What Is Your All-Time Favorite Tiki Mecca? - General Tiki

G GatorRob Member Orlando Joined: Aug 20, 2004 Posts: 1784	G GatorRob Posted posted on Fri, Nov 16, 2007 4:15 PM This thread is interesting. The consensus, so far anyway, seems to be the Mai-Kai (and rightly so), which reins as king and queen of them all. Not to diminish the other remaining vintage places or the terrific new ones like Forbidden Island in any way. It's funny. I occasionally find myself taking the Mai-Kai for granted. It's only a few hours away, so I can get over there 4 or so times a year. But then I read a thread like this with people saying "I've never been, but I'd love to go." It reminds me of two things: that I'm fortunate to be so close and that we are all fortunate that the Mai-Kai still exists at all. It has really beaten the odds. Restaurants are just not supposed to last this long. But it has. And from what I can see, it's doing just fine. And thanks to some long overdue insurance money and a generous infux of tiki creativity from the likes of Will, Chip, Andy, Loki, Stumpgrinder and others, there is some wonderful new life being breathed into the Mai-Kai. And, according to manager Kern Mattei, new Rum Barrel mugs are on their way (from China, of course), woo hoo! It's all good folks. I just wish everyone the opportunity to experience it in person because it is truly magical. A time machine waiting for you. Okay, this is killing me. Time to get on down there again... New Years anyone?

This thread is interesting. The consensus, so far anyway, seems to be the Mai-Kai (and rightly so), which reins as king and queen of them all. Not to diminish the other remaining vintage places or the terrific new ones like Forbidden Island in any way.

It's funny. I occasionally find myself taking the Mai-Kai for granted. It's only a few hours away, so I can get over there 4 or so times a year. But then I read a thread like this with people saying "I've never been, but I'd love to go." It reminds me of two things: that I'm fortunate to be so close and that we are all fortunate that the Mai-Kai still exists at all. It has really beaten the odds. Restaurants are just not supposed to last this long. But it has. And from what I can see, it's doing just fine. And thanks to some long overdue insurance money and a generous infux of tiki creativity from the likes of Will, Chip, Andy, Loki, Stumpgrinder and others, there is some wonderful new life being breathed into the Mai-Kai. And, according to manager Kern Mattei, new Rum Barrel mugs are on their way (from China, of course), woo hoo!

It's all good folks. I just wish everyone the opportunity to experience it in person because it is truly magical. A time machine waiting for you.

Okay, this is killing me. Time to get on down there again... New Years anyone?

Post #344358 by GatorRob on Fri, Nov 16, 2007 4:15 PM