Don The Beachcomber, Kona, HI (restaurant)

[ Edited by: bifcozz 2007-02-09 21:57 ]

Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii~
Hey TC,
I was down at the "Don the Beach Comber" restaurant last Sunday evening. The restaurant is attached to the Lobby of the Royal Kona Hotel. lots of tikis, with some GIANT maoi heads inside restaurant. Also tikis in the lobby around the restaurant. the lobby itself is open to the sea, and you have amazing views of Kona Bay. It's a great place for sunsets and drinks.

Also attached to the lobby is a open patio/dance bar that they have been working on for a while. Looks like they've put in a nice new floor. This bar is called "Don's Mai Tai Bar". It's got great drinks, and the Tsunami Shrimp is excellent. But It's been closed for a while, while they were fixing it up.

Anyways, as we were walking through the lobby I heard cool "tiki bar" music. I was delighted to find the Mai Tai bar open, with the floor almost finished, and live music! A classy looking guy playing a Vibraphone! Very Tiki!

I know the restaurant in the lobby is a new Don the Beach Comber, and it was many lack luster things before. But now, who ever is in charge there, has truly embraced the Tiki Theme. They are making a really good effort. and it seems to be palying off. I'm always pleased to see the place packed. and that Sunday night, couples were actualy dancing on the newly made floor to the tiki tones of the live Vibraphone! It seems that it's sometimes hard to find real "Tiki vibe " here on the islands, (go figure) - so this new tiki temple of polynesian pleasure is very pleaseing!

Now, if I can just get the Royal Kona to book Don Tiki to play there!!!!!!!

Entrance from the lobby

Tiki out side on back exit area

Same with night lighting

Tiki facing out towards ocean from lobby entrance

Giant Moai head inside

First tiki I've seen with breasts!

Tiki above a fish tank

Tiki Shark

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2007-03-06 20:49 ]

Looks great! Thanks! :)

But you might want to edit your post and insert RETURNS after/inbetween each photo so the stack vertically instead of stretching horizontally across the page.

The way it is now makes it hard to read the text portion of the post due to the need to scroll horizontally.

:)

On 2007-03-06 10:42, Tiki Shark Art wrote:
Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii~
Hey TC,
I was down at the "Don the Beach Comber" restaurant last Sunday evening. The restaurant is attached to the Lobby of the Royal Kona Hotel. lots of tikis, with some GIANT maoi heads inside restaurant. Also tikis in the lobby around the restaurant. the lobby itself is open to the sea, and you have amazing views of Kona Bay. It's a great place for sunsets and drinks.

Also attached to the lobby is a open patio/dance bar that they have been working on for a while. Looks like they've put in a nice new floor. This bar is called "Don's Mai Tai Bar". It's got great drinks, and the Tsunami Shrimp is excellent. But It's been closed for a while, while they were fixing it up.

Anyways, as we were walking through the lobby I heard cool "tiki bar" music. I was delighted to find the Mai Tai bar open, with the floor almost finished, and live music! A classy looking guy playing a Vibraphone! Very Tiki!

I know the restaurant in the lobby is a new Don the Beach Comber, and it was many lack luster things before. But now, who ever is in charge there, has truly embraced the Tiki Theme. They are making a really good effort. and it seems to be palying off. I'm always pleased to see the place packed. and that Sunday night, couples were actualy dancing on the newly made floor to the tiki tones of the live Vibraphone! It seems that it's sometimes hard to find real "Tiki vibe " here on the islands, (go figure) - so this new tiki temple of polynesian pleasure is very pleaseing!

Now, if I can just get the Royal Kona to book Don Tiki to play there!!!!!!!

Entrance from the lobby

Tiki out side on back exit area

Same with night lighting

Tiki facing out towards ocean from lobby entrance

Giant Moai head inside

First tiki I've seen with breasts!

Tiki above a fish tank

---

Tiki Shark

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2007-03-06 20:49 ]

I was there in December. I saw that guy playing vibes...awesome. I was at that restaurant in 2004, PRE-Don's and it was a good place. The big tikis were there, and they had these cool carved poles which they replaced with straighter ones...so all was not an improvement. I'm really glad that Kona really embraces classic hawaiiana, unlike Waikiki which seems to be decimating it day by day and turning everything into that gross neuveau stucco garbage tha seems to be infecting Califronia at an alarming rate. . Kona seems to be preserving alot of the classic elements of Hawaii, which is why I love it there, and all of the Big Island, actually.

