25 thoughts on “Coco Palms Revisited”

  1. Stayed there on my only visit to Kauai. A bit beat up by then but still a classic, nice to see it gets a second life. Loved the oyster shell basins!

  2. Coco Palms holds so much of Hawaii in its splendor and beauty. Having the most blessed opportunity to be at this resort at its height of magnificence , with Elvis and Joan Blackman and so many others long gone was living a dream. Had I won this most recent lottery my priority would have been to help restore her. As you can tell from all the comments here…Coco Palms is Hawaii! Hawaii is Aloha.
    Just a funny aside…when the rumors surfaced that Elvis had not died and was hiding out somewhere my first comment was, “did anyone check the bungalow at Coco Palms?” When I return I will be sure to take the tour. I will also go over to Hanalai looking for the Plantation, which too is long gone. So aloha to all those that want to experience the very best..I envy you that you will be apart of raising Coco Palms from the ashes.

  3. My mother always wanted to visit Hawaii and we were able to bring her to Hawaii the year Elvis Died and we stayed at the coco palms and enjoyed our stay very much. We hope it gets restored because it housed a lot of history and was a great place to stay.

  4. I stayed here in 1970 when I was 8 years old. I spent a lot of my time on the lookout for Elvis! I visited Kauai 5 years ago and was so sad to see what had become of the Coco Palms. I’ll be planning a return trip when it is up and running again!

  5. We stayed there for 4 days in the mid to late 80’s. It was the 2nd. stop of a 3 island tour. It ruined me for ANYWHERE I’ve ever stayed since. Everything about the place is second to none. Once I learned the history of the place & how Grace ran everything I was hooked. I’ve never forgotten my experience there. We tried to re turn a few yrs. later for a week the hurricane had already done its damage. I was really disappointed. Bob Hope’s famous line “thanks for the memories, Coco Palms”. I’ve been in some fabulous hotels in my life, such as Las Vegas etc. but they are man made. You don’t have that feeling at the Coco Palms. Nature & Grace created this place. We’re up in age now & I don’t care to travel very far. At least I was lucky enough stumble into this place by accident in my lifetime.

  6. My mom, dad, husband, and myself stayed at the Coco Palms in July of 1973. We were spending a week on each of the Hawaiian islands. The stay at the Coco Palms was by far the highlight of our vacation. From the time we checked in to the time we left, we had a great time. It all started with the welcome pineapple and the invitation to Grace Guslander’s welcome cocktail party. I felt like I was in a segment from South Pacific. We met actress Ann Francis and Grace Guslander at the party. Beautiful, gracious ladies. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening torch lighting ceremony earlier. We ended our evening at the Coconut Lounge and enjoyed the great entertainment. We came back in 1975. Nothing had changed. We still received gracious service from everyone. However, my husband and I wanted to bring our daughter to Kauai to see the Coco Palms in 1992, but our plane was turned around because of hurricane Iniki. Please restore!
    We would love to come back to all of those great memories.

  7. I was fortunate to have been a tour escort for AITS from 1968-70 and brought hundreds of people to Hawaii. My favorite place was Coco Palms Resort. As soon as you set foot on the property, the past seemed to come alive and engulf you. As the sun set and the conch shell blew, the torchlight runners began their run between the coconut trees lighting the way….and of course the reflections in the lagoon were lasting memories as well. I spent many happy hours in the Coconut Palace lounge visiting friends and enjoying the local hospitality. I am so happy that finally, some investors were found that believe in a complete restoration of this wonderful magical place. In my opinion, Coco Palms IS Hawaii!

  8. Rob,
    I’m happy to say that almost all the clamshell sinks are still intact. Some that are gone are safeguarded off the property in storage. Each sink weighs well over 100 lbs, therefore, very difficult to steal.

  9. I’m a Maui girl at heart :0) my Tutu’s home is on the Valley Isle. My Mother is from the island of O’ahu, brought to the mainland as a child. She raised me here but took me home frequently throughout my childhood. As a teenager I spent every Christmas in Hawai’i, and also visited during the summer some years. We stayed at the Coco Palms whenever on Kaua’i. My parents are both huge Elvis fans, and I think this might’ve been part of the reason. I remember visiting the bungalow where he used to stay. My Father and I would rise early in the morning, to head down to the beach and take sunrise photos. We would go to dinner at night and I have many pictures by the lagoon. I remember going to Larry Rivera’s show and getting his album autographed, our pictures taken. His daughter is also named Leilani…and she is a kumu hula, as well as a singer. The loss of the Coco Palms Hotel is enormous. A trip down memory lane, such nostalgia from the glamour of Hollywood, mixed with dreams of an island paradise. I am sad that it has never reopened. There will never be another place like it. Such a shame…but such wonderful memories.
    A standard hula that I dance, “Beautiful Kaua’i” was written here during a visit by Randy Farden, of the famous Farden family singers. He was inspired by the view from his room in 1967.
    Here is a nice article written by Derek Rivera, “Uncle” Larry’s son – http://www.k12.hi.us/~kapaahs/foundation/alumniprofilelr.html

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