Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #140 The Sunset Fogcutter – Victoria BC

Sunset Fogcutter

Josh and Susan recently moved to Victoria BC from San Francisco. While living in the Bay Area, they had many tiki bars to choose from, they could go to a different tiki bar every day of the week and still have more left over! Josh is from Canada and he wanted to move back, so he brought his wife Susan with him and bought a home in  beautiful Victoria BC.

Their house is a “Character Home” which means it was built before 1930 that displays unique architectural features from its historical period. These homes are defined by their distinctive elements, including ornate cornices, bay windows, verandahs, and special features like leadlight windows or tiled roofs. Character houses are typically built from weatherboard or brick, offering spacious layouts with four or more bedrooms.

They knew they wanted to build a tiki bar, they just needed to pick a room in their very large house. Josh and Susan settled on a room that used to be a study. Great choice because it gives their tiki bar “The Sunset Fogcutter” a world adventurer/explorer feel. When you step inside The Sunset Fogcutter, you feel like you’re going back in time. Here is Josh and Susan’s story…

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999 Tiki (Pizza) Camarillo CA – Guest Tiki Bar Review by Tom Hemmen

999 Pizza

999 Tiki proved to be a surprise on several levels. First of all, I had never heard of it before. Secondly, I confess that I set my expectations on a Tiki bar that was an outgrowth of a pizza parlor pretty low … and am happy to say that I was a misguided in this initial reaction, for reasons that I will further elaborate below…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #138 Kokomo Oasis Portland OR

Kokomo Oasis

Remember that Beach Boys song from the 80’s, Kokomo?

Can you tell me how to get to Kokomo? Is it a real place? I really don’t know. But I can tell you that I’ve found a home tiki bar that was inspired by that Beach Boys tune, it’s call Kokomo Oasis. Kokomo Oasis can be found behind Paul and Jayme Obais’s home in Portland OR. The devil is in the details and the closer you look, the more you’ll discover, like a hidden message carved out in Morse code underneath the bar! It took me a little bit to decipher but I got it! Here’s Paul to clue you into more details way down in Kokomo…. Oasis!

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #137 The Fo’c’sle – Bothell WA

The Fo’c’sle

Bothell is about 45 minutes north of Seattle. There used to be one reason why I would make the trek up and that is The North Shore Lagoon at The McMenamins Anderson School. But now I have second reason to come up to Bothell, and that is to visit my new friends Pete and Andrea Zeller and hang out in their living room turned tiki bar The Fo’c’sle! I don’t know how to pronounce the name of their tiki bar, but I know their address! Here is Pete and Andrea’s tiki story…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #136 Hidden Jungle Lounge – Arlington WA

Hidden Jungle Lounge

The family that Tiki’s together, drinks Mai Tais together!

The Hidden Jungle Lounge is located in a little town about a solid hour north of Seattle called Arlington. Bill Gray, his wife Bridget and their son Max, have created what I’d to call a tiki bar on a pirate ship. When you first walk into the Hidden Jungle Lounge bar but if you go to the left and head down a couple stairs, you will enter a room that literally feels like the inside of a pirate ship!

Normally when it comes to tiki bars, you want to block the outside world from coming in, but in the Hidden Jungle Lounge there’s a giant open window that lets you look out into a beautiful deck with a fish pond and skeletons, what a combination! Here is the backstory of the Hidden Jungle Lounge told from Bill’s son, Max…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #135 8Ball’s Grotto – Charleston WV

8Ball’s Gr

The pirate, or should I say dead pirate that you will meet in Johnny Carter’s home Tiki bar is named 8Ball, named after what’s replaced one of his eyes. 8Ball’s Grotto is a cross between Tiki, Pirate and a little bit of Indiana Jones thrown in for good measure! 8Ball welcomes you into his Grotto, but will you make it out alive….

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #133 The Luna Lagoon – Santee CA

The Luna Lagoon

Paige and Christian Luna both have a love for tiki and goth. Outside behind their home in Santee CA, you will find a little shack. It used to be a home office, now it’s the Luna Lagoon. The Luna Lagoon is named after their favorite Universal Monster movie, The Creature From The Black Lagoon and their last name, “Luna” which in Spanish means moon. Paige and Christian created a cozy spooky tiki goth bar that showcases their passions and it’s what makes The Luna Lagoon so special. Here is Paige and Christian’s story…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #132 The Tiki Playground –  El Cajon CA

The Tiki Playground

I was pretty much born and raised into the tiki lifestyle…

When Kailani was growing up, she spent her summers on O’ahu where she learned Hula. She performed as a child and never stopped! Maybe you can see Kailani dance in the San Diego area or you can come to Kailani and Alan’s Tiki Playground.  The Tiki Playground is an outside tiki bar that looks over an impressive view over El Cajon. Hanging on the walls are pictures of Kailani’s family and various tiki and Hawaiian items that Alan has found over the years. Kailani and Alan are very welcoming and The Tiki Playground might be one of the most relaxing home tiki bars I ever visited. Aloha!

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #131 Gecko’s Grotto – La Mesa CA

Gecko's Grotto

Traveling to Hawaii is not cheap, especially if you have three kids!

So, what do you do? Well, Steve and Amy brought Hawaii to them and built a tiki bar in their home. After their kids moved out, they converted one of the empty rooms into Gecko’s Grotto. With the help of Buzzy, they built a home tiki that’s truly stunning at night or even during the day! Here is how the Gecko’s Grotto came to be…

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