I wasn’t able to make it down to Don The Beachcomber for The Ohana Gathering but my good friend Piper did and here is what she had to say…
Aloha Tiki Ohana!
My name is Piper, and I am honored to be a guest writer today for my good friend Ray! I had already been a long time reader of Tiki With Ray when I saw him at Tacoma Cabana, and we struck up a conversation about all things Polynesian Pop. When Ray recently asked me if I’d be willing to share my first time experience of Don the Beachcomber’s, I jumped at the chance.
I’ve been a fan of all things tiki since my first trip to Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, when I was 5 years old. At 21, I stumbled into Portland, Oregon’s Alibi … and had a complete wiggins. Here was the theming of my dreams … complete with alcohol.
Years down the road, the obsession had only grown stronger, and my husband, Vaughan, and I found ourselves on an early morning flight to Orange County when we heard rumors that Don the Beachcomber’s iconic Huntington Beach location might be closing soon. I’m sure every tiki enthusiast can appreciate the distinct panic we felt when the whispers became a dull roar. Here was a bucket list location, and if I waited much longer, I wouldn’t get the chance to see it in person! When we got word of the Ohana Gathering taking place on March 30th, we knew what we had to do!
The morning of the Ohana Gathering, we found ourselves with some free time. It probably won’t come as much of a shock to hear that I failed deprogramming, and so both Vaughan and I spend a fair amount of time worshipping at the cult of the mouse. What better way to celebrate a tiki weekend than to start off with some day drinking at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar? We scooted in right at the opening, and were thrilled to make two new tiki friends while sitting at the bar. This truly has to be one of my favorite things about tiki culture in general. I’ve yet to meet really unfriendly people in the scene, and of course, it’s hard to run out of things to talk about, when the environment you’re in is a conversation starter! Vaughan enjoyed the Angolada (if you’re a bitters fan, you’ll like this one!), and a Ti Punch (his go-to drink). I had a Zambezi Sour, and the La Florida. Both of us really enjoyed the new additions to the menu, and I appreciated that some of these newer drinks were a little less sweet!
After a few drinks and lots of good conversation, it was time to head back to the hotel to freshen up. This meant that Vaughan took a nap and put on a shirt. It meant that I had a battle of wills with my hair, briefly contemplated buying a wig, almost poked my eye out trying to apply false eye lashes, and remembered exactly why I spend so much time wearing hoodies and leggings. However, once we arrived at Don the Beachcomber’s at around 6:30 that evening, I was glad I had put in the effort. The line waiting to get in was FILLED with people in their best Aloha-wear. Being from the PNW, even in the best tiki bars, thematically appropriate dress tends to be rare (it’s hard to blame us … who wants their best efforts ruined by rain?). But here, both V and I felt like we would’ve stuck out like sore thumbs had we been in jeans and tees.
The vast majority of attendees looked absolutely fabulous. It was clear this was an occasion. It was also clear, that for many people in line, coming to Don’s was a longstanding tradition. People were greeting old friends, excitedly chatting about the night’s lineup of performers, and everyone really did seem to be family. “Ohana Gathering” was an appropriate name! The two of us admittedly felt a little awkward, standing in the midst of people who all seemed to have so much in common, and obviously knew each other well … and then that familiar tiki magic struck, and the groups around us began introducing themselves, and we made more wonderful friends! And all of this, before we had even entered the building!
Finally it was time to show our ticket stubs to the security standing outside of the entrance. Once we walked inside, I was not disappointed. Having not yet been to the Mai Kai, this was easily the biggest tiki bar we had ever been to. We were greeted with lush greenery, giant tikis, and a glorious tropical waterfall. We were also greeted with a long line to enter the event space reserved for Ohana Gathering attendees. This line too, proved worth the wait. The Hidden Village Room, complete with its large stage, long bar, and private tiki huts was mesmerizing. The room was bustling with activity, and packed to the gills. We realized quickly that if we wanted any chance at a place to set our drinks down, we were going to have to grab them soon. We had elected to forgo the tickets promising a buffet (what later ended up being a plated meal), and went for the standing room only option. So after a few minutes of gawking, we headed to the Dagger Bar in search of sustenance.
This turned out to be a bit of a Choose Your Own Adventure experience! The Dagger Bar was SLAMMED with guests (both OG attendees and people that wanted to say goodbye to Don’s). We couldn’t find a place to sit, but were assured by an employee that we could grab something to eat in the main dining room. Once there, we were told by another employee that we couldn’t order anything but appetizers in this location, so we went ahead and did that. The kitchen was busy as well, and so we found that our first choice (the mac and cheese) was unavailable, and we grabbed the brie quesadilla. I tried to order a QB Cooler as well, and found out they had run out of them. I was game for anything, so I just asked our waitress to surprise me. Food and drinks arrived . . . and in the spirit of total honesty, I will say that I once had heard that the food at Don’s wasn’t its forte. The quesadilla fell pretty neatly into that category. My drink was fine. Nothing out of this world, but both Vaughan and I really felt that the main draw of coming to Don’s was the experience of the environment, and camaraderie.
After finishing up, and finding our signed Ohana Gathering poster, we were ready to rejoin the party! And what a party it was! We met “Mr. Tiki Head”, and marveled at the ingenuity of having a built-in straw hole in the tiki mask so that he could imbibe without breaking character (it also must be noted that he turned out to be an excellent guitar player!). We were thrilled to meet the crew behind the Zen Tiki Lounge podcast and share some laughs. Both of us were blown away by the musical acts! I have a new favorite in “Ukulena”, who was an awesome combo of kitsch, fun, and incredible vocals. In general, I try not to dance in public (it isn’t pretty folks), but Outerwave, and the Atomic Cherry Bombs, made it impossible to not at LEAST shimmy. The night closed with the Hula Girls, and you couldn’t help but gain a second wind when singing along to “Suck ‘Em Up” or “Hawaii’s Not That Far Away”. By the time we were winding down, there was this real sense from everyone that we were saying goodbye to something legendary. I write this now, sipping a Mai Tai and feeling a bit wistful, as I recall driving away from that glowing neon swordfish sign. I look forward to a new Don the Beachcomber’s, wherever it may land, but the old Don’s will be mighty hard to forget!
