Rita dorazios excellent writing took me back to hawaii and reminded me of all the little reasons i loved being there. How a kauai resort and the vision of one woman created a dream many hope will be recaptured. Reconstruction of the worldfamous property, all but destroyed by hurricane iniki in 1992, will begin early next year, with the. Kauai palms hotel is located right next to the lihue airport and one block from kalena park. Coco palms resort less than 1 year before hurricane iniki devastated the island. Abby is a new york lawyer whos been sent to the island of kauai to manage a real estate deal for a nonnative buyer. The separate kingdom is certain to become the authoritative history of the island long regarded by many as the most beautiful in the hawaiian archipelago. Although a wide range of identifiable locations feature prominently in the film, one of them is, perhaps, more interesting than the rest. To discover more about the stories, legends, and heroes of the island of kauai s history, or to book an unforgettable vacation, contact us at our resort on kauai today. Each guest room at the kauai palms hotel is equipped with a flatscreen cable tv and refrigerator.
Legend of the coco palms resort is a romance and a mystery and a vacation all in one. Mar 02, 2016 hyatts unbound collection includes kauais coco palms resort. Historic coco palms resort in hawaii to reopen under hyatt. The coco palms resort is located in the wailua area of southeastern kauai. County of kauai via hawaii news now this is the walkway between the two restaurant areas, straight downwind of the. Make your vacation more enjoyable with kauai history. Kauai is nicknamed the garden isle because of the beautiful lush green mountains and valleys. Join thousands of satisfied visitors who discovered kauai tours, tour and kauai coco palms. Devastated by hurricane iniki in 1992, the revitalization of the 363room historic hotel is scheduled to begin in early 2015 and following a twoyear. Kauais hidden gem kauai has always been cherished for its natural splendor and ability to dissolve the stresses of the outside world. The house is a new rental and joshs team has lovingly prepared it as a luxury vacation rental for even the largest groups. Wailua the utah privateequity company that has taken over the ruins of the former coco palms resort in wailua says it is moving ahead with plans to rebuild the property as a hotel and can meet an. I purchased this book for my brother for christmas, because he use to work as a travel agent for the guslanders.
On researching the resort before my visit, i found some very interesting history on a grand old hotel in fact the oldest hotel on the island of kauai. The torchlighting ceremony on the grounds of the coco palms. There are titles of some books that make you want to read them. The popular smiths kauai fern grotto tours up wailua river next door to the coco palms had recently gotten an upgrade, going from a fourpassenger rowboat with an outboard motor to an eightpassenger motorboat named lady jane. The rise and fall of the legendary coco palms hotel hawaii magazine. Guinea grass grows wild, coconuts lay scattered across the ground and some buildings have graffiti sprayed on the remaining interior walls. Oct 18, 2016 coco palms resort less than 1 year before hurricane iniki devastated the island. All rooms feature island style furnishings and nonsmoking rooms. Hurricane iniki hit the resort hard in 1992, and the coco palms has been shuttered ever since. The historic, iconic and once hurricanedevastated coco palms resort on kauai will reopen under hyatt hotels management, according to an announcement this morning. Kauai island has a rich history and a thriving culture that extends thousands of years back into the earths past. Will kauais legendary, longshuttered coco palms resort ever. Legend of the coco palms resort by rita dorazio booklife. Within a decade, they had created a legendary resort which set the standard for authentic hawaiian hospitality and became a model for other polynesian resorts.
The hotel has basically sat here, in a completely destroyed condition, for the last couple of decades. Founded in 1953, the resort became an icon of hawaii tourism, with its lagoon and 16acre coconut grove, its evening torch lighting ceremony and its wedding chapel, which was donated by mgm after it was used in miss sadie thompson. Coco palms resort kauai memorabilia delan nelson photography. Penhallowscott pens intriguing tale of mystery at coco palms the. The land is on or near some of the most important legends, historical events, and culturally significant spots to native. Legend of the coco palms resort by rita dorazio goodreads. Jun 24, 2016 the popular smiths kauai fern grotto tours up wailua river next door to the coco palms had recently gotten an upgrade, going from a fourpassenger rowboat with an outboard motor to an eightpassenger motorboat named lady jane. From the opening of the new coco palms resort by hyatt and to the ongoing expansion of the kapaa bike path pictured above to the opening of the boutique kauai shores hotel also saved from its rundownformer self, the kauai sands hotel and new oceanside lava lava beach club restaurant, the kapaa resort area of wailua continues to improve. She is sent to kauai to acquire the property the coco palms resort sits. They have images from the county of kauai showing the other buildind that burned. May 21, 2014 the coco palms resort is located in the wailua area of southeastern kauai. Josh and the kauai exclusive team, the property, the location.
