Here comes Coco Palms 2026. Despite the horrendous traffic, no beach, plus development, cultural, and staffing concerns, redevelopment of the long-gone resort starts now.
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Here comes Coco Palms 2026. Despite the horrendous traffic, no beach, plus development, cultural, and staffing concerns, redevelopment of the long-gone resort starts now.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
The property is an eyesore the way it is. Something should be done with the land. A resort or a park.
Perhaps a bridge over the highway or perhaps a tunnel under the highway to divide safe access to the beach.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Mind boggling that the county is letting this project go through! For So many reasons. But for those of us who live in Kapa’a, We’re the ones who are going to have to suffer the additional traffic and congestion on a daily basis. And for what? Another resort that won’t help the daily lives of the most residents. When is enough going to be enough? Is our county that greedy for revenue at the cost of our daily lives? It’s a Shame!
It’s awesome news!! The eyesore will now be replaced by a beautiful set of buildings, represents many jobs and adds to the tax base, which pays for your police and fire dept!! Great news!
The culture,history,and aloha of the Hawaiian people should take precedence over building another hotel on a sacred site. I am a mainlander and I come to Hawaii to honor the true beauty of the land, it’s people and it’s culture. More hotels only further erode the true Hawaii. Mahalo
Our favorite Hawaiian Island to visit❣️we travel from Vancouver Island,BC and consider our island to be the Hawaii of British Columbia. We have read about and seen this resort in passing and hoped this day would come for beautiful breathtaking Kauai❣️ Hope we get to stay there in 2026 if it’s complete👍
Historical Cultural Hawaii must be preserved….Stop Construction.. please Coco palms a sacred culture site
Tbh what isnt a culturally significant site on any hawaiian island?
You are probably right. That’s why Hawaii is so special.
You should ask the mayor where earth works took the sand. Does no one remember this? The excavator and white bags of sand stacked on the south entrance of Wailua beach. Must have been equivalent to 5 semi-truck loads. Don’t blame the current state the beach is on erosion. Blame it in the locals in government who don’t pay attention to the change in the seasons and shifting of the sand. And who don’t stand up for our resources. Shame on you. I’ll give you a clue. Winter sand move to one side of the bay. Summer sand move to the other side of the bay. Happens every year like clock work. We’ll maybe not this year or the years to follow because the sand was dug up and move off the beach.
So who was it that actually gave or sold the sand…..that was so irresponsible and most likely illegal….People of Kauai, let’s make this public knowledge…Ron you are so right about the seasons moving the sand…lets get to the bottom of this….
The beach didn’t erode. Why don’t you ask the mayor where earth works took the sand they dug from the south entrench of Wailua bay. This was done in end of 2019 start of 2020. Should have took picture for proof. It seems that no one remembers this. The excavator and the big white bags stacked at the south entrance to Wailua beach. They mush have taken an equivalent of 5 semi-trucks of sand. Sad that people who grew up here that are in politics don’t understand the shifting of the seasons and the way the sand moves with the seasons. Don’t blame erosion. Blame the people that make these decisions.
I was fortunate to have stayed at the Coco Palms in 1968, as my entire family went. It was August and as a 13 year old, I found it enchanting, with so much cultural experiences. At night, while eating dinner, they had the ceremony of blowing into the large seashells, and lighting all the tiki torches along the moat by the dinning area, and there was a large fire pit where they roasted pigs or turkeys. There was the Sea Shell restaurant on the beach, and the fern grotto just up the river. I would hate to see an over developed area, like Honolulu. It would be great to leave the original palm tree groves, and put the land back to its native state. Don’t ruin Kauai….
Hope this time it does get interfered with we visited it for our honeymoon in1974 we were hoping it eould be done by when we visited in 2018.
Wow, it’s amazing how things change when there’s a motivated builder who’s Flush with Money. By using the “Original Foundation” the builders just simplified the entire process including most, if not all, studies. Neat Trick! If I were a Native Hawaiian I would be present every day of construction, never know who they may dig up and try to hide. The cost of resanding the beach isn’t much, not in the general scheme of things. Complaints can be made every 6th Sunday of the month at the front desk, no one cares about anything so don’t bother. That’s what it really sounds like. I’ve never heard of permits extending to the indefinite future like they are, amazing how things change for certain people, isn’t it! Try that and see what happens.
Preach it, Brother Ernie!!
Like George Orwell once said: “All animals are equal; but some are more equal than others.“
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…Mommy, when I grow up…I want to be a developer!
Local government should work to achieve a master development plan for this area including traffic, housing, beach, improved retail and restaurants. Working with the Cocoo Palms developers and nearby property owners could produce a wonderful result for the long term.
I find this hard to believe. We have been going to Kauai since 1979 and have seen many changes. It’s definitely getting over crowded in many places and there will only be more tourism to follow. My inlaws stayed at the co Co palms many times and showed us pictures of how beautiful it was. We will not stay there if they really get it rebuilt. We believe that with bodies found there it will definitely be haunted. Thank you for the info.
