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Don The Beachcomber, Kona, HI (restaurant) |
bamalamalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 20, 2006
Posts: 383 |  Posted: 2012-11-15 7:03 pm Permalink
Just to confirm, as ofone minute ago Sean Wilkenson is still here playing the vibes!
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10561
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2012-11-15 9:56 pm Permalink
Wonderful to hear. Really a classic Hawaii experience, to sit on that terrace with that view at sunset and listen to his lounge jazz vibes.
ALMOST like listening to Arthur Lyman vibing at the New Otani lobby - almost... Ata used to throw in some bird calls. 
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bamalamalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 20, 2006
Posts: 383 | Posted: 2012-11-16 7:28 pm Permalink
Currently, he plays Thursdays and Sundays. He said he goes a bit crazy on Sundays.
However, on the 3rd Thursday of each month, they now have Henry Kapono playing from 5-7PM, so get there earlier to hear Sean.
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bamalamalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 20, 2006
Posts: 383 | Posted: 2012-11-24 1:44 pm Permalink
Now that I'm (sadly) back home and have a minute, figured I'd chime in on our overall Don's experience.
As everyone's said, the atmosphere is really what it's all about. Perfect place to put up your feet and watch the sunset, especially with the vibraphone going (for accuracy, the correct spelling of the gentleman's name is Sean Wilkinson.) Henry Kapono and some of the recorded music at other times weren't as conducive to the feel we were going for ("Hotel California" and "Margaritaville" kinda put the kibosh on the Tiki fantasy.)
We didn't eat in the restaurant at all; apparently they're currently open Thursday - Saturday. We did go for sunset cocktails in the bar/lounge area a couple times. We asked first for the "Original Don's" Mai Tai, but they were really disappointing. Tasted like orange juice and some dark rum, kind of watered down. Not what we'd been looking forward to at all. I'm not sure if the waitress brought us what they use as a 'standard' Mai Tai rather than the actual "Original," but we did carefully specify when ordering. We sat at the bar on our second visit and they make a tremendous amount of these (and we saw a bartender refill a bar jug labled "mai tai mix" with OJ straight out of the carton.) The Zombie & Tropical Itch were better, the Itch being the best on our first visit. The Don's Plantation Mai Tai was limey and much improved over the 'originals' we'd been served. My husband also tried a "Topless" Mai Tai, which wasn't so hot.
Anyway, it is a must-visit place - perfect for the view and atmosphere at sunset and as the torches are lit. But it did make us even more disappointed that Okolemaluna had closed down before our visit.
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