On 2007-03-06 10:42, Tiki Shark Art wrote:
Now, if I can just get the Royal Kona to book Don Tiki to play there!!!!!!!

Wouldn't THAT be something. Thanks for the report. We'll be sure to check it out when we're in Kailua-Kona this June.

My wife and I had dinner at Don's last month. It was the best meal we had on the Big Island. The drinks were good too, I ordered and received a proper Tropical Itch complete with an 18" back scratch-er!

I went down to the Royal Kona Hotel, to see if the vibraphone player was at the Mai Tai Bar, but Wed night is the big Luau next to the hotel's pool, which is so loud as to make any other music redundant in the lobby, or the Bar area. I'll check this weekend.

Lobby entrance to the restaurant.

Here's the sign for the Mai Tai bar "Home of the original Mai Tai" it says...

Here's the Mai Tai bar area, still under construction, but open for business.

Here's the view from the mai tai bar looking back at the hotel lobby.

On the Restaurant's back patio I noticed a new sign. Tiki Grill!

And a shot of a tiki on the back patio I didn't show before.

Tiki Shark

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2007-03-07 21:05 ]

I spent New Years Eve 2007 there. What a tiki mecca!
Tikis galore, right off the Pacific. Sunset, tropical rain and tiki mugs!

To boot, there was a 70+ white-haired gentlemen, in a tuxedo, playing the vibes.

My favorite tiki place on Planet Earth!

On 2007-03-09 22:17, christiki295 wrote:
I spent New Years Eve 2007 there. What a tiki mecca!
Tikis galore, right off the Pacific. Sunset, tropical rain and tiki mugs!

To boot, there was a 70+ white-haired gentlemen, in a tuxedo, playing the vibes.

My favorite tiki place on Planet Earth!

I just got back from this place!
The Mai Tai Bar is complete, still has that guy on the vibraphone, and still makes some of the best Mai Tais in the world!
The Missus and I were there for a week, and we did a LOT of stuff in Kona, but this place is my new favorite place on Earth as well!

I dunno guys. We were there last summer and I found the place to be a bit of a disappointment. I mean, the location is spectacular, but the tikis all looked plastic-y to me. The drinks, including the Mai-Tai, were just so-so and the food was way overpriced. I was expecting the overpriced part, but I was hoping for better quality all around. Sorry to rain on the parade! But if people read this thread and then go there with really high expectations, they may come away disappointed.

On 2008-05-02 07:20, GatorRob wrote:
I dunno guys. We were there last summer and I found the place to be a bit of a disappointment. I mean, the location is spectacular, but the tikis all looked plastic-y to me. The drinks, including the Mai-Tai, were just so-so and the food was way overpriced. I was expecting the overpriced part, but I was hoping for better quality all around. Sorry to rain on the parade! But if people read this thread and then go there with really high expectations, they may come away disappointed.

I fully agree with GatorRob regarding the food prices at Don the Beachcombers'... Incredibly overpriced, (even for Hawaii!)
But after being repelled by these prices, the missus and I grabbed a seat at the Mai Tai bar and NOT the restaurant proper, got sashimi, and a pupu sampler appetizer, (along with a bevy or two... or three,) at quite affordable prices! Or at least comparable prices. We sampled a coupla' different appetizers during our stay, (as we were right upstairs, anyways!) as well as many different Mai Tais, (they have a good selection of different ones, my fave was the "Volcanic Mai Tai," the wife's was the "Original.")

In fairness, we never did eat at the restaurant itself, despite some serious-looking entree's arriving at neighboring tables, so comparisons are totally theoretical, but I enjoyed "Don's Mai Tai Bar" moreso than the other places that we dined at last week, including "Huggo's," (talk about pricey!) "Fishhopper's,""Bongo Ben's," "Drysdale's," (at the Keauhou Mall,) and "The Aloha Theatre" at Kainaliu, (with its incredibly slow service.)

