Coco Palms Resort Hotel, Kauai, HI (Hotel)

While we wait for more amazing photos from Randy, here's a favorite I downloaded the other day.

South Pacific's France Nuyen at the Coco Palms. :)

4WDtiki - yeah check it out, there were some locals with us when we took the tour. I don't know if the kamaaina deal still holds, but could be.

DC - those photos are fantastic! Great to see old shots like that, especially with the Kamalani canoe and also a shot of the lagoon and dining area.

Some more pics. In the last set I ended at the approach to the dining area. From this view, looking to the right is the Lagoon Terrace Lounge, and the left is the Lagoon Dining Area. :down:
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So after crossing over the bridge and under the A-frame, here's looking to the right :down:
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Great mural with the colors still bright :down:
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One thing I love about places of this pedigree is how attention was given to almost every surface in terms of texture and design, with combinations of forms (geometrical and natural) and materials (rock, wood, reed, ceramic, etc.) :down:
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Now looking the other way, to the Lagoon Dining Area :down:
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The curved supports coming down from the A-frame :down:
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After passing through, looking back up at the A-frame we just exited. Guests would see this as they come to dine or lounge. :down:
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That hut thing is the fire pit :down:
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Closer look :down:
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Stairs to mystery :down:
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Next we got to go into one of the buildings there with the hotel rooms. Of course there's no power, so it's pitch black until you go into a room, where the only light comes from the dusty windows. Here's one of those giant clam shell sinks intact. (This was almost total darkness, so I leaned on the wall to take a long exposure.) :down:
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Outside the building we were just in :down:
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Stepping back a few paces, we were just in the building on the left, and there on the right is what we've been waiting for - THE LOBBY! :down:
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Next time I'll post more images of the lobby.

-Randy

Hey, great photo Boris - what a beauty! I guess that must've been during the filming of South Pacific, because the Penhallow book shows that the cast and crew stayed there. Rossano Brazzi celebrated his 39th birthday in the Coco Palms dining room (young guy!).

-Randy

This batch of photos is the spectacular Coco Palms lobby - jawdropping to get a sense for what it was, and sad to see what it is...

Looking from the outside, at the end that is collapsing :down:
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On the lower left you can see how the beam split, and above that, how it pulled away from the roof :down:
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Here you can see that first arch resting back on the second one :down:
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Now inside, on this whole side of the lobby the concave arches have turned convex (or something like that) :down:
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Turning toward the main desk :down:
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Like a ghost :down:
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Turning toward the other end of the lobby :down:
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On this side the giant arches still look reasonably intact with the original concave curve :down:
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Still more after this!

-Randy

aquarj, nice work. Love this temple.

My last set of pics starts with the view out from the lobby across the original receiving area where cars would drive up. :down:
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Akiko's Taxi sign is still there opposite the lobby. Those stairs lead up into a building that I think was offices and shops. :down:
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Looking in the window of one of those shops opposite the lobby - maybe this was some kind of travel service. :down:
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Looking back at the lobby :down:
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The receiving area outside the lobby is flanked by two stands like this. :down:
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The other side of the receiving area. Look at all the Daily Activities and Tours Available - Waimea Canyon tour, Kalalau Valley tour, Paradise Pacifica garden tour, Na Pali Zodiac boat expedition, and of course Wedding Arrangements. :down:
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Just stepping to the right from the last photo, this is looking back toward the building we were in earlier. :down:
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Now looking back at the receiving area and the lobby. That little rock platform on the island in the center is where the tower used to stand. :down:
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Turning to the right :down:
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More to the right :down:
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Cool how they use the same motifs :down:
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Looking back on another building. We didn't go over there, but some of the earlier posts on this thread had some more pics from that building I think. :down:
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The transparent roof :down:
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Looking back as we head toward the front gate :down:
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Back at the front gate :down:
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OK, now the good news! I hope it's not a breach of anything to show the development plans here - it was fantastic that Bob could bring them out. We got to see three renderings from the latest owner's concept. It was very gratifying to hear that they want to keep a lot of the original character and even some of the buildings where possible, despite the hard fact that much of the site is beyond repair.