The area around the mouth of the wailua river is well known to hawaiians as a place of many legends and events of historical, cultural, and religious significance. The 10 best kauai resorts of 2020 with prices tripadvisor. Long before the popular visitor destination spots of sunny poipu on the southside or the breathtaking bluffs and vistas of princeville up north, there was a magical hotel on the eastside that opened its doors way back in 1953. He has written the story of the coco palms hotel, and wrote the plays. Demo begins at wailuas coco palms resort hawaii real. Penhallow, author and playwright, was raised on the island of kauai. Desoto brown and martin despang contemplate about the elvis presley blue hawaii movie and the featured kauai coco palm resort having portrayed a particular perception of paradise and wonder and. An abandoned hotel wouldnt normally be high on my sightseeing list, but the coco palms on kauai was a notable exception. We walked through the old loungedining area and viewed the lagoon. The coco palms resort was the very first resort on kauai, built in 1953, and in its heyday, it was the hottest place around. Hyatts unbound collection includes kauais coco palms resort. A sign saying coco palms tour is at the entrance of our parking lot at the intersection of kuhio highway and kuamoo rd. The resort was still relatively new at that point, having opened a mere eight years earlier, and it would go on to have quite a storied history. The future of kauais coco palms resort remains uncertain, 18 years after it was devastated by hurricane iniki.
The separate kingdom is certain to become the authoritative history of the island long regarded by many as the most beautiful in. Our family took bobs tour of coco palms and it was absolutely amazing. The coco palms was born in 1953, when grace buscher was handpicked by lyle guslander to become the resorts first manager. Coco palms resort on the island of kauai aloha is our legend. Historical documents not previously used bring new information and fresh perspectives to this book. There are plans to reopen it under a different name in 2017. Be the first to ask a question about legend of the coco palms resort. Coco palms is located on kauai s east side near the wailua river.
Latest on the pained kauai coco palms hotel, kauai s first and arguably most iconic resort ever. As kauai historian pat griffin says, there is general agreement that it is an enormously important cultural and historical site, and should be protected. The rise and fall of the legendary coco palms hotel hawaii. As the island of kauai grappled with a recession and a downturn in tourism in the wake of the hurricane, the resort was eventually left to decay as repairs and insurance issues proved too. May 22, 2014 the coco palms resort on kauai, hawaii. According to the book the story of the coco palms hotel, by david p. Coco palms kauai memorabilia coco palms kauai memorabilia photo gallery. News release from dlnr, march 21, 2018 lihue two dozen officers from the dlnr division of conservation and resources enforcement docare, the kauai police dept. Kauai is known as the garden isle and it is the oldest island in the. We all traveled and stayed at the coco palms many times and the book is so very interesting, and he just loved it. In 1953, the two notable hotels on the island were the kauai inn in lihue near nawiliwili bay, and a 24room. This fine fictional story based at this iconic resort was written by david penhallowscott. Apr 30, 2007 the coco palms hotel until her retirement in 1985. The redevelopment of the coco palms resort on kauai is, in a way, not about architecture, but more about respecting and bringing back the culture and history of the iconic resort, the architect.
Dlnr clears activists from state land near coco palms. The developers are blaming failure to get permits for a spatennis club, but i suspect difficulties in meeting the conditions of the. The coco palms resort is part of the new unbound collection by hyatt. Originally opening in january 1953 with only 24 rooms, the hotel quickly became kauais premier hotel and attracted the likes of frank sinatra and bing crosby who were shooting hollywood. Fwiw the rumor mill from people who should have it right is that the old coco palms property is up for sale. The once iconic coco palms resort is now a set of dilapidated brown buildings in the middle of a jungle. We just returned from a 5day stay at the nalani palms and were already trying to find an excuse to return. It is really not much to see, and i for sure wouldnt recommend ruining a great day in kauai trapped on the movie tour van just to see coco palms resort. Jan 03, 2018 the once iconic coco palms resort is now a set of dilapidated brown buildings in the middle of a jungle. Shuttered in 1992 after suffering extensive damage during hurricane iniki, the coco palms resort on kauai is slated to reopen in 2017 under hyatt hotels management. Hyatt expands in kauai with the historic coco palms resort. May 26, 2014 shuttered in 1992 after suffering extensive damage during hurricane iniki, the coco palms resort on kauai is slated to reopen in 2017 under hyatt hotels management. The rise and fall of the legendary coco palms hotel. The result is a levelheaded, engaging look at kauai.