In any case, if anyone is in Kailua-Kona, you really should check this place out, no matter what... show up for the sunset, but get yer drink orders in early. Last call comes at a sobering 9:00PM!!!

I have to disagree with gator Rob's assessment...except for the prices. Yes, expensive. Definitely a special occasion dinner place, where you have your on nice, expensive dinner on your vacation, then eat a burger with your toes in the sand at Huggos (the cheaper outdoor bar, not the restaurant portion) , closeby the rest of the time.

BUT....while it may not be a super high TIPSY factory restaurant, it is VERY cool inside, and it has one thing that NONE of the mainland Tiki restaurants have but tried to emulate with murals etc...The amazing Hawaii Ocean view. While most places have a really nice mural, the view that spans the entire DTB restaurant is priceless. It's the real deal. The sound of the waves beating against the lava rock shoreline, just 8 feet below, only reinforces the ambiance.

Also, the classic Royal Kona Hotel that houses the restaurant is as Tiki as it gets in Kona. Lots of sculpted wood, concrete...all in the classic Mid Century Modern / Tiki Style, a great water feature, and the entire lanai area between the restaurant and the Mai Tai Bar has comfortable lounge chairs where you can sit, put your feet up on the short wall, sip a drink and watch the sun set over the Kona Kai....PARADISE !

The view from the Lanai at Don's....ahhhhh....

Royal Kona Resort...Hut at entrance.

Cool sculpted wall at the Royal Kona

The food, I have to say, at least what I had, was damn good. The main centerpiece with a plaster/plastic Giant Moai, amongst a waterfall and fake foliage looks out over the dining room...yea, it's fake, but in the best possible Polynesian Pop kinda way..

At night the entire length of the wall of the restaurant over the ocean blazes with tiki torches, and creates a perfect Polynesian, super relaxing vibe.

Don's Torches a blazin'

Meanwhile, the bar is basically an open air, patio bar, with a few tikis, and that great swimming pool right next to it, throwing off a great blue glow at night time. On the Luau nights, the Luau stage is right on the other side of the pool, so you can hear the Luau loud and clear, and see alot of it too. This was the first Luau I ever attended on my first ever Hawaii trip in 04' (before the DTB was built)

So, please make sure you visit DTB if you're on the Big Island, if, for nothing else, to have a drink and watch the sun set.

Sunset on the Kona Kai

Do you have your TIKIYAKI ORCHESTRA CD YET ?
http://www.tikiyakiorchestra.com

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2008-05-02 17:59 ]

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2008-05-02 18:01 ]

Thanks all for the wonderful photos. I'm SOOOOO wishing I could be there now. Oh sure, the weather is getting a LITTLE better here in the Pacific Northwest, but just 6 short hours away is a little slice of the only thing I could possibly consider heaven. SSSSSSIIIIIGGGGGHHHHH.

On 2008-05-06 21:15, beadtiki wrote:
Thanks all for the wonderful photos. I'm SOOOOO wishing I could be there now. Oh sure, the weather is getting a LITTLE better here in the Pacific Northwest, but just 6 short hours away is a little slice of the only thing I could possibly consider heaven. SSSSSSIIIIIGGGGGHHHHH.

You and me both...I miss KONA.

Here's a few more pictures from Don the Beachcomber's from when my wife and I visited last August.

As an aside, this hotel used to be the Kona Hilton, and the old dining room that is now Don's dates back to at least the 60s. There is a photo of it in Sippin' Safari, on page 106. You can see the tiki pillars that are still there today. Frankly, I think they've done a great job of not only preserving the vintage feel in the restaurant, but improving on it as well.

I'm a long time lurker. I have to comment on the prices at DTB. IF I recall they have a nightly specials and IF you order the specials the prices aren't so bad. Otherwise this place is one of the nicest ambiance's around.

Hey,

I hard through the ggrapevine that the 2 Don the Beachcombers in Hawaii closed...Anyone here can confirm or deny this? That would be a real shame.

QuinceatDanny's....GREAT PIX !!!!

