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Hawaii’s famous Coco Palms Resort abandoned

coco palms resortTake a look back at what was once the most famous hotel in Hawaii. The the Coco Palms Resort located on the island of Kauai was severely damaged by hurricane Iniki in 1992 and has never re-opened. The hotel is now empty and plans to re-open the property have died with the slump in the condo market.

The ancestral home of Kauai’s Alii (royalty) since the 13th century, the area encompassing the Coco Palms Resort was the home of Kauai’s last reigning queen, Queen Deborah Kapule, in the mid-1800’s.

The hotel opened Jan. 25, 1953, with 24 rooms, two guests and four employees. At its peak in the mid 1970s, there were 416 rooms.

coco palms resort

Originally opened on January 25, 1953, the Coco Palms Resort had 24 rooms, two guests and four employees. At it’s peak the Resort grew to contain 416 rooms by the mid-1970s. However by 1984, the number of rooms had been reduced to 393. In August of 1985, Wailua Associates acquired the resort from the Guslander/Amfac group.

When Hurricane Iniki struck Sept. 11, 1992, every room in the hotel was booked and the guests were evacuated to Kapaa High School. The hotel never re-opened.

coco palms resort

Elvis Presley filmed the finale of his film “Blue Hawaii” there in 1961, immortalizing its lush coconut groves and picturesque lagoons. When Hurricane Iniki struck in September 1992 with less than eight hours warning, the Coco Palms was shut down indefinitely as repairs proved too costly, and the entire island struggled with recession. The property, located on the southeast shore of Kauai, has been left to decay now for over a decade and a half. Kauai was without electrical power for 40 days, without telephone communication for almost a month in some areas, 80% of the homes were damaged or destroyed.

Within the resort is the famous 2,000-tree coconut grove, which is the largest of only three similar groves in the entire state of Hawaii. The grove was originally planted with coconut tree nuts imported from Samoa by Mr. William Lindeman in 1896.

The Coco Palms Resort achieved early exposure and fame in the 1961 Elvis Presley movie, “Blue Hawaii.” Virtually the last 20 minutes of the movie was shot on and near the grounds of the Coco Palms.

An additional favorite scene to movie watchers and visitors alike was the conch shell-blowing doorman greeting them upon check in at the lobby (which was modeled after an ancient Hawaiian Canoe Lodge).

The wedding ceremony, portrayed in the final scene where Elvis croons “The Hawaiian Wedding Song” to Joan Blackman as they ride their flower bedecked double hulled canoe through the lagoon to the Wedding Chapel, is credited with creating a high demand for weddings at the Coco Palms Resort. Prior to its close in 1992, the Resort hosted over 500 wedding ceremonies annually.

Even with the property closed to overnight guests, on average, 1-2 weddings take place weekly either on the lagoon or next to them, as couples desire the “Blue Hawaiian” wedding with its famous songs from the movie sung for their own ceremony. A Kauai tour operator, Hollywood Movie Tours, stops daily with a van of tourists interested in seeing the grounds, lagoons, coconut grove and the #56 King’s Cottage of the Coco Palms Resort.

Classic Coco Palms

coco palms resort
A brochure of the Coco Palms

coco palms resort
A map of the hotel from the 1980s

coco palms resort
A map of the island

coco palms resort
The grounds before the hurricane

After the Hurricane

coco palms resort
The sign still remains

coco palms resort
The royal pools that once held fish for Hawaiian royalty are still intact

coco palms resort
The canoe was also used in the Elvis movie Blue Hawaii

coco palms resort
The main hotel wing

coco palms resort
The grounds of the hotel

coco palms resort
Nature taking over the pools

coco palms resort
From the air

coco palms resort
Nature literally taking over

coco palms resort
The bungalow used in the filming for Blue Hawaii

coco palms resort
A golf cart disintegrating on the grounds of the hotel

coco palms resort
The old kitchen

coco palms resort
Classic mural still visible

coco palms resort
The remains of the dining room

coco palms resort
The swimming pool

The Wedding Chapel was donated by MGM Studios to Coco Palms in the mid 1950’s after using it in the film “Miss Sadie Thompson,” which starred Rita Hayworth. The Blue Hawaii Wedding scene has been replayed over the years by countless thousands of couples, exchanging vows at the Coco Palms Resort. Kauai’s Mayor Maryanne Kusaka was married at the Coco Palms.

