By Christy Oldham
With Big Sur in my rear view mirror and Monterey fast approaching, I’m on a Pacific Coast Highway road trip. Its been a hectic Los Angeles week and I’m heading to San Francisco with two things on my mind- the Fairmont Hotel’s Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar, with its soothing tropical rainforest setting, where I’ll meet friends for celebratory birthday Mai Tai’s and afterwards, indulging in the ultimate San Francisco spa experience at the hotel’s state of the art premier health club.
Meandering up Fremont Street, I finally reach Nob Hill, an affluent district that is home to many of the city’s upper-class families who built large mansions in the 19th century during the cities rapid urbanization and where the luxury landmark Beaux Arts-style Fairmont Hotel is located. Offering breathtaking views of the city and bay since its construction in 1907, The Fairmont Hotel was named after mining magnate and U.S. Senator James Graham Fair. It was originally set to open a year earlier, but the devastating 1906 earthquake paused the hotels opening when it suffered severe fire and structural damage. Julia Morgan, an architect from the prestigious E’cole des Beaux Arts in Paris, was recruited to work on The Fairmont which re-opened exactly one year later, instantly making it a social hub of the city. Located in the only spot in San Francisco where each of the cable car lines meet, The Fairmont was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. Entering the Laurel Court lobby of the hotel feels more like entering a palace, which is due in part to decorator Dorothy Draper, who envisioned a Venetian palace during its post Great Depression refurbishment in the late 1940’s. Tony Bennett would later sing “I left my Heart in San Francisco”, in the Venetian Room, cementing The Fairmont as the center jewel in the crown of the Golden Age of San Francisco.
Upon arrival, I’m greeted by a handsome, young concierge. I tell him that I’m here for a special event. “What event”? he asks. “My birthday”, I respond and then say, “I’m supposed to meet my friends in The Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar.”
“Oh, that’s downstairs”, he says, and cheerfully escorts me to the elevator. Within a few seconds, I find myself in the cellar and with great enthusiasm, I rush to meet my girlfriends.
I am in awe as I enter The Tonga Room. It was once a 75-foot swimming pool with elaborate tile. In 1929, it was known as the “Fairmont Terrace Plunge”. Today, however, it is a Polynesian Tiki Bar and Restaurant, thanks to the genius of Mel Melvin, who was Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s leading set director. Melvin was hired in 1945 to transform the Terrace Plunge into what can only be described as a decadent Tiki utopia. The pool became a lagoon with a floating stage for an orchestra to entertain guests each evening while the restaurant serves exceptional Pacific Rim Asian cuisine, made by executive chef Andrew Court.
With its tropical décor perfectly blended with mystical tribal wall coverings and soft atmospheric lighting, this place is an enigma; its a Shangri-la that even British author James Hilton would deem worthy as heaven on earth. It’s my birthday after-all, and I couldn’t think of a better place to spend it. Raindrops are falling and thunder echoes in the background. Welcome to my virtual foray into this subterranean tropical realm.
My girlfriends wave me over to their bamboo tabletop seating area. As I get closer, they break out in song, producing an illuminating red velvet birthday cake, lined with Tiki themed torches. Soon, delicious Mai Tai’s arrive in rust colored Bora Bora Tiki mugs. As I enjoy my fruity libations next to the dreamy lagoon, I think to myself, wow, this is the best birthday ever.
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