The Royal Kona still lists Don the Beachcomber and Don't Mai Tai Bar on its web site:

http://www.hawaiihotels.com/Main/Sub.cfm?ID=200

I will be staying at the Royal Kona Resort in a couple weeks. After reading the postings here, I called the hotel directly and asked about Don the Beachcomber restaurant closing. I was assured the restaurant is only closed on Monday and Tuesdays evenings, but is open the rest of the week. IT IS OPEN AND WILL REMAIN OPEN.

Rumors, rumors, rumors.... :roll:

Keep the positive energy flowing!

Aloha,
Myke

Rumor alert

Don the Beachcombers is open.
Not closed.

I was at Don the Beachcombers this morning. Sunday July 13th. It's not closed. Was open and serving their breakfast buffet, (with the big eel in the tank eye balling all the tourists.)

Don's Mai Tai bar, which is next to the Don's the Beachcomber restaurant, is also open. Both are part of the lobby of the Royal Kona Hotel - which still has it's funky 60's/Hawaiiana decor and vibe. The hotel is sporting it's new slate floor they put in last fall.

It's still the best tiki themed place to drink and watch sunsets here in Kailua-Kona.

There are plans to open a Tiki themed gift shop across from the Mai Tai bar. But, it's got a few months to go before it opens it's doors.

What DID close a few doors down is the Hard Rock Cafe. It was in another building on the bay front near the hotel.
Also what closed was the Sea Monkey bar, but that was no where near the Beachcomber in the Royal Kona, and was in a mini mall quite a ways off. It's one "tiki" like feature, was two tiki planters sitting out side the main door. The place is closed, but the planters are still there.

Aloha from Kona~

Tiki Shark

http://www.tikishark.com
http://www.myspace.com/Lotus_Land

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2008-07-13 13:42 ]

Mahalo for that clarification, TS! Phew... I was kinda sweating bullets there for awhile. Having a first hand account is always best!!

One week from today I set my feet on the Big Island, once again! Yeehaw! If you gotta go on a business trip, the Islands are the best destination.

Aloha,
Myke

Very glad to hear there's a Don the B's still open, especially in HI. Not to nitpick, but shouldn't a Don's have a Zombie bar, not a Mai Tai bar? I wonder if Trader Vic's is getting a royalty.
I guess it's only fair, considering there wouldn't be a Trader Vic, if there was never a Don the Beachcomber.

(Sigh's of Relief) Thanx for the info.

Don The Beachcomber are and the Royal Kona both awesome. I STILL want the Tikiyaki orchestra to play at the Mai Tai bar during sunset. One day.

On 2007-03-06 10:42, Tiki Shark Art wrote:
Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii~

. . .
Anyways, as we were walking through the lobby I heard cool "tiki bar" music. I was delighted to find the Mai Tai bar open, with the floor almost finished, and live music! A classy looking guy playing a Vibraphone! Very Tiki!

I was there on New Year's Eve 2006 and I saw a very distinguished gentleman - easily in his 70s - playing the Vibraphones while wearing a Tuxedo.

That gentleman's name is Lenny and I am trying to remember his last name. Great musician in Hawai'i for many years. He recently passed away. A great loss in the music world.

Man, what a bummer...I saw him playing the last time i was there...in August I think.

I know! That was the perfect soundtrack to an evening on their terrace there, cocktail in hand, looking out at the ocean,...sigh, nothing lasts.
Jim, now you gotta go and replace him!

Oh no, Lenny passed away? He was a real treat. He was usually there on Sundays.

Just back from 5 weeks on the Big Island. We went to Don's twice -- first time, service was okay, but mai tais seemed watered down. Second time, waited and waited and waited... finally gave up and walked back to Kona Canoe Club where we were promptly served tasty mai tais that had a kick (not to mention the best cajun ahi ever).

Still there...

As of last night.

Tikiwinebear was in town and we got a small group together for cocktails and dinner.
We even managed to get Doug (KonaCat) to hang out for a brief while.
Brad we tried to get you down there with us, no luck. Maybe soon.

