Trader Sam's Grog Grotto: Opening in 2015 (Missed it by that Much?)

I just recently saw online that the Polynesian Resort in Disneyworld just reopened their lobby after an extensive revamp.  

There are some cool pictures of the new lobby area here.

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2014/12/photos-new-lobby-at-disneys-polynesian-village-resort-unveiled/

This news sent me on an Internet search to find out when the Disneyworld version of one of my favorite  Disneyland Resort hangouts was going to be opening.  I searched Disney blogs and Tiki Central.  All that I could find in news reports was 2015??   Not very specific.    I will be in Florida in the middle of March for my step daughter's cheer competition so I was hoping that it would be open be then.  After all visiting the Polynesian Resort to see all the new changes and find some Tiki's is on my Disneyworld trip must see list.   

http://braddisneylandblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/planning-trip-to-disneyworld-part-1-in.html

My search for answers continued  and I found  Tiki Man's page which is the unofficial facebook page for the resort.  See his website below.

https://www.facebook.com/Tikimanpages

Well the answer to my question is that it is probably opening at the end of March 2015.....Ugh the end of March.....I can only hope that they have a sneak peek a couple weeks earlier.

The concept art for the place looks awesome.  Very much in the style of Trader Sam's on the West Coast, but with a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea twist to make it unique.   I'm dying to get my hands on this T-shirt that I saw as part of the concept art on numerous pages.  The Octopus  grabbing the Trader Sam's sign look so cool.  I'm hoping that they will have some cool Octopus mugs as well.

(CONCEPT ART FROM PINTEREST)

In the concept art below the coolest differences from our Trader Sam's is the Octopus arm holding the beer that is entwined in the rafters and the cool light up Oyster shell in the background.

(CONCEPT ART FROM PINTEREST)

And in this last cool drawing .. it looks like a little of the Adventurer's club could be making its way into the bar as well.  Where our Trader Sam's has the cool ship in a bottle effect from Adventurer's Club....it looks like the Orlando version may bring the Mask Room back to life.

(CONCEPT ART FROM PINTEREST)

I really hope that it opens early for our trip.   If not then I will definitely have a reason to go back again.

Tiki song of the week: Because I can totally see this at Tiki Oasis 2015

Here is The Jimmy Psycho Experiment doing Welcome to the Jungle.   I recently saw the Alien Cantina band at a Star Wars Burlesque show up in LA.  I recognized the name of The Jimmy Psycho Experiment from Tiki Oasis and room crawl sponsored by Deadhead Rum that we never made it to.   Here is The Jimmy Psycho Experiment doing a version of Welcome to the Jungle.   I hope this  Sci-fi Lounge music is at the the Futurism themed Tiki Oasis in 2015

 http://www.jimmypsycho.com/

The Pineappleman finds Tiki at a Ski Resort

It has been  too many years since my last trip to Mammoth Lakes CA and the first time ever for my wife Kim. 

I wanted to show her everything and at the top of that list was the tiki bar at The Village.   Right in the heart of this cool ski village sits Lakanuki  a little Tiki bar and restaurant that features a giant Tiki face on the outside with a Pineapple (what  could be more welcoming to the Pineappleman).

Behind the large wood doors (great for keeping out the cold during snow season) sits a fun little Tiki haven.   Lakanuki opened up in 2003 --before I was fully into Tiki....I was super happy to see that it was still there.   I Loved being able to have a little bit of the beach while up in the mountains at 8,000 feet.

With tables showing Vintage Hawaiian posters. 

Tiki Art and masks on the walls

 

This Tiki bar features many of the traditional Tiki style drinks –but also has some interesting  warm you up additions.    What is better than a Hot Buttered Rum after a long day on the ski slopes –when you are trying to keep warm.     They also had several adult Hot Chocolate drinks n the menu as well.

I briefly spoke with the owner and he seemed genuinely interested in Tiki and wanting to find more items to add to the bar and mentioned wanting to have a Rum Festival or something at some point.  Check out their facebook page here and  be sure to drop by if you are up in the Mountains and need a place to warm up and enjoy some Rum up in the snow.  If they ever do we will be there.

http://lakanuki.net/

The Village where it is located is here

http://villageatmammoth.com/

The Pineappleman’s Palm Springs Tiki/Retro adventure.

The last time I had been to Palm Springs was for a College Soccer tournament back in around 1990 and the only thing I can remember from that trip was our feisty English soccer coach Mr. Finnerty getting in a long hilarious argument with the manager of a fast food restaurant over how many salads and burgers the team had ordered.    “Salad, Salad , Salad  …..No Burgers”

Well after reading about several Tiki/Retro events that had happened in the Desert oasis –we decided to go and overnight trip and check out what Palm Springs had to offer.     After stopping at the disappointing Morongo Casino and the endless Outlet mall....we finally arrived at our first stop.    The Shag Store.

I absolutely Love Shag's work.  I first got introduced to Shag's art via the painting he did for Disneyland.  Then that overflowed into my love for Tiki.  Now we look forward to seeing him every year at Tiki Oasis.

 

If I had a ton of money I would buy a whole bunch of Shag art.....In the meantime...I added to my meager collection with a couple of tumbler glasses from Mod Springs event and a new Shag Art book

The Shag Store can be found below

http://www.shagthestore.com

Our next stop was the Tonga Hut which just opened within the last year.  

We absolutely loved the ambiance of the Tonga Hut …It had a great mix of retro surf  and lounge music.

The main bar area was stylish and had a little lounge area off to the side.  The place would be perfect for a party. 

The Ugly Mermaid

We had a couple of good Tiki drinks and enjoyed some popcorn chicken that had a really good dipping sauce

And then we were shown the secret private room behind a hidden door.   We are definitely coming back and reserving this room when we bring more friends. 

The Tonga Hut is Below

http://tongahut.com/tonga-hut-palm-springs.html

We then made our way to the Riveria hotel---and old school Palm Spring Resort from the Rat Pack days that has recently had a makeover and has the style and feel of the Cosmopolitan in Vegas.    We sat out near one the pool which has cool cabanas with old school celebrity pictures  and nice firepit areas --

Then headed to the cool little piano bar for some wine and cheese.

 

This stylish resort can be found below....I would totally recommend it and hope to stay there again

http://www.psriviera.com

The next day we found a nice little spot for breakfast that had Shag art on the walls. 

Then stopped by the Bootlegger Tiki Bar which didn't open until much later in the day --so it is on the list for next time.

 

We stopped and took a couple of pictures in front of the Elvis Honeymoon house

 

and  then stumbled across Nat Reed's art gallery --which also had a fun retro flair and some stuff that would be perfect for this years Tiki Oasis theme.

You can check out more of his stuff below....The Robot bar photo perfectly fits in with this years Tiki Oasis theme

http://natreed.com

 After that we just got in the car and drove to see where our adventure would take us......It took us right to the site of where the Mod Springs event had taken place.   The Caliente Tropics....

 

We took a walk around and took a few pictures

Who knew that the Hotel California was right across the street. 

 I wanted to check in ---but I heard that once you do you never check out

 

We also spotted some Tikis in front of a club further down the street.

 

Our trip ended with dinner at the River....with a meal and sunset bringing us back to the modern world and leaving the retro weekend behind.