Post #273390 by PremEx on Mon, Dec 18, 2006 3:26 PM

I found it was a little unclear whether it was closed already or not, so I thought it deserved mentioning, in case anyone else was unclear as well. Anyone who is on Maui that day should go.

Agree! Especially because this Royal Lahaina Hotel Don's location, was once an original full-bore fabulous Don The Beachcomber restaurant and bar (which I used to frequent right there in that same building) in the late 70's and 80's).

So even though the Big Island has a new restaurant called Don The Beachcomber, it's not actually one of the original ones that Donn himself might have had a hand in, or at least visited at one point before he passed away in 1989.

But the Maui location...even though it's currently just a bar using Don's name...was at one time the "real thing."

BTW...I'm not in any way disparaging the new Big Island Don The Beachcomber in any way. I'm just saying that for true historic "Donn" locales...the Maui location is the only one left that's still standing and still called Don The Beachcomber.

FYI, we still have the building that used to house the old full Don The Beachcomber restaurant here in Marina Del Ray, California. And it still looks much the same. See:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=21785

Perhaps I can drift over to pay some sort of tribute to this great man, on February 22nd. After a couple of tropical drinks across the way at The Warehouse Restaurant. :wink: