Waterfall [Barefoot Bloggin']
• Compare and Contrast [ ...Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax... of Cabbages and Kings...]
• Islands Update: Here Come the Jackhammers [Humu Kon Tiki]

A weekly review of my favorite among the many items Mimi Payne has posted to her Arkiva Tropika website in the past seven days:

Trader Vic’s Trading License, from Arkiva Tropika

This is a souvenir Trading License, given to customers in the ’40s at Trader Vic’s, granting the recipient “trading privileges.” This one was granted in 1945 to a couple after having dinner & a scorpion at the Oakland location.

Detail of a menu from the Islander in Stockton, from Arkiva Tropika

This is a bit hard to make out here, but I love this bit from a menu from the Islander in Stockton. “The Gourmet Deluxe Dinner” (“For those discriminating people”) cost $4.75 per person, and was served with a bottle of Paul Masson Rose Wine. Also: “The Islander is available for private parties, fashion shows or any special activity.”

Menu from Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, from Arkiva Tropika

This 1952 dinner menu, from the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, is just dag-flippity gorgeous. The artwork and color palette look like they could have come straight from a vintage rayon aloha shirt. The Halekulani, and its famous House Without a Key restaurant & bar, are still operating today.

’60s or ’70s postcard from the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, from Arkiva Tropika

With the sad news about the remodeling of the Islands Restaurant at San Diego’s Hanalei Hotel this week, Mimi pulled out a lot of great Hanalei & Islands items from her collection. Above is a great postcard from the ’60s or ’70s, showing how the front of the hotel used to look, including its famous sign, which was sadly removed a few years back.

’60s brochure for the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, from Arkiva Tropika

This brochure from the 1960s has lots of full-color pictures from the Hanalei’s heyday, inclulding views of the Islands Restaurant.

’60s postcard for the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, from Arkiva Tropika

Another postcard from the Hanalei has two different views of the Islands Restaurant.

Page from a ’60s cocktail menu from the Islands restaurant, from Arkiva Tropika

And this ’60s cocktail menu, from the early days of the Islands restaurant, features some fantastic illustrations of tropical cocktails.

’60s appetizer menu from Aku Aku in Las Vegas, from Arkiva Tropika

Another item inspired by a recent closing — this 1960s appetizer menu is from the Aku Aku in Las Vegas, which was part of the Stardust Casino for 20 years. Aku Aku closed in 1980, but the Stardust closed just last week.

’60s postcard from Trader Vic’s in Seattle, from Arkiva Tropika

This postcard shows the exterior entrance to the Trader Vic’s in Seattle, which was in the Benjamin Franklin Hotel (today it’s the Westin). The Seattle location was Vic’s second restaurant, after the original Oakland location; it was initially named the Outrigger, and was renamed Trader Vic’s later on to be consistent with the rest of the chain. This picture is from the 1960s. Trader Vic’s used birdcage lamps like these in several locations; when the Seattle Trader Vic’s closed in 1992, some of these lamps went to the then-new Crocodile Cafe a few blocks north, where they can still be seen today — perhaps even the lamps in this very postcard!

Gadzooks, Mimi went on a posting rampage this week! This is truly just a smidge of all the great things she posted — be sure to check it all out yourself at Arkiva Tropika.

• Arkiva Tropika
• souvenir certificate from Trader Vic’s - Oakland, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• Trader Vic’s, Oakland [Critiki]
• dinner & cocktail menu from Islander - Stockton, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• The Islander, Stockton [Critiki]
• dinner menu from Halekulani Hotel - Waikiki, Hawaii [Arkiva Tropika]
• Islands Update: Here Come the Jackhammers [Humu Kon Tiki]
• postcard from Hanalei Hotel - San Diego, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• Brochure from Hanalei Hotel - San Diego, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• postcard from Hanalei Hotel - San Diego, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• cocktail & appetizer menu from Islands- Hanalei Hotel, San Diego, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• Red Lion Hanalei Hotel, San Diego [Critiki]
• Islands Restaurant, San Diego [Critiki]
• appetizer menu from Aku Aku - Las Vegas, Nevada [Arkiva Tropika]
• Aku Aku, Las Vegas [Critiki]
• postcard from Trader Vic’s - Seattle, WA [Arkiva Tropika]
• Trader Vic’s, Seattle [Critiki]

Islands Restaurant after first day of renovation, photo by Mr. NoNaMe

The past day has brought a series of confirmations and more information about the remodeling of the Islands Restaurant and Hanalei Hotel in San Diego. Much of the information comes from an email from Otto von Stroheim’s Tiki News mailing list. Otto is the organizer of the Tiki Oasis event that will be at the Hanalei Hotel in August 2007. Otto was able to speak to the upper management of the hotel directly, so this information should be pretty solid. Much of the decisions around these changes, or the direction to make changes, came from the Red Lion corporate office the hotel’s owners (see update below).

