As I started telling people about our family trip to Hawaii pretty much everyone said something to the effect of “you’re probably going to go to so many tiki bars, huh?” But the reality is that there are very, VERY few true tiki bars in Hawaii. The tiki culture was started in L.A. and grew in San Fran and only moved to Hawaii once tourists started to expect it to be there. The sad thing is that many of those original tiki bars of Hawaii have come and gone… but La Mariana Sailing Club is still holding on!
Opening in 1957 it is a tiki beacon tucked away in industrial seaside Honolulu. Rumors have circulated for years that the Sailing Club will be forced to sell… while I hope that doesn’t come to fruition I was fortunate to be able to visit a few weeks ago while visiting Oahu
The location is so wonderful! As everyone said, it takes some work to find, and that is true. The GPS on my phone was only able to take me so far and then it told me to “park and walk” the rest of the way. The good news is that is not the case and if you find the right road then there is parking right in front.
Unlike a majority of other tiki bars, this one sits right on the water… part of a beautiful little sailboat marina. I suggest going during daylight hours to enjoy the location fully.
The walk up to the entrance is so fun! Probably not on purpose fully, but from your parked car you see an industrial port… but as you get closer to the entrance you only see the sailboats and start to see the familiar bamboo of a tiki bar.
The decor is wonderful! I guess the story goes that La Mariana was able to procure a lot of old items from previous Hawaiian Tiki bars, including Don’s and Vic’s. Whatever happened, it happened right because there is a little of everything… a canoe, plenty of Japanese fishing floats, even a waterfall (reminding me of Mai Kai).
We had a reservation since we were a party of 8 and we were sat right away. I will admit that at first our server wasn’t the most friendly or helpful but that seemed to change. I ordered a Mai Tai and Mrs. Trader had the Blue Hawaii. I will say that the Mai Tai was decent but not the best ever. (I think Hawaii has a problem, in general, making a correct Mai Tai.) And I will also admit that the drink menu is not the most inventive… but the location and history will bring me back as many times as possible… and the food! The food that everyone ordered was extremely tasty so points right there!
As our meal started to wrap up a band stated… they were enjoyable as well! They even acknowledged my sons, so that’s more points!
Overall, I loved my visit to La Mariana! I would recommend trying to get there if you can (hopefully before the rumors come true of them being bought out)!