Coco palms resort was a resort hotel in wailua, kaua. After my previous article, the hawaii news now website had an updated story about the fire at the coco palms. It is approximately five minutes from the town of kapaa, which was recognized as one of americas prettiest towns by forbes magazine in 20 and is a short drive from lihue international airport. Coco palms resort was a resort hotel in wailua, kauai, hawaii. The original coco palms hotel, of elvis and blue hawaii fame, was destroyed by hurricane iniki on september 11, 1992.
The coco palms resort originally opened in 1953 with just 24 rooms, but by the 1970s it had become well known and expanded to over 400 rooms. The coco palms resort is located in the wailua area of kauai in the midst of the famous coconut grove and lovely lagoons. Elvis at coco palms resort, kauai, hawaii 2015 with sanja. Heres the latest on the forever pained kauai coco palms hotel, where. Reconstruction of the worldfamous property, all but destroyed by hurricane iniki in 1992, will begin early next year, with the resort to reopen to guests in 2017. Penhallow, the coco palms resort sits on an ancient site of hawaiian royalty and hospitality situated at the mouth of the wailua river on the eastern side of kauai. A tribute to the old coco palms resort, and hopefully updates on the new coco palms, beginning construction in january. Jan 19, 2014 amfac resort map of coco palms from back side of guest brochure, circa 1981. A walk around the ruins of the coco palms kauai the tiki. Bob knows so much about the history of the hotel and its grounds. See more ideas about palms hotel, kauai and hawaii. Lihue, kauais county seat is the center for business and transportation and the location of the kauai museum. I do actually find ghost towntype places kind of fascinating, like chinas haunting wonderland amusement park or the nowdemolished nevada landing, a riverboat hotel adrift in the desert near vegas. Architect talks about kauais coco palms resort redevelopment.
I looked into it a little further and found out that the coco palms was the very first resort on kauai, built in 1953 and back in the day it was the hottest place around. Educated at punahou school in honolulu and stanford university, penhallow is a former director of the kauai museum, a former director of economic development for the county of kauai and served as assistant to mayor tony kunimura in the 1980s. The hotel offers free wifi in the lobby and views of the kipu mountains. Join us as we look at the history and legends of the island of kauai and the history and hauntings of the coco palms resort. Hyatt and coco palms hui llc today announced a hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with coco palms hui llc for the coco palms resort on kauai, hawaii. Tragically, the devastating effects of hurricane iniki in 1992 left the coco palms hotel severely damaged.
Coco palms was believed to be haunted by spirits, maybe even ancient ones, and these hauntings will more than likely continue at the new resort. Mar 30, 2010 the future of kauais coco palms resort remains uncertain, 18 years after it was devastated by hurricane iniki. After elvis filmed blue hawaii at hawaiis coco palms resort, the venue hosted 500 weddings a year. The place where the rich and famous once stayed and where elvis presleys blue hawaii was filmed. Coco palms resort hotel kauai delan nelson photography. Ever since coco palms resort closed in 1992 due to substantial damage from hurricane iniki, devotees of the iconic kauai property have waited for news of its reopening. Everyday on the way up the hill to the house i was living in i would pass this abandoned, condemned hotel called the coco palms. The royal coconut coast lines the east side of kauai, and consists of white sand beaches backed by a beautiful mountain range, and the magnificent mount waialeale.
1594 1036 745 246 1369 1385 656 993 1004 903 148 787 194 620 456 1465 767 1017 887 871 1591 1293 1243 983 1612 1116 798 1483 30 1105 1373 1212 1197 561 1116 252 927 828 1185 125 675 338 836 1171