Here’s a quick summary:

• The hotel’s name is changing. The new name is not known, but it will no longer have “Hanalei” in it. According to Otto, “This was mandated in order to raise the status of the property.”
• The Islands Restaurant “[is] going to be more TROPICAL than TIKI,” per the GM.
• The waterfalls and the waterway into the restaurant are being removed.
• The Dragon Room will be removed.
• The bamboo in the Islands is staying, the glass floats might stay, but all the other tiki decor in the restaurant is being removed. It’s not known yet what the fate of these items will be. There’s a chance the artifacts will be put on dispay for Tiki Oasis attendees, but this has not been worked out yet. The large outrigger sign is staying.
• On the first day of renovation, all of the artifacts in the Islands Restaurant have been removed and boxed up for storage.
• The Islands Restaurant’s monkeypod tables are staying, and $38,000 is being spent to refinish them.
• Some walls are being knocked down, and an outdoor patio is being added, to expand seating.
• Windows are being added to overlook the patio and pool.
• Food & drink menu will be unchanged. Tiki mugs will be used for serving.
• Carved railings removed from the Islands Restaurant will be relocated into the tropical, tikified Atrium area in the hotel tower.
• Landscaping is being enhanced with a $20,000 budget, and fresh palapas have been added.
• Room rates are increasing, but this won’t affect Tiki Oasis 2007, because Otto locked those rates in before these changes.

There have been discussions on Tiki Central about writing letters — while it’s never a bad idea to let these places know that you’re specifically patronizing them because of their tikiness, I must sadly say that I think this course is unchangeable. For one, it may just be too late — the restaurant has already been gutted, and jackhammers are scheduled to be there today, probably to rip out the water features. Another reason is that the Hanalei has over the years morphed into a conference hotel. They don’t flinch at individual people’s opinions, they focus on what helps them court large group reservations, and what those groups want is a larger restaurant. Writing to let the Hanalei know that you support their keeping the tiki they still have can’t hurt, though.

So essentially — the Islands will now be a more generic tropical restaurant, with some hints of what it once was, and probably still worth seeing. The hotel itself, while changing its name, will still have plenty of great tiki on-site in the Atrium, including the great artifacts from Stephen Crane’s Luau in Beverly Hills. The big question at this point is what will happen to all the items that have come out of the Islands Restaurant. I hope they find a way to keep them on-site and visible.

UPDATE: The Hanalei’s banquet manager, Joel Delano (whose blog was my tipoff that changes were afoot at the Islands) has chimed in with more info, in a comment on this post. The hotel is becoming part of the Crown Plaza chain of hotels, and will reportedly be renamed the “Crown Plaza San Diego.” He’s also posted another entry on his blog, giving a bit more info: he says the fountain pictured at the top of my last post is currently slated to stay, and that he thinks the glass floats that Otto was told would most likely stay may not stay after all.

• San Diego’s Islands Restaurant Renovation? [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Otto von Stroheim’s Tiki News
• San Diego: Tiki Oasis 2007 [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Is the Islands Restaurant/Hanalei Hotel being gutted? [Tiki Central]
• The Islands Restaurant, San Diego [Critiki]
• Red Lion Hanalei Hotel, San Diego [Critiki]

Fountain at the Islands Restaurant in the Hanalei Hotel, San Diego

Joel Reis reports on his blog that the Island Restaurant at the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego closed yesterday for some apparently drastic renovations. The Islands Restaurant has been at the Hanalei since it opened in 1966. The hotel was once a beautiful example of midcentury Polynesian Pop architecture and design, but sadly has been updated over the years to a bland cookie-cutter chain hotel (currently owned by Red Lion). The hotel has managed to keep a few wonderful pieces through these renovations, including several items that came out of the historic Luau in Beverly Hills when it closed.

Fountain at the Islands Restaurant
in the Hanalei Hotel, San Diego

While the Islands Restaurant has not emerged unscathed from these renovations, it has still retained enough of its decor to be a very worthwhile stop for the travelling tikiphile; indeed, the hotel was host to the annual Tiki Oasis event last year, and is scheduled to host the event again in 2007. It is one of the very few restaurants remaining in the world that give the feeling of stepping into the golden era of Tiki. It’s not yet clear what this latest renovation has in store for the Islands, but it sounds devastating.

