Rent Your Own Private Floating Tiki Bar in Ocean City This Summer

Pau Hana is a new South Jersey tiki boat tour launching this May. Photos courtesy of Pau Hana

These days, we’re all looking for unique ways to celebrate momentous occasions with a small group of our closest friends and loved ones. We’re taking advantage of late-night couples’ spa packages for proposals, holding at-home, tropical-inspired micro-ceremonies, and trying to make some practical COVID-related wedding-planning choices, too. So when we learned about Pau Hana, a new South Jersey tiki boat tour operator with tours beginning in May, visions of splashy but intimate elopements, engagements, bachelorette parties and more summer fun began dancing in our heads. (It’s not just for wedding-related celebrations, after all.)

Run by Delaware County residents Brian and Jen Toner, the tours capitalize on the couple’s love of travel (they’ve spent the past 25 years cruising through tropical climes like the Bahamas) and the toes-in-the-sand vibe of island destinations. Luckily for you, the private floating tiki bar tours are in Ocean City and Somers Point, Shore towns in which the couple spends summers (and also visited as children). “The expanse of back bay between the two towns is a beautiful body of water that has lots of interesting places to voyage and explore,” says Brian, also president of Eventions Productions. (Jen is a full-time teacher.)

The 26-foot boats feature thatched straw roofs, open-air layouts, and stools for sitting around a center bar. They can be chartered for sunrise, afternoon or sunset cruises seven days a week; you can explore sandbars and island gems or even sip a coffee seaside. Both pre-planned and customizable tours are available, with capacity currently capped at six plus your captain. (The team hopes to expand capacity once COVID guidelines permit, likely in summer 2022.) Pickup and drop-off locations can be personalized on a case-by-case basis, though the boats are docked at Ocean City Fishing Center. You could also hypothetically arrive to your dockside wedding at a waterfront home or restaurant via tiki boat.

The team is currently working with local restaurateurs and caterers to offer food packages. (You can also BYO, but alcoholic beverages can’t be opened or consumed until the boat has left the dock; you can’t drink on the dock, on the piers, or on the way from your car.) If you choose to decorate, you can do that, too. (Take note: All decorating must be done immediately before the rental window; special pre-boarding access can be granted for more over-the-top decor upon request.) There are curated playlists, or you can bring the soundtrack of your choosing to pair with the onboard Bluetooth.

All of the captains carry U.S. Coast Guard master licenses and are Red Cross-certified for CPR and first aid; COVID-19 safety and sanitation procedures have also been put into place. (Staffers wear PPE and receive daily wellness checks, among other requirements.)

Interested in booking your floating soiree? Prices range from $325 for a two-hour morning or sunset tour to $700 for a four-hour evening cruise. Packages can be booked via the website; customizable options can be arranged via email at tiki@pauhanatikiboat.com.

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