Here's the site plan. Much of the original concept holds - the landmark central lobby, the lagoons, the array of outlying buildings (not high-rise). They also want to renovate the Seashell restaurant over on the beach side of the highway, and also build a footbridge for access to the restaurant and the beach. :down:

Rendering of the buildings along the lagoon :down:

The lobby area - maybe a little scaled down, but very evocative of the original :down:

OK, that's it for the photos I took on this visit, but I'd like to post some more stuff I've been gathering as well, coming up!

-Randy

Wow, I am ready to jump on a plane right now! ....wait, I'm in Germany right now...and I just was in Hawaii...Sigh...

DC: Thank you for the excellent photodocumentary, especially as that structure is, once again, rumored to be redeveloped:

Patrick Duddy, of Relax Hotels and Spas and Maxum Construction of Hawai‘i LLC, has been behind the scenes of Coco Palms development for years.

He is reportedly working with as-yet-unnamed investors interested in the property.

“This project is a great opportunity and once we get investors to pull the trigger, we can bring back an incredible property for the people of Kaua‘i,” Duddy said. “The mayor of the island is an absolute prince who really wants to see it built.”

Duddy said he is working with various groups to try to bring the project to fruition. There are huge challenges, he said, from incorporating existing entitlements and permits with their vision to move forward.

“It has not happened yet,” Duddy said. “We are in constant communication.”

The resort zoning area is for 16.4 acres, while the 17-acre coconut grove is conservation-zoned land leased from the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources.

A major issue, Duddy said, is that the property is below the FEMA flood plane and likely could not be insured in its current condition. He said there is a good chance of getting a project started if the groups work through the due diligence process.

Hurricane ‘Iniki severely damaged the property in 1992 and it fell into disrepair as insurance claim battles went on for years.

The County Planning Commission denied a health and fitness spa project in 2007. The most recent effort to build a condominium, housing and hotel project was abandoned soon after, with another hotel project by the current owner, Phillip Ross and Coco Palms Ventures, said to be derailed by the economic downfall in 2008.

The resort plans lagged and the county granted an extension of permits in 2009 to allow the owners to demolish and construct by 2013. The current permit is to build 200 multi-family dwellings and 48 hotel units, along with rebuilding the Seashell Restaurant, a pedestrian bridge over Kuhio Highway and traffic improvements.

The property remains up for sale with the project not showing any signs of progress.

As Coco Palms lay dormant, other work in the area has drawn protests as burials and artifacts continue to be uncovered during construction digs. There are natural wetlands on the property that parallels the mouth of the Wailua River. It was once the site of many royal dwellings and religious structures.
The fishpond was man-made and has taken a variety of shapes through the centuries. It was designated in the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Nonprofit groups have fought to protect the property and to require any project to preserve and ensure public to cultural and historic areas.

Friends of Coco Palms, an informal group committed to protecting the history and culture of Coco Palms, began meeting in 2007. The Hawaiian Islands Land Trust serves as fiscal sponsor.

Contemporary concerns also focus on preserving the history of the world-famous resort. The property was a location for several well-known movie scenes and many celebrities were regular guests at the hotel. Thousands of couples were married at the lagoon and honeymooned at the hotel and cottages.

In 2009, arson heavily damaged the retail annex that fronts the highway. The site has more recently become the target of vandals, copper thieves and ornament hunters.

The only allowed activity on the property recently has been the Hawai‘i Movie Tours by Bob Jasper. Each weekday at 2 p.m., for $20 — or free to Kaua‘i residents on Fridays — he offers a tour and storytelling of the safe areas of the movie sites, grove, lagoon and the main lobby with its roof ripped back as a living reminder of the destructive force of Hurricane ‘Iniki.

On 2012-09-10 07:50, christiki295 wrote:
Patrick Duddy, of Relax Hotels and Spas and Maxum Construction of Hawai‘i LLC, has been ...

Just to give attribution, that text is from this article in The Garden Island, which has the interesting title - "Coco Palms sale remains unofficial".

I forgot to mention, the tour guy Bob Jasper mentioned a facebook page, which I think is this one. Looks like a lot of interesting stuff on there, including a comment that there were some errors in the Garden Island article quoted and linked above.