coco palms chapel
The chapel

coco palms chapel interior
Sun coming through the chapel

coco palms chapel interior
Chapel interior

coco palms chapel exterior
Chapel exterior

coco palms resort exterior signs
Exterior with signs to dining room

coco palms resort exterior shop
Front exterior with old shop signs still intact

coco palms resort hotel ruins
The ruins of the main hotel

coco palms resort entrance
Main Entrance

coco palms resort exterior
The famous shell in the center of the hotel

coco palms resort interior
The lobby

coco palms resort interior
The lobby shudders still open and close

coco palms resort interior
The hallway of the main hotel wing

coco palms resort interior
All of the furniture is gone now

Failed Plan to Re-Develop

Coco Palm Ventures LLC had planned to spend some $220 million constructing 196 condominium units, 48 hotel bungalows, a spa and two restaurants on the 54-acre site. Plans called for the resort to reopen next summer. Demolition of the old buildings was due to start last year.

coco palms failed re-development map
Map on the website of the failed re-development of the Coco Palms

coco palms failed re-development model
Model of the planned re-development

Donna Apisa, listing agent for the sale of the condominiums, said the county Planning Commission’s rejection of Coco Palms’ plans to build a full-scale fitness spa on the 54-acre site was one reason for abandoning the project. “The current owner isn’t going to develop the land and will auction it off (later this year) to another developer,” Apisa said.

coco palms failed opening
The signs were taken down and deposits made on the condos were refunded.

Site dedicated to the hotel

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Posted By: Jerome Aronson

News Category: Abandoned

 

12 Responses to “Hawaii’s famous Coco Palms Resort abandoned”

  1. Inrested in Coco Palms,would like to communicate.Re: contacting owner. Await yur reply.Thank you.

    B.Lavender on 07 Oct 2008 at 7:00 pm
  2. Great pics. Appreciate you putting these up. Coco Palm gave our family many great memories.

    Jason on 17 Jan 2009 at 1:18 am
  3. The Coco Palms was where my family spent every summer. It holds many dear memories for my sisters and myself. Thank you for putting these pictures up, I hope to one day see the Coco Palms in its old glory – the current scene just brings me tears.

    Katt on 25 Jan 2009 at 2:06 am
  4. Shocked to hear of abandoned redevelopment plan. Is the county crazy not to have approved & encouraged this place to come alive & bring Kauai alive?
    I was so looking forward to coming back & reliving memories. Sadly love your photos – thanks.

    Linda on 11 Feb 2009 at 3:20 pm
  5. We’re celebrating 20 years of marriage in April – so sad to see the lovely place where it all started for us is still in ruins. After all these years you’d think there could have been some sort of agreement to redevelop this gorgeous piece of real estate. For shame.

    JimO on 13 Feb 2009 at 9:36 am
  6. Does anyone know if you can still get in to view the remains?

    Mark on 16 Feb 2009 at 8:20 pm
  7. It is really sad to see the remains and nature taking over the grounds. The hotel is in shambles. There is a movie tour that you can take to see the hotel. They want let you go inside but you can walk the grounds around the hotel. We visited in Sept of 2008.

    Walter Lane on 01 Mar 2009 at 1:20 pm
  8. Thank you for the great pics of the coco palms. I only wish it could be restored back to the beauty it was before the Hurricane. Such a pity to see it in ruins. I visited it in 2005, I did not go on the grounds of the hotel. I regret not sneaking a peek at the famous room #56, Elvis,s room in “Blue Hawaii”. Thanks again, Judy

    Frank Mangiapane on 14 Mar 2009 at 8:40 pm
  9. We were planning on celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary at the Coco Palms. thats where we honeymoned in 1987. I am so saddended. I have such beautiful memories. I hope something can be done soon!

    wendy on 02 May 2009 at 12:29 pm
  10. i thank you so much for sharing these photos with us,its very sad to see coco palms like this peace jimus

    jimus on 06 May 2009 at 12:14 pm
  11. My husband, Chuck, and I were married in the chapel at Coco Palms in June, 1981. Music director, Larry Rivera, sang “The Hawiian Wedding Song” and he and his wife stood up with us during the ceremony. It was a magical experience and we returned for 10 years following on our anniversary. We met many people who were also sharing their anniversaries at that time. It is heartbreaking to see the pictures of the hotel in such tragic condition. It will always be a special memory for us and I don’t think we could handle seeing it the way it appears today. I hope eventually someone will be able to bring back the beauty and mystical place that was the Coco Palms.

    Marilyn Hall on 11 May 2009 at 11:35 pm
  12. These were great photos. I stayed there in the Summer of 1961 right after the Elvis movie was filmed. My sister and I and my parents stayed in 2 cabins then. What a great time we had there.

    fred on 28 May 2009 at 11:53 pm
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