[ Edited by: Alii Tiki 2008-07-27 18:29 ]

[ Edited by: Alii Tiki 2008-07-27 18:31 ]

[ Edited by: Alii Tiki 2008-07-27 18:32 ]

Yep, Don the Beachcomber is still there! I started my Don experience at lunchtime that day before I met up with the Big Island group. Since the restaurant wasn't open at that time, I ate outside overlooking the ocean/bay in the bar's lounge area. They were offering their new "Tiki Taster" which consisted of 4 different "Mai Tais". The Taster featured the original Mai Tai (which is still my favorite), one they called Pele's Volcanic Mai Tai (my second favorite of the tasters), another called the Topless Mai Tai, and the 4th named the Green Flash Mai Tai. The Pele drink had lots of fruit juices (pineapple and orange juice) but also had a splash of 151 rum. The Topless was made with clear rums, no dark float, one of the rums being a coconut rum. (coconut in a mai tai???) And lastly, the Green Flash started with a layer of Midori in the bottom layer. It was fun to sample them, but I will definitely stay with the Original Mai Tai recipe!

Mahalo to all the Big Island ohana who came out for some drinks and dinner!! Sorry to see KonaCat leave before dinner, but he didn't really miss anything special. We had a total of 8 persons for dinner, each selecting an entree. The general opinion around the table that the prices were a bit high, and the food was good, but not what we had expected for a Don the Beachcomber restaurant. The flavors centered around Island flavors and not glorified Asian dishes. We all had a great time talking story and I am happy to finally meet more of the ohana face to face, and their families. Thomas' and Jason's wives (real sisters) are a hoot and I really enjoyed talking with them. Mahalo everyone!!

Tent flyer on table about Donn Beach and history of Don the Beachcomber, with Zombie recipe

Full batch of Mai Tai Tasters - smaller glasses were used so you got about 1.5 real Mai Tais in one sampler set.

And as they say in the islands, the tasters are pau!

Aloha,
Myke

edited for the corrected names of the Tasters

[ Edited by: tikiwinebear 2008-07-28 11:14 ]

On 2008-07-14 11:29, HinaHinawahine wrote:
That gentleman's name is Lenny and I am trying to remember his last name. Great musician in Hawai'i for many years. He recently passed away. A great loss in the music world.

Wait a second... another Rumor Alert!
That ol' fella, Lenny I guess, has not passed away. Or if he did, his animated corpse is still knocking out some exotica tunes on the vibes!

I took this photo tonight - Aug 3 2008

He was in great form at sunset, to the delight of visitors and locals alike.

Awesome !

Quoting from the table flyer:
"Donn's Original Mai Tai $8.25
Donn has many claims to fame but none as bold as this fine cocktail. Bacardi & Orange Curacao, Whaler's Dark rum, fresh lime and a few smuggler's secrets make this 1933 classic a must."

Oh, so that's why no one could figure out the secret ingredients in his original recipes, back then. He traveled into the future and brought back rums that weren't made until the 80's or 90's.

What is the recipe for the "Original Zombie", on the flyer? Can't quite make it all out, but there's 14 ingredients!

(still banging on da thing)

On 2008-08-04 11:51, Limbo Lizard wrote:

What is the recipe for the "Original Zombie", on the flyer? Can't quite make it all out, but there's 14 ingredients!

Some ingredients are hard to read, but I'm guessing this is the Zombie recipe from Phoebe Beach's book.

Hey Tiki Tribe~
I noticed some new stuff at Don the Beachcomber. Some framed artifacts - menus, photos of Don, and these ash trays.

Nice to see they are adding to the atmosphere.
Aloha~

I had assumed Don's was hoping at a different hotel... When I was in Kona, summer of '05 (my first, and so far only, visit to Hawai'i) once I discovered the Royal Kona, I spent a great deal of time hanging around there. No Don's at that time, but it had the bar, the restaurant, another funky rental room (circular) behind the restaurant, and enough tikis, tiki torches and 60s-70s decor to make me fall in love. The gigantic bouquets of exotic fresh flowers were amazing. I hope the lobby got the waterfall working better, and kept the big multi-globe capiz shell light fixture (and the smaller domed capiz shell fixtures) which really needed cleaning and fixing. The one sad thing I see in these photos are the big Easter Island heads - three, back-to-back - in the center of the curcular dining room, with flowers above. Why do I call that sad? Because when I was there, above the heads was a (no longer functional) gas firebowl! They told me they hoped to fix it in an upcoming run of repairs. Took lots of photos, but I have no way to host them. I ate in the restaurant they had then, which was very good. That and the Kona Inn were the best I found there, though Huggo's On The Rocks was pretty good too. All were pricey, but I came expecting that.

