Hawaii's Angkor Wat

the way in                                                                   KW

Anyone who was lucky enough to visit Kauai before Hurricane Iniki tore it up in 1992 may remember the Coco Palms Hotel. A friend who stayed there with her family once remembers that the sinks were huge shells. We never stayed there, but we did have dinner there a couple of times. I recall sitting at a table next to the low wall that opened onto the garden outside and watching a guy come out and blow on a conch shell, others running while swinging fireballs at the end of what looked like long ropes so that, each time the fireball would touch the ground, it would light a low torch. It was all pretty hokey and definitely touristy, but it was also beautiful. There was a lagoon, too. Anyway, after Iniki, the hotel fell into disrepair and nature started slowly eating it up. There were rumors of legal problems, money problems, etc., and it just sat there. Of course, there were the vandals and looters, and last year, a suspected arson fire ate up much of what was left of one section of it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tLjMWrOe3U). But there's good news: A company called Coco Palms Hui LLC, is planning to build it again. The same hotel (plus updated amenities, I'm guessing) on the same footprint. It will be managed by Hyatt Hotels. I know this because our tour guide told us so. "Tour guide," as in he gives tours of the ghostly old structure and surrounding, jungle-draped property. Bob Kauai Jasper is the property overseer. He's
been conducting these tours for 20 years and was involved with the hotel long before that. He knows its history, and that of the island, inside and out and had some good stories to tell (Bob's youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Q8EN0ZzmVb4CaO5d9xpbA). A few highlights:

lobby entrance, lagoon (back) side. the huge conch shell that was suspended 
from the peak burned in last year's fire. (see link in post for video)

a couple of the rooms. most of their shutters are still intact.

the beautiful mosaic in the bar and grill shines on. Bob thinks they'll be able to save it.

Elvis's Blue Hawaii. Patty Page happened to be at the hotel
and ended up in a scene, paddling a canoe in the background.

the wedding chapel. built for a Rita Hayworth movie and still in pretty good shape.

King's Cottages. a little hidden door between the
closets linked two cottages and was for ... well,
you can imagine. Elvis's was #56. Queen's Cottages
are down the way, smaller and $10 less per night.
(Remember, this place was built a long time ago!)