HELP! trip VERY soon-- where are the tiki bars??? kona big island or maui??

lease help me! trip VERY soon to either kona big island or maui. where are the cool tiki bars???? ones that are decorated ultra-cool?? thanks!!!!
also-- would you guys suggest i pick maui or big island for my trip?? i have to get the ticket very soon!!
thanks!

I've only spent a couple of days on Maui (on a cruise), but I did spend a week-and-a-half on the Big Island, and highly recommend it. Some great beaches on the Kona side, fantastic snorkeling, Hawaii Volcano Nat'l Park, and more.

Tiki bars in Hawaii? You gotta be kidding.
If you read my foreword in Tiki Road Trip, in which I state something like

'...the Book of Tiki is NOT a bar guide, where one can say "oh let's just go THERE..", the places in it are practically all extinct'

Sadly,the same thing applies to Hawaii, with the exception of La Marianas, and the Hawaiian Hut, in Honululu.

This said, the BOT inspired a few nouveaux Tiki places there, like the Tikis Bar & Grill in Waikiki, and now, the upcoming Don The Beachcomber in Kailua, Kona.

Kona is my fave choice to stay in the Islands, preferably at Dug Miller's "Tiki Island" apartment rental, which is like living IN a Tiki Lounge. He tried to influence the renovation of the restaurant at the splendid ex-Hilton Hotel (now Royal Kona?, or so) into a Don The Beachcomber, with varied success.

The interior is a great example of 70s modernist architecture (by Welton Becket, I think), and as a first step they added a lot of Tikis, which is good, but there will be more, it is scheduled to open officially as a Don The Beachcomber in November. It is open continuously as the Hotel restaurant, definitely worth checking out.
And the open-to-the-ocean lounge often has a nice vibes player, reminding me of listening to Arthur Lyman at the New Otani.

Other prime Kona Tiki sites are the rebuilt King Kamehameha Temple in the King Kamehameha Hotel lagoon, next to it's Luau grounds (if you feel like a dare, swim around the point into the harbor of the unused Bill Gates compound next door to the grounds), and my personal favorite, the City of Refuge Temple. Park at the Beach next to it and snorkel with the giant turtles, I must have counted twenty of them in the surrounding waters, and go on land at the temple, where they recently added some new Tikis around the grounds.

But Tiki Bars in Hawaii? Nowadays it's already hard to find a decent vintage looking Aloha shirt there. Maui is too contempo tourist for me, Kona has more "Old Style" flair, and Hilo is cool too.

Kona--Big Island ! A real vacation spot. Quiet & relatively cheap.
Try Kahaluu beach in Kona (for everyones #1, easily accessable, snorkling spot).

But, if you're going in October or later, you don't want to miss the whales near Maui. Bring lots of money for Maui.

Here is the thread on Hawaii Vacation Trips
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=216&forum=1

On the Big Island, chose your hotel carefully as most have lava coastlines, but do not have sand beaches.

As stated in the TRT, there is a very large tiki in the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel, which advertises itself as the most Hawaiian hotel in Maui.

If you fly to Maui, when you have your layover in Honolulu, there is a large tiki statute in one of the restaurants.

Realistically, if you want tiki in Hawaii, go to to Waikiki and stay at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel, home of Tiki's Bar & Grill. Also, plan on visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center, although the Mormon influence prohibits the sale of liquor.

thanks guys... i appreciate all the help... anyone else? Im down to the wire.
You think the [luau] at Kona village is anything?
is the big island lush and tropical? or is the kona side like the travel book described "a bbq pit"???

The Kona side is the lava side, but still has enough tropical flora for any mainlander, the Hilo side is the (rainy) rainforest side. I recommend staying in Kailua Kona, and if you can afford it, since the drive to Hilo takes about six hours, stay there overnight (at the Naniloa Hotel?), go to the Zoo and check out some rainforest sites along that coast.

I think one of our TC ohana has a vacation rental on the Big Island that is like staying in a tiki bar all on your own (and then some):

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=12787&forum=12

I know I would like to stay there some day, if my parent's (free) condo was not available.

Kona is VERY nice - lots of hotels or vacation rentals are on the water - there is some lava rock but it's not barren - you may be thinking of the area many miles south of Kona where is it just pure lava rock and nothing else.

If you spend the night at the volcano area, I highly recommend this fabulous B&B:
http://www.ila-chateau.com/kilauea/
I stayed at the honeymoon suite with my DAD (it was the only one with two separate bedrooms) and it has a jacuzzi tub in the room; there is also a sitting room at the B&B with free afternoon tea and a nice bottle of cognac to just hang out with after dinner (highly recommend Volcano Lodge for dinner).

On 2005-08-27 21:05, lostTiKi wrote:
thanks guys... i appreciate all the help... anyone else? Im down to the wire.
You think the [luau] at Kona village is anything?
is the big island lush and tropical? or is the kona side like the travel book described "a bbq pit"???

Are non-guests allowed to attend the Kona Village luau? The Kona Village is possibly the most tiki of all of the Big Island resort properties, and certainly the most expensive (although meals are included).

Maui is the very lush and very tourist friendly. For example, in Ka'anapali, the hotels are in a row, with Whatler's Village, with its evening hula/fire dancing shows. However, as BigBro states, very cosmopolitan.

The Big Island is home to Pele and yes, there is an abundance of lava and while the hotel properties are well-landscaped, such is not true for all parts of the island. You will also have to do a lot of driving to see all that the island has to offer.

In Hilo there is Uncle Billy's for tropical drinks in a Polynesian atmosphere. Take a stroll through the gardens in the hotel - there are a few somewhat rotting tikis. Not a must see, but a fun older place, according to TheJab.

That said, the Place of Refuge, is a very tiki place and well worth selecting the Big Island.
http://www.spotlighthawaii.com/images/wonders/7bigisle7plcrefuge.jpg

Yes, the Kona Village luau is open to the public. When we were there a few years ago, it was only one night a week (Friday I think), so call ahead. It is a little spendy, but we liked it.