This section of Roadside Peek San Diego is dedicated to the Tiki
structures in and around the area. Many thanks to Bosko and Truus for
contributing the photos and info in this section. More Tiki stuff at Roadside
Tiki.
 Yacht Sales Place
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy Bosko & Truus
Even shopping for a boat came with a little tropical scenery on Shelter Island. This Yacht Sales Place fits into a waterfront where the buildings could attract nearly as much attention as the vessels tied up nearby. Apparently, selling a floating vacation called for an office that looked ready for one.
Shelter Island’s mid-century development encouraged Polynesian styling, carrying the theme beyond restaurants and hotels to the marine businesses. A trip to browse yachts could turn into a roadside architecture tour without ever leaving dry land.
UPDATE: Its old yacht-sales identity offers another example of the island’s tropical treatment of everyday commercial buildings. Even the paperwork could come with a South Seas setting. 10-26
 Shelter Island Inn (Closed)
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy Bosko & Truus
A roof like this could make checking in feel like the beginning of a proper vacation. The Shelter Island Inn greeted travelers with a soaring A-frame, giving the entrance plenty of height and a tropical look before anyone reached the front desk.
Built in 1960 and designed by Richard George Wheeler & Associates, the inn combined its dramatic roof with wood beams, flagstone, and lava rock. Check out how the roofline does its own advertising. A small roadside sign would have had some competition from the building behind it.
UPDATE: The former Shelter Island Inn property operates as Best Western Plus Island Palms Hotel & Marina. Its historic A-frame lobby survivees. The hotel name changed, but the tropical roof still has a place in its story. 10-26
 Trader Mort's
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy Bosko & Truus
There’s quite a character waiting outside Trader Mort’s, and he doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. The large carved tiki gives this Shelter Island liquor store a greeting that would be hard to confuse with an ordinary neighborhood market.
Carved by Eli Hedley, the figure has become as much a reason to stop as the provisions inside. Check out the face and the carving. This fellow puts a little extra personality into a quick beverage run, though asking him for a recommendation probably won’t get very far.
 Tiki carved by Eli Headly
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy Bosko & Truus
Established in 1964, Trader Mort’s carries the island’s tropical theme right into the business of stocking up. The building and its carved guardian make a fine roadside pair, especially for travelers watching for tiki finds.
Here's a tiki carved by Eli Headly standing outside of this liquor store.
UPDATE: Trader Mort’s remains open and has been refurbished by Bamboo Ben, Eli Hedley’s grandson. The shop now promotes an expanded rum selection, its Beer Hut, and mugs inspired by the familiar tiki outside. Quite a family connection behind this longtime Shelter Island stop. 10-26 |
 Humphreys Half Moon Inn
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy Bosko & Truus
With an entrance like this, the Humphreys Half Moon Inn. gets the vacation started before the luggage comes out of the trunk. The sweeping wooden arch reaches upward like the prow of a boat, giving arriving guests something more interesting to pass beneath than a flat hotel canopy.
The resemblance was intentional. Designed by Delbert E. Long with Stephen Crane Associates, the entrance borrowed the shape of a Pacific fishing boat, complete with a fish-trap-style lantern. Check out that upward curve. This is one hotel entrance that looks ready to set sail.
UPDATE: The property remains open as Humphreys Half Moon Inn. After weathering and damage from a tall truck, the distinctive entrance was rebuilt with new materials in 2022. Fortunately, the sweeping design returned instead of giving way to an ordinary replacement canopy. 10-26
 Voyager Restaurant
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy Bosko & Truus
Dinner by the boats once came with its own destination at the Voyager Restaurant on Shelter Island. The name fit a place where diners could watch the waterfront and perhaps imagine heading somewhere farther away after the meal.
Historical accounts place the Voyager at the Kona Inn, which opened in 1959 beside the Kona Kai Club. Music, dinner, and drinks made it an evening stop, with orchestras supplying a little movement while the boats stayed tied to their slips.
UPDATE: The Voyager is documented as part of the former Kona Inn, rather than the San Diego Yacht Club location previously suggested. The restaurant name belongs to an earlier chapter of Shelter Island dining. 10-26
 The Goof at the Bali Hai
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy Bosko & Truus
Look up before heading inside the Bali Hai. The large rooftop head known as “The Goof” has been watching over this Shelter Island restaurant for decades, giving the building a greeting that’s a little difficult to overlook. Apparently, an ordinary rooftop sign wasn’t going to be enough.
Welcome to the Bali Hai. Arthur Lyman recorded half a live album
here, and there are still some nice Tikis both inside and out. Check out
"The Goof" from the top of the Bali Hai!
Down at the entrance, Mr. Bali Hai supplies another familiar face. Between the two figures, the tropical building, and the bay beyond, there’s plenty to admire before the menu arrives. A roadside tiki stop with its own upstairs and downstairs welcoming committee.
The restaurant’s history reaches back to Christian’s Hut and the beginnings of Shelter Island’s tropical development. Tom Ham helped turn it into the Bali Hai, establishing a waterfront destination that generations of diners have come to know.
 The Bali Hai
San Diego, CA
Photo courtesy Bosko & Truus
UPDATE: The Bali Hai remains open under the Ham family’s descendants and celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2024. A major renovation in 2010 refreshed the restaurant while retaining its historic woodwork and familiar figures. The Goof still occupies his rooftop perch, apparently satisfied with the view. 10-26 |
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