From Joel Reis’ blog:

The Hanalei is undergoing extensive remodel in the next 6 months and the first stage is the remodel of the hotel’s signature restaurant. This waterfall is one of the victims of the remodel. It has been there for decades along with priceless tiki artifacts as well as Monkeypod tables (which is a now endangered wood native to the South Pacific). The tables are supposed to return, since they truly are priceless at this point, but the fate of many of the artifacts is in question. Most are supposed to return, maybe not to the restaurant, but around the property. But there has been rumour that they may not return and simply be liquidated at bulk to some collector.

The waterfalls mentioned in his blog are at the entrance to the restaurant, and can be seen in the pictures above, taken in 2004. They are dramatic and beautiful, and I simply cannot fathom why the hotel would want to remove them. This news is just crushing, and surprising, considering that the hotel has become host to one of the largest annual events for tikiphiles, drawing hundreds of people. A very strange and disconcerting development.

I’ve heard nothing about this beyond this one blog post, so I wouldn’t say it’s verified. Stay tuned for information as I learn more.

• Goodbye Islands as I Once Knew You [...Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax... of Cabbages and Kings...]
• The Islands Restaurant, San Diego [Critiki]
• Red Lion Hanalei Hotel, San Diego [Critiki]
• San Diego: Tiki Oasis 2007 [Humu Kon Tiki]

This short film is a documentary on Bosko Hrnjak, the famed San Diego tiki carver. He shares he goes about making his creations, how his interest in tiki was sparked, how it expanded over time, and toward the end of the film, he speaks eloquently about the importance of Tiki as a cultural art form. The 7-1/2 minute film was produced in 2001 by Paul Desjarlais, with music by Bosko’s wife, Truus De Groot.

• Bosko [YouTube]
• Tiki Bosko

Otto and Baby Doe von Stroheim have made a save-the-date announcement for 2007’s Tiki Oasis event, “Hawaii Au Go Go,” with the Blue Hawaiians as headliners. Like last year, it will be taking place at the Red Lion Hanalei in San Diego. However, the von Stroheims have a few changes in store:

Moving to August
In years past, Tiki Oasis has been held in May, which was lovely in Palm Springs, but a bit chilly for San Diego. The 7th Tiki Oasis will be held the weekend of August 16-19, 2007. The von Stroheims have orchestrated this with Tiki Kiliki, whose Hukilau event in Ft. Lauderdale has been happening in October; she has wanted to move it to the hurricane-free spring, so the next Hukilau event will happen in spring of 2007.

Room Parties Are A-Okay
After-hours room parties have been a huge part of the fun of Tiki Oasis. Some spontaneous, some intricately planned, the room parties are explosions of masterful mixology and musical mayhem, sometimes lasting until dawn. Sadly, the room parties at last year’s Oasis were largely a bust, as the hotel shut many of them down relatively early in the evening. This year, things should be different — because the von Stroheims were able to get an advance booking, and now have an established relationship with the Hanalei, the entire hotel will be booked out solely for Tiki Oasis. This is an improvement, even over the Palm Springs years — the Hanalei is a large hotel, and the neighboring properties aren’t near enough for the noise to travel that far.

Better Handle on Mug Sales
Last year’s sales of the Tiki Oasis mug left a lot of people feeling left out — not everyone was able to get a mug, despite spending a long time in line, while some of those at the front of the line were able to load up on them (there was a limit of two per person, but a family of four could purchase eight mugs). This year, mugs will be sold as a pre-purchase only to ticket holders, and they will manufacture enough mugs to meet demand. There will still be a small number of mugs available for purchase at the event.

• Tiki Oasis [Tiki News]
• The Hukilau

Tiki Oasis 6

Tickets for the sixth annual Tiki Oasis are now available for sale. This year’s event is taking place at the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, May 4-7. Here’s the current schedule of events:
______________________________

Thursday, May 4: Tiki Oasis Pre-Party
8 pm - 10pm
Free
Thursday night will kick off with a live performance by the Maikai Gents in the bar of the Islands restaurant at the Hanalei Hotel. Meet friends, make new friends, be the first one in the jacuzzi before the weekend starts.

Friday, May 5: Bali Hai party by the Bay
Doors 6:30 pm til last call
$18 (those 17 and under are free if accompanied by an adult)
Carpool or ride the double decker bus to Shelter Island for a post-dinner party by the bay. King Kukulele, DJ Phast Phreddie (Brooklyn), The Sand Devils, Ape, and a special surprise guest.