If I return to Hawai'i, I'll be returning to Kona. If I return to Kona, I'll go to Don's, camera, notepad and lots of cash in hand and a ride home secured - when I'm done there, I definately won't be able to walk back!

Holly and I visited Don's in Kona this past week. We had a GREAT time and at GREAT meal. As someone else had posted they have all sorts of weekly specials and dinners for two and such, and they seem to keep their website pretty up-to-date regarding all that. Some good deals to be had.

But having had 2 weeks of "Pacific Fusion" food, I ordered their Prime Rib and I have to say it was one of the best I've had. Holly had some sort of seafood which she liked but due to Mai Tai tasters and Mai Tais...can't recall exactly what she had.

Someone there is also doing a great job with wine pairings and knows their stuff and their wine prices are very reasonable for place like this, IMHO.

Tiki ambiance is great and waves crashing against the shore almost beneath your feet just adds to the enjoyment we had. Fire, tikis, Hawaiiana, music, food, sea...what's not to love?

We actually thought the prices were not all that bad. At least not compared to most of the other places we dined at on the Big Island. I think it was actually one of the best experiences and meals we've had so far (although Merriman's is awful hard to beat, food-wise).

After the Big Island we moved on to Maui and a couple of nights at the fabulous Hotel Hana-Maui, and have just now arrived at our final (regular) place at Napili Bay on Maui's north shore. Will drop by the pseudo-Don's at the Royal Lahaina when we get a chance later this week, to see if anything has changed there yet.

Aloha From Maui!

Aloha Tiki Tribe~

Sean Wilkinson is STILL vibraphoning at the Royal Kona Don's Mai Tai bar...as of last night. 7/21/09.
Out lived "The King of Pop"!
Who would have guessed!?

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2009-07-22 13:34 ]

Capt'n Skully and I had the pleasure of hearing this fellow 2 Sundays ago; he played Quiet Village, and although he was too deaf to hear me, I contributed bird calls and monkey shrieks. The neighboring tables heard me, at least.

Does that count as performing at Donn's?

We loved almost everything about DTB-Kona. We had a WONderful [but no, not cheap] dinner there for our first night on the island, and it did not disappoint. Great service, and good enough cocktails at Happy Hour beforehand. The HH Mai Tai is $5.50 ($4.50?) and decent enough. We ended up eating several of our meals that week at the bar, as we stayed at the Royal Kona for the 1st 3 days of our trip and - well - had a hard time doing anything else but enjoying being in that beautiful hotel! That PRIMO ocean view at the bar and swimming pool was hard to beat.

Beachbum Berry had recommended the Pele Mai Tai which was great, but I wasn't smitten with the Garrett's Mai Tai. Garrett himself could not make it for us, as he was on a different island on his honeymoon, compliments of the hotel - for having won, with his drink, the Mai Tai contest sponsored by the hotel and judged by Beachbum Berry! Maybe its not having been made for us by its creator was the problem? I don't know. Its twist was that it was more a martini: shaken, strained, and served in a martini glass. Perhaps it's that for me, the crushed ice is an integral part of the Mai Tai's texture and even flavor. Certainly of the temperature; my Garrett's warmed too quickly for my taste.

Did I complain? I WAS IN FREAKIN' HAWAII HAVING DRINKS AT DON THE BEACHCOMBER, FER CRYIN' OUT LOUD!
No. Everything was perfect!

Except one thing.

They did not sell DTB barrel mugs!!
There were 2 taunting us at the bar the whole time, but when we tried to buy some, we were told there were none - that the minimum order for them is 1000 (or was it 500?), and they didn't want to have to store all the to-be-sold ones.
WTF?
Orders can't be smaller??
We were bitterly disappointed.

Not that it curbed our spending in ANY way that week...
HOO-boy......

