The Marama Experience

After an extensive immersion into the Tiki Culture from Bartending at Don the Beachcomber for nearly 2 years before it closed, I still felt the impact of the magical mystery of a world full of escapism. The hidden secrets from Crafting Tiki Cocktails continued to haunt my thoughts and influence nearly every cocktail menu I designed.  The exotic flavors were beyond anything I had ever done before and I had already built or redesigned over 22 menus for other craft bars! 

Designing a craft tiki menu proved to be one of the greatest challenges of my career! On the one hand, you want to be innovative and creative! Build an experience that no one has ever had! But you also must remain true to the culture and perfect the challenge of reproducing authentic Tiki drinks that would make Donn Beach and Vic Bergeron proud!

After years of research and then an overwhelmingly successful “practice run” of a couple of years at a location we shall not name, I am finally pleased to offer the weary traveler the immersive authentic Tiki experience that was searched for, but remained elusive until now… 

(Although there may be many practical uses for this word, we focus on just two!)

 Polynesian Mythology

*In Polynesian mythology “Marama” is most closely translated as the “Moon” but is considered a female Deity on some islands; Also associated with death.

*In Polynesian Mythology, “Marama” is a Lunar Deity.

*According to Cook’s Island Mythology, Marama was a male Lunar Deity, who loved Ina, The Goddess of light. They wed, but in a cruel twist of fate, they rarely get to see each other as Marama dwells in the night, while Ina occupies the sky during the day. 

*The Moon, Marama, appears as a male Deity in Māori Mythology and is said to be the husband of all women, as shown by the way he affects women every month. 

(Awful cocky and sexist, hmm?)

Donn Beach and his post WWII Adventures

*Donn Beach lived life!

*This life Donn lived, post Hollywood/Post Don the Beachcomber & his subsequent adventures in the Polynesian/Pacific South Sea Islands are what we honor & wish to educate our Tiki enthusiasts about here at the Marama Room.

*Donn began building a prototype houseboat with glass bottom “windows” in the late 1960’s that he dreamed of floating around every major lagoon (As rental rooms) from Hawaii to Tahiti but could not get it approved by the Hawaiian Island housing authority for fear of turbulent waters and safety concerns.

*This prototype Houseboat was named the “Marama”!!

*Donn eventually had the Marama shipped down to the sister Island of Tahiti, Mo’Orea, where he and his third wife Phoebe vacationed (Honeymooned) frequently. The Marama was docked in Opunohu Bay and the happy couple lived on the “one of a kind” houseboat when they visited, which was frequently!

*Coincidentally, Donn Beach is also unofficially credited as an inspiration of the design for “Over Water Bungalows and Water Villas” with glass bottom “windows” that have become the preferred destination rentals for exotic island adventures.

*These “Over Water Bungalows & Water Villas” were first introduced in late 1960’s on the island of Mo’Orea & the island of Raiatea by a trio of Californians, Don McCallum, Jay Carlisle and Hugh Kelly, otherwise known as the Bali Hai Trio. These gentlemen never credited Donn Beach for inspiring them to create this new concept. They said they were highly influenced by James Michener’s 1947 novel, “Tales of the South Pacific”.

*The similarities to Donn’s concept & the Bali Hai Boys final concept cannot be ignored! So, much like the “Mai Tai” argument, who inspired who?

The Marama Room is dedicated to honoring and respectfully celebrating the Polynesian Mythology, Culture and history of the Island of Mo’Orea..

 (Donn Beach was infatuated with this Island, her people and used it all as a great source of inspiration)

The Marama Room is also dedicated to the Father of Tiki, Mr. Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, AKA Donn Beach, himself! (1907–1989)

We focus on Donn Beaches later adventures in the Polynesian Islands from Hawaii to Mo’Orea. 

The Marama Room was inspired by a keen interest in a true “Renaissance Man”, Donn Beach! 

We seek to honor his legend by faithfully reproducing some of his greatest cocktail creations and strive to offer an innovative dining experience! 

As we learned more about Donn’s later years of “Island hopping”, a sense of wonder and admiration bloomed from researching the Island of Mo’Orea.

We now seek to create the next wave of Tiki Cocktail masterpieces directly inspired by the magic and mystery of the Island of Mo’Orea!