Saturday, May 6: The Magic of Tiki
Doors 6 pm, LIVE entertainment 6:30pm - 10pm, stay for after the show movie til midnight
$25 (those 17 and under are free if accompanied by an adult)
Experience the Magic of Tiki under the big tent at the Hanalei Hotel. Expect the finest in musical sets from Maikai Gents, King Kukulele, Ape, Shag with a Twist mini show, burlesque entertianment and across the desert sands of Nevada, live from Las Vegas, the only Tiki magician - James Dimmare. Stay for the late night movie after the show.

Saturday and Sunday, May 6 and 7: Tiki Shopping Bazaar
From 10 - 5 pm (open to the public)
Wander the Tiki bazaar in search of treasures. Kids can join King Kukulele’s Tiki tour of the Hanalei or adults can grab a drink and enjoy Otto’s “Sventiki Tour of Hanalei’s Tiki Atrium” (Times T.B.A.)

Sunday, May 7
Shop while listening to DJed tunes, check out the annual Uke Jam led by Uncle Judd of The Maikai Gents at noon and join Tiki Oasis attendees for a secret Sunday happy hour at 5:30 all FREE of charge and open to the public
_____________________________

I’m very excited about the Hanalei as the new venue — this hotel houses many tikis that came from the legendary Luau in Beverly Hills when it closed, and it has the very tiki Islands Restaurant on-site. Friday’s trip to Shelter Island and the Bali Hai is sure to be a crowd-pleasing highlight as well. This year, I’m honored to be lending a hand as the vendor coordinator — if the early vendor signups for the Tiki Shopping Bazaar are any indication, there’s going to be a knockout selection of great tiki stuff to drool over. The hotel and ticket purchases are happening all together on the Tiki Oasis website, so don’t try to book through the hotel.

Man, I’ve gotta start figuring out what I’m going to wear. See you in San Diego!

• Tiki Oasis

Tiki carved by ‘OnaTiki

San Diego tikiphile ‘OnaTiki shares a very impressive home tiki retreat (”bar” wouldn’t cover it) with his wife, Moki. ‘OnaTiki has applied his creative talents to a number of projects for their home, including many lamps of exactly the sort I mentioned earlier today. Tons of them — enough to stock a showroom, and all top-notch. He’s shared them, including some how-tos, in a Creating Tiki thread on Tiki Central. Other projects he has shared on his thread include trim pieces, flat panels, and palm-frond tikis. More recently he has thrown himself at carving tikis, with excellent early results. He had carved tikis before, but without proper tools, the projects were slow going; he recently invested in some new chisels, and he’s having a great time hacking away. Right now, he’s sharing progress photos on his latest carving project, an ornate log drum. Even only partway done, it’s looking like it will be a real showpiece. The drum is hollowed out, and he says it “sounds pretty good too.” Like most Creating Tiki threads, ‘OnaTiki has engaged in lots of helpful Q&A on his pieces, and there are lots of lovely and inspirational photos.

• ‘OnaTiki ’s #5 progress (12-24-05) pg 10 [Tiki Central]
• Lamps by Orchids of Hawaii [Humu Kon Tiki]

Hanford Lemoore at the Reef Bar in
Palm Springs for NYE 2005

If you’re still pondering the right place to be for New Year’s Eve 2006, you’re running out of time! You can probably still get into these great events happening around the country:

San Diego NYE Tiki Weekend: Last year’s tiki event at the Caliente Tropics was hugely successful, but the hotel has gone seriously downhill in terms of tiki-friendliness this past year. Thanks to the organizational efforts of Monkeyman, this year’s big Tiki Central New Year’s event is happening in San Diego. A home bar tour is planned for daytime Saturday, and the main event is taking place with a Polynesian spectacular at the Bali Hai restaurant. Things will also be afoot on Sunday, with possibilities including brunch, bowling and trips to downtown San Diego. It’s sure to be a special evening. The number of tickets available for the Bali Hai is dwindling, if you’re interested, read the thread on Tiki Central for details on how to make reservations.

San Francisco Trader Vic’s: A special dinner event is planned for NYE, with a floor show by Spirit of Polynesia dance troupe, and a full multi-course prix fixe meal. This is where Hanford & I will be spending our NYE. For reservations, call Trader Vic’s at (415) 775-6300.