ALOHA TIKI TRIBE!
If you are on the Big Island, you gotta check out the Royal Kona Resort, home of the local Don the Beachcombers.
The hotel is still kept in it's mid century glory.
You even walk over a bridge across a koi pond to get into the lobby. It's like stepping back 50 years ago....and they work to keep it that way.
Now, right across the lobby from the Don the Beachcombers Mai Tai bar and Restaurant, you can find the exclusive seller on the Big Island of my art!
The gift Shop now represents me on the BI. Since this establishment is the most "tiki-fied" on the whole Big Island, I've been thinking about having my art sell there for a long time. Years really. However, before, the gift shop used to be run by a company based in Florida, and it was impossible for them to OK any local product... then, the Royal Kona Resort took the gift shop over, and I was able to talk with them.
Since they are very much into Tiki, it was a great meeting. Maybe the easiest business meeting I've ever had.

the Art Prints for sale in the gift shop are not the way high-end giclee on canvas prints you will find in the Gallery that reps me on Maui.

However, the gift shop at the Royal Kona Resort has less expensive, but still way swanky giclee on paper art prints. Created by the same printer, with the same perfection.
I just figure, if you are on the Big Island you might be looking to spend about a $100, while if you are on Maui, you might be looking to spend $1,000 on art. It's just we are considered one of the "outer Islands" and we don't get the same amount of tourists as Maui or Oahu. Hey, if you travel all the way across the ocean to an active volcano, I think you deserve a break on the price of some local art!

So, now you can have a Mai Tai, at the open air Mai Tai bar, listen to some vibraphone tunes live, and flip through some tiki art prints all with in the confines of the Royal Kona
Check it out!

Royal Kona Resort
75-5852 Ali'i Drive
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740
(808) 989-7310
ALOHA!

Brad (Tiki Shark) Parker

[email protected]
http://www.tikishark.com
http://www.myspace.com/Lotus_Land
http://www.cocktailnation.net
http://www.sargentsfineart.com/artist/parker.php

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2010-07-02 14:46 ]

I was just looking at the drink menu for Don the Beachcomber at the Royal Kona, and man-oh-man. Flavored mojitos, flavored mai tais, "'tini" drinks, a navy grog but NO zombie. They don't serve the signature drink of Don the Beachcomber!? In my opinion, this is a Don the Beachcomber in name only. Thank goodness for the Huntington Beach location.

http://www.royalkona.com/Documents/DTBMenu/DMTB_Drink_Menu.pdf

I was there in January. A great place to go to! Sunsets and food are great! I loved the Mai Tai sampler as well.

But I was wondering about the Zombie as well. Why was it not on the menu??? We actually asked our waitress, who helped us out on multiple occasions. She came through and said that they DO serve Zombies, but they don't have them on the menu. We got them and they were all pretty and layered. There was a blue layer too. I don't know why, cause we all know there is no Blue Curaco in a Zombie! It was good and strong, but what I noticed was that their drinks were definitely made too look good. Not like the Don the Beachcomber in Huntington, where the Mai Tais are brown.

I personally don't care if my Mai Tai is brown, red, orange or rainbow, but I do care how it tastes. I have had a lot of Mai Tais, and I think the best are at Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach. In Kona they were not as good. I understand because it is in a hotel and Kona pretty much caters to the older crowds. So making super strong drinks isn't on their agenda.

I strongly recommend going to Okalemaluna, a smaller tiki bar that is only a couple blocks from Don's. It doesn't look as cool and no awesome ocean and sunset views, but it makes up for it in quality drinks. This place can really make Tiki drinks! I wish I could be there right now. Their Missionaries Downfall is the best!

And FYI - Dudes still there smacking that xylophone in 2012!!!

Just to confirm, as ofone minute ago Sean Wilkenson is still here playing the vibes!

Wonderful to hear. Really a classic Hawaii experience, to sit on that terrace with that view at sunset and listen to his lounge jazz vibes.

ALMOST like listening to Arthur Lyman vibing at the New Otani lobby - almost... Ata used to throw in some bird calls. :)

Currently, he plays Thursdays and Sundays. He said he goes a bit crazy on Sundays.
However, on the 3rd Thursday of each month, they now have Henry Kapono playing from 5-7PM, so get there earlier to hear Sean.