The Tiki Craze is alive and well in Palm Springs. In order to experience it, we headed to the Caliente Tropics Hotel to feel a bit of the Polynesian lifestyle. WOW.
Originally called The Tropics, this hotspot opened in the heyday of Tiki in 1964 and was part of Ken Kimes’ motel empire, which included five tiki-themed motels in California: Indio (Coachella-land), Blythe, Modesto and Rosemead were the other locations. I wonder if any of the others still exist.
We had drinks in the former location of the Congo Room's cocktail lounge (now known as The Reef), reportedly popular with the Rat Pack. Generally associated with Sinatra, the Rat Pack originally centered around actor Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, and other famous names in the 1950s, and included the other actors, in the 1960s, we all know including Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, Marilyn Monroe, and Angie Dickinson (as well as others who floated in and out of the group).Born out of a Depression-era need for escapism, the tiki craze started in 1933 with Ernest Gantt. You might know Gantt as the man who opened Hollywood’s famous Don the Beachcomber Restaurant (who later legally changed his name to Donn Beach). After the tiki spot gained massive popularity among celebrities of the 1930s and 1940s, it was only a matter of time until other restaurateurs (and hoteliers) began to copy his tropical style.As servicemen returned home from the South Pacific in the late 1940s and early 1950s, tropical shirts and Mai Tais in tow, the tiki movement gained mainstream popularity. With the economy strong, many families had the means for exotic tropical travel. Elvis starred in Blue Hawaii and the musical South Pacific was a Broadway hit. Tiki culture was everywhere. The tiki trend started to die down in the 1970s due to several reasons, but it is now back and from what I can see, it is hotter than ever! What fun.When we want to spend the night in Palm Springs, the Caliente Tropics Hotel will be high on our list of where to stay.
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