Kon Tiki Motel (Gone)
El Centro, CA
Photo courtesy Matt Bamberg

A palm tree tops the unusual marquee at the Kon Tiki Motel in El Centro, bringing a little island scenery to the Imperial Valley roadside. The tropical name and distinctive sign offered a South Seas greeting in surroundings better known for desert heat.

Opened in the 1960s, the motel stood along Adams Avenue’s motel row on the old Highway 80 and 99 corridor. Tiki masks decorated the exterior walkways, carrying the Polynesian theme beyond the sign and toward the rooms.

By October 1993, a San Diego Reader feature described a more weathered stop, with creaking tile paths and noisy air conditioners. The old tropical retreat had become a resting place for travelers and truck drivers passing through the valley.

UPDATE: The Kon Tiki at 1226 Adams Avenue had ceased motel operations by around 2012. Its palm-topped neon marquee was removed, and later alterations stripped away the tiki details. Another island-style greeting lost along the old desert highway. 10-26