-Randy

Maybe it's fitting to have a burst of new info about the Coco Palms now, since it was 20 years ago, almost to the day (9/11/1992 !!!), that hurricane Iniki hit Kauai and caused the damage that triggered the end of an era.

Here are some screencaps circa 1961 from Blue Hawaii scenes at the Coco Palms, with some modern day views intermingled. Unfortunately I don't have a great copy of Blue Hawaii, so the quality is so-so...

The Coco Palms wagon pulling off the highway into the hotel :down:
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Horseback riding - that's the chapel in the background on the left :down:
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Inside the same chapel building now :down:
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Here's one of the two bridges on the path to the dining area :down:
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Same bridge (far left) as the group walks to their cottages. The dining area is behind the group (offscreen to the right), but doesn't appear in any shots. And the dining area A-frame with the giant conch shell wasn't there yet. :down:
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Almost identical view, at night with the torch ceremony :down:
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Dialog beside the fire pit :down:
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Same fire pit (or same location anyway, may have been rebuilt sometime) :down:
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Inside Elvis / Chad's cottage, we see him standing at the shell sink and it almost looks like the gold tiles are there. Someone's knocking? :down:
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Oh, it's just that pesky Ellie :down:
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More visitors :down:
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Similar shot today, supposedly this was the exact same cottage. Probably sometime someone said the original natural colors were too dark, so the shutters and the lava rocks along the lower wall have been painted white. :down:
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Opposite that door is this back door... :down:
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...which is the same door the girls are running out :down:
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And now they're clustered around the outdoor shower :down:
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Here's one of those outdoor lava rock showers now. It must've been rebuilt with rougher rock. :down:
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Now for a little plot stuff - the girl's teacher is excited about something, and it seems she's excited about Elvis / Chad :down:
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Just then Chad's girlfriend Maile is walking up (note how the path ends, which means this is the very first cottage) :down:
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Looks bad to Maile, but it's really just a happy hug, because... :down:
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...the teacher was happy because she found love. This must be in one of the lagoon dining areas. :down:
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Elvis / Chad runs to Maile's cottage. Here's that current view of the cottage exterior again. :down:
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Running to tell Maile the good news... :down:
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She's not in the mood to hear his news :down:
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Back to the lovebirds on the lagoon :down:
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Big business deal in the bar :down:
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Everything else is speedily resolved, and we get the famous lagoon wedding scene :down:
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Launching from the area of the same two bridges near the dining lounges, the ones they walked across earlier :down:
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Here's the view today from roughly the same spot, looking up the lagoon :down:
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-Randy

Of course there are many many movies filmed at the Coco Palms, and probably Blue Hawaii is the most famous. How about the 1967 Japanese movie Minami Taheiyo no Wakadaisho? Roughly translated as "Young Guy in the South Pacific", this was an installment in the series of Japanese films starring Yuzo Kayama as Yuichi, the Wakadaisho ("young guy") in the title. Throughout these films, Yuzo Kayama roughly translates as the Japanese Elvis, with a little singing, a bunch of pretty girls, a little trouble, a climactic competition of some sort, and a happy ending with more singing.

In this one, Yuichi is hopping the South Pacific in pursuit of Sumi-chan, an airline stewardess. One of the stops is on Kauai, with a helicopter ride around the interior canyons and then a quick scene (and song) on the grounds of the Coco Palms. The following scenes are actually with a different girl Yumiko, but I'll skip that subplot.

Yuichi sings with ukulele in the coconut grove :down:
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And along the lagoon :down:
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Probably the Queen's Cottages in the background, as he sees Yumiko :down:
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There's Yumiko! This is that same pair of bridges that leads to the dining area. You can see the tall lobby roofline in the background, and the absence of the A-frame over the dining area (apparently not built yet in 1967). :down:
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Neat action shot, with more of the lobby roofline visible :down:
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Despite the exotic locations, this movie is also known by the more pedestrian title Judo Champion in English speaking countries, because -you guessed it- there's a judo competition involved at the end. Here's the movie poster...

