Coco Palms Resort is an abandoned mid-1900s resort located in Waialua, Kauai, Hawaii, USA. Coco Palms Resort began as a small lodge in 1952 but later upgraded to a fully functional five-star hotel and resort in 1992. The resort was struck by a hurricane leading to its abandonment.

History of Coco Palms Resort

Just like any other prosperous business, there is always a story that shaped its existence and success. Coco Palms Resort is not an exception as it was established at a site where rangles and the land dispute was      the norm. The site where the hostel was established by Lyle Guslander, a professional manager and hotelier, was sold to him by a family member who inherited the land from her forefathers. Though the property was constantly in and out of court, Guslander was not affected as lawsuits never came to fruition, it turned out most were just empty threats. By 1957, a 22-roomed lodge and some other supporting buildings were constructed to      host tourists who loved the view of the beach. With Guslander's managerial skills and experience in the business, the lodge did so well that it was upgraded and expanded to a 96 room hotel to support the influx of guests at the resort.

Fall of the Coco Palms Resort

The success of the Coco Palms Resort was clearly seen by the number of tourists they hosted and ceremonies held on the property. Being one of the best holiday resorts, weddings, tree planting ceremonies and lighting ceremonies were some of the annual events that attracted both local and international tourists. Built like a modern suburban community, the resort offered good movie shooting grounds giving it popularity as most film production industries loved the serene environment it offered. With all of its prosperity, no one expected such a hotel to be abandoned and disowned in the near future. Hurricane Inoki, which hit the resort in 1992 and devastated everything in its path, put an end to its success. As a result, the five-star resort was forced to close down immediately. Despite the fact that the administration allowed occasional underground tours of the facility, it was never reopened as a resort.

What is left of the resort?

Coco Palms Resort is now in a dilapidated state after decades of no maintenance. Some locals and homeless citizens once occupied the village resort and left the place extremely vandalized and looted. The ponds that were once a favorite for visitors to cool off are now filled with contaminated water that now acts as a harboring spot for mosquitos. Overgrown elephant grass and trees cover the disheveled buildings. For most of the structures, roofs have collapsed leaving concrete walls standing in the middle of a semi forest. The site is out of bounds to the general public. unstable buildings. Stagnant water that now covers major sections of the building is also hazardous to any person visiting the place.