Forbidden World of Don Tiki in Waikiki: A special performance by Don Tiki in Hawaii, at the Pacific Beach Hotel Grand Ballroom. Tickets to the show are $80 and include two drinks; in addition a bar & buffet are available. Visit the Pacific Beach Hotel website (link below) for details.

Dave’s Birthday at the Purple Orchid in El Segundo: I haven’t seen an official announcement, but New Year’s Eve is the birthday of Dave, owner of the Purple Orchid in El Segundo (near Los Angeles). In years past, there’s been a great band booked, and birthday cake & appetizers for all. Contact the Purple Orchid for details at (310) 322-5829.

Mai Kai in Ft. Lauderdale: A group is getting together to celebrate New Year’s Eve at the Mai Kai — if I lived in southern Florida, this would be a no-brainer. To make reservations, contact the Mai Kai at (954) 563-3272, if you’d like to be included in the Tiki Central group, read the thread on TC for details.

Chicago area, Trader Vic’s: New Year’s Eve is the last night that the Chicago Trader Vic’s will be open. It has the potential to be rather depressing, and not for the faint of heart, but it also might be special to be there for the final night.

Chicago area, Chef Shangri-La: Performances by the Windy City Islanders, a roast pig buffet for $18, full regular menu available, drink specials, and no cover — an unsually affordable tiki NYE event, and the bar and drinks at Chef Shangri-La are above par. Call (708) 442-7080 for reservations.

Chicago area, Tiki Terrace: This new bar & restaurant is having a New Year’s Eve event with a performance by the Cocktail Preachers, and a raffle featuring a tiki by Lake Surfer. Contact Tiki Terrace for details at (630) 788-0395.

If your part of the country isn’t listed here, don’t fret — simply look for a bar near you in Critiki, and give them a call. Many places will have something planned for the evening.

• new years eve 2005- so cal**WOW- 35 RSVPs at the Bali Hai for TC** [Tiki Central]
• Bali Hai Restaurant, San Diego [Critiki]
• New Years Eve 2005 - No. Cal. SF Trader Vic’s - NEW INFO! Read on… [Tiki Central]
• Trader Vic’s, San Francisco [Critiki]
• Celebrate New Year’s with Don Tiki! [Tiki Central]
• Pacific Beach Hotel
• Purple Orchid Exotic Tiki Lounge, El Segundo [Critiki]
• New Years Eve at the Mai Kai! [Tiki Central]
• Mai Kai, Ft. Lauderdale [Critiki]
• Trader Vic’s, Chicago [Critiki]
• “Chicago– New Years Eve at Chef Shangri-La” [Tiki Central]
• Chef Shangri-La, North Riverside [Critiki]
• Tiki Terrace New Years [Tiki Central]
• The Tiki Terrace, Prospect Heights [Critiki]

Postcard from Bali Hai, from the collection of Mimi Payne

As previously reported on Humu Kon Tiki, Tiki Oasis 6 will not be held in Palm Springs, as the management at the once-tiki-friendly Caliente Tropics has gone sour. Today, Otto von Stroheim announced that Tiki Oasis 6 will be held in San Diego, from May 4-7, 2006.

San Diego has Palm Springs beat on a few counts, most notably in the amount of tiki destinations. San Diego has the Bali Hai restaurant (pictured above in a vintage postcard from the collection of Mimi Payne), Humphrey’s Half-Moon Inn and Trader Mort’s all on Shelter Island, and the Hanalei Hotel with its Islands Restaurants, one of my favorites. Last year saw the opening of the new Mr. Tiki’s in the Gaslamp district, and some home tours are part of the plans, as well. Otto did not mention the specific hotel, pending final confirmation from them, but he did say that Tiki Oasis will be taking place on Shelter Island, home to Humphrey’s and several other hotels. I’ve stayed at Humphrey’s before, and it has much in common with the Caliente Tropics — rooms on two stories facing a central pool/grass lawn area, upscale resort feel with a similar price point to the Caliente — but it also has a built-in stage area, where a summer concert series is held. It would be a great venue, though there are probably several hotels on Shelter Island that can also fit the bill nicely.

It will be exciting to see what the new Tiki Oasis will be like, I imagine the new setting has got Otto thinking of some fresh ideas for the event. But the best news of all is that it’s going to be more tiki, if only because of the host city.

• Tiki Oasis 6, May 7/8, 2006 [Tiki Central]
• Tiki Travelling in San Diego [Critiki]
• Tiki Oasis 6 Coming in May, But Not to Palm Springs [Humu Kon Tiki]