HISTORY OF THE SITE
Then & Now: CoCo Palms Resort
Seven miles north of Lihue, Kauai is the region of Wailua, a small coastal commercial community that is rich in history and Hawaiian culture. The Wailua River, Kauai's only navigable river on the island, cuts right through the region. Until 1853, the waterfront land along the Wailua coast was home to Kauaʻi’s royal family. After Queen Deborah Kapule, the last Kauai' monarch, passed away in 1853, the land was sold. Forty-three years later, a german business man by the name of William Lindeman, purchased the property and planted a 2,000 tree coconut grove.
In 1952, Lyle Guslander and Grace Buscher leased the property and created one of Hawaii's most iconic hotels, Coco Palms. The hotel would soon attract guests such as Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, and would be transformed into the destination for all of Hollywood.
Kauaian Utopia
COCO PALMS
The hotel grew to over "400 rooms across the 32-acre property. Now the premier resort of Kauaʻi, the Coco Palms could charge a premium for luxury, which it did with some rooms fetching more than $400/night – in 1970s dollars. - Abandoned Kauai Jewel
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The Storm That Changed Everything
HURRICANE INIKI
On September 11th, 1992, the most powerful hurricane to ever hit the state of Hawaii took place. The storm was a category-4 hurricane, with winds up to 145 miles-per-hour. Six people were killed, over 1,400 homes were destroyed, and more than $3 billion in damage occurred. The historic Coco Palms Resort would be completely destroyed, leaving it abandoned for the next 25 years.
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“THE COCO PALMS WASN’T A PLACE. IT WAS A TIME, AND THAT TIME IS OVER.”
Author David Penhallow, The Story of Coco Palms Hotel