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The Green Turtle (Hawaiian Inn), Daytona Beach, Florida (restaurant) |
Kailuageoff
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 27, 2002
Posts: 1504
From: Honolulu Lounge,Lewes, DE
|  Posted: 2003-08-31 07:03 am Permalink
Name:The Green Turtle, Daytona Beach, Florida
Type:restaurant
Street:2301 S. Atlantic Ave. (A1A)
City:Daytona Beach
State:FL
Zip:32118
country:USA
Phone:(904) 255-5411
Status:operational
Description:
The Green Turtle is the official name of the restaurant at the Hawaiian Inn hotel/condominium in Daytona Beach, Florida. The restaurant is the home of Teauila's Hawaiian luau and dinner show which is usually open five nights per week. The show's owners have been entertaining for more than 30 years, and their performances retain the atmosphere of a vintage Florida tourist attraction.
The hotel also has an outdoor tiki bar by the pool with tiki's supporting the roof of the bar.
The Hawaiian Inn is one of the most outstanding tiki resorts left in the United States. Aside from its grand Polynesian pop architecture, the hotel features a Witco fountain, Witco furniture, outrigger canoes suspened from the ceiling, tiki poles and extensive bamboo trim.
The hotel was built in the mid-60's by the same owner who built the nearby Aku-Tiki Inn. It recieved a major face lift in 1999 / 2000 when it was converted to a condominum complex. This included the return of Teauila's luau and hula show -- which had left the hotel in the early 1990's -- and the refurbishing of the Green Turtle restaurant (originally called the Waikiki Supper Club & Lounge). The restaurant is now full of Witco and Orchids of Hawaii tiki carvings, vintage polynesian light fixtures, has a small bar, a smoldering volcano and classic tropical beverages served before and during the show by an experienced tiki-drink mixologist.
The bar serves most of its drinks in glasses, rather than the wide variety of tiki mugs inscribed with the hotel's name that can still be found on e-bay.
Overshadowed by the justly famous Mai-Kai restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, the Hawaiian Inn and Green Turtle Restaurant are authentic tiki treasures and should not be missed by any serious Polynesian pop enthusiast. It is also an outstanding value since the luau buffet and show only cost $27, and drinks run about $6 each. The show is dark on Monday and Tuesdays. Reservations are suggested.
[ This Message was edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-10-10 15:08 ]
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GatorRob
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 1784
From: Orlando
| Posted: 2007-11-12 5:04 pm Permalink
There are lots of pictures of this placed scattered here and there in various events threads, but I thought I'd resurrect this dusty old thread (is it a thread if it only has one post?) of Geoff's and add some pictures. So here ya go.
Now, step inside...
I love these Witco light boxes:
And Teauila's Hawaii Dinner Show. Forgive the flash, but it's very dark in there and I was more interested in capturing the bones of the place rather than the ambience.
These Witco chairs scream to be liberated from their paint and floral patterns! But at least they're still there. I think the paint is blacklight paint.
[ This Message was edited by: GatorRob 2007-11-12 17:27 ]
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Kabuddhabuddha
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jun 20, 2007
Posts: 41
From: Sunny Southwest Florida
| Posted: 2007-11-14 3:03 pm Permalink
We went there last summer and spent the night, nothing like sleeping by the beach with doors open and the Atlantic putting you to sleep, it was a very cool hotel and the show was the best, also if you go in and sit at the bar they don't charge you for the show, next time I am paying for the show as the food smelled terrific The witco is all over the place. I am trying to get Mrs Bood to let me buy a condo there and just totally tiki it out, Man what a place to go on the weekends that would be, recommend this trip to anyone who is going to be in the Daytona area, do be prepared though as Daytona is still recovering from 04's hurricanes things are a little run down.
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uncle trav
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2005
Posts: 2217
From: Kalamazoo
| Posted: 2009-08-26 07:03 am Permalink
Thought I'd bump up this post a little. First up some mugs from my collection two "paddle lickers" and a "paddle sucker". These classic mugs come in a wide variety of colors and glazes and could end up being a huge collection by themselves.
A Leilani style.
A great matchbook with a nice rendering on the inside cover from my collection. This rendering as well as one of the mug can be seen on this ad from DC's Hawaiian resort thread.
Dusty's ad.
A couple of newer brochures.
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"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann
[ This Message was edited by: uncle trav 2009-08-27 04:06 ]
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2802
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2009-08-26 11:47 pm Permalink
I lucked into finding this nice Panoramic postcard of the Hawaiian Inn.
 You can see the entrance to the Green Turtle Restaurant, back when it was the Waikiki Supper Club to the far right of the main entrance:
Is this entrance with the Moai still there today?
A nice rendering of the logo tiki
Looks like there were Witcos in the rooms
The Waikiki Supper Club back in the 60s
Are these Witco pieces still on the walls of the Green Turtle?
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 11581
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-08-26 11:53 pm Permalink
A very worthy post to bump, for a worthy place.
To ad some perspective to the "paddle licker" term, it has been concluded that the mug Tiki is supposed to be holding a Maori war club ( though it looks more like a knife), not a dance paddle. As the tongue was erroneously connected with the this implement, it began to look more like a paddle. My Maori war club research could not ascertain exactly WHICH form of club this creature has in hand:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=9451&forum=2&vpost=447142
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 11581
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-08-26 11:58 pm Permalink
Those Moai were still there last I was...but grossly painted. I believe there was a "door handle scandal post" here on TC a while back that showed them. The Witco pieces that remain inside have also been "touched up" with day glo paints.