Now just for fun, a couple comparison images of that same view looking over the bridges toward the dining area. First, back to Elvis and 1961. See that palm trunk curving off to the right in the foreground? :down:
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That's the same palm curving off on the far left side here in 1967. :down:
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And here's a very similar angle in a beautiful shot from the Penhallow book, after the A-frame and second level were built, and the giant shell too :down:

Some more good images to come from that book, which is highly recommended BTW. That is, David Penhallow's "The Story of the Coco Palms Hotel: The Grace Buscher Guslander Years 1953-1985" as discussed a few places here on TC. Great people stories. I'd still love to read more of the architectural and design stories too, but really the book is without precedent as a history devoted to a single place. But in the end it makes sense, cuz there's something special about the Coco Palms.

-Randy

Oh yeah, and one more comparison with that A-frame shot, here's roughly the same angle now :down:
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-Randy

OK, up next is a handful of images from the Penhallow book, again grouped with other pics from then and now where possible, just for fun and comparison.

First, just to have the map handy, here's what uncle trav posted over on another thread :down:

On 2008-07-20 16:29, uncle trav wrote:
I don't think a good look at the resort map has been posted yet so here it is in two parts.

So, from the Penhallow book, here's the Lagoon Dining Room :down:

After a flood in 1955 :down:

For comparison, here's 2012 :down:
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Carrying tables out of the dining area after a flood :down:

Similar angle in 2012 :down:
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Larry Rivera (paddling on the REGULAR lagoon - this one is NOT in the dining room during a flood) :down:

Mitzi Gaynor while the cast of South Pacific was staying there during filming in 1957 :down:

One of the Queen's Cottages, with Grace Guslander out front :down:

Chef Tokuda and the firepit

This is a crop of a larger two-page photo of the lobby and receiving area :down:

bongofury posted a pic with the full spread from the book, in this topic about the Penhallow book :down:

On 2008-02-27 19:21, bongofury wrote:

For comparison, here's the postcard view DC posted :down:

On 2011-01-21 17:54, Dustycajun wrote:

And again in 2012 - you can see the tower platform is still there, but no tower :down:
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Inside the lobby :down:

Similar angles now. First Primo Kimo's great shots from 2008... :down:

On 2008-08-03 14:23, Primo Kimo wrote:

And a couple of my 2012 pics :down:
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And here's the famous Robert's postcard posted by bigbro, looking the other way in the lobby from those steps :down:

On 2009-01-04 21:28, bigbrotiki wrote:

Here's the Coconut Palace (which we didn't get to see on our visit), first from the outside :down:

DC posted a nice postcard view of the same vicinity (I can't tell what matches what though) :down:

On 2011-01-21 17:54, Dustycajun wrote:

The back of the card states that the buildings include the Queens Audience Hall, the Coconut Palace Dining Room and Suite, and in the background the Chapel, Library, Museum and Prince of Hawaii Cottages.

And here's the inside of the Coconut Palace

-Randy

Randy, thanks for posting these fabulous pictures, you are so lucky to have been able to go in and explore. I know I never get tired of these pictures no matter which angle they are taken from. There is something very serene about this place. Hope you have more for us.

Thanks for the feedback hiltiki and abstractiki and others! I've got a couple more things, but hope others will keep adding more! I think Coco Palms has special memories for many many people.

One addition for today, this is a folder that would be in the rooms. :down:

-Randy

So Awesome!!
thanks for posting those old pics and paraphernalia.

Interesting pic of where the Oracle Tower used to be, in front of the lobby. It was later moved back by the lagoon, in front of the Queens Hall building, where it still stands today.

The last pic of the folder wasn't used in the rooms. They were actually made by the current owners to put sales materials in when they were going to redevelop in 2008 and sell condos. After the economy stopped that project they were put in storage, where there are now many cases of them. Hopefully (crossing fingers) they can be used in the future.

