Wakulla Suites

Marian and I had the pleasure of visiting Wayne Coombs Mai Tiki studio last Saturday. Unfortunately, Wayne was making a delivery and we didn't get to say hello. Fortunately, the gracious Wahine Becky was there and was happy to show us around, answer our questions and help us pick up the tiki we purchased in Atlanta.
On the way home, we spotted a motel under re-construction on A1A called the Wakulla Suites. The Polynesian-style roof is what caught our attention, and then we spied one of Wayne's tikis in the landscape. Intrigued, I stopped the car and went into the lobby. Inside, there was an easel with a large architectural drawing of the new motel. It featured two very large tikis framing the entrance. I asked the manager when the project would be done and he said it would be complete in October. I then said it was nice they were doing it in a "tiki style". He looked at me kind of funny and said, "yes, it will be a Polynesian design." Okay...
Although the tikis looked like some of Wayne's stuff, I wasn't able to find out if he is carving them since we were on our way out of town.
I guess this makes two new (or remodeled) tiki properties on Florida's east coast -- the one BigBro said Oceanic Arts is working on in Ormond Beach and the Wakulla. :)

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2002-08-06 20:23 ]

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2002-08-06 20:24 ]

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2002-08-06 20:27 ]

I was wondering if any Florida TC'ers have been to the Wakulla lately. I am going to Cocoa Beach in Sept and I would stay at the Wakulla if it is really tikified. So I am seeking some current info. Thanks for any advice anyone can offer!

Tiki Goddess, check with Otto.
I believe he and Baby Doe stayed there a night.

I stayed at the Wakulla about three years ago when I was in Cocoa Beach for a shuttle launch. There were a few of what I assumed were Wayne Coombs tikis in the courtyard, but that was the extent of any tikiness.
See pics here:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=3815&forum=1

I stayed at the Wakulla about three years ago when I was in Cocoa Beach for a shuttle launch. There were a few of what I assumed were Wayne Coombs tikis in the courtyard, but that was the extent of any tikiness.
See pics here:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=3815&forum=1

We went by there about two weeks before the 2003 Hukilau. The lodging areas looked like they had been redone, but they were still working on the new entry way. I asked Wayne about it and he said he was not working on the project -- which kind of sucks since he is one of Cocoa Beach's most famous artists and the father of the Florida-style tiki.
Anyway, like I said earlier, the architectural rendering for the project was displayed in the old lobby and it had two huge tikis holding up the roof. I would guess them to be 12 to 20 ft tall judging by the scale of the drawing.
Whether they are sticking with this plan or not, I don't know.

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-07-20 06:05 ]

Thanks for the info everyone!!! I called the Wakula and asked how the renovation to tiki style was going, and the lady I spoke with told me it is not finished yet. She called it "this polynesian thing" and she warned me that any tikis there are new and I should not expect tiki history at the present time. However she did say the "polynesian thing" is going on in some respect so I am going to make my reservation to stay there.

It's funny that they refuse to use the word tiki. I wonder if they would ask you to leave the premises if you said "tiki" repeatedly while conversing around other guests.
Wayne's studio is down the street, so definitely stop in there. And, check out the tiki's at Coconuts bar. It's on the beach two blocks from Wayne's place. There's a couple of big tiki's in front of Ron Jon's Surf Shop, which is further north on A1A.