Make it a Hawaiian cultural center and historical site for everyone to use and enjoy.There are enough hotels and tourists on Kauai
Whatever the developers do, it will be impossible to recreate the Coco Palms. There was so much culture tied into that place that reflected the Ohana spirit of Hawaii. We stayed there in 1981 in one of the cabanas on the other side of the lagoon from the main hotel. The outdoor lava rock shower and bath was a special touch, as was the large clam shell sink, the mosquito netting around the bed, the thatch roof (which probably covered a tin one…. And out back in the palm tree grove was a cage for gibbons, who hooted and hollered at all times of the day. Then the restaurant and nightly entertainment, the coconut pancakes which were to die for, the lagoon. I also had my very first, and second, and third… Blue Hawaiian drink there.
Here we go again , it should have been torned down back in 1992 , I’m glad. Now that the comments about this place will finally be the king is dead n hauled away , Elvis, maybe they should hold an auction on all the pieces of the hotel maybe there’s enough idiots can say they bought where he ate , I’ve been coming here since the mid 70s , the traffic wasn’t that bad as it’s now that’s without the cc palms, let’s first say the aloha spirit is gone . All kauaiis now california west, the island is saturated with food chains , real estate brokers buying the affordable housing up chasing the dreams of the locals to buy a home , there’s a few billionaires that gobbled up a healthy share of realestate,
A huge development on an environmentally endangered site adjacent to overpopulated automobile traffic zone has suddenly been approved?
“Cui Bono?”
If one were to investigate the links between Capital Development and the members of the Kauai Planning Commission one would likely find the answer. Follow The Money.
I am thrilled about Coco Palms. We were married in the little grass church April 20 1992 my husband was from the islands and he made my dreams come true I knew of Coco Palms from my parents they said it was holy ground.needed to always be taken care of.I seen the movie blue Hawaii with Elvis presley I was a young girl but knew I would live there and get married at Coco palms.my husband was born in Hawaii Polynesian filipino . We have 5 beautiful children I always felt I should of been born there.
Aloha make it just like it was
I’m very disappointed and saddened that Kauai’s governing body cannot stop this development, which does not appear to be in alignment with the wishes of the majority of residents. It is also throwing away a wonderful opportunity to offer a cultural experience site to visitors and residents alike.
Sherilyn it’s not that they can’t stop the development its they won’t! Afterall even poorly thought-out and applied, they know what’s best for the people right????? Who voted them in can vote them out!
Btw, you can’t fix the traffic situation without money; money that could come from an expanding tourist based tax base. Or you could fix it by chasing all the tourist business away – but then everyone would be unemployed. Duh.
What a surprise!! Let’s see if this plan comes to fruition. I’ve been coming to Kauai for 45 years. Coco Palms was a beautiful hotel. I would have loved to have one of those clamshell sinks!
Good luck to the new construction. Maybe Kauai will find a solution to the traffic problems. I’ve seen so many changes on that beautiful island. See you soon. 🌴🌴🌴
Our first visit to Kauai was June 1994. Kauai was still recovering from Hurricane Inki in 1992. On later trips, we drove past Coco Palms hoping to see if any restoration was taking place. It is a shame for the site and the community that nothing ever came to fruition. The idea of a cultural center seemed to be something that would a compromise, but now it appears that is off the table. Hope there is a resolution to preserve the history of the site.
Unfortunately, it took too long for Kauai to do anything about it and although it’s shame that an outside developer from Utah will be given priority over locals, the unsightly complex looks more like an empty parking facility. Are there any local builders on Kauai? Why not require those builders coming to Kauai to train locals on trades that would be beneficial to them in the long run? I live in Maui and there is a housing shortage, but locals were not taught how to build houses, so that will have to be taken care of my outsiders once again ….
This is terrible news. The owner has no idea what he’s in for. Another example of people from off island just bulldozing over our culture and sensitive ecosystems.
His first visit? Wow.
Here’s to hoping for a smooth and swift change of plans, instead of a long dramatic failure that involves more devastation for Kauai.
Mahalo Nui Loa, Beat of Hawaii.
You’re the best.
Aloha and blessings always 🌺
Now is the time for government officials to work with developers to put together a collaborative plan that improves traffic, retail, housing & beachfront that works well with development of the Coco Palms. The developers should incorporate reasonable living accommodations for workers to help solve that issue. There is nearby property that might be included for housing, improved restaurants/retail, etc. for and long-term desirable overall development in this area. This could become a true win, win, win, win.
Sadly, this is yet again another example of the stronghold the resort and hotel industry has on the islands. It’s very sad. In my opinion the goal of the islands’ government is to promote an expensive, exclusive vacation destination, reducing the number of tourists that can afford to come here, utilizing tour groups to visit the “hot spots” thus reducing tourist traffic, parking issues etc. A ” most bang for the buck” mentality.
Just what Hawaiʻi needs…
People complain about nothing getting done to clean-up the eyesore. Then people complain that the eyesore will get cleaned up. Nobody is ever happy. People complain about the traffic, but people do nothing to fix the traffic. People complain about a lack of jobs, but people don’t want to work for the jobs that are being created…
If locals don’t want any outside interests coming in and spending over $200 Million or more, but locals don’t want to spend their own money on their own lands’ improvements, then things stay the way they are. Complain about why nothing ever gets done to fix things.