An recent op-ed which, interesting enough, prefers the Coco Palms in it present state:
"Here’s the thing. I don’t want to see the place re-built. I know. I know. It’s not safe. There are public health issues. Crime issues. It’s a blight to the island. Blah. Blah. Blah. But there are rich stories that can only be imagined by standing in the ruins. Any renovation, no matter how respectful and exacting to the original kitschy Coco Palms design—there’s a GIANT faux clamshell hanging from the ceiling, for goodness sake--will eliminate the charm of the place that evokes such fond memories of a certain, bygone era of Kauai. The cleanliness and perfection of a re-built Coco Palms will jettison the use of our imagination, where these wonderful stories reside today. A re-built Coco Palms will be just that—re-constructed. An imitation. Too much time has passed...."
http://www.outrigger.com/explore/hawaiian-islands/view-from-here-blog/2012/Sept/coco-palms-twenty-years-after-hurricane-iniki

An recent op-ed which, interesting enough, prefers the Coco Palms in it present state:
"Here’s the thing. I don’t want to see the place re-built. I know. I know. It’s not safe. There are public health issues. Crime issues. It’s a blight to the island. Blah. Blah. Blah. But there are rich stories that can only be imagined by standing in the ruins. Any renovation, no matter how respectful and exacting to the original kitschy Coco Palms design—there’s a GIANT faux clamshell hanging from the ceiling, for goodness sake--will eliminate the charm of the place that evokes such fond memories of a certain, bygone era of Kauai. The cleanliness and perfection of a re-built Coco Palms will jettison the use of our imagination, where these wonderful stories reside today. A re-built Coco Palms will be just that—re-constructed. An imitation. Too much time has passed...."
http://www.outrigger.com/explore/hawaiian-islands/view-from-here-blog/2012/Sept/coco-palms-twenty-years-after-hurricane-iniki

Whoa! Just watched South Park with my kids tonight and Coco Palms played a major role in the story. Some screen photos (my kids were wondering why I was pausing and snapping pics of the TV). They added Tikis and even had the ghost of Elvis!

The writers must be TC lurkers.

DC

Wow, DC, I can't believe my eyes. Thanks for capturing those surprisingly careful renderings.

And thanks peachykeen for the clarification on the "not a room folder".

-Randy

You can watch the eposide at this link:

http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s16e11-going-native

Can't thank Randy enough for the amazing contributions to this thread. Picked up this nice postcard showing the Oracle Tower next the the main lobby building.

DC

Great to see all the pics still being posted here...that was such a fabulous place. Thanks for the memories.

Pure Awesome everyone!!! I'll be tossing in some CoCo Palms elements into Tiki Iniki. Keep an eye out!

On 2012-10-19 08:41, MaukaHale wrote:
You can watch the eposide at this link:

http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s16e11-going-native

DUE TO PRE-EXISTING CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, WE CANNOT STREAM THIS EPISODE UNTIL
11.17.2012

Bummer! Have to wait til tomorrow. :wink:

[ Edited by: MaukaHale 2012-11-16 22:00 ]

I would love to stay in this bed!

Or maybe this bed in the King's Cottage!

DC

Ha: I can see the encroaching jungle outside, to take it back over!

Here's a couple shots from when my in-laws were there in February 1987.

Wish they'd taken more. That sink basin is amazing.

WestAdad,

Nice photos! I wish there were more as well. That pic of cottage on the Wailua river looks great.

I have this postcard showing a BIG clam shell sink.

They were standard in most of the rooms.

DC

Thanks DC, I've got a small album of pictures they took on their trip. Sadly most of them are your typical touristy shots. I'm trying to decide which ones may be good here on TC.

Those basins are simply amazing.

Mahalo,

Chris

I really like how you've taken current pics and added the Blue Hawaii screenshots. The one shot where Jack and Miss Prentiss are walking along the lagoon has a canoe in the lagoon. The person sitting in the front of the canoe helping to paddle was the famous singer, Patti Page, who just happened to be staying at the hotel. She also would get on stage and sing with Larry Rivera. Sadly, she passed away last month.

Aloha

Bob Jasper

A nice drink menu from the Coconut Palace I spotted on ebay a while back.

DC

Note again the purposeful absence of Tiki mugs - the pc island way :)

doesn't add much to the history or architecture, but this is a card in my collection:

"The CONCH SHELL sounds on the Historic Grounds of the COCO PALM in legend-steeped Wailau, were Kauai's Ancient Kings held Court.

the COCO PALMS HOTEL

Island of Kauai, Hawaii"

http://www.facebook.com/groups/98320760038/

Christmas at Coco Palms!