Please also revisit the Florida Escapes chapter in Tiki Modern for some more Hawaiian Inn images.
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-08-27 00:03 ]
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 5029
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2009-08-27 11:41 am Permalink
Sabu,
That is one awesome postcard, I have never seen that one before.
Here is another card I have with an old sign painted on the beach side of the hotel advertising the Waikiki Lounge and Supper Club.
As to Bigbro's comments regarding the Moai at the door, here is a current Google view showing the unfortunate paint job (wasn't that the theme of another post?)
So what's wrong with this picture. Restore the damn Moai statutes, trim the vegetation growing in front of them, and get a little no parking zone in front of them so everybody can see them.
DC
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GatorRob
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 1784
From: Orlando
| Posted: 2009-08-27 2:53 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-08-26 23:58, bigbrotiki wrote:
I believe there was a "door handle scandal post" here on TC a while back that showed them.
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Boy, I remember that drama. Here they are a couple of years ago. I assume they're still there. I think it's time for another drive over to see how things are doing.
EDIT: Agh! Sorry. These are from the Aku Tiki down the street. Not the Hawaiian Inn. But I'll leave the picture here because they are so very cool. 
[ This Message was edited by: GatorRob 2009-08-27 15:08 ]
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 5029
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-19 4:24 pm Permalink
I just got a minty brochure from the Hawaiian Inn chocked full of some great photos and descriptions.
This is the cover with a view of the hotel from the beach.
Some exterior photos:
The indoor pool and shuffleboard courts
The great entrance to the Waikiki Lounge and Supper Club.
Indoors we have the lobby, looks to be full of Witco.
A different picture of the interior of the Waikiki lounge area - look at that Witco lined up on the walls.
The Luau show
This is the Wikiki Coffee Shop
A hotel room with some Witco over the bed.
The nice rendering from the reservation form
Some of the great ad text to go with the images.
Teaching us Americans how to speak Hawaiian.
A great brochure for sure.
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 5029
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-21 09:47 am Permalink
Since this is now the official Hawaiian Inn post, I thought I would add a few more pieces from the past:
A matchbook
Some more postcards
And a soap bar.
Sure is great that this place is still around.
DC
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2802
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-02-21 09:51 am Permalink
Love the graphic on the soap bar. I wonder if that artist's rendering appears on anything larger.
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Kailuageoff
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 27, 2002
Posts: 1504
From: Honolulu Lounge,Lewes, DE
| Posted: 2010-02-25 11:11 pm Permalink
That's a great brochure Dusty. Thanks for posting. A lot has changed at the Hawaiian Inn in the last few years. Wayne and Teauila split up and their show is tragically no longer in existence after so many years of constant performing. Sven and I taped a charming interview with both of them a few years ago that I have yet to copy. A new group that ran the show at Sea World in Orlando took over the showroom and was making some nice changes to the place - no more buffet and the addition of a new bar. Some of the old cast, including two of their daughters, are still working there as is Dave the poolside bartender. The Witco is still there last I checked, although tiki scoundrels keep trying to buy it from them.
Aloha,
KG
[ This Message was edited by: Kailuageoff 2010-02-25 23:12 ]
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Tam Tiki
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 01, 2009
Posts: 49
From: Tampa Bay Area
| Posted: 2010-04-14 08:19 am Permalink
Just thought some here might like to see that the Hawaiian Inn, Daytona Beach, is making some improvements. Although the bar by the pool still leaves much to be desired, I went by there a couple of weeks ago and took some pictures. Most of the inside still looks the same as what is shown in other parts of this thread (though they have a sign that says more improvements are coming). However, they are doing more to the outside, to make it look more Polynesian. Here's a picture of how they are removing the stone on the outside and replacing it with Polynesian designs.
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TikiTomD
Grand Member (6 years) 
Joined: Sep 20, 2009
Posts: 695
From: Flagler Beach, FL
| Posted: 2011-12-06 09:45 am Permalink
This seems to be the closest to a TC Hawaiian Inn thread, though the Green Turtle restaurant in the topic title is no longer known by that name.
The Hawaiian Inn itself opened circa July of 1965. Though originally a hotel, it is now a condominium, as noted above. However, quite a number of the condo owners don't reside in the resort. About 100 rooms are available for overnight or longer stays, so it still operates and feels like a hotel. Although undergoing relatively recent renovations, the Polynesian Pop character of the building has been retained. The lobby looks essentially unchanged, as evidenced by these photos taken yesterday...
Closer views of the mural...
Here's the Witco fountain, still functioning in the planter to the right of the second photo above...
Through the years, a succession of supper clubs and shows have been hosted at the Hawaiian Inn. One of the earlier ones was the "Waikiki Supper Club." Here's a 1979 ad for one of the Hawaiian Inn shows...
Daytona Beach Morning Journal November 3, 1979
Teauila's Hawaii, a long-running resident Polynesian dinner show, was succeeded in February of 2008 by Ohana Luau, operated by Patti and Jose Santiago...
Here's the exit doorway from the dinner show and restaurant area...
And a partial view of the driveway...
Tiki still lives at the Hawaiian Inn!
-Tom
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