Cover Story continued

Setting the bar

A few notables worthy mentioning
by Napua Leong | Oct 4, 2006

Best place to feel like you’re in Hawai’i

La Mariana Sailing Club

Perched at the bar beneath the golden taxidermic glow of blowfish tiki lamps at La Mariana Sailing Club. This Sand Island legend is the last member of a species on the brink of extinction: the classic Tiki bar. Locals and off-the-beaten path malihini make it their first stop from the airport because it’s a destination not so much geographic as temporal. Nowhere else has the breezy aura and distinctly Polynesian leisure of the late Mai Tai era been so preciously preserved. Tropical drinks are limited to your standard made-from-a-mix varieties, but the waterfront setting houses the unofficial state archive of retro Hawaiiana. Sit at a table with chiefly rattan thrones and identify the relics: netted glass fishing floats, lauhala walls, shell chandeliers and, of course, the tikis.

La Mariana Sailing Club, 50 Sand Island Access Rd, 848-2800

Best place to feel like you’re not in Hawai’i

Lewers Lounge

Except for the draped pillars that recall kahili, the vibe at this upscale lounge is distinctly East Coast urban. Live jazz nightly, exquisite cocktails and a superior appetizer menu featuring morel mushroom-dusted Angus sliders with Boursin dip and bitter chocolate fondue transport you from the requisite Hawaiian trio and hula dancer fixtures of most Waikiki hotel bars. Even impromptu jam sessions are not the expected ‘ukulele and guitar jumble: On a recent weekday evening a Honolulu Symphony violinist was coaxed from his table to join resident jazz duo Jim Howard and Bruce Hamada for a song.

Lewers Lounge, Halekulani Hotel, 2199 Kalia Rd, 923-2311

Best late-night bar

The Sand Bar

Faded clubbers, neighborhood restaurant and bar workers and a menagerie of nocturnal creatures end up at this low-key, stroll-in, stagger-out bar, where you can post-game until 4am. The pluses: free Internet access, an outside terrace and a short menu of basic pupus like edamame and onion rings to soak up a night’s worth of alcohol consumption.

The Sand Bar, Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel, 2375 Ala Wai Blvd, 922-4744

Best live Hawaiian entertainment/kanikapila

Aku Bone Lounge

Aku Bone Lounge is actually a karaoke bar, but on nights when there’s live entertainment, the audience is treated to kolohe songs not played on Waikiki stages punctuated with cries of ‘Not pau, hana hou!’ Local Hawaiian entertainers often drop in on nights off and get called up to share the stage with the scheduled performers. The result is a purely kama’aina revue that’s one part comedy show and three parts falsetto harmony: Between sets musicians might reference the old public school-private school battle, requested songs are proposed before the crowd with an ‘ae or ‘a’ole and plain-clothes hula dancers are summoned by name from their bar stools and jokingly reminded to ai ha’a mid-kaholo.

Aku Bone Lounge, 1201 Kona St, 589-2020

Best hair-of-the-dog bar

Cabanas Pool Bar

The sunny, open-air terrace above Chili’s and Nashville Waikiki in the Ohana Waikiki West Hotel houses the best kept secret of the Sunday set, who perpetuate the kick-back weekend vibe at this un-touristy pool bar. Drink specials and amiable bartenders draw a democratic and mingly mix of locals, visitors and hotel guests who easily morph from strangers to friends after a few rounds and a sing-a-long to a live rendition of ‘Friend of the Devil.’ Everyone is allowed in the surprisingly un-crowded pool, though its perimeters are dotted with a few people from the Saturday club circuit sweating out their hangovers on the lounge chairs. Like any great neighborhood pool party, there’s a one-man barbecue operation set up in the corner where you can get thick burgers charred to order.

Cabanas Pool Bar, Ohana Waikiki West Hotel, 2330 Kuhio Ave, 922-3143

Celebrating Hawaii, nature, culture and wellness for over 35 years!
SURFER, The Bar

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