Go Santa

DC

My wife and I met up with 4WDtiki last week and did the tour. Had a blast!

I loved the tour! Even though much of it focused on Elvis and his times there, which I wasn't that into, I still got to walk the grounds and imagine how sweet it was back in the day.

Lagoon from the parking lot.

The Tiki Bar. Yes, it was called that!

It was a beautiful day for pictures.

Main lobby.

Looking down the drive from the original entrance.

It is $20 for the tour, but well worth it, IMO.
But free on Fridays with a local I.D. :D

great pics Bill :D

awesome

found these 6 postcards today, I only saw 2 of them posted here.

jon

Spotted another great old menu from the Coco Palms and the Coconut Palace and Lagoon Dining Room.

DC

I'm not just into films but also Hawaiian architecture. I was educated to be an architect but fell into the film industry. My two main hobbies are post western Hawaiian architecture and South Seas Cinema. Both hobbies have a Polynesian commercial art aspect to them. I use to be a freelanced architectural critic for the local papers. In Hawaiian Architecture there is the double pitched roof that evolved from over-flowing members of early christian churches in the mid 1800s AND the Polynesian Pop 56/60s era architecture that we all are familiar with, with the basic A-frame design. But the Coco Palms was special, it's main lobby and dinning room A-frame was modeled after ancient Hawaiian hut architecture. It has a curving or bulging A-frame. Actually a rare site. Note Picts below:
See hut sample bottom right:

Favorite Post Card of Coco Palms Lobby

In a dream if I was the consultant for the design of the new Disney Aulani Resort on O'ahu I would tell them to base there design on the Coco Palms. To my amazement they did. They won't admit it but the evidence is clear:
Coco Palms exterior:

Aulani exterior:

Coco Palms exterior detail:

Aulani exterior detail:

Coco Palms lobby now:

Aulani lobby drawing:

Thank you everyone for posting and preserving photos of the old resort site even though the Coco Palm ruins are the saddist thing in Modern Hawaiian Architecture history. I'm glad SOUTH PARK did a homage to it even with the Elvis ghost and I'm glad Disney did their research and they also did a homeage to the Coco Palms again even though they wont admit it. Long live the King (Elvis) and the King's Castle of Poly Pop architecture the COCO PALMS! BTW I think the Aulani is the most significant Poly Pop revival architecture today. Check it out TCers.

P.S. Even Stitch who does an Elvis impersonation hangs around the Aulani resort. How's that for a connection.

Tiki Movies & Tiki TV @ southseascinema.org

[ Edited by: creativenative 2013-03-13 17:13 ]

[ Edited by: creativenative 2013-03-13 17:17 ]

[ Edited by: creativenative 2013-03-13 17:18 ]

It is sad that its no longer open but you can't beat a Tiki ghost town!

Got a few more pics to post for the fabulous Coco Palms, this time on a semi-personal note. Seeing WestADad and DC post about the shell basin sinks reminded me I had a little more I was gonna add to this thread...

On 2013-02-10 11:33, Dustycajun wrote:

I have this postcard showing a BIG clam shell sink.

That one is in the King's Cottages, as the text of the postcard said. But as DC also said, I had the impression they might've had the shell sinks in ALL the rooms (maybe without the gold tiles though).

So here's an image from the Penhallow book :down:

I mentioned earlier that my visit was with family, partly celebrating my parents' 50th anniversary in 2012. And 40 years earlier they stayed at the Coco Palms for their 10th anniversary in 1972. So here's my Mom in 1972, cleaning up some Kauai dirt in one of those sinks. :down:

A little re-enactment in 2012 :down:

Another slide photo my Dad took in their 1972 visit, on the lagoon :down:

And just for fun, one more pic from that same 1972 trip to Kauai, but not at the Coco Palms. This is my Dad going down the famous slippery slide from South Pacific. You used to be able to hike to it and swim and slide. It's still there, but thanks to the losers and the lawyers, those days are long behind us. :down:

-Randy