You can’t fix traffic on an already congested highway by building a new development right next to it. It just can’t be done. Unless the development completely bans cars and installs some sort of monorail in and out of town and to the airport. But nobody in the United States has the courage to do some thing like that.
I thought there were monorails in the US, but it looks like those are no longer operating. The rest of the world is just doing fine with them, but engineering doesn’t seem to be on the high list of accomplishments in the US!
Can’t wait to see the project scale model! And I wonder if there are any plans to “re-sand” the beach for guests. The more they incorporate a taste of “Blue Hawaii” and local cultural authenticity, the better for neighbors and advertising. That would include a torch lighting ceremony and hula, of course.
Employee housing is a Great idea, as is offering student intern deals, first to Hawaiian college kids and second to mainland hospitality colleges (Princeton, etc.)
They have a great chance to do this right!!!
This is an example of failed leadership at the county and state level. The people of Kauai deserve better.
Aloha,. And the Coco Palms beat goes on.
This appears to me of yet another example of outside interests, monied interests, coming to the islands with their own own plans at the cost of locals.
Locals will resent this project everytime they slowly , because of Kapaa crawl, drive by this project and shake their collective heads. Visitors for years have done the same thing.
How this situation has been allowed to go on for 30 years should be investigated! Locals won’t want to work there but we will demonstrate our objections to this project, actively!
Locals elect the politicians who oversee this fiasco. There is plenty of blame to go around, but ultimately, it is not on outside interests, local government must represent what the majority of citizens actually want, and that has been abundantly clear for over 2 decades.
Agree with “How this situation has been allowed to go on for 30 years should be investigated! “
There still are such things as property rights
We are frequent visitors to Kauai and each trip we are astounded that the eyesore wreckage of the once beautiful Coco Palms still stands. I’ll believe when I see it that a large hotel will be built. My personal choice, that counts for nothing since I don’t reside on Kauai, is that the grounds be renovated to combine a cultural center and park along with a Blue Hawaii themed restaurant replicating the old Coco Palms restaurant. Not tacky Elvis, but tasteful nostalgia. But regardless, tear down the skeletal remains asap. Better to look at a vacant overgrown plot of land.
I don’t know what you mean by tacky Elvis but he will always be tasteful nostalgia to me.
More than anything this has become a curiosity.
Who will be responsible for a plan for the resort guest pedestrians to cross safely to & from the beach?
Will there be improved beach parking for locals use?
Will the county add a lifeguard tower & staff to save the drowning tourists?
Can the Lydgate sewage treatment plant handle the output from a resort?
Did the.latest developer consider any of this stuff? It seems like the planning dept has other priorities.
The biggest challenge will be employees. They should build housing. Our current Planning Department inherited this housing mess. Bye bye workers.
The beach is back.
Remember the Puhi to Lihue crawl. Add some lanes and it’s gone. I guess we’ll see how these new lanes help.
If tourists can walk to the beach, walk to restaurants, isn’t that good?
3 years of construction work and jobs paid at “prevailing wage”? Where are the workers going to live, it will take skilled workers and resources for construction? Then recruitment of willing to work staffing to run the place. City and County will get a boost in property Tax values as well as tourist taxes, I’m sure that’s what they are counting on.
This is awesome .we so miss the beautiful coco palms.
We stayed there in 1989 when we were married on kauai.
It was incredible , so amazibg.so historical.
Can’t wait to book a stay.
While at first observation, I would support its restoration, I definitely can understand the bog of traffic that currently runs through Kapaa, which only be made worse. I have pleasant memories of the original hotel, having dined there so many years ago. That place has always attracted me, with all its nostalgia and beautiful grounds and palm trees. I hope something positive can come out if it. And Kauai needs to do something about it’s traffic issue through there.
Right or wrong, anything pro-tourist is going to get overwhelmingly dissed by the locals. That goes without saying, no need to hear the reasons.
I wish them well. Naysayers are just angry sad complainers who think whining is somehow fixing things.
My grandparents stayed there many years ago. My husband and I went to a show there also many years ago. It’s going to be rebuilt they should try to keep an area for history of the place. I remember it being special because of the history.
Our first visit to Hawaii was in 1986 in celebration of our 10th wedding anniversary. We stayed at the Coco Palms and loved everything about the resort. That brought us back many times and we stayed in condos after Iniki. It was sad for us whenever we passed the once beautiful resort lying in ruins. I hope the rebuilding retains the ambiance of the earlier hotel. It was a very special place.
Hawaii seems of late to be trying to stop tourists. Odd; this does not seem to fit. Can’t have it both ways as Hawaii is mainly a tourist supported place.
Interesting article about the Coco Palms site. You are dreaming! If demolition every starts, there will be massive local protests over increased traffic, noise and anything else that can be done to stop the project. The “Developer” who are from the Mainland will give up and never be heard from again. Kauai is not Oahu. Things run very differently there.