Although I have visited a wide variety of tiki bars all over the world to admire their thematic design, the Sip 'n Dip is definitely unique, this bizarre layer cake of style (and not all of it attractive). Here the onion skinning reveals some of the original early 60s core at the base, a general coat of tackiness applied during the 1970s, and a Jimmy Buffet flair that smells very 80s. The Sip 'n Dip's opening in 1962 was roughly at the apex of all those barrels of rum, all those inches of grass skirts, miles of bamboo, and acres of waterfalls. Fueled by World War II servicemen returning from the South Seas with memories (and dreams) of exotic beaches, native women, and powerful drinks, tiki culture was further enhanced by Hawaii's statehood in 1959.
I'm a big fan of 'Polynesian Pop,' which was a twentieth century cultural movement that included tiki bars, tiki supper clubs tiki hotels, motels, apartments and even tiki bowling alleys and carwashes. The Sip 'n Dip Lounge is a tiki bar on the second floor which opened along with the motel.
