When Derek and Roxanne Weaver moved into their new home in Vista CA and saw an add-on that was by the pool, they knew what they had to do, they turned it into a tiki bar! They named their bar the South Pacific Room in honor of the event room at the Bali Hai of the same name. Here is their story …
What is the tiki scene like where you live?
The Tiki Scene in San Diego County is pretty active and vibrant. When I first started my Tiki journey in the early 2000’s you could count all of the active Tiki folks in San Diego on both of your hands. When Tiki Oasis moved to San Diego I think it created a fun gateway to attract newcomers and then boom … they are hooked! We have a number of folks with solid home tiki bars who have social gatherings pretty regularly, we have at least 3 current restaurants that have a solid following (False Idol, Grass Skirt, and Bali Hai). There are a number of Tiki Centric Vending Events and a few organized Home Bar Crawls, so I guess you can see why it’s easy for all of us to stay connected and active in the scene.
What brought you into the ‘Tiki lifestyle” and how long has it been part of your life?
I was the guy in high school (80’s) wearing Hawaiian shirts when no one else was. I was the one listening to Tiny Bubbles in my car making others chuckle. Every party we could throw was always a Luau. My grandparents lived in a Tiki styled apartment complex in San Diego when I was a kid. It all clicked when I joined Tiki Central 16 years ago and started connecting with other folks who shared many of the same interests.
What -at first- seems like a pretty shallow and ridiculous pursuit actually turns out to be a very deep hobby that allows everyone to participate in their own way. We have Artists who paint and work in digital media, fabricators and carvers who create 3-dimensional eye candy and décor, we have musicians who create new content and actively perform for the scene, we have foodies and bartenders always sharing knowledge and tasty experiences, we have event coordinators who enjoy logistics and planning, podcasters and bloggers keeping us informed and involved between events, and the list goes on…. There are many ways to participate and thus there is a LOT of content to keep things fresh and interesting.
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
We had lived in a small condo not far from where we live now (Vista, CA) and tried to implement tiki décor as best as we could but the layout and neighborhood made it challenging to do it well. We moved into our current home about 2010 and were fortunate enough to have an add-on built by a former owner that had vaulted ceilings and faced back towards the pool. We instantly saw the add on and thought …” Tiki Room”.
The journey has been a long one starting with gutting the entire room and starting over with new drywall, new electrical, a new exterior, new windows, tearing out a fireplace and more, and that was just to get to blank slate to start a tiki room. I do all my own carvings and build many of the lamps and furniture in the room so it was just a matter of time to get each part done. It was largely done after about three years but continues to evolve even ten years later. My wife Roxanne considers it her favorite room in the house.
Any story behind the name of your bar?
It’s a pretty simple one. I’m a lifelong San Diego County resident and grew up going to the Bali Hai with my parents and friends. The event room downstairs at the Bali Hai is called the “South Pacific Room”. I titled our bar as an homage to Tiki legacy in San Diego.
What is your favorite Tiki drink?
About 15 years ago I experimented with a list of my favorite ingredients to create the Monkeypod. It’s a culmination of some traditional Mexican ingredients combined with multiple Rums. It has been featured on the menu at Forbidden Island in the SF area since opening and I have been told it’s popular. We have served Monkeypods at many different parties and events with generally good reception. It’s a tart drink (my preference) and its fairly strong.
MonkeyPod Recipe
1.5 oz Tamarind Juice
½ Lime Squeezed
0.5 oz Coconut Crème Syrup
1.5 oz Bacardi
1.0 oz Myers Dark
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
For commercial space, I would say it’s the Mai Kai. It’s hard to compete with that! Although I haven’t been to Max’s South Seas Hideaway in Grand Rapids yet, it looks like an amazing space from the pics I’ve seen.
For home Tiki Bars, that’s a tough one because there are so many well-done home spaces. I would say mine is a 3-way toss-up between Bosko’s Kapu Tiki Room (Escondido, CA), Ron and Mickee’s Rincon Room (Camarillo, CA), and Jonny and Ilze’s Headhunter (San Diego, CA).
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Layers … lots and a lots of layers. It all can start with matting and thatch but that’s just the backdrop for creating an immersive environment. I think it was Bosko that told me a long time ago … if you can take it all in on one visit, then there isn’t enough going on.
Each time our guests come back they often comment “is this piece new” or “I didn’t see this last time” and that means we have succeeded somewhat in creating an immersive space. I like lots of carvings, lamps, and artwork both old and new. Variety!
What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?
We have held many large parties in our space/backyard. We really like seeing all our friends enjoying our hard work and each other. We are fortunate enough to have a pretty large space so we can fit a lot of people. Although we don’t necessarily throw the big party every year, we will supplement that with organizing Tiki Crawls in North County San Diego and occasionally have art/craft based get togethers. We plan on continuing to have router carving classes and lamp classes and art jams during the summer time. Our décor is ever expanding and our wish to share it with old friends and new is a constant motivator for us to keep evolving and adding.
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