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The Coco Palms Resort - Remnants of Blue Hawaii all but gone…
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. Originally opening in January 1953 with only 24 rooms, the hotel quickly became Kauai’s premier hotel and attracted the likes of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby - who were shooting Hollywood movies on the picturesque island. The Coco Palms was quickly becoming “the place to see and the place to be seen” in the late 50’s and early 60’s, with not only movie stars as its guests, but also royalty of Japan and other noted celebrities of the era. But the hotel was really ‘put on the map’ when Elvis filmed the movie Blue Hawaii. He had arrived in Hawaii on March 18, 1961, to prepare for a charity concert that he was performing on March 25 to raise funds for the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbour. He arrived at the recording studio on March 21 to start the recording of the film's soundtrack and three weeks later filming had wrapped, with later scenes to be completed at Paramount Studios. Ever since Blue Hawaii was released, the Coco Palms Resort held over 500 wedding ceremonies on its grounds, annually. A first class luxurious hotel, set amongst acres of coconut trees and right on the beach, it was no wonder Elvis also spent time not only filming on location here, but also vacationing with wife Priscilla and also daughter Lisa Marie. Elvis would always stay in Bungalow #56 which overlooked the resorts beautiful lagoon.
Unfortunately the splendorous Coco Palms Hotel was ruined in 1992 by Hurricane Iniki and has been closed ever since. I was aware of that before arriving at the site, but I wasn’t prepared for the condition that it was in – for it had been left as it was 20 years earlier after the hurricane – decrepit, dilapidated and a rotting mess. And to top it off, a fire also tore through the hotel on 4th July 2014. Squatters over the years had come and gone, the once magnificent gardens were now a mass of overgrown weeds and what once must have been a colourful oasis and a hive of social activity, was now just a skeleton of broken buildings. I had heard that tours were still available but during my 3 prior visits, I always seem to just miss out on tour times. And it looked like this year would be same. Next tour Monday –and when was I leaving? Monday! Thankfully, one of our EIN members saw my EIN blog from Kauai and gave me contact details for the terribly kind and affable Bob Jasper, who did indeed give up his Sunday to give me a private tour of the hotel. And Bungalow #56 was first on my list!
On touring the grounds with Bob – the site is over 50 acres – there were many flashbacks of Blue Hawaii, so many places looked familiar. The entrance where Elvis and the girls pulled up in the car, the dining room/bar where the fight scene with Garvey was filmed, the fire pit, the lagoon, and of course the bungalows where Elvis and the girls filmed a few scenes.
We continued our tour through the grounds, and unfortunately it was a bit of a case of “that’s where so and so used to be” – 3 swimming pools, the grand and opulent reception hall (that was recently reduced to land level in the fire) – and I was astonished to learn there was even a mini zoo at one point, filled with exotic animals. I took a look in the huge dining room where Elvis would always sit at the same table (bottom right hand side of the room).
However, the lagoon where the infamous wedding scene was filmed is still as beautiful and serene as ever. It has been maintained as many weddings have been held there since. It, remarkably, looks the same as it did when Elvis sang the Hawaiian Wedding Song whilst floating up the lagoon on a huge platform (which I learned was pulled along by an electric cable under the water – so much for those rowers!).
We passed by some other old buildings that stored very old chairs, menu boards, tables etc. And the chapel that Elvis and Maile kiss in front of at the very end.
Well the tour was over and even though a thrill for me because of its Elvis ties, it is also very interesting for the regular tourist, as this site has been used for many a film over the years – from Rita Hayworth’s 1953 “Miss Sadie Thompson” to Johnny Depp’s “Pirates of Carribean. Bob had dozens of stories to tell about Coco Palms and its ties to Hollywood, movie stars, singers and royalty. After many, many years of council meetings, different owners and different plans, the current ‘new’ owners are affiliated with the Hyatt group of hotels and plans are finally underway to restore the Coco Palms back to all its former glory. It will be a massive undertaking, but one can only imagine how grand it will be once it is finished. Sadly, there are no plans to restore Elvis’ bungalow, or any of the bungalows used in the film. They are in such a poor state, to bulldoze them would be a wise alternative. Renovation plans are in place only for the main building and its hotel rooms. As I was about to bid my expert tour guide Aloha, Bob said he had one final thing to show me. He produced a couple of original menus from The Lagoon Dining Room at the Coco Palms. One was autographed by Anne Francis, the other by Shirley Temple Black. Then he showed me a third menu – mint, pristine condition, there was Elvis’ autograph. He had signed it for one of the waiters in the restaurant. Unfortunately it was a boomerang and it went straight back to Bob – but at least I got to hold it for a second! PS - Fans please note that a few months later EIN's Sanja Meegin became the lucky owner of this fabulous autographed menu. It is NOT for sale!
Bob had one final surprise for me, and this one I could keep. One of the 24carat gold plated tiles from Elvis’ Bungalow. To say I was gobsmacked was an understatement! I was beyond thankful to have not only a little piece of history from this Kauai Camelot, but to have a little piece of Blue Hawaii to treasure for ever. And fans can also now own their own little piece of Elvis history – each tile is framed in a lovely shadow box, along with a letter of authenticity and photos of Elvis inside the bungalow and on the grounds of the Coco Palms. If you are interested in owning one – please visit www.elvisatcocopalms.com for further information.
If you would like to take this incredible tour of the Coco Palms resort, go through Elvis’ bungalow and see all the other Blue Hawaii sites before it is restored and re-opened as a Hyatt resort in 2017 – visit www.cocopalmstour.com or drop Bob a line at tourguy@hawaiian.net Reservations are not required, just show up at the hotel on any weekday at 1.45pm. The address is 4-241 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaa, on the beautiful island of Kauai. It will be the best $20 you have ever spent! and please GO HERE to short YouTube video from my tour
Newly added photos from April 2016.
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