Save the Tiki Hut!

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina has had a beach-side tiki hut for decades, (with awesome frozen drinks, too!)
This tiki hut is right on the beach behind the Holiday Inn. It has road access, faces a volleyball court and beyond that, the ocean. On every visit I've made out to the area, this was a mandatory stop.

The Holiday Inn however, is facing plans to become a massive condominium complex. The Tiki Hut would be demolished for a residents-only barbecue area. To me, this is a classic example of short-term thinking, and will deny tourists this experience.

There is a petition in place to stop the "Bonus Density" plan that will enable developers to do this.
To assist in the preservation of The Tiki Hut, please go to http://www.savethetikihut.com to read up on the plans. There is a link to the petition, too. Every signature helps.

Thank you,
Christopher "Passerby" Toler, Perpetual Tourist

Happing all down the coast ..hotels turning into condos ...Holiday Inn cashing inn...
The Blue Hairs that buy inn ...don't want no 'beach trash' hangin around !!!!

Yeah, but instead of a collective "Oh, well," let's voice disapproval.

It doesn't require anything but to go to the site, and type your name on the petition.
That's all. And you could help save one Tiki Hut from "Blue Hairs."

Whether this place could be considered tiki is debatable, but if you go to the store portion of the website, they have t-shirts and hats that say "Save the Tiki". Now that's a message which can be understood by anyone on TC! So even if you don't have any affiliation with this particular joint, getting a hat or t-shirt would further the cause all around!

Hey Passerby, sorry it's so cold you can't feel your balls but I was just stating what's happening . No need to jump in my drink !!!!!

On 2007-02-06 12:53, TikiLaLe wrote:
Hey Passerby, sorry it's so cold you can't feel your balls but I was just stating what's happening . No need to jump in my drink !!!!!

Sorry for jumping, (and Damn! It is cold!) I just recently had a huge blowout with someone else about this that resulted in either his laziness or apathy for this particular topic, even though he has claimed to be an enthusiast, and he would benefit more immediately as he and his family live in the area!

In any case, I guess I was still spoiling for a "dispute." Sorry to take it out on you. And I'll get off my soapbox, too.

I signed the online petition. Hope this does something.

Small update on the Tiki Hut (or, for anyone going to Hilton Head this summer), the Tiki Hut survived and is still part of the Beach House hotel (owned by Holiday Inn). I went there for drinks twice a few weeks ago while staying in Hilton Head and enjoyed the drinks. They even had some interesting "specialty" cocktails (see the photos below). However, the atmosphere? It's beachside, which is cool. But, how do you feel about beach douchebags and douchegals?

Let's be straight: it's debatable whether this location is even really "tiki". Yes, it has a "grass roof" and features tropical alcoholic drinks (most of which are served frozen), but that's about it. There are no tiki's, no real indications of South Pacific culture or even Poly-Pop and the only music you can hear is modern stuff or the solo guitar player whining depressing cover songs nearby. So, set your expectations appropriately.

All that said, the drinks I had were pretty tasty, even the frozen ones and decently priced at about $7-$10 each (considering location.) Some drinks even come with an extra shot in a little thing that looks like a test tube that they nestle into your drink. (We had Sailor Jerry's in ours.)
So, if you find yourself in Hilton Head and want a place with decent tropical drinks you can bike or walk to, you could do alot worse than Tiki Hut. Just ignore the crowd, watch the waves, and let your cocktail take you some place nice.

The Tiki Hut, as seen when you approach it from the hotel (you can also access it from the beach.

Their standard drink menu. I enjoyed the Nutty Sailor alot. Well-made, surprisingly.

They also have a board with daily drink specials. The Dirty Monkey was tasty and has the "extra shot" I mentioned. Ask them for your favorite rum instead of Bacardi!

Frozen Dirty Monkey (with shot)

Nutty Sailor

In case anyone is wondering "Why bother posting an update on a place that's barely tiki to begin with?"

If you spend a week in Hilton Head, you'll quickly realize (or remember) that SE Atlantic Coast towns dont typically understand tiki, if they even have it. The best you can hope for is a place not too far away that serves tasty libations you can kick back with. I found very little in Hilton Head and wanted to share this in case it helps any other tikiphiles going to HH. (In my opinion, Big Bamboo had better atmosphere -still not exactly tiki- and the food was good, but I wasn't too hot on their drinks.)

Surprised that thing is still there. I had a